Think I have a good one. AH Huffington GOOD FOR 1 (Cts?) IN TRADE - Help!

[DFW_THer]

OK token hounds.

I can't find ANYTHING on this token. Found in the bottom of an old 'junk drawer' at auction with some other odds and ends. Definitely original, and I've dug similar pattern tokens that date to around 1900. (Dotted edges, same shape..)

Anyone one to try to give an ID? What is Cts?

This is a very cool token. (Brass?) Quite thin with light pitting on the back and a great patina on the front.

Thanks guys!

 

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[idahotokens]

Nice find! I don't find anything in my sources that shows an A. H. Huffington. The Cts. is the abbreviation for cents - even though 1 is not plural. This was probably part of a several denomination set - 1¢, 5¢, etc. and the low denomination was commonly used in a general merchandise store setting. I'll keep looking...
John in the Great 208

 

[idahotokens]

Ah-ha! The 1880 Census shows an A. H. Huffington as a grocer in Trappe District, MD. I don't know whether that is the area around the town of Trappe, but it probably is. The census doesn't give his first name, but his wife's name is Belle C. Now I find Albert H. Huffington in the 1900 Census as a merchant in Wicomico County, MD. Presumably the same guy, but I'll see if I can verify that later when I get a minute. The latter one is buried in Allen, MD, and his gravestone says 1853-1904. I'll check with the MD token cataloger.
John in the Great 208

 

[DFW_THer]

You sir, deserve an award! Very interested to hear what your MD token cataloger has to say.. I'd love to know that this is a unique token! Thanks for clarification on the cents. This token came out of Laurel, MD estate, so this is all making good sense. Hats off to you, and thanks in advance for any further info..

 

[Mackaydon]

Albert H. Huffington

[SIZE=-2]

• Born: 1853, Somerset Co., MD [SUP]1[/SUP] [SUP]2[/SUP]
• Marriage: Belle C. (?) about 1876
• Died: 1904, Wicomico Co., MD at age 51
• Buried: 1904, Allen Church Cemetery, Allen, Wicomico Co., MD
• 1 1870 MD Census, Listed as Albert Huffington, age 16, in Trappe District, Somerset Co., MD.
  2 1880 MD Census, Listed as A.H. Huffington, age 26, in Trappe District, Somerset Co., MD.
  3 1880 MD Census, Listed as Belle C. Huffington, age 26, in Trappe District, Somerset Co., MD.
• Source: Ancestors of Albert H. Huffington

[/SIZE]

 

[idahotokens]

Well, I heard back from David Schenkman, the author of the MD Token book. He said, "I have nothing on this token. It sure doesn’t strike me as being similar in style to other MD tokens.
Sorry I can’t provide some information."
So...even though he has been at this for years, this attribution makes sense to me, considering the provenance and the lack of other people named Huffington with first name starting with A. in the 1880 & 1900 Censuses who are in a token-using occupation.

One of the beauties of the token hobby is that "new" things pop up all the time. Trade tokens have not been as thoroughly studied as U. S. coins, or even Civil War tokens. The fact that the diework on this piece is of a different style alludes, I think, to the fact that there were early Baltimore diemakers who produced some rather distinctive diework. This one could well have been the product of a much smaller shop or it could have been produced by one of the companies producing incuse tokens that are more commonly seen in the west and midwest.

And, by the way, Huffington's obituary in the Baltimore newspaper stated that he was a merchant and postmaster of Bivalve, MD. I'll post the pics and attribution information to tokencatalog.com for the record.

John in the Great 208

 

[DFW_THer]

Again, thank you.