Sort of OT: Sample coin.....not a sample slab.

DNADave · October 27, 2006 6:42AM

Comments?

Leiana · October 27, 2006 6:45AM

That's pretty nifty!

-Amanda

Conder101 · October 27, 2006 9:52AM

That is a salesmans sample for an Osborne company salesman. It was used when visiting coal mine and lumber company ownerd to try and sell them scrip tokens that they could use to either pay their employees or for advances against their salaries. You've probably heard of coal scrip (Lumber company scrip is less common) It was only good in the company store where prices were often higher. It kept the employees always a little in debt to the company and as long as they owed the company they couldn't quit. Well that piece is what the salesman would show them so they could see what their new scrip would look like.

lathmach · October 27, 2006 10:02AM

Get that put in a sample slab and sell it to
Cameron.

Ray

WoodenJefferson · October 27, 2006 10:15AM

It's round, can be held between fingers, it has something stamped on it...not OT around here. I was wondering what the key hole means/significant/is it a key hole on your piece?

Conder101 · October 27, 2006 10:27AM

Many if not most of the coal scrip tokens were holed and there were many different shapes of holes. This was done so that the tokens could be recognized quickly and easily as to which company they were from. Since the tokens themselves were of a standardized design if you had more than one company in an area each one would have a different shaped hole in their tokens, That way the company store could instantly spot if someone was trying to use someone elses tokens. (This could also occur if say a mine closed down and the workers were caught holding a bunch of the tokens. They might try to pass them in the store of another company.) In some cases it might also be possible that a private business might exist that took tokens from more than one company. The hole made it easy to seperate the tokens by company for redemption without having to read each one to see whose it was.

ABC123 · October 28, 2006 2:28AM

Different !

Sort of OT: Sample coin.....not a sample slab.

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