Recently picked up these very cool pieces for my exonumia collection. If I can work them in, I'll add them to my Penny Potpourri exhibit for its final display at the Chicago ANA in August. I recently bought this piece from John Kraljevich. It's very unusual in that it's BOTH a Love Token and a Store Card on a nice quality 1863 Indian cent. This is another rare sticker cent - I say rare because the Secret Service forced advertisers to remove stickers from the coins they were going to use for advertising purposes since advertising on U.S. money is federally prohibited. However, I've never heard of the B.P.M. company on this penny, nor have I been able to find out anything about it, so if anyone out there has info on B.P.M., please let me know. This is another skeleton Hobo Penny - it's not necessarily rare, I just think it's a cool piece since Hobo Pennies are much more scarce than their counterpart Hobo Nickels.
It is funny that you mention the Secret Service forced people to stop putting stickers on coins - because I have found coins in circulation with advertising stickers on them. BTW Charmy: You inspired me to collect the teapot pennies, sometime I will photograph mine and post them here. I even have one done with an IHC now.
It looks like Abe went on the atomic blast instant weight loss program. Seriously, what are the streaks on the skull for? It's a cool looking hobo, whatever it's about.
While it is illegal to put advertising on coins and release them back into circulation, usually it is done in relatively small numbers and it doesn't come to the SS attention, and it isn't worth their time. The one famous recent case where they DID crack down and order the person to stop was when the "Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer" movie came out. The studio put stickers on tens of thousands of quarters to promote the movie and they were releasing them around the country. The SS stepped in with a cease and desist order and threats of fines.
Based on my research, it is true that the Secret Service was cracking down on companies who put advertising stickers on coins, as I have original articles from the 1960's discussing how the Secret Service had actually ordered the companies to remove the stickers.
Very nice additions to your collection Charmy. The Macomber store card / love token really interested me so I decided to see if I could find out who made the piece. I found a boot and shoe maker named Leander S. Macomber who was in business in Fall River, MA at least as early as 1888, perhaps even a bit earlier. He was in a partnership with W.N. Emery (probably his brother-in-law) and H.A. Fish first at 10 Granite Block and later at 15 S. Main St. They did business under the name Emery & Co. and remained in business until at least 1896. Apparently, the partnership dissolved in the early 1900s and Macomber continued on alone until March, 1909 when he sold out to Modern Shoe. He died in September, 1920 in Fall River. Although Rhode Island born and bred, he was a resident of Fall River beginning in 1878 when he married Elizabeth Emery, a native of that city. I don't know who "Sharon" was or even if it were a person or a town's name. Although not attributed by them, I came across a reference to your token suggesting that Sharon might indicate a location where Macomber worked. Apparently, they looked at it as merely a store card and didn't consider it a love token. Unfortunately, I don't recall where I saw that information. In any case, I checked out the possibility of it being a location rather than a name. There is a Sharon, MA. about 40 miles north of Fall River, but I saw no evidence that Macomber ever worked or lived there. If it does represent a woman's name, I don't know who she was. His wife's name was Elizabeth and his mother's Mary. If he had a girlfriend named Sharon, then it would have been after he married Elizabeth in 1878. He wasn't in the shoemaking business until several years later so your token couldn't have been issued before then. Thanks for showing your great new additions Charmy. Bruce
