Just Dug Utah Token --Cleaning tokens

[Cleetus]

Just dug a large token, about silver dollar size. I'm guessing it's brass, that's what it looks like. It was coated in slimy mud (which I think is good? i.e. preservation). I'm trying to get it cleaned up slowly so I can see exactly what I have. It is a Salt Lake City token, says "Kenyon Hotel, Maxim's cafe, 12 1/2cents. The Hotel was open for business 100 years ago...My question is, what is the best way to clean this up? It's just in a soap and water soak right now. Not sure if anything else is advisable. Would appreciate suggestions......I will post a pic later when I have it cleaned enough to photo.....thanks

 

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[Destiny]

There are about seven different tokens from the Kenyon Hotel but I don't show any listed for the Maxim's Cafe so clean it slowly and soak it for a few days in some vegitable or olive oil. Don't use any chemicals or abrasives as you may have a new unlisted token and it may be worth a few bucks.

Nice Find.

 

[Cleetus]

I've been soaking it for 24 hours in Olive Oil and most of the dirt has already come off. Went to take photo and my camera was left on, battery needs to recharge.......I was wrong, it does not say Maxim cafe (which adjoined the Kenyon). It says "Main St.". Got a peak at the Utah Trade Token book and it is the one listed. It is the 12 1/2 cent Obverse says: Kenyon Hotel Bar, Annex 270 Main St., The Mecca Kearns Bldg., Doran Weed Co. Props. SLC, Utah (12 1/2 cents in center of token)....Reverse has picture of bldg. says: The Mecca in the Kearns Bldg. around rim, and stamped in different font: Opened April 1911....I went back to the site yesterday and detected some more but I got nothing. I think it's the operator (me) I dug a lot of "iffy" signals that rang deep. The holes all turned up empty or were trash. Having a hard time because there is so much trash and also I am very in experienced with my machine. I have only been detecting a couple of weeks and still learning on this, my first machine. But I KNOW there is more stuff in the ground, I just don't have the skills to locate readily. Also I secured permission to the property next door which was built 1896. This site is very near Trolley square and has been in the family since it was built. Was built by current resident's Grandmother and he can describe the locations of things years ago .....Let me get my batteries recharged and I will post the Token Pic after the turkey

 

[Cleetus]

Here is a pic of the old Kenyon Hotel in it's heyday. I am trying to load a photo of the token, but this site is telling me "file too large" I will try again.

 

[Destiny]

Nice Find.

Campbell listed the value from $20-30.00 back in 1999. Keep soaking it in the olive oil to loosen up the rest of the dirt and softly brush it with an old toothbrush. To post your photo's you may have to re-size the photos but crop them first and then resize to around 800 pixels. If you can get the two photo's the same size there are none of this token on tokencatalog.com. On those old city lots it's probably good to dig up the trash and clean it up.. then hit the yard a few times in the spring when the ground is moist for the deeper signals. Don't discriminate because of the trash because if you do you could miss out on some old aluminum saloon token.. some are pushing over 1K these days. If your doing lots or yards in a homesite that old.. hit it methodically from 4 different directions.. you will be suprised what you have missed the first go around.

Destiny

 

[Cleetus]

I'm doing just that, it's been in oil for a few days, and I tried to post a photo but the file is too big. So I will have to take the photo over, or re-size it on computer. I was going to get a good image and have it posted on Tokencatalog.com, as they don't have an image for this coin....Thanks for your advice, and yes, I had decided to just dig everything out of these yards. They aren't very big and the owners have dug around putting in automatic sprinklers, building concrete paths, etc. Apparently the home owners liked to throw their old pipe couplings and such in the ground rather than throw them away ! Lol. The area I found the Token, was a patio area where the occupants would through drinking parties for friends in the 20's and 30's So something else had to have been dropped there too.....Thanks for your help Destiny and I'll keep an eye out for the Aluminum.

 

[bula]

Nice find, I love those old tokens & only wish I could find more of them. I have 2 from parowan, one from lund ( only 3 known) & one from cedar city. I was lucky as all of mine came out of the ground very clean. It is fun to research the history of them & if they only could talk.

 

[Cleetus]

Bula, where are you located? Cedar City? My son goes to school down there, I get down that way quit a bit. I'm sure you know a lot about the area as it relates to Detecting. I know about about the local history. I have been soaking my Token for quite some time in Olive oil, and now Walnut oil (much finer viscosity). Sunday I will pull it out, what ever hasn't come off by then will stay on. It will be a 2 week soak. It is cleaning up nicely, just a couple of spots don't want to "give it up". Then i will photo and post.

 

[bula]

Cleetus, I am in Cedar & all I can tell you about this town it that it is about hunted out. The only time I can find some old stuff is when they take down a house, other than that I do find a few rings here & there. Just in the past year there are four new chaps hitting everything in site, the good thing is that they don't know what they are doing.