Token House Revisited (x4)

[Big Fang Coin Biter]

Neal and I hunted the "Token House" for at least the fourth time. Every time we go back I think, we pretty much hunted it out the last time. And every time we have a super hunt! I ended up with 15 tokens and four IH (one 1859 fatty) and a couple flat buttons!! It was so fun that we both got too tired from all of the digging. I was hunting an area that we both have been over in the past. I used my Pro Coil and it really hit hard on the tokens, even if partially masked or deep. I dug the octagonal token down at around 11"!

We are not sure why all of the tokens ended up in this yard. Best guess is the kids were given the token collection. A contender is, the owner operated a business of coin operated machines - when counting coins the tokens got pitched (does not explain the octagonal one though or the even distribution over the yards). Neal and I have found well over 100 tokens at this one house.

Neal beat me on tokens but I got more IH. He should be posting his finds soon.

Take care and HH - BF
Picture shows fronts with backs underneath.

 

[TokenDigger]

Neat finds! You found more tokens in one hunt than what I find in 5 years. Sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe there is a MN token collector out there who can help ID and date some of the pieces. It's interesting that, with the exception of the aluminum token and one of the brass tokens, they all are relatively the same size. I wonder if that means anything. That's also a nice pile of IH cents. Way to go & HH.

 

[MNCoinhunter]

Actually there is....his name is Gary Kruesel...and he is in southern MN.

kruesel@us.ibm.com

 

[jjaddict]

Wow, congrats on finding that awesome site! You have any ideas on how so many tokens are in the same yard? My guess would be that a man collected tokens, he really ticked off his wife, then she spread his collection to the wind just a thought. From MN eh? How bout those Twinkies!?! Hope we can get Morneau back for the playoffs. Wish the Vikes were looking a little better :sad:

 

[Erik in NJ]

That's one heck of a yard! I'm assuming those tokens were produced around the time of the Civil War or thereabout due to a shortage of currency. Was there a time when they were no longer good for 5 cents in trade and someone just tossed them? Although it seems odd that someone would have so many unless they collected them. When did 5 cent vending machines first start being used? Are they exactly the same size as a nickel where people used them as slugs? Interesting mystery and very cool finds!

 

[DirtFlipper]

The ones with the holes in them are for coin-operated games and vending machines, typically dating to the 1930's (can be a bit older too).

 

[utahshovelhead]

I think your right in thinking that the owner of the property is probably counting his coin operated machine cash and throwing out the tokens that were used in his machines. Kinda like using a slug to get five cents worth of slot machine so to speak. I know in Vegas just a few years ago some diggers found some 2-300 tokens in the bottom of an old out house, some quite valuable now but not then and that is exactly why they were down there...the slot machine owner was getting rid of all the tokens folks used to get away with not putting 5 cents in the machine.