Any idea of what these are? Chips? Tokens?

[leadnbrass]

Picked these up a couple weeks ago thinking they were old casino chips...upon futher examination I realized that the dollar amounts were not common (chips) and that one was stamped Basic City VA

Brief history here: Basic City, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They appear ceramic or clay...only the smaller white one is marked with the dollar amount and the "Basic City" all others only have the dollar amount.

Any ideas?

 

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[got2dig]

Poker chips ?

 

[bountyhuntergirl86]

cool find, wonder if they're made of worn down money?

 

[CoilyGirl]

They look like Vegetable ivory poker chips to me that someone has written on.

 

[Wildcat1750]

They look like Vegetable ivory poker chips to me that someone has written on.

Looks like a good possibility to me, CoilyGirl. I like the fact that yours are marked, leadnbrass.
Nick

 

[leadnbrass]

They look like Vegetable ivory poker chips to me that someone has written on.

Interesting...best lead I've had in weeks...Thank you.

 

[Breezie]

I've been collecting gaming chips/poker chips for many years. Your chips appear to be 'clay,' and probably were made around the 1890's to the turn of the century. Ivory gaming chips have a 'cross-hatched' pattern as shown in the pic below. From your pics, yours appear smooth, but you're looking at them in person, so check with a magnifying glass to see if you see any cross hatching. Also, clay makes a certain sound when stacking them one upon the other. It's a mellow, rich sound.
To give you a little history on saloon gaming chips, the first ones (saloon chips) were plain and smooth. Back in the mid 1800's cheaters could easily copy these chips because they were flat, smooth, and had no ridges. The saloon owners got wise to this, so they bought chips that had ridges, then symbols, letters, and other designs to prevent shady characters from bringing in their own.
Bone chips were made before clay chips. If your chips were made from bone, you would see 'grain' patterns in them.
Since yours are marked with the value amount and the name of the town and city, evidently there was a gaming house there at one time.
Neat find, Breezie

 

[Lafitte Deux]

They might be scrip for a company store. Since Basic City had a large manufacturing plant.

 

[cudamark]

They might be scrip for a company store. Since Basic City had a large manufacturing plant.

I like that myself. Depending on daily wages and making change, the company store could produce their own chips with any variety of amounts on them.

 

[cw0909]

chips are prob pre 1924
Being a railroad junction gave Basic City a reputation of roughness.
Perhaps this was a carry over from the pre-Civil War days when the
many laborers who toiled to cut the tunnel through the mountains
made the area that became Basic City their home. The reputation was
further enhanced by the access to liquor and other entertainments.
While Waynesboro was a “dry” community, Basic City hosted a
number of saloons that catered to those who were seeking a good time.
At one time, Commerce Avenue had five such establishments within
one block. Local legend has it that when Basic City jail was full, the
policeman handcuffed the inebriated to an outside rail.
21
The State
Legislature accepted the recommendation of the Committee and
approved Waynesboro as the name of the newly consolidated town. In
1924, Basic City passed into history
http://www.visitwaynesboro.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/BasicCityRead_LR_reduced.pdf

 

[leadnbrass]

Thanks for the input thus far. I'm going to take a ride to the Waynesboro museum on Monday and show them. I'll post my results.

 

[clovis97]

Since there is a history of gambling in the area, poker chips could be a possibility.

On the other hand, I think they could easily be company scrip or local currency. There wasn't a national paper currency until the 1920's, right?

As well, many businesses tried to encourage the use of local currencies to promote business.