Need help with this token!!!!

tater307 · May 27, 2011

My 12 year old found this. Just need some help finding where it is for.

trikikiwi · May 27, 2011

There's plenty of information on Google about the J.M. Brunswick & Balke Pool Hall tokens. Such as;

Billiard and Pool Hall tokens were used in much the same way as Saloon tokens. Players would "rent" the table for a time, receiving tokens in exchange for the amount paid. Losers would pay the winner with a token, which supposedly was good only for merchandise in a disguised attempt to circumvent gaming laws, but would often be redeemed for cash by the bartender. In some of the larger Billiard and Pool Halls an operator would "rack" the cue balls and he would then be paid a token for the game. This guaranteed the owner payment as the tokens were merely turned in at the end of the day. I some cases a token or coin box was installed on the tables to drop the cue balls at the start of a new game.
from this link http://www.louisiana-trade-tokens.com/billiards.html

The other name - is it W.Eashton ? would have been the name of the Pool Hall proprietor.

You could get your son to do some research on that name. :thumbsup:

Cheers, Mike

Edit: I now see the name is W.E. Ashton

ivan salis · May 28, 2011

well with the pool table on it * and the "brunswick" name even today well known as makers of pool tables --theres no real doubt its a pool table / pool hall type of "check" gaming token --which allowed one to play a game of pool * for 5 cents ( this was before the bar type common "coin operated" tables of today became in use )-- (pro pool hustling pool hall owners) or good players often "rented" a table for the day and walk up players played them for a token a game and "control" of the table -- the loser pays up and yeilds control of the table to the winner to play the next person in line waiting to play ,--- at days end the tokens were "cashed" out ---a good pool hustler in a busy place could easily make the wages of a normal working man --$1 a day

W E Ashton was most likely the "pool hall" owner / operator .

most likely it was for a local area pool hall -- from long ago. (say from roughly 1870 to 1900)