Trade token Max Estroff

[BlueVW]

I dug a trade token today at a home in Little Rock. The front reads Max Estroff. Good for 5 cents in trade. The back is blank. It is brass. I did a quick search and did not find anything on the token catalogue or a store in Little Rock, Arkansas. Any ideas?

 

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[TRanegar36]

Got to love those old tokens!

 

[Mackaydon]

I don't know if this is YOUR Max Estroff, but there is an article in the Belvidere (Illinois) paper of Nov. 27, 1903 that states:"[FONT=&quot] Max Estroff, a grocer, shot and killed bis eight-year-old daughter Madeline, fatally wounded his wife and committed sui-t cide by turning the weapon upon himself. "
[/FONT]Don....
Source: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/69689094/

 

[wagbert]

Interesting token and probably a rare find. I always appreciate MacKaydon's research and comments. Reading further the Estroff family was probably from Illinois. By 1903 they had a grocery in Oklahoma, at that time Indian Territory . The family lived in an upstairs apartment that was often the common way it was done back then. Max Estroff made a mess of his family, shooting his wife several times who soon died of her grievous wounds, but remained coherent long enough to tell the sheriff that she had retired for the evening and awoke to find her husband standing over her who began shooting his S&W .38. She took at least three mortal wounds, face, liver, and shot clear through her arm. Then he turned on his 8 year old daughter. He finished with rounds to his abdominal area to which he succumbed. Like many sad situations similar to those of today, it was probably money problems. The style of the token fits the time frame. Max Estroff was 36 when this happened. I doubt if they had too many tokens made. I feel like this is the guy.

 

[trapperart]

Congrats on the token

 

[treblehunter]

Wow, never know what your going to dig up, sad story, very cool token. Tokens are the best.

 

[against the wind]

Cool token and very interesting research.
Congrats

 

[Trezurehunter]

Congrats on a nice token.

 

[idahotokens]

I think the Oklahoma City attribution is probably correct. The 1903 City Directory lists his grocery at 627 W. Grand av. This token was made by the Hanson company of Chicago ca. 1890-1905. The story of the murder of his daughter and wife and subsequent suicide made the papers as far away as Billings, Montana.
John in the Great 208

 

[idahotokens]

It looks like this Max Estroff was counted in the 1900 Census, along with his wife and young daughter, in Jackson, TN where he was a grocer. So it is entirely possible that he had the tokens made while in TN - possibly taking them with him to Oklahoma City. Today, if one were going from Jackson to OKC, the route would go right through Little Rock. Perhaps he went that way as well. Who knows, maybe it was he who lost the token...
John

 

[BlueVW]

The token was found in the front yard of a house in the MacArthur Park Historic District in Little Rock. Next door is the Kindervader butcher shop that was in business around 1890s. Interesting and morbid at the same time.