This is the provisional token from Mercer County, IL. It is listed in the M&D book as number “L61”, held the value of a quarter of a cent at the time, had a rarity rating of R1 at the time of the M&D book and is made of copper.
This is the provisional token from La Salle, IL and was redeemable at the Chamber of Commerce. It is listed in the M&D book as number “L54”, held the value of a quarter of a cent at the time, had a rarity rating of R3 at the time of the M&D book and is made of copper.
You may notice that this is the first of the Illinois tokens that I’ve posted which has the same front & back.
Our hope is that this series, over time, will help serve as a resource for the new collector. As well, these photos may help remind some of the seasoned collectors about a time in their own history when these “common” tokens seemed elusive.
If you’ve got a story connected to a specific token that we post a photo of, please feel free to take advantage of the “reply” section and tell us your tale, no matter how mundane it may seem to you!
To begin, let’s take a look at the Cambridge provisional token. Listed in the M&D book as number “L8”, it was redeemable at the Lion’s Club, worth a quarter of a cent at the time, had a rarity rating of R3 at the time of the M&D book and is made from copper.
