My father Gove me some coins today and these were in with them. He said it used to take 1,000 mils to make a dollar, that's why they called them mils. That's about all I know. Unfortunately a couple of them are bent and one has so my ch build up you can barely read it.
Back in the thirties during the depression the states were hurting for revenue just like everyone else. So they started a new tax idea, a sales tax, yes that's where sales tax began. Most of the states that implemented sales tax did a 1% tax rate That would be 1 cent for every dollar in sales. But the dollar was worth a lot more back then and a very large percentage of sales were for LESS than a dollar! A ten cent sale meant a tenth of a cent tax was not being collected because there were no coins small enough. So the states began producing their own sales tax tokens denominated in 1 and 5 mills. Merchants could buy quantities of these tokens and then use them to make change for those fractions of a cent tax collections. Make a 30 cent purchase (.3 cents tax due), give them 31 cents and get a five and two one mil tokens as change. The tokens could also be used to pay the tax. In this case 30 cents and three 1 mil tokens, or a 5 mil and get two mils back in change. Unlike coins the tokens were only good in the state they were issued in, and I don't believe they could be redeemed for real coins if you accumulated a bunch of them. The federal government objected to the tokens and I believe they did try to take several of the states to courts over them. Eventually as tax rates rose states eventually stopped using the tokens. Missouri was the last state still using them and they stopped in 1964.
Thank you for the information! I appreciate it. Also, they made 2 mil tokens also. I'm pretty positive one of mine is a 2 mil. I have them wrapped up and put away or I would tell you for sure. I really have to buy some collecting supplies. Ive only been doing this for a couple of weeks I need some things to put my coins in, I have them wrapped in paper towels right now. I think someone gave me some info on where to order some maybe on one of my threads. I'm going to check into that now.
Yes you do have a 2 mil token but that was unusual. Most states just did 1 and 5, 2 mil tokens were made by Colorado and Utah, and Illinois made a 1 1/2 mil token. There were at least twelve states that issued tokens, they came in metal, plastic, and Missouri made one out of cardboard. You can see the tokens of those 12 states here. http://www.brianrxm.com/comdir/cnssalestax.htm
Yes, well, only two of the ones I have are from Missouri. The other three are from Colorado and Utah.
No, but a place I wish I could live in and still make a living. Absolutely love the pace of life there, but not the lack of jobs.
No, sorry, I'm from Taxachusetts (Massachusetts) pun intended considering the thread. I do have a friend, David Egeland, who lives in Missouri and contributes error attributions to John Wexler's site. www.doubleddie.com. I have a love for Civil War history and he informed me that very few people realize that this war had it's beginnings in Missouri. In fact he hunts there for Civil War relics, bullets, uniform buttons, etc., and has done quite well in his searches.
Really?? It just so happens there were a couple of old buttons in the jar my dad gave me...message me if he'd like to chat about them. They're kind of rough, since he found them metal detecting.
David would be the go to person on the buttons. He is on Facebook. I'm more the written history Civil War buff.
My ancestry is there in MO, and the Civil War is something only discussed in close company. Like a lot of people there, my ancestors were on both sides of the conflict. I have three ancestors that fought in the battle of Lexington MO in Sept 1861, one Confederate and two Union. One of my Union ancestors was captured there and spent time in a Confederate prison until paroled out the following year. The Anderson house was used as a military hospital and is one of the absolute creepiest places I have ever been - there is a large dark stain in the floor upstairs from blood. The courthouse there in Lexington still has a cannonball lodged in it from that battle.
