Virginia Tokens
In 1980, David Schenkman’s Virginia Tokens was the first work to document the trade tokens from the Commonwealth and helped set the standard for state token catalogs nationwide. Thirty-five years later, the second revised edition was released. Tokens in Virginia have a long and distinguished history and offer the exonumist a wide spectrum of specialties. From Hard Times store cards, transportation tokens dating back to the 1860s, coal scrip, to trade tokens and picker’s checks, Virginia Tokens seeks to document the many varied aspects of exonumia throughout the state in a convenient and easy to use format. With nearly 6,000 different tokens listed from roughly 2,250 different merchants located in approximately 770 towns, the new 2015 revision more than doubles the number of known listings from the original catalog. The revised second edition includes an expanded introduction that features a history of tokens in Virginia, as well as details on several of the principal token manufacturers. In addition, tips on collecting will benefit both long-time specialists as well as novices to the field. The catalog also features hundreds of full color illustrations throughout of not only the tokens but also related images that add to the historical interest and flavor of the pieces. Rounding out the book is a comprehensive index of merchants that will help collectors to quickly identify mavericks.