Numbered Trade Stimulator Tokens

Numbers on tokens can be a denomination, or things like street address or lodge number. Tokens where the number has some fairly clear meaning are not included here. There are other numbered tokens where the number seems to be some kind of identifier or index, but the meaning is not clear.

There are a large number of tokens which have a number, but do not otherwise identify an issuer or location. These are similar in style to the "Trade Stiumlator" slot machine tokens from the 1930s so were likely also used for Trade Stimulators or something similar (see this page about these Slot Machines, and the Penny Arcade has an excellent page on Trade Stimulators). The numbers probably identify the location where the token was used (business, town, region, etc) so that tokens obtained at one location could not be redeemed at a different location. While tokens were officially "No Cash Value" they could often be exchanged for cash under-the-table. The exchage rate could vary, providing an incentive for people to choose where to redeem tokens. Unfortunately, all information about what the numbers mean has been lost.

At present I am limited this list to tokens that are similar to the "trade stimulator" tokens, but I am generally including borderline cases, figuring it is easier to remove them later then to find them again.

(under construction Spring 2026, I plan to add more information as I have time)

List of numbered tokens
Part 1 - #1 - 2,999
Part 2 - #3,000 - 19,000
Part 3 - #12,000 - 19,000
Part 4 - #20,000 - 999,000

Ornaments that appear on tokens

Return to main token page.