5cents trade coin
Gurney266
Posts: 131 ✭✭
Can anyone tell me.morenof this coin? Value, rarity, desired? 
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Gurney266
Posts: 131 ✭✭
Comments
Generally "good for" tokens were handed out in change by the merchant to get the shopper to come back at a later date to redeem it. Sometimes they were issued and traded just like real coin in areas that had coin shortages. This often happened in mining camps, lumber camps, etc, where there was no bank to issue coin or until a bank came to town. Common in the west and in the upper mid-west where a lot of logging camps existed. Yours might be from Erskine, Minnesota and would date probably from the 1880 - 1910's. Not familiar with the value or scarcity. Perhaps others will chime in tomorrow.
bob
It's known as a trade token. They were very common in the late 1800ds and early 1900. Many saloons would use them. They would say good for a 12 1/2 cent drink or good for a 5 cent cigar etc. Saloons would have them made for a penny a piece or so. Someone would order a shot of whiskey for 12 1/2 cents and pay with a quarter. Their change would be a token that cost a penny to make. If they never used the token or lost it, the saloon basically sold the initial drink for 24 cents. I have a trade token book at home, I'm at work right now. I will see if I can find your token and tell you the rarity of it when I get home.
That's awesome, I see thus token has alot of history to it. So intriguing. I would love to learn more about jt.
Finally found my Trade Tokens book. "United States Trade Tokens 1866-1889" by Russell Rulau. Unfortunately your token isn't in it. My guess it post dates 1889.
Old trade token... and looks like someone 'personalized' it with their initials. Cheers, RickO
Minted by Schaaf, Minneapolis
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Interesting token.
I see the manufacturer name Schaaf, MPLS (Minneapolis).
It might be connected with the town of Erskine Minnesota.
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It is from Erskine, Minnesota, one of several varieties known with and without counterstamps (probably done for a change in ownership). Erskine is a very common town token-wise, a Rarity-1 on a R1 to R8 (unique) scale. The Schaaf signature on a token pretty much dates it to post-World War II.