Token help...

[highnam]

I found two tokens partially melted and bent together in half...I have cleaned up the tokens enough to read most of the text, but I can't find any references to them. The pair of tokens both say "Kirjakauppa/" and "106th ave" and some other word like "tovern--" on one side, and at least "good for trade" on the back. In researching the word Kirjakauppa, it is Finnish for "bookstore"?? The tokens were found in a 1912 Washington State logging camp. The tokens are aluminum. Thank you!

 

[idahotokens]

You sure have a project there! I sent pics off to the Washington token cataloger to see if he has any ideas.
John in the Great 208

 

[highnam]

Thanks John, much appreciated! Hope you hear some news on these tokens...I might not have the text right, but I feel fortunate to have anything at all...you helped me with two previous tokens found in the camp, thanks again!

 

[highnam]

Anyone else have a clue?? Please help!!

 

[idahotokens]

Highnam--I struck out with the cataloger. Can you make out the word that is above Kirjakauppa on the obverse? It looks like it has VER?? at the end. That may be the proprietor of the bookstore. And with an address on 106th Avenue, that limits it to a large city like Chicago. I do know that there were a lot of Finns who came to North Idaho and probably close regions in both MT and WA, so they could have brought the tokens with them.
John

 

[highnam]

Idaho-
Thank you for trying with the cataloger and giving me a new lead....I could see the top text being the proprietor of the bookstore.
I can't tell for sure, it might say "Tavern" but that wouldn't make sense...maybe "tovern", could be any two letters and ....Vern. There was a decent population of Fins here at the turn of the century...I'll keep trying. Thanks!

 

[Mackaydon]

Google shows a Barnes and Noble bookstore at 626-106th St. in Bellevue, Washington.
Don......

 

[highnam]

I was researching the Hoquiam token and happened to stumble across this picture from Astoria, Oregon (near Hoquiam, Wa) it is a Finnish Bookstore that had a daily newspaper called “Toveri” That is the word on the top of the tokens! I still don’t know the significance of 106th ave...there is a 106th Ave in Portland, but no match yet
I still don’t know the significance of the word Kirjakauppa (Finnish for Bookstore) but it is a heck of a long word to fit on a token. I have had these tokens for 4 years without a break in the case, I guess you can never give up on a token. Thanks again for all your help

 

[BigWaveDave]

Very cool....
Said the guy who wouldn’t think twice about dropping them in the trash.

 

[highnam]

Very cool....
Said the guy who wouldn’t think twice about dropping them in the trash.

Haha! I guess it was the aluminum that got me curious, I’m surprised myself that I decided to take the glob Home and crack it open...4 years later I catch a small break. Damn I love tokens