Dollar Trade Tokens
The following are one dollar trade tokens that were issued for use at a public event. In the past I have included these as legitimate so called dollars. This may have been a bit of a stretch I guess, so I have decided to move them into this separate new section within the "So Called Dollar Related" groups. The whole business however of excluding ALL "dollar" pieces is more "head scratching" than it first seems. To begin with, HK-689 does not appear to have been made as a trade token, but more as a souvenir, and strangely as a kind of gambling chip made as an excuse for some illegal gambling shenanigans. It says "One Dollar", but not "Good For One Dollar". Had it been the latter, it quite possibly would have not been included in HK. And read HERE about it's much rarer counterpart made seven years later. There are a number of so called dollar size pieces that have a "dollar" or some other denomination on them, with varying purposes, that are not true trade tokens. HK-369 and HK-390, although not as obvious as HK-689, have denominations similar to a dollar, but in a foreign language. There are also those similar to HK305-HK-307 that use the word "COIN", but are obviously not coins. Other "denominated" or "Coin" souvenir entries on this website are #147a(good luck coin), #155(souvenir dollar and similar to HK-701), #212(piece of eight), #253(similar to HK-765 and maybe HK-408), #300(similar to HK483, 484), pie dollars #371-373, #557(Souvenir Coin similar to HK-305-307), #636(Texas Dollar), and #1058(Lucky Coin).
"An Exposition For The Betterment Of Women And Children", "This One Dollar Coin Good For Admission At All Times To The New York Women's Welfare Exposition And Mother's Congress New York 1912". As far as I can tell, this is the earliest "good for one dollar" token of so called dollar size(or any size for that matter) that was meant to be used at a public event. In the back of Richard Kenny’s 1953 so called dollar publication there is a list of good for $1.00 trade tokens, all of which except this one, appear to have been for exchange at a business. The one shown here is likely the only one in the list that was for use at a public event. Most collectors do not consider "Good For $1.00" tokens to be so called dollars, but those that were meant to be used at a public event might be harder to exclude. There are not very many others prior to 1960, but more after. More common are all of the "Good For 50 Cent" municipal trade tokens beginning circa 1950, all of which are of so-called dollar size, but obviously the wrong denomination. Rare, Brass, 35mm.
This is a 1939 "good for" "Wagon Wheel" admission token from Walla Walla, Washington commemorating Washington's "Golden Jubilee" and "Southeastern Washington Fair". This piece does not say "Good For $1.00", but it does say "Good For Admission", and it's description as a Wagon Wheel is suggestive of a dollar. Gilt brass, 38.5mm.
Another Walla Walla, Washington trade token, this one from the 1959 Centennial. It describes itself as a "Centennial Buck", but has a face value of 59 cents on it….strange.
"Statehood Year Souvenir Coin", "Good For $1.00 In Trade...", From Hawaii's 1959 statehood. Relatively common, but maybe somewhat rarer than it's Alaska counterpart(see below). A variety has the word "Oahu" misspelled "Ohau", but does not appear to me to be much if any rarer than the correctly spelled piece. Scarce. Brass, 38.8mm.
"Alaska The 49th State 1959", "Good For $1.00 In Trade All Year During.....", Quite common. Common. Brass, 38.8mm.
One Dollar trade token that was distributed throughout the Seattle area that could be spent at the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair. As far as I know, this is the only dollar trade token ever issued for use at a world's fair. Common. Brass, 38.8mm.
