I'm trying to find out a little bit more about this token & place it in a historical context. It seems like the changing names of banks over time should help me narrow down when this brand was active, but I'm running into some stumbling blocks. Based on style, font, and incentive value, I would guess this dates between the Great Depression and post War years (1935-1950) but that's just a guess (& a broad one). Diameter is about 32mm. Any research suggestions?
The lot set me back $106 for 86 tokens (including 3 So-Called Dollars with one of those being a prooflike R6). So, after doing a quick 2 parallel equations (roughly v + x + y + z = 86 & v*$1.50 + x*$0.50 + y*$0.25 + z*$0.10= $106, but subtracting a few items at higher value) I figured out the portion these cost as an x variable. Long story short, both of these set me back 50 cents each, which seemed amusingly apt.
The building at Monroe & Ionia was built in 1916 and the bank had moved in by 1917, so that gives you an earliest date. The chart in this article https://advisor.visualcapitalist.com/us-interest-rates/ shows interest rates stable around 3.5% from about 1910-1918, then a sharp spike, then bouncing around 3-4% in later 1920s until the Depression years. Interest rates didn't get back above 3% until the late 1950s. The Federal Reserve system was created in 1913, so is "A New Saving System" a reference to that? If so, and the interest rate chart is accurate, that would place the token around 1917-1918. Just a wild guess. I can't find anything saying what happened to Grand Rapids Savings Bank. It says First Community Bank on the building now, which opened an office in Grand Rapids following a merger with Select Bank (https://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/2012/11/harbor_springs_bank_completes.html)
Based on what I see on the token I’d give it a date between 1950-1960. I love tokens but I really have no idea about their age.
