This brass token was once used to promote a grocery store in Pattonsburg, MO. It is just a little bit bigger than a penny. According to the internet research, trade tokens were used a lot all over the country in the 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Todd Williams called his elderly aunt, Doris Cameron (maiden-Williams), who lives in Daviess County to ask about this token that he found in his parents’ house. Mrs. Cameron said her uncle, White Bayliss, and his father once operated a grocery store in Pattonsburg, MO, probably during the early 1900’s. According to Mrs. Cameron, tokens like this were given out to the public for promotional purposes, used like a cents-off paper coupon in use today. Little more is known. The family welcomes answers to these questions:
- When the store was in business?
- Specifically where it was located?
- If there are any photographs of the store or White Bayliss and his father?
- If White Bayliss and his father ever placed newspaper ads or distributed flyers, and if they are available on record anywhere?
If you know anything, feel free to email Marcella Williams at [email protected]