Old token needing iding (Solved I beleived) after 1 yr

IAsoldier

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Apr 8, 2008
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LadyDigger

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Jun 7, 2006
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Re: Old token needing id

Here are two newspaper articles I found regarding the Brunswick Balke Collender Company.
Annmarie
 

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IAsoldier

IAsoldier

Hero Member
Apr 8, 2008
941
218
MV, IA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600 with 11 inch coil. BLuetooth head set and Minelab pin pointer. My back is the Minelab Explorer II w/ 12 x 9 NEL coil, Minelab pinpointer and Deep woods headphones.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: Old token needing id

Well from the research Ive done they where all over the place. Im hoping this is a local coin token it will be the first for me.
 

Likely Guy

Hero Member
Re: Old token needing id

Hey IA,

Brunswick Balke Collender Company became the billiard table company 'Brunswick', I think they still exist today. Maybe, pinball machines too.

P.S. Bowling balls, toilet seats, golf clubs, etc.

The B.B.C. Co existed from 1884 until 1960 when it became the Brunswick Co.

'Poor & Combs' sounds like your local link. That's what will narrow it down.
 

intimer

Hero Member
Jan 15, 2009
702
31
east tennessee
Re: Old token needing id

bbc must have sponsored the making of the token for local pool halls. the obverse was used across the usa in my opinion. but the reverse, with the name, determines the value. in my opinion the smaller the town the fewer the tokens the rarer the piece.
hey, 'poor and combs'...if you could only find the cross town rival 'rich and blow dries'!

pool hall tokens are widely collected. there is a book, i believe in the last few years.

the value is based on how many collectors there are for the location. there are city, county and state collectors that collect any tokens within their collecting area. just as a maverick bbc token it is easily worth $5-$20. this one should be able to be id'd-increasing the estimate.

a really cool looking token.

mike
 

LadyDigger

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Jun 7, 2006
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Re: Old token needing id

Minton7 found one too in July 2008: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=166761.0

His appears to be older than yours, but still a nice find.

Found two on Ebay, one like yours and one like Minton7's. One has C.T. Chester and the other has T.S....

...nor can I find any reference to POOR and COMBS in my newspaper search or google. I searched under POOL HALLS and BILLIARDS and BARS...nothing...

Annmarie
 

LadyDigger

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Re: Old token needing id

I emailed the Brunswick Company and just received a response:

Trade tokens or trade checks were offered by Brunswick to their billiard
room proprietor customers throughout the 30's, 40's. They disappear from
Brunswick product catalogs by 1950.

Some of the catalog descriptions list the composition of the trade checks.
During World War II they were listed as composed of "special red fibre",
and as "not inflammable" and that the dye was not harmed by alcohol or
water. After the War tokens were offered in aluminum.

All of the archival literature we have available lists the denominations
the tokens were available in as: 5 cents, 10 cents and 25 cents "in
merchandise". They were sold to proprietors in lots of 100, 200, 300, 500
or 1000, with the billiard room name and address stamped for free on the
reverse side of the token.

Attached are some catalog shots from that era showing the tokens for sale.

(Embedded image moved to file: pic08260.jpg)(Embedded image moved to file:
pic06202.jpg) (These images did not show up...so I can't upload here. One was from 1938 and the other from 1942. I can email her back to see if she can resend the images, if you wish.)

Joan Ledanski
Administrative Projects Manager
Brunswick Billiards

Hope this info helps,
Annmarie
 

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IAsoldier

IAsoldier

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Apr 8, 2008
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MV, IA
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Minelab Equinox 600 with 11 inch coil. BLuetooth head set and Minelab pin pointer. My back is the Minelab Explorer II w/ 12 x 9 NEL coil, Minelab pinpointer and Deep woods headphones.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: Old token needing id

That be great if you could do that. I did some researching on my own at the local library didnt find anything useful. In the late 1880's there was tons of Billards/Saloons in town here. Im just wondering if they (Brunswick) keep a record of businesses that bought coins from them. Later and HH
 

LadyDigger

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Jun 7, 2006
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Re: Old token needing id

IAsoldier said:
That be great if you could do that. I did some researching on my own at the local library didnt find anything useful. In the late 1880's there was tons of Billards/Saloons in town here. Im just wondering if they (Brunswick) keep a record of businesses that bought coins from them. Later and HH

I just sent you a PM :icon_thumright:

I also sent her an email to see if she could resend the images.
Annmarie
 

LadyDigger

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Re: Old token needing id

These pics do no good....but this is what was re-sent to me. ???
Annmarie

I had to do some enlarging...but the top pic, that paper reads:

After 1884? (first number is 1 and the last one is a 4...it's the two middle ones I can really make out)
The Brunswick Balke
Collender Compy

Then the arrow points to all 4 shown.

I can not make out where the big thick arrow it pointing to...what it says??

Underneath that..... something like "--l--ville. Main? or Maln? then the numbers 1802? can't say...can't really blow up much more.

The second pic has an arrow pointing right and left and says CLOVER LEAF (referring to shape of coin)
The under that with the arrow pointing right says OCTAGON (referring to shape of coin)
 

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IAsoldier

IAsoldier

Hero Member
Apr 8, 2008
941
218
MV, IA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600 with 11 inch coil. BLuetooth head set and Minelab pin pointer. My back is the Minelab Explorer II w/ 12 x 9 NEL coil, Minelab pinpointer and Deep woods headphones.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: Old token needing id

Annmarie can you look up this Midway Billiard Parlor which was in town here (Missouri Valley, IA) yrs ago. Also W.E. Bowen Billiards, Drinks, Cigars.
 

LadyDigger

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Jun 7, 2006
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Re: Old token needing id

IAsoldier said:
Annmarie can you look up this Midway Billiard Parlor which was in town here (Missouri Valley, IA) yrs ago. Also W.E. Bowen Billiards, Drinks, Cigars.

Sure, I'll see what I can find....did you see the pics? :-\
 

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IAsoldier

IAsoldier

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Apr 8, 2008
941
218
MV, IA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600 with 11 inch coil. BLuetooth head set and Minelab pin pointer. My back is the Minelab Explorer II w/ 12 x 9 NEL coil, Minelab pinpointer and Deep woods headphones.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: Old token needing id

Ya no good and no help from the Brunswick Co. they dont keep records that old. I saying most likely this token is from town here. Also look up a name Walt Kauanaugh he's from Dunlap, IA that had some Brunswick Balke Pools tables in the late 1880's
 

LadyDigger

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Jun 7, 2006
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Re: Old token needing id

There was also a Midway Billiard Parlor in Charleston, West Virginia ... but I did not copy that article. This is all the reference in the newspapers I could find on Midway, other than the article I did not copy.

Still doing some research.
 

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IAsoldier

IAsoldier

Hero Member
Apr 8, 2008
941
218
MV, IA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600 with 11 inch coil. BLuetooth head set and Minelab pin pointer. My back is the Minelab Explorer II w/ 12 x 9 NEL coil, Minelab pinpointer and Deep woods headphones.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: Old token needing id

Found some info on 2 Billiards pool halls (Salloons) in town here. I need somebody to look up someones name that owned the Saloons. First guy is J. H. Ball the other D. Burgess both from Missouri Valley IA. Let me know what you find. Later and HH
 

MonDak

Full Member
Jan 5, 2006
180
22
Re: Old token needing id

here's another version. This one was found in Wyoming
 

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cwtokenman

Jr. Member
Jul 14, 2009
25
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Re: Old token needing id

I need to clean up around my desk. Somewhere within my reach is a BBC reference book, but it eludes me at the moment. That is a very difficult and expensive (for its size) reference to obtain.
 

intimer

Hero Member
Jan 15, 2009
702
31
east tennessee
Re: Old token needing id

IAsoldier said:
Found some info on 2 Billiards pool halls (Salloons) in town here. I need somebody to look up someones name that owned the Saloons. First guy is J. H. Ball the other D. Burgess both from Missouri Valley IA. Let me know what you find. Later and HH

looked up these two names in the 1919 dunn bradstreet--nothing found . this references only one month in one year so.....
 

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