"Numbers tokens" are one of the mysteries that we may never unravel. The tokens were used in slot machines, vending machines, or other types of "trade stimulators" placed in pool halls, cigar stores, etc. The number probably indicated a "route operator" who came around periodically to service the machines, collect the money, and fill them with tokens. A customer would put a nickel in the machine, pull the handle, and usually get nothing. If he hit a jackpot, out would come one or more of these tokens. The customer could then use the token to buy candy or 5¢ worth of something else from the business. He might also be able to use the token to play the machine, but the hole in the center might be what the machine used to detect a "slug" and refuse it. Or, he could put the token in his pocket and walk out, the token would then fall through the hole in his pocket onto the ground, and it would sit there for years waiting for metal detectors to be invented.
John in the Great 208
