10c Clyde’s Place Drink Token Aurora IL?
MtW124
Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭
Has anyone ever come across this token in hand or in books? It is 25.5 mm across and is very thin as in approx. 1.30 mm thick also, it weighs 4.21 G. I know nothing so let me put that out there first. I was just thinking that maybe it was a civil war store card token but it has no date and no die sinker or name of manufacturers markings. Thanks for any help.
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Well after Civil; War. Just by style I would guess 1890-1920's.
Thanks @CaptHenway I didn’t know they were used that much after the civil war. Also, we’re tokens such as this used when the Great Depression occurred?
It's listed as TC-596448TokenCatalog Number; Vacketta Aur-B08-10
https://www.tokencatalog.com/display_records.php?pageNum_rst_token_description=2&totalRows_rst_token_description=256&view=All+Listings&ta_country=U.S.A.&td_state=Illinois&td_city=&collection=-1&SearchString=aurora&SubmitFilter=Search&AlsoSeeOption=&DisplayIndexingOption=&SearchStringEveryWord=&SearchStringAnyWord=&ImagedOnlyOption=&action=DisplayRecords
Not much info but I believe it is "common" meaning a few hundred exist.
Most were made in batches of 1000 and either very few, none, or several hundred survive. I've seen it suggesting there are a few hundred.
Prohibition began Jan 17, 1920, so this token probably predates 1920.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Thank you @cladking. I appreciate this information. Now I know. I wasn’t having much luck on the search engines. I do have the red book civil war tokens book as I do have three of those that I have been able to collect. Also I found the address of where it used to exist that now is a grassy area by a train track. Now maybe someday I will run across an old picture of the place. Love the history of the past!
Thank you @PerryHall for that information because aurora was a hangout of Alfonso Capone during that time period. I have heard there were many speakeasy’s in the area as well.
The link above shows a token from Clyde's Ship at the same address with a markedly more modern look on the denomination side.
I'd guess post-prohibition for the predecessor token.
Yeah, later than I thought.
Later than I was thinking to Capt.
Over on the BST @mustanggt has been selling token and other dies for the past few years. I think the oldest ones are from the 1960s or maybe the late 50s. They don't look terribly different from your token style. So maybe yours might fit into the "mid-century" era.
FWIW, the time frame in cladking's link (1946 - 1952) seems to sync with the 1952 date in the description of this WortPoint item.
Edited for clarity.
Thanks @MetroD
Tokens will lead you down a rabbit hole. You've hit on a number of reasons here why they are so fun to collect, especially when the location is local. Good luck in your search. As stated above with the name change of the business "Clyde's Place" to "Clyde's Ship" using same address, with font stylistic on your token from the 1930s to the 1970s style on "Clyde's Ship" and "25 cents," I would think you have about 40 or 50 years of business to research. I'd look in city directories and local libraries if I wanted to learn more.
Good luck
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Thanks @JBK ,@MetroD and @DCW. That helps me a lot. I was hoping that the building survived as many buildings are repurposed and keep their integrity for future generations to enjoy. We enjoy going on walking tours put on by the local historical society’s that talk about the people and the structures.
This location unfortunately did not survive.
Another listing on the token site mentions the probable name of the person; same address. but no picture for the specific listing. But should be helpful for further research:
1946-1952 CD: Clyde Hargraves, Tavern, 70 S. Broadway.
According to the aerial map provided by
@MtW124
someone theoretically could wander over to 70 S. Broadway with a metal detector….
30+ years coin shop experience (ret.) Coins, bullion, currency, scrap & interesting folks. Loved every minute!
Tokens were commonly buried/thrown away when they were no longer good.... so who knows?
yes, who knows...
I branched into world coins in 1974 because I could sometimes find silver cheap but mostly because I needed a lot more to remember and world coins provided it. Then by the mid-'80's I still had more I needed to remember so I branched into tokens and medals as well. There are just so many and the best estimate is 90% of every token ever commissioned has no surviving examples. Still the surviving 10% is enough to stagger almost any memory.
Now my head's full of so many coins tokens and medals I could forget where I put it. If that weren't bad enough I went and "memorized" the oldest complete corpus of writing.
They are certainly a fascinating field, and I enjoy them very much. I imagine they were likely very popular during the depression years, when many had little actual money/cash; merchants could give tokens out as change which could then be used next time. Or at least I would think that would be a good use for them back then.