✅ SOLVED Please Help ID this Tag Dug on 1760 Farm -- Charge Coin? Baggage Tag?

ChuckinDirt

Tenderfoot
Aug 31, 2018
5
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Primary Interest:
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The back is completely featureless. The tag is 28mm in diameter. The logo at the top appears to read "SH CO" or "HS CO". Because the hole is at the bottom of the tag, I got the impression that this might be a baggage tag, or something that hangs from a key.

The folks on ID ME suggested that it might be a "charge coin" -- many retailers would issue these to customers for discounts, like stores do today with those little plastic cards they want you to put on your keychain so they can track your purchases.

It does not appear in the Token Catalog, and I have spent a few days scouring the internet for information about past retailers in Boston that could be the "SH CO" or "HS CO" shown here without success. Has anybody seen one of these before?

If anyone out there has a copy of "Alpert's Catalogue of Charge Coins" could you perhaps check to see if this tag is in there?

This has been frustrating me because the moment I saw that distinctive logo, and the large (five digit) number, implying thousands of these tags were made, I was sure it was going to be relatively easy to pin down, but it has stubbornly remained a mystery. :-)

I am aware of various companies that the tag could have come from (such as S.H. Couch Co, Shapleigh Hardware Co, Simmons Hardware Co) but have been unable to find evidence of any of them using this particular logo.
 

to me, the hole implies that it was once tied or wired to something such as a crate, a sack, a bale, etc. and if used in that manner the number would be for inventory control or shipment records. The logo does look familiar
 

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Welcome to Tnet from Mississippi.
 

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Hello ChuckinDirt. Welcome to Tnet and nice opening post. My very first impression was that it is a credit medal as you suggest. I guess these were common starting around the turn of the last century. Below is one I dug and a link to the maker.

Whatever yours is it's a real nice find worthy of a spot in your coolection. Hope you are able to pin it down...keep us posted and Good Luck out there. C9

The Department Store Museum: John Wanamaker, Philadelphia

16 CL14 82615 JW Medal.jpg
 

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Try Singer sewing Machine Co and S&H Green Stamps. I know I've seen it somewhere.
 

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Welcome to TreasureNet from California.
That is a great recovery.
Wish I could help on the ID.
I'm in the credit/charge coin camp.
 

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