Comments on: What is it? Game 66: Strange Square Coin

By: Pierre Arpin

Pierre Arpin — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:44:08 +0000

Game 95 : A kilt pin?

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:43:33 +0000

Those who said "sales tax token" are correct, and those commenting on "mills" or fractions of cents should be awarded extra points.

The best explanation I've found for these is at http://www.taxtoken.org/faq.htm.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to the heading "Why and how they were used?" and read to learn more.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:16:03 +0000

it's to add to postage

By: sam

sam — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:08:43 +0000

A weight?

By: Rose

Rose — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:37:58 +0000

OOPS! Should read mill or mille not same thing 2x!

By: Rose

Rose — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:37:22 +0000

I think it is currency called a mille or mille and may relate to items as sales taxes. Not every state had them. but Illinois did!

By: Betty

Betty — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:40:52 +0000

The Feds decided to tax marijuana and several states issued tokens to charge tax. That was required for use or sale of the product.

By: eBAY

eBAY — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:07:27 +0000

Illinois tax token. Here's the link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/STATE-OF-ILLINOIS-TAX-TOKEN-1-1-2-1930S-SQUARE_W0Q QitemZ220041986570QQihZ012QQcategoryZ3458QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZ ViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

By: reyalpdemannu

reyalpdemannu — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:28:11 +0000

drewlambert02 got it right, Adam Stanhope. I have about 10 of these coins given to me by my grandfather, they're worth a little more than a dollar today. They were valued in milles, ie the token pictured was worth US$.0015
Illinois thought it would be a good idea to collect sales tax in amounts less than a penny. It was like the Office Space rounded transaction scheme, only state government sponsored.
kudos for acting self-righteous, though.

By: Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:46:22 +0000

Hey! Everybody who *amazingly* came up with "retailers' occupation token" need to work a little bit harder. If you're going to use Google to get an answer for one of these, AS I FREELY ADMIT I DID IN THIS CASE, you need to expend a little bit of extra effort to conceal that fact. OK, what exactly is a "retailers' occupation token?" Beats the hell out of me. Obfuscation is the Google-cheater's best friend.

By: redphone

redphone — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:10:38 +0000

p.s. a quick look on the blog shows that it is indeed the size of a coin. (a dime, in fact.)

Manhole cover indeed!

By: redphone

redphone — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:09:20 +0000

I love how everyone is so certain and is taking on the task of educating the masses.

By: Moon

Moon — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:46:34 +0000

A marijuana tax token?

By: Jaxx

Jaxx — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:51:24 +0000

It's a mass transit token equal to $1.50usd

By: felipe Venancio

felipe Venancio — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:14:33 +0000

It is used to control some weight

By: ukanduit

ukanduit — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:03:17 +0000

Its a tax token. Its value is 1 1/2 mills.

By: gwcarver

gwcarver — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:44:30 +0000

Drew is right. That is a sales tax token issued so that merchants could make change for a penny, which was still worth something back in the 1920's and '30's when these were issued.

By: Howard

Howard — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:41:24 +0000

It looks like my Christmas bonus last year.

By: Randall

Randall — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:02:59 +0000

Sorry folks, it looks like a coin but neatorama is playing a trick on you. Its actually a manhole cover, size 1.5. The Illinois state highways drainage act of 1947 oddly put the supervision of water transportaion conuits into the jurisdiction of the department of finance. Expecting to yurn it over to department of highways in the next legislative session, the DOF asked for the loan of Highway Dept equipment and supplies, including manhole covers. The D of H refused and in spite the dept of finance created their own square manhole covers, so that dept of H would have to replace them with the normal round covers. They never did. Illinois is a strange place, I was born there.

By: giltwist

giltwist — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:53:34 +0000

It's a Square Meal token. In a time when dinner would cost you 50 cents, this token valued at 1.50 would pay for all three meals in a day. Hence the phrease three square meals a day.

By: streetattack

streetattack — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:00:11 +0000

yeah, I was a little late to post, but it is a retailers occupation token

By: Mr. Clean

Mr. Clean — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:16:49 +0000

I think it is a standard unit of weight used on scales. This one is 1 and a half ounces.

By: reyalpdemannu

reyalpdemannu — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:12:55 +0000

It's a retailer's occupation token.

By: Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:54:05 +0000

err - one-eighth should have read one-half

By: Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:52:55 +0000

It's a token that can be exchanged for one and one-eighth of some commodity - not one and one-eighth cents. I'm going to guess a loaf of bread.

By: drewlambert02

drewlambert02 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:48:03 +0000

It is a sales tax coin, used to collect sales tax and issued in fractions to reflect taxes on small purchases.