1914 trade token: Anyone have inf. on this?

[Iskuli]

I found a strange coin today. I am still trying to clean it up. Right now it's in a potato. It is about the same size as a dime. I can read some writing....Blakeley....April 7, 1914 (I can't tell the last number for sure). Maybe J mole on the back. Stars on it. That's all I can see so far. Any ideas?

I put it in a potato because of the reaction to starch. I clean a lot of pennies that way. I also buy instant potatos, add vinegar, add coins. Leave it over night....it works great. I learned from a Tnet member under cleaning finds.

Here is what I can make out on the coin: Front side~J.F. Blakeley. Back side~In Trade Only, April 7, 1914, J-something (nole?/mole?)

Thanks for looking.

 

[wildrider]

Re: I give up! Help!

I found a strange coin today. I am still trying to clean it up. Right now it's in a potato. It is about the same size as a dime. I can read some writing....Blakeley....April 7, 1914 (I can't tell the last number for sure). Maybe J mole on the back. Stars on it. That's all I can see so far. Any ideas?
I will post a pic. tomorrow.

What's it made out of?

 

[Iskuli]

Re: I give up! Help!

It reminds me of a penny, or an old indian head patina. It has some green on it...does that mean copper?

 

[SilverDreams]

Re: I give up! Help!

Probably, but nickels get that too.

 

[Wasabi]

Re: I give up! Help!

Can't wait to see what you've found.
I am intriegued.

 

[tpmrcp]

Re: I give up! Help!

Why in a potato?

 

[Night Stalker]

Re: I give up! Help!

Post a nice pic of it in the "What is it" section, I'll bet somebody will ID it for you the same day! Never fails!


Sounds like a really great find - I'd like to see it. Thanks for sharing with everyone and happy hunting.


Night Stalker

 

[Iskuli]

I put it in a potato because of the reaction to starch. I clean a lot of pennies that way. I also buy instant potatos, add vinegar, add coins. Leave it over night....it works great. I learned from a Tnet member under cleaning finds.

Here is what I can make out on the coin: Front side~J.F. Blakeley. Back side~In Trade Only, April 7, 1914, J-something (nole?/mole?)

Thanks for looking.

 

[PBK]

As posted in "What Is It?":


It appears to be an Ingle System token. The Ingle System was a method of bookkeeping which allowed merchants to treat customers' credit purchases the same as cash transactions. If you got $10 credit, you were given $10 in tokens of various denominations, to be "spent" in that store only. There were 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1, and $5 Ingle tokens. The Ingle System was introduced in 1908, and the company went out of business in 1919, at which time it was succeeded by the Insurance Credit System. J. F. Blakely does not appear to be among the merchants listed in Lloyd E. Wagaman's book, Ingle System Scrip.

 

[Iskuli]

PBK~Thanks so much for the information! You rock!