My brother found this token yesterday while searching a plowed field for arrowheads. He gave it to me and after some digging thru the web I found out that Mr Donovan built 14 miles of the local railroads in 1904. He was into relestate, livestock and owned a local drug store also. His railroad buisness died out in 1911 but there is a street in town named after him near the old train depot. I cant determine if it was used as a train token or what but its cool to own a token that was right from your home town. The reverse is almost worn away but has the number 25 stamped on it. There is no year date on it so I can only quess with the info I have. Anybody else seen one of these?
Perhaps, folks at his drug store, would take a number as they walked in ? Just a guess. Could be a tag for a tool used by workmen on his railroad. Where was your brother searching, that would help. Time to do some detective work.
The place was near an old plumbing store that has been gone for years and later was kinda a dumb area for awhile. Its just been woods since I was a kid but has now been cut and cleared. The search continues lol.
I looked into this a bit Spartan, but didn't find out anything specific about Donovan. I did find a record of a token like yours only with a 75 Cent (?) denomination. Ripley might be right about it being used in his drug business, maybe as a "good-for". It doesn't look like a transportation token, but who knows. Congrats on a nice find though. Bruce
