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Tokens? Coins? or what

Icatchbigcats

New Member
Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
15
Hi everyone,
I am somewhat new to metal detecting and am having a hard time figuring out what I found. I found these two items at a site that was a town back in the late 1800's but disappeared shortly after the turn of the century and now is just a farm field filled with square nails and other iron. These items are exactly the same size with a square hole in the center, they are actually smaller than a half dime. Both have English writing on them but I cannot completely make out what they say. One registered at 34 (copper) on my Minelab and the other registered at 15 (Nickel).
The Copper one has a star on it and it does say ST AR on the top of it and has
H B& H on the bottom, but I am not quite sure if that is all it has, I may be missing some. There also has what appears to be a date on the back along with other numbers and letters. The date is 18_2. I can't make out the 3rd number. The darker one appears to be blank one one side with the other side having letters and numbers all around it. What appears to be a date on this says 185_, I can't make out the last number.
This place must have been an Indian village before the town started as we found numerous pieces of arrowheads along with this tiny beauty.
Anyway, can anyone help me out with what these might be? Sorry I cannot take better pictures.
 

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They look like oriental coins to me.........but I am no authority......I'm sure someone here will know for sure. WTG!!!
 
Strange that they have a square hole! and a serated edge! They look like they may be an adjuster wheel,fitting on to a square peg ( like a tap!! ) poss- surveying equipment, telescope etc etc etc.Perhaps they were used with the square nails to wrap wire round, or some form of rivit attachment. Dont look like any oriental coins I have seen, esp with the european lettering! Dont go together somehow.( check some out on the web..they dont come close) Star is prob- the makers company name.

Good Luck.
Chop
 
While holed coins are relatively common, square holed are not. I was first thinking thet these could be trade tokens, they might be but they are unusually small as such. Not much space for the value and the store's name.

Chopz might be right that they are adjustment wheels from some sort of a mechanism....hey...how about from an oil lamp? Adjusting the wick length?

Voriax
 
While holed coins are relatively common, square holed are not. I was first thinking thet these could be trade tokens, they might be but they are unusually small as such. Not much space for the value and the store's name.

Chopz might be right that they are adjustment wheels from some sort of a mechanism....hey...how about from an oil lamp? Adjusting the wick length?

Voriax

Think your spot on there, think theres a company called star ( tradeing company??) that makes/made oil lamps if my memory serves me right there made in china, used to have some on a boat i once lived on,

Chop
 
i have seen some posts on other forums for chinese cash coin that look like tose.
Paul


While holed coins are relatively common, square holed are not. I was first thinking thet these could be trade tokens, they might be but they are unusually small as such. Not much space for the value and the store's name.

Chopz might be right that they are adjustment wheels from some sort of a mechanism....hey...how about from an oil lamp? Adjusting the wick length?

Voriax
 
I think that someone use real coins to makes some kind of mechanism. He use a square file for the centre and serated the edge. They really look like real coins or Token.
 
Take a look at those two Zaire coins and see the "date" below. They look quite similar to the last pic ...
 

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Better pictures

Here are a couple better pictures.
Also a little more background on the site, it was settled in the 1870's along the Red River of the North (Dakota side). Hudson Bay Fur company did have trading posts in this region starting around 1800 to buy furs from the few trappers that were here and from the Indians. I do know that Hudson Bay Fur Company did have some of its own coins but the only pictures of these that I have seen do not look even close to these.

Some more of the lettering on the back of the Star Token:
.18_2____NT.J___Y_23
These letters and numbers circle the back.

Some more of the writing on the other.
185_ ________AN II
All the spaces are letters covered up with corrosion, if I could get that off, it may answer my question. Is there any safe way to do that?

Thanks for everyones help!
 

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Here are a couple better pictures.
Also a little more background on the site, it was settled in the 1870's along the Red River of the North (Dakota side). Hudson Bay Fur company did have trading posts in this region starting around 1800 to buy furs from the few trappers that were here and from the Indians. I do know that Hudson Bay Fur Company did have some of its own coins but the only pictures of these that I have seen do not look even close to these.

Some more of the lettering on the back of the Star Token:
.18_2____NT.J___Y_23
These letters and numbers circle the back.

Some more of the writing on the other.
185_ ________AN II
All the spaces are letters covered up with corrosion, if I could get that off, it may answer my question. Is there any safe way to do that?

Thanks for everyones help!

I agree with you I think that a good cleaning will do :yes:,Try some olive oil
 
I tried olive oil and it did help, but I still can't make everything out
Here is what is on the front of the star token: ST AR -on top - and H B& H - on the bottom. The back side I can make out PAT.J__Y 23. 18 2
Here is what is on the other
PAT.JAN II 1856 ____
Patent Dates maybe?
I think I will take them into the local treasure shop and see if the guys there know anything.
Thanks for all the suggestions
 
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