Just Bob

The time was the Great Depression, Unemployment was skyrocketing, businesses were closing  and government revenues were way down both Federally and locally.  At the same time there was greater demand for governments to do more and that meant they needed more revenue.  The answer for most was a sales tax applied to ALL purchases. (News flash up until there there was no sales tax.)  Most states set their tax rate at 1%. 
Now at that time, Great Depression remember, an income of a dollar a day was often a good rate of pay.  So a great many purchases were for LESS than $1, but a 1% tax applied to sales of less than $1 meant a tax of less than one cent had to be collected.  How do you collect the  $0.002 tax on a 20 cent purchase?  The solution was to create tokens with values in mils or 1/10 of a cent.  Merchants purchased these tokens from the state and used them to return change to their customers for the tax.  Buy that 20 cent item, give the merchant 21 cents and get 8 mils back in tokens, or give him 20 cent and 2 mils in tokens.  And it still worked for larger purchases.  Say you mad a $2.25 purchase, the tax would be 2.25 cents or 2.3 cents.  So you would pay $2.27 and 3 mil tokens. and so on.
As time passed and income, prices, and sales tax rates rose the fraction of a cent gained or lost by rounding meant less to people and the tax tokens were phased out.  The last state to do away with them was Missouri sometime around 1961 to 64, not sure exactly when.

Henry Gorham Lowery (1901-1963) came to Mississippi from Missouri, and established a cotton plantation near Indianola, MS. His brother and part owner, John J., lived in Michigan, and eventually sold his part of the plantation to H.G. This token was used in the plantation commissary. 
 

I mostly use the only book written specifically about Mississippi tokens, called Brozenes and Doodlum - Private Money in Mississippi, by George P. Chatham. It was painstakingly researched, and has pencil drawings of almost every token that is listed. There have been quite a few new discoveries since it was written in 1990, so my copy has lots of additions written in.
I also use Tokencatalog.com. It accepts contributions from anyone who is registered, so it is possible that some of the entries have not been researched fully, but the listings are extensive. For example, it lists over 4600 tokens from Alabama. If you want to branch out further than just your home state, I and others can suggest some books on whichever area you might like to pursue. There are books that cover specialty areas like coal or lumber tokens, transportation and parking tokens, Hard Times, Civil War, U.S. Merchant, etc.
Ebay usually has lots of Alabama tokens for sale, and you can check sold listings to get an idea of current pricing. Also, I have found tokens at coins shops and shows, antique stores, flea markets, and auctions.
Thank you for the kind words, by the way. I appreciate them. And, I appreciate all of the posters who have contributed to the thread.

I mostly use the only book written specifically about Mississippi tokens, called Brozenes and Doodlum - Private Money in Mississippi, by George P. Chatham. It was painstakingly researched, and has pencil drawings of almost every token that is listed. There have been quite a few new discoveries since it was written in 1990, so my copy has lots of additions written in.
I also use Tokencatalog.com. It accepts contributions from anyone who is registered, so it is possible that some of the entries have not been researched fully, but the listings are extensive. For example, it lists over 4600 tokens from Alabama. If you want to branch out further than just your home state, I and others can suggest some books on whichever area you might like to pursue. There are books that cover specialty areas like coal or lumber tokens, transportation and parking tokens, Hard Times, Civil War, U.S. Merchant, etc.
Ebay usually has lots of Alabama tokens for sale, and you can check sold listings to get an idea of current pricing. Also, I have found tokens at coins shops and shows, antique stores, flea markets, and auctions.
Thank you for the kind words, by the way. I appreciate them. And, I appreciate all of the posters who have contributed to the thread.

Henry Gorham Lowery (1901-1963) came to Mississippi from Missouri, and established a cotton plantation near Indianola, MS. His brother and part owner, John J., lived in Michigan, and eventually sold his part of the plantation to H.G. This token was used in the plantation commissary. 
 

Bob this thread is amazing. Your tokens and back story are great. It’s inspired me to start picking up a few for the neighboring state as well. I’ve been looking, and I have only found one book specifically dedicated to tokens of Alabama written in 1995 by Roy Wood. Are you aware of any other references that may be applicable? Is the guidebook of American tokens fairly comprehensive? What do you use?
 
Thanks!

Henry Gorham Lowery (1901-1963) came to Mississippi from Missouri, and established a cotton plantation near Indianola, MS. His brother and part owner, John J., lived in Michigan, and eventually sold his part of the plantation to H.G. This token was used in the plantation commissary. 
 

I'll just post one of the CW tokens/coins I have:  NGC MS65
 

Okay, in the center of the bottom view, it says:
"F. W. HALL. WHITEHALL. N.Y."
Along the rim, at top, it says,
"TO PURIFY THE BLOOD
and along the bottom rim,
USE ATHERTON'S PILLS."
(provided as an aid to those whose magnification ability is either insufficient or lacking.)
Interesting find; hard to believe the obverse and reverse are one and the same coin.

Those are NOT just bag marks from the mint.
Those are scratches, and they are almost certainly on the holder.

This token is a bit more modern than most of the ones I have posted so far. Mr. Thomas Wixon founded Wixon & Co. Jewelers in 1966 at 3010 Washington Ave., in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The business is still operating today.
 

Franklin Lafayette Riley, Sr. founded his mercantile company in 1867, in the town of Hebron. When the Gulf and Ship Island railroad made plans to come through, he donated land for the right of way, in exchange for the rights to put the depot on his land. He moved his mercantile and bank to the new location, and called the town "New Hebron." His store was the department store of his day, selling food, clothing, farming equipment, school supplies, medicine, etc. He died in February,1907. His son, F.L.Riley Jr., is listed as principle on November 25, 1904. He was a professor and author, and died in 1929, before the date on these paper tokens. It is unknown who was proprietor when these were issued.
The following is a sample of entries from a 1903-04 ledger that was found in one of the Riley warehouses:
W. P. Benson, 1 bridle , $1.50
Will Hutchins, 14 yards calico, $.84
E. M. Riley, 1 U. S. history book, $1.00, 1 grammar school geography book, $1.25, 1 practical arithmetic book, $.70
Emma Berry, 53 bushels of corn, $39.75
J. R. Lane, 1 pr. Pants, $1.75, starch $.05, 1 washpan, $.05
O. M. Armstrong, 1 axe handle $.25
Henry Izard, 1 pr. Ladies shoes, $2.00
Philly Payne, 1 sewing machine, 20.50
L. M. Lane, 1 gun, $5.00
U. S. Berry, 1 well bucket .60, 1 well pulley, .30, 1 bottle turpentine, .10
W. J. Lee, sugar, .50, 1 bottle quinine .15
Baker Sullivan, 12 ½ lbs. bacon, $1.50, 1 plug tobacco, .10
Frank Newsom, 2 horse collars, $3.00
J. J. Berry, a bottle castor oil, .25
D. D. Berry, 21 lbs. cheese @ 15 a pound, $3.15
Fred Garner, 1 barrel of flour, $7.00
 
 

William E. Bearden and C.A. La Grone joined forces in late 1915 or early 1916 to form Bearden & La Grone Drugs in Okalona, MS. Apparently, this partnership did not work for some reason, as the partnership was dissolved on January 20, 1916.
This is one of two styles of 5 cent token that they used. I am currently watching one of the other style on Ebay, trying to decide if I want to pull the trigger, or wait and see if a nicer one comes along
.

Benjamin Franklin Dulweber owned Dulweber Land and Timber Company from 1925 - 29. In 1930, he took over the Supreme Instruments Company in Greenwood, Ms, which designed and produced many of the radio analyzers, multimeters, and tube testers used by radio repair shops and service men from the 1920s through the 1950s.
The tokens share a common obverse, and were produced in 5, 10, 25, and 50 cent, and one dollar denominations. 
 

There is only one way to find out. Try them on some pocket change coins and see what happens.
I have used a toothpick on bronze and brass tokens with no ill effects. A Devil's Walking Stick or Greenbriar thorn would probably be fine, as would most any woody plant thorn.

There is only one way to find out. Try them on some pocket change coins and see what happens.
I have used a toothpick on bronze and brass tokens with no ill effects. A Devil's Walking Stick or Greenbriar thorn would probably be fine, as would most any woody plant thorn.

Let's kick it off early today.
Sherwood's Smoke House, South Haven MI. One could conceivably plunk one of these down and get a nice corona in exchange. 

Business directory of South Haven and surrounding are from 1898

Michigan Bureau of Labor 1903 Inspection of Factories Index. One male employee (presumably the owner), no female employees and no employees under the age of 10. 

Soak your Lincoln is some mineral oil or olive oil. Watch it for any signs of color change (daily, not every 10 minutes). After about a week, take it out and gently pick at the corrosion spot with a rose thorn. If nothing comes off, and your coin has not started to change color, put it back in the oil, and let it soak some more. It may take months for the oil to soften whatever is on your coin - if it does it at all. Don't use anything harder than the thorn on your coin.
When your are done with the experiment, don't try to wash the oil off the coin. Pat it dry with a soft cloth, and put it away. The coating of oil left on the coin will help protect it from future corrosion. Old time copper collectors would sometimes oil their coins with a horsehair brush to preserve them.
DISCLAIMER: The above advice is for informational purposes. Use at your own risk! I have had good success with olive oil on coins, but have found that it will lighten brass tokens if they are left soaking for months. (Olive oil is slightly acidic, according to what I have read - especially the lower quality brands.) It may not be a bad idea to check any coins on which you have left a coating of olive oil periodically, just to be safe.

The disclaimer was as much for future readers of this thread as it was for you. I don't want some guy getting mad at me, 5 years down the road, because his coin changed color.
The rose thorn idea is not mine. Board member Conder101 and former member michael were where that tip came from.

Soak your Lincoln is some mineral oil or olive oil. Watch it for any signs of color change (daily, not every 10 minutes). After about a week, take it out and gently pick at the corrosion spot with a rose thorn. If nothing comes off, and your coin has not started to change color, put it back in the oil, and let it soak some more. It may take months for the oil to soften whatever is on your coin - if it does it at all. Don't use anything harder than the thorn on your coin.
When your are done with the experiment, don't try to wash the oil off the coin. Pat it dry with a soft cloth, and put it away. The coating of oil left on the coin will help protect it from future corrosion. Old time copper collectors would sometimes oil their coins with a horsehair brush to preserve them.
DISCLAIMER: The above advice is for informational purposes. Use at your own risk! I have had good success with olive oil on coins, but have found that it will lighten brass tokens if they are left soaking for months. (Olive oil is slightly acidic, according to what I have read - especially the lower quality brands.) It may not be a bad idea to check any coins on which you have left a coating of olive oil periodically, just to be safe.

The disclaimer was as much for future readers of this thread as it was for you. I don't want some guy getting mad at me, 5 years down the road, because his coin changed color.
The rose thorn idea is not mine. Board member Conder101 and former member michael were where that tip came from.

The good news is that you were right about the variety
 

Soak your Lincoln is some mineral oil or olive oil. Watch it for any signs of color change (daily, not every 10 minutes). After about a week, take it out and gently pick at the corrosion spot with a rose thorn. If nothing comes off, and your coin has not started to change color, put it back in the oil, and let it soak some more. It may take months for the oil to soften whatever is on your coin - if it does it at all. Don't use anything harder than the thorn on your coin.
When your are done with the experiment, don't try to wash the oil off the coin. Pat it dry with a soft cloth, and put it away. The coating of oil left on the coin will help protect it from future corrosion. Old time copper collectors would sometimes oil their coins with a horsehair brush to preserve them.
DISCLAIMER: The above advice is for informational purposes. Use at your own risk! I have had good success with olive oil on coins, but have found that it will lighten brass tokens if they are left soaking for months. (Olive oil is slightly acidic, according to what I have read - especially the lower quality brands.) It may not be a bad idea to check any coins on which you have left a coating of olive oil periodically, just to be safe.

Keep in mind that the coins pictured in the Collectors weekly and Treasurenet links are not confirmed re-punched mint marks. They are coins that have been posted  by the people who found them, and they are hoping to get information, just like you did with your coin. Also, the video that both mentioned, about a supposed one-of-a-kind unknown RPM, is on CoinOPP, which is a sensationalist video site that is designed to get lots of views, not provide accurate information. (My opinion.)
Your coin does not appear to be a re-punched mint mark to me. It looks like strike doubling.