Token Find

[AgileMJOLNIR]

Hi everyone,

I am obviously new to the forum but not to metal detecting which is my big hobby. I thought I would start off my postings here with a token find I have yet to identify. The following token was found at a mid-late 1800's era park in Napa,Ca underneath a large Oak Tree (huge tree).

I have posted this token on a number of detecting sites I frequent, checked the Red Book as well as having it ran in the California Numismatist publication with no success. As you can see the front of the token reads " Russ House" and underneath "D. LaFrenz" and of course on the back "Good for 5 in trade"

Any help is appreciated. Thank you all and I look forward to sharing finds with many of you in the future.....Joseph

 

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[idahotokens]

There was a Ditlef LaFrenz who was a saloon-keeper in Oakland, CA in 1910. I'm not certain this is the issuer of your token, but will do some further checking and post what I find.
John in ID

 

[AgileMJOLNIR]

John thank you! I have searched high and low without any success so I am hoping someone out there knows something or perhaps has access to resources that I do not that can help out. I'll keep an eye out on this posting and thank you again.

Oh and in case anyone is interested I also found this in the same location about 10-12in down. Not quite sure what it is yet. Looks like plating off and old stove but I am not certain.

 

[DCMatt]

Russ House was a San Francisco hotel built in the late 1800's. Very upscale by most accounts. Here is a stereoview:

If you look at it crosseyed, it's just like being there.

DCMatt

 

[AgileMJOLNIR]

Hey Matt,

yeah I actually have that pic on my computer and was debating on whether it could have come from there or not. Pretty famous hotel/restaurant back in the day. Mark Twain himself use to frequent there

 

[DCMatt]

Here's another photo. Built 1862. May have been destroyed in the big earthquake. I found pics of "the second Russ House" from the early 1900's.

DCMatt

 

[idahotokens]

Well, after consultation with the San Francisco token expert, he thinks this one is from a cigar stand in the lobby of the Russ House (as pictured with the neat photos you guys came up with). He says the cigar stands were notorious for never getting mentioned in the city directories. He also says the 1905 directory he was looking at had several of people named LaFrenz, but none with initial D. Not unusual for such a guy to avoid being in the directories.

The one I found in Oakland may well be the same guy who moved across the bay after the earthquake.

By the way, notice the small letters on the bottom of the obverse. L. H. Moise, S.F. - that is the name of the company that made this token and a lot of other western tokens.

John in ID

 

[AgileMJOLNIR]

Thank you all for your help!

Idahotokens, thank you as well. I had a hunch it was from the Russ House in SF but I just couldn't put a finger on it. This find has now spurred an interest in tokens for me. Can you recommend any good publications for a beginner like myself?

 

[idahotokens]

First, a California person ought to have the California Token books by the late Charles Kappen. There is the original and the supplement - you would need both. The original has been reprinted, and I believe the supplement is still available from Mr. Kappen's son. PM me if you need help finding them.

Alternately, there is an older, 2-volume set of CA token catalogs by Stephen Album. They are tough to find, and are not as up-to-date.

Publications on trade tokens come from national or regional organizations. Both the Token and Medal Society and National Token Collector Association are national publications that cover CA tokens. There is the Western States Token Society that concentrates on CA & NV - they just had their annual meeting in Sacramento - and the California Association of Token Collectors. I am not a member of these latter two, so don't know what they have for a publication, if anything. Again, PM me if you want more info on these.

John in ID

 

[AgileMJOLNIR]

Thanks again. I'll definitely PM you if I can located the above literature. I have been researching the Russ House and it's founder all morning. I have learned so much its amazing.