My point is, I really doubt that this was ever a brothel token at all. I mean, who is the little lady going to attract? Usually brothel tokens had the name of the house or street address, or something. I'd say this is simply a counter token from a dress shop or something similar. Am I wrong? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-193...409?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20f42ab681
If not a counter it might be a sample stock token that a salesman would show to dress shops. Or kick-boxing gyms.
I Googled Gaming token and found another token like it but with a different title. Seller stated that it was a 1935 Vintage Gaming Fun Token and that he had seen others like it with the words FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY on the reverse
I'm guessing that it is similar to a jeton. Jeton's are usually smaller than 38mm and were first used by 11th or 12th century Italian merchants to total a customer's purchases. Their use spread throughout Europe, and they eventually became popular as gaming tokens to keep score in table games. I used to have a Las Vegas brothel token, "Stolen from Maggie's Whorehouse - Where the customer always comes first"
I SURMISE it's a token originally commissioned by Columbia Records / Brunswick Records to function in the new Wurlitzer “Jukeboxes”, to promote Columbia / Brunswick's newest, fast-rising recording artist, Billie Holiday (the token's obverse image).....and, of course, to boost royalty income for the profit-hemoraging record company. 1937 was the peak of Holiday's "tin-pan-alley" recording career, with 16 Bilboard top-20 recordings that year. Other parties - undoubtedly - subsequently acquired the token dies (there were several subtle obverse die varieties). [Google it]. So, yes, jallengomez, you're right: That was One “rough” Gal. Check out the 1935 photo of Billie with the Basie Boyz.
This thread is over 8 years old. Best to start a new thread. It was posted before I was a member. Welcome to CT.
