" In a narrow sense, trade tokens are "good for" tokens, issued by merchants. Generally they have a merchants name or initials, sometimes a town and state, and a value, such as "good for 5¢" (or other denomination) legend somewhere on the token. Types of merchants that issued tokens include general stores, grocers, department stores, dairies, meat markets, drug stores, saloons, bars, taverns, barbers, coal mines, lumber mills and many other businesses. The era of 1870 through 1920 marked the highest use of "trade tokens" in the United States, spurred by the proliferation of small stores in rural areas. Thousands of small general stores and merchandise stores were found all over the United States, and many of them used trade tokens to promote trade and extend credit to customers. Aluminum tokens almost always date after 1890, when low-cost production began".
We weren't aware that John Hesch ever issued trade tokens, but then, Larry found two being offered on ebay. Bought by a collector (in England, I think), the offer was for two five cent tokens from the John Hesch Grocery in Buckman, Minnesota. They may have looked like the one above, or like these:
It'd be really cool to have a pic of John's tokens, but you get the idea. We assume he paid farmers for eggs with them, or even gave them as prizes...do YOU know, Sue?
OK! Sue says Johnny Boy's kids have a few of the tokens. (Do they realize they're collectable??) It'd be really cool to post a pic of them here...
THANKS, Sue!
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