Koken and F W Fitch Co

[Joe Davis]

Interesting day here in SWMO. In one 3' area at the park I found a 1906 Indian Head, 1937 wheatie and a 1924 Franc. Also found 4 weird looking things. Two are marked KOKEN ST. LOUIS USA and the other 2 are marked F W FITCH CO Des Moines Iowa. They are about the size of a quarter and appear to maybe a lid of some sort although the rim is almost gone and I see no threads. The hole in the middle of both of them are throwing me though. These 4 were all in the same hole.

Thanks

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

The common theme that came up when Googling both names was Barber shop related items.

 

[Joe Davis]

Yea I kinda got that impression. So I was wondering maybe bottles for hair tonic?

 

[Mackaydon]

F. W. Fitch was a self-made millionaire, savvy businessman, and the first Iowa manufacturer to sponsor a national radio program. In 1892, at the age of 22, he founded the F. W. Fitch Co. in a barn in Boone, Iowa where he had his own barbershop. The rest of his story/history I found most interesting; here: http://www.otrcat.com/fitch-bandwagon-old-time-radio.html
Don.....

 

[Joe Davis]

The back of the Koken item has some writing. I could make out Wirz Inc Chester PA. Wirz got a patent in 1912 for a bottle stopper.

Patent US1140928 - Bottle-stopper. - Google Patents