Commercial Building, Albion College
Gale Manufacturing Civil War Token
Unlisted Michigan Advertising Mirrors
Stolen Diamonds: A Token of Innocence
THE 1889-90 ALBION COLLEGE CURRENCY
By Frank Passic LM-157
The Mich-Matist, Volume XXXVII-1, Serial No. 135. Winter 2001 (Jan-March 2001) pp. 42- 53
From the fall of 1886 through June 1916 Albion College operated a Commercial Department, which was also known as the Business School. Albion College is located in Albion, Michigan, 100 miles west of Detroit. Founded in 1835, this Methodist-founded private four-year institution is well known throughout the country and is one of Michigan’s leading liberal arts colleges.
The goal of the Commercial Department was to help students educate themselves about surviving in the business world. Courses included bookkeeping, penmanship, shorthand, and typewriting. The 1889-90 Albion College Yearbook states (pg. 42): "The benefits of a business education are becoming more apparent each year. The rapid increase in our population is causing a corresponding growth in our commercial transactions. This increased activity in business circles must necessarily open the way to many a young man for a successful entrance into the active duties of life. The first question which every thoughtful young person will ask is, ‘How may I best fit myself for success in life?’ The answer, educate yourself."
This vocational emphasis did not sit well with some of the College establishment which was used to teaching the more "refined" traditional studies such as literature, philosophy, languages, mathematics, and sciences. The "step-child" Commercial Department did not receive a full blessing of the college faculty, and "enrollees in the Business College did not participate in the baccalaureate program," states author Fennimore (pg. 264, see bibliography). Despite this, the Commercial Department was a huge success, and its numbers swelled to over 80 full and part time students by the end of the 1880s.
The Commercial Department at Albion College was semi-self-sufficient. The College only supplied the rooms, lights and heat on the first floor of the south half of the North Hall. The Department was responsible for its own materials, supplies, and equipment. The North Hall was erected in 1856, and has been used for a variety of college classes and programs through the years. Because the business school classes were held here, the building became known as the "Commercial Building" up to World War I. It is still standing today on the campus of Albion College and has been known as Vulgamore Hall since 1997.
The department had to fund its operations and expenses including faculty from the tuition it collected. From all tuition funds collected by the Commercial Department, they got to keep seventy-five percent, while Albion College would reap twenty-five percent of the funds. Regular tuition covered all studies except typewriting and shorthand. The tuition rates for the 1889-90 school year was as follows: First term in advance: $20; second term: $17.50; Third term: $12.50. Besides the regular courses, there were special classes held to accommodate students from other departments at the college who wished to gain specific skills. They were per term: Bookkeeping, five hours a week for $5.00 or three hours at $4.00; Penmanship five hours a week at $3.00 or $2.50 for three hours; Commercial Arithmetic, five hours a week for $5.00; Commercial Law, three hours a week for $2.00; and Shorthand and Typewriting at $15.00 per term.
Those taking the standard bookkeeping course in the Commercial Department would receive a supply kit containing all the mock forms that would have been used in the business world at the time. These included notes, drafts, receipts, checks, bill heads, shipping invoices, freight and shipping receipts, insurance policies, bills of exchange, bills of sale, statements, deeds, mortgages, leases, and merchandise cards. Each student was furnished with a beginning college currency cash capital of one thousand dollars.
The Commercial Department course was divided into three terms totaling nine months. For the first term, a student would take his/her kit and lease a place of business and begin work. He/she would buy and sell from other student merchants using the various forms and college currency. The merchandise cards were given various values and were bought and sold according to the law of supply and demand.
After becoming familiar with the process, the student would be promoted to the "Boot and Shoe" business which formed the second term of the course. He/she would then purchase items from the "Merchants’ Emporium" at wholesale prices, and then sell to jobbers. The student would then go through several trades such as Dry Goods, Groceries, Flour and Feed, Produce and Provisions, Commissions, Clothing, and General, becoming familiar with the basic operations of each and the forms used.
Upon completing this portion of the course, students would advance to the third term which focused on office work. Each student was supplied with large office ledgers for the Transportation Office, Merchants’ Emporium, and the Bank. When the student completed this portion, he/she was given an examination covering the entire course work. A passing grade was 80%, and diplomas were subsequently awarded to those successfully completing the class.
During the late 1890s the Commercial Department used the Baltimore, Maryland based "Sadler’s Bookkeeping Office Practice" kit as its "textbook." College currency was used which was deposited in the "college bank," and a pass book would also be issued. Various college currency notes were used in denominations of $5, $20, $50, $100, and $1,000. These were generic notes that came with the Sadler kits, and were used in schools across the country.
Of special interest however is a set of notes used during the 1889-90 school year that is specific to Albion College. That year the Commercial Department printed its own college currency instead of just using pre-printed generic notes. These measure 174 x 75 mm. in size, and were issued in denominations of $1, $2, $5, and $10. No printer’s name is found on the notes. Due to their local nature however it is suspected that they were printed by the Albion Recorder (newspaper) Press, which produced numerous programs, booklets, and other materials using colored inks. The exact same schooner illustration which appears on the back of the notes also appears in Recorder advertisements in 1890 and 1891.
Printed with blue ink on white paper, the face side states, "Commercial Department C. A. Head, Principal. Currency. Albion College, Albion, Mich. X Dollars." The two lower denominations utilize the words "One" and "Two" respectively to indicate the values, while the others are indicated by the Roman numerals "V" and "X."
On the right is the image of a 12-point elk with mountains in the distance (There are neither elk nor mountains in Albion). On the left is the image of a man, presumably Professor Head, with a big head on this note. The ornamentation consists of flower petals and diamond-squares. The back is printed with light orange ink and contains a drawing of a schooner in the center, surrounded by numerous starbursts which make up the rest of the design.
These notes are unlisted in the standard College Currency reference book by Schingoethe. They first appeared on the numismatic market in the late 1990s in a price list by dealer Larry Falater. The notes were part of a small hoard of six sets plus some loose individual notes discovered in the Petoskey, Michigan area. They presumably came from Bay View, a popular Methodist retreat facility where many Albion College professors and students spent their summers, and where summer classes were also held. The Albion notes were discovered in an 1895-dated box of generic notes (listed as Mavericks MAV-645 and MAV-655 in Schingoethe) of the "Sadler’s Bookeepers & Office Practice" kit. The box was rubber-stamped with the name of the then-principal of the school, Charles L. McClellan and stated, "To be used by students and returned to Chas. L. McClellan, From BUSINESS SCHOOL of ALBION COLLEGE, Albion, Mich." There are no printing, design, or text similarities between the Albion College notes and the generic Sadler notes.
The Albion College currency is alluded to in Fennimore’s book on page 265, but unfortunately a photograph of an 1863 "Business College Bank" $1 college currency note from Ira Mayhew’s Commercial College, also in Albion, is erroneously pictured (Schingoethe MI-150-1). Mayhew had served as principal of the Wesleyan Seminary at Albion (the original name of Albion College) in 1853-54. His business school was separate from the College and operated in Albion from 1860 to 1869 before it was moved to Detroit.
Professor Cary A. Head was principal of the Commercial Department at Albion College only during the 1889-90 school year. Little is known about him. He left to become superintendent of the West Michigan Business University and Normal School of Grand Rapids, and was succeeded by Charles McClellan beginning with the 1890-91 school year. Miss Maggie Miller served as instructor of Shorthand and Typewriting at the school during the 1889-90 school year.
Who were the students that used the Albion College currency during the 1889-90 school year? They are listed in the 1889-90 Albion College Yearbook. The following local Albion natives were enrolled full time as commercial students: William E. Aiken, Charles L. Curtis, James P. Dearing, Harry Eastman, Myron B. Gilbert, Louise Houck, Fred J. Hubbard, Fay K. Kellogg, Rienzi Loud, Jr., Henry E. McGee, Nettie L. Ott, and William B. Wood.
Those students enrolled full time from other communities were: Eva G. Anson of Marshalltown, Iowa; Wortley F. Armstrong of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Francis J. Bolitho of Ishpeming, Michigan; Ernest Carnes of Shepardsville, Michigan; Agnes M. Hall of Concord, Michigan; Charles Kellow of Ishpeming, Michigan; Arthur B. Linderman of Whitehall, Michigan; Ernest R. Proctor of Wallace, Illinois; John Quayle of Ishpeming, Michigan; Hugh E. Root of Mason, Michigan; Frank H. Roach of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; George H. Sayers of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Ernest O. Selway and Philip Thorpe, both of Dillon, Montana. There were also other students who were exclusively enrolled in the shorthand/typing division of the Commercial Department.
The Commercial Department was closed in June 1916, as Albion College re-focused its emphasis on the liberal arts. Author Fennimore laments (pg. 390): "With courses like bookkeeping, shorthand and typing, the School of Business was the most vulnerable. This was to be expected, since the faculty consisted largely of traditionalists who had always held reservations about the propriety of offering vocational courses on a liberal arts campus. Even more, the Commercial Department occupied an ill-defined middle ground which borrowed parts of its operation from Albion College and supplied others itself."
Thus the Commercial Department was discontinued after being in existence for thirty years. The 1889-90 Albion College currency however, is a reminder for collectors of the business college days of one of Michigan’s well-known private institutions. Special thanks to Albion College archivist Jennifer Thomas and numismatic dealer Larry Falater for their help and input in the preparation of this article.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Albion’s Banks and Bankers. Albion Historical Society, 1985.
Albion College Pleiad, June 1890, and other issues.
Albion College Yearbook, 1889-90.
Falater, Larry. New Discovery. Previously Unlisted Albion College Currency. Price list.
Keith J. Fennimore. The Albion College Sesquicentennial History: 1835-1985. Albion College, 1985.
Herb and Martha Schingoethe, Neil Shafer, editor. College Currency, Money for Business Training. BNR Press, 1993.
MAYHEW BUSINESS COLLEGE SCRIP NOTES
DISCOVERED WITH 1870 BUSINESS COURSE KIT
By Frank Passic, LM-157.
THE MICHMATIST, Volume XLV-1, #167. Pgs. 56-58.
In October 2008, the estate of a 92-year-old man from Homer, Michigan (just south of Albion) was sold. In it were several ledgers from the “Mayhew’s University Book-Keeping” course kit, along with four high-denomination “Business College Scrip” notes. These were purchased by this writer.
Ira Mayhew (1814-1894) was a well-known 19th century Michigan educator who authored several books, including “Mayhew’s Practical Book-Keeping.” His business school was founded in 1860 in Albion, and was first known as the “Albion Commercial College.” “College scrip” notes were issued in denominations of $1, $2, and $5, as well as a Civil War token during the school’s tenure in Albion.
The institution moved to Detroit in 1869 where it operated under the name of the “Mayhew Business College.” Ira sold the school to P.R. Spencer in 1883 at which time it became the Spencerian Business College. The latter sold it to the Goldsmith Business University in 1887, to form the Detroit Business University. Ira passed away in 1894, and was interred in Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit. His gravesite is posted on the www.findagrave.com website, where “virtual flowers” may be left, as well as public notes.
Upon leafing through the ledgers, this author discovered a certificate inserted in one of them which contained a handwritten text. It stated: “Hillsdale College. Commercial Dept. To whom it may concern: This is to certify that E. LITTEBRANT is entitled to the credit of having made the most commendable effort in the practice of penmanship this 17th day of September, 1870. Hillsdale, Mich. W. J. Drake, Penman.”
Thus these items were part of the Business College “kit” of E. Littebrant, used in the Commercial Department of Hillsdale College for the 1870-71 school year.
The four notes in the kit were in remarkable (EF-AU) condition considering their age. Bearing a printed date of September 18, 1869, all measure approximately 186 x 77 mm. The 1869 date coincides with the first semester business class Ira Mayhew conducted in Detroit after his move from Albion. As stated on the face near the lower center margin, the notes were printed by “The Calvert Lith. Co. Detroit.” The lithograph signatures are those of (lower left) “C.A. Walworth, Cashier,” and (lower right) “Ira Mayhew, President.” Schingoethe catalogs these notes as MI-375, plus the denomination numeral. They have been assigned a rarity rating of R-7. The 5,000 dollar denomination note is especially rare.
Ten Dollar Bill
One Hundred Dollar Bill
Five Hundred Dollar Bill
The depictions on the face of the notes are as follows: $10-Men tending a houseboat; $100-A stag in the wilderness; $500-An eagle and shield; $5000-A woman milking a cow. The back text features an advertisement for the Mayhew College which is the same on all denominations.
Five Thousand Dollar Bill (Face)
Five Thousand Dollar Bill (Back)
The 1, 2, 5, and 20 dollar notes were missing from this set. This is understandable, as the student would have regularly “spent” the lower denomination notes in his day-to-day school work. The higher denominations which were unused by the student therefore remained with this particular business college “kit.”
Three of the notes (10, 100, and 5,000 dollars) are specially rubber-stamped with a blue ink seal in the lower right on the face. This stamp resembles a postmark and states, “MAYHEW COLLEGE MAY 18, 1870. DETROIT.” Apparently Hillsdale College ordered the Mayhew course kit for the upcoming fall semester, and Mayhew had the notes specially stamped to distinguish them from unstamped College Scrip used at his Detroit campus. This new variety is unreported and hence these notes can be considered unique.
Sources:
“Ira Mayhew’s Commercial College.” Journal of Albion, 30 November 1985, pg. 9.
Passic, Frank. “Albion’s Banks and Bankers.” Albion Historical Society, 1985.
Schingoethe, Herb and Martha. College Currency” Neil Shafer, editor. BNR Press, 1993.
NEW IRA MAYHEW COLLEGE SCRIP
DENOMINATION SURFACES
byFrank Passic LM-157
The Mich-Matist, Winter 1999, pp. 43, 45, 47.
Two Dollar Note (Face)
A previously unreported "college scrip" note from Albion, Michigan has surfaced, issued by the Albion Business College and dated 1863. The $2.00 denomination is a new discovery, and completes a matching set of the $1.00 and $5.00 notes previously reported.
The hand cut note measures 182 x 72 mm., and is uniface. The text reads, "BUSINESS COLLEGE BANK, the Albion Business College will pay the bearer on demand Two Dollars in tuition. On receipt of a sufficient consideration. Albion, Nov. (handwritten day date) 20, 1863. (facsimile signatures) Ira Mayhew, President. Charles E. Slocum, Cashier. State of Michigan." Below to the left is the name of the printer, "Ed. Mendel, Chicago."
The central illustration contains a farming scene with cattle and pigs. The left portion of the scene depicts a tree with a boy and girl beneath it. The far left illustration depicts a steam train engine with the smoke billowing out at the top. This is the exact same scene that appears on the $5.00 denomination. On the far right is a depiction of Americana, standing in regalia with the emblem "USA" in the breast area. The denomination "TWO" is spelled out in the upper right and upper left corners. No numeral "2" appears on the note, in contrast to the "1" and "5" on the other denominations. The word "No." for "number" appears above the word "Business," and a line area with a handwritten serial number "15" appears to the left of the upper-right "TWO."
The $1.00 denomination note is cataloged as "MI-150-1" in the book College Currency (see bibliography), while the $5.00 note is listed as "MI-180-5." The $1.00 and $2.00 denomination notes bear a title of "The Albion Business College," while the $5.00 note contains the phrase, "The Albion Commercial College." The text on all notes indicate that these could be used towards tuition at the school.
Ira Mayhew (1814-1894) came to Michigan from New York in 1843, and was a highly recognized educator. From 1845 to 1849 he was Michigan’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and again from 1854 to 1859. In 1853 Mayhew was elected principal of the Albion Seminary, the first non-clergyman to hold the position. Mayhew guided the infant Wesleyan Seminary and Female Collegiate Institute, which at the time consisted of eight faculty members. This educational institution was renamed Albion College in 1861.
Ira opened his business school in Howard Hall, a third-story meeting room above 204 S. Superior St. in downtown Albion. Called the Albion Commercial College, Mayhew utilized his well popular 1851 book, Mayhew’s Practical Book-keeping" which by 1873 was in its 90th printing. The school became quickly established and soon moved to the third floor of the Peabody Block, 400 S. Superior St. There Mayhew operated it along with his daughters Ellen, Emma, and Fanny until 1868. Token collectors will recall the Civil War Store Card token issued by Ira Mayhew’s Commercial College (Fuld MI 25A-1a) dated 1863 which states in part, "Mayhew’s Practical Book-Keeping, The Cheapest and the Best."
Ira kept himself busy in Albion during the 1860s. He served as Albion Village president in 1861, and was appointed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln as the collector for Internal Revenue for the 3rd District of Michigan. Ira was also the "official agent" for Wheeler & Wilson’s sewing machines. His home, built in 1837 was located at 604 E. Erie St. in Albion, and is still standing today.
The business school suffered a fire on September 10, 1868, and the local newspaper made strong innuendos that the fire had been set so Ira that could collect insurance money. With a cloud of suspicion over his head, Ira moved his Commercial College to Detroit in 1869, where he personally operated it until 1883. At that time he sold it to P. R. Spencer, and it became known as "Spencerian Business College." Two years later it was brought under ownership of the Goldsmith Business University of Detroit. The two schools merged together in 1887 to form the Detroit Business University.
Mayhew continued on in his work, even in his advanced years. In 1893 he was placed in charge of school bookkeeping at Sprague University of Correspondence Instructions. He continued in this position until his death in April, 1894. Photos: $2 note, and a lithograph of Ira Mayhew.
SOURCES
Albion’s Banks and Bankers. Albion Historical Society, 1985.
Dr. Keith Fennimore, The Albion College Sesquicentennial History 1835-1985. Albion College, 1985.
George and Melvin Fuld. U.S. Civil War Store Cards. 1972.
"Numismatic History of Albion No. 20, Ira Mayhew’s Commercial College." Journal of Albion, 30 November 1985, pg. 9.
Herb and Martha Schingoethe. College Currency. BNR Press, 1993.
DUCK LAKE TOKEN ISSUED BY BOAT HOUSE
by Frank Passic, LM-157
The Mich-Matist, Volume 37 No. 2, Spring 2000, pg. 39-42.
Duck Lake is located in Calhoun County, ten miles north of Albion in Clarence Township. It has been a popular resort lake for many years. Duck Lake once had its own post office in the late 19th century, and a small community was located on the north side of the lake. The Duck Lake drain forms the headwaters of the Battle Creek River. Today, Duck Lake is serviced by the Albion, Springport, and Olivet post offices. Duck Lake was also the retirement home of James "Deacon" McGuire (1863-1936), celebrated Detroit Tigers catcher who moved here from Albion in 1924 and lived here until his death. McGuire along with his brother George issued several "GOOD FOR" tokens from their "McGuire Brothers" Saloon in Albion in the early 1900s.
The Duck Lake Boat Office was located on the north shore right near the drain, on the site where the Silver Beach Resort now sits. There was a boat livery with 22 slips. A long and permanent pier stretched into the lake. It was constructed with large timbers, filled with large rocks. The pier rotted out and was removed around 1915. At one time a steamboat, the O.K. Sackett, took passengers for rides around the lake.
The Office operated in the 1890s and early 1900s, and was owned by William H. and Betsey (Munroe) Leonard. William was a postmaster at Duck Lake for fifteen years, and also operated a sawmill here. The Boat Office building was 20 x 30 feet with a wide porch on two sides. Soda pop and candy were sold and it was said that if you were known well enough, you could get a "sassparilla," which was a shot of whiskey.
Adjacent to the Boat Office was a campgrounds operated by the Leonards. The July 27, 1894 edition of the Springport Signal stated, "Mr. William Leonard, who has charge of the camping grounds at the north end of Duck Lake, is equipped to handle his many visitors in the best of style this seasons. Among the many improvements is an excellent new outfit of boats. He has accommodation for 60 horses and carriages, in case of a storm. He carries a fine line of fishing tackle and bait in season Meals on short notice and soft drinks, candy, nuts, cigars, tobacco and cigarettes at the stand. Where can you spend a more pleasant day than at this popular resort? The campgrounds are free and no exorbitant rates are charged."
Lake ice could also be purchased here by the chunk, in the days before electricity and refrigerators were installed. Ice was cut from the lake, and stored in an ice house, the ice being covered with marsh hay and sawdust.
After the death of William and Betsey Leonard, the business was continued by Arthur and Amarilla Stark. When electricity came in 1928, the Starks moved the old Boat Office building towards the Duck Lake drain, and converted it into a rental cottage. A new boat office was constructed on the original site, which is now known as the Silver Beach Resort. The original Boat Office building was acquired by David A. Garfield in 1940, who built an addition onto it, and moved into it in 1950. He lives there today, at 552 North Shore Drive. Mr. Garfield supplied this author with information about the Boat Office. The original owner, Betsey (Monroe) Leonard, was his great-aunt, and Amarilla Stark his cousin.
Issued by the Duck Lake Boat Office was an aluminum token, 26 mm. in diameter. The obverse reads, "AT DUCK LAKE BOAT OFFICE," with the reverse stating, "GOOD FOR 5¢ IN TRADE." There is a small hole in the center. Illustrated here is the token, and an early photograph showing the Boat Office on the far left, with the lake and boat livery on the right. A dog walks in the sand in the foreground.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
The History of Clarence Township: Then and Now, by the Clarence Township Historical Society (1994).
Duck Lake Boat Office," Morning Star, 26 December 1993, pg. 1.
Advertisement, Springport Signal, 27 July, 1894.
GALE MANUFACTURING COMPANY
ISSUED CIVIL WAR TOKEN
By Frank Passic, Life Member-157
Mich-Matist, Summer 1998, pp. 55, 57-59.
The Gale Manufacturing Company was a long-time Michigan industry that was in existence form 1853 to 1968. It was begun by members of the George Gale (1798-1872) family of Barre, Vermont, who came to Michigan by ox team in 1835; the family settled in Moscow (Hillsdale County) in 1836.
George and his son Orlando Charles Gale (1823-1912) began by manufacturing plows. They obtained a melting pot that would hold a half-ton of metal, and they were in business with their foundry. George would go into the woods and hew off some handles and beams, while Orlando operated the foundry portion.
George left the firm in 1849 for the Gold Rush in California, where he lived for about five years. Orlando continued to operate the foundry alone until he sold the business in 1853; he then moved to Jonesville and built another foundry and plow factory. He took in his brother N. Brooks Gale (1829-1894) as partner, but Brooks sold his shares to younger brother Augustus J. Gale (1834-1912) in 1856. Augustus quickly learned the family trade.
In the meantime, father George Gale returned from California, and in January 1856 opened a hardware store in Albion; after a short time he sold it to his son Henry Gale (1826-1906). The Jonesville plow firm was called O.C. & A.J. Gale until 1861, when due to ill health Orlando decided to move to Albion and purchased the hardware store from his brother Henry. Orlando sold his interest in the plow firm to another brother, Horatio Gale (1838-1892) and it then became known as "A & H Gale." They remained in Jonesville for two more years, through 1863.
In 1863-64, Augustus and Horatio Gale sold their Jonesville premises and moved their plow factory to Albion where their father and brothers lived, continuing operations there. Brother Orlando rejoined the firm along with brother-in-law Elliott Hollingsworth, and purchased property at the corner of Superior and Cass streets in the center of downtown Albion.
In 1873, a stock company was formed and the firm then became officially known as the Gale Manufacturing Company. The Gale Manufacturing Company was located on the northwest corner of Cass at Superior from 1867 to 1888, at which time it moved to North Albion Street, where it remained until it closed in 1968.
Gale plows were well known, and in its heyday the Gale Company shipped 25 railroad cars full of them a day to destinations all over the world. It even operated a New York City branch office for its foreign trade. Gale plows won numerous awards, and their plows bore names such as "Big Injun," "Daisy Walking Cultivator," "Chilled Plow," and the "Albion Riding Cultivator." An example of a Gale plow is found today in the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing.
The Gales sold their interest in the firm to Detroit industrialist H. Kirke White, Sr. (of the Detroit Acme White Lead Paint Company) in 1887, and the company remained in the White family for many years through the early 20th century. During World War I, the firm switched from producing agricultural implements to automotive castings, which it produced until closing in 1968.
Just prior to moving from Jonesville to Albion in 1863-64, the firm of A & H Gale issued a cent-sized copper Civil War Store Card token, listed by Fuld as (Jonesville) MI-627B-1a. The obverse text proclaims, "A. & H. GALE MANFRS. OF AGRICULT.RL. IMPLEMENTS JONESVILLE M.," surrounded by stars, lines, and ornaments. The rim features denticles.
The reverse features the advertisement of the die-sinker and reads, "A GLEASON MANUFR. HILLSDALE MICH 1863" with an American eagle and the date 1863 in the center. Fuld lists this design type as No. 1187.
Fuld gives this token an R-9 rating, which estimates only 2 to 4 in existence. Over the past several years this author has seen four of these offered on the numismatic market, although I have yet to obtain one for my own collection.
Sources:
Fuld, George & Melvin, U.S. Civil War Store Cards, 1972;
Allardt, Louis, Headlight Albion, 1895; "Gales Operated in Jonesville," Morning Star, April 19, 1998; History of the Albion Public Schools, 1991.
TOKENS OF THE ALBION MALLEABLE IRON COMPANY
by Frank Passic LM-157
The Mich-Matist, Spring, 2002 (issued May, 2002) #140, pgs. 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55
Albion, Michigan is a community of 9,000 persons located along Interstate-94, 100 miles west of Detroit. One of Albion’s major 20th century employers, the Albion Malleable Iron Company, once issued tokens that had a rather interesting purpose which we will expound upon here. The Albion Malleable Iron Company was founded in 1888, and originally produced agricultural implement parts. By World War I, the company had switched to automotive castings. It recruited several hundred persons from southern U.S. states, as well as Eastern Europeans seeking a new life in America to work at the plant. The Malleable was merged in 1969 with the Hayes Corporation in nearby Jackson to become the Hayes-Albion Corporation, and today is known as a division of Harvard Industries. The company still produces automotive castings today, and is located at 601 N. Albion St. in Albion.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, certain workers at the Malleable would receive aluminum tokens as evidence of their piece-rate for the day. They were called “chips” by the workers. This was in the days before hand counters were installed. A person was chosen to hand out the chips each day, which he received from the company office. They were turned in at the end of the shift by each worker who was paid according to how many chips he had collected for his work. A worker would generally earn about $3.00 a day for 10 hours of work.
The “chip” system was used primarily by men who were temporarily moved from one department job to another to finish out the day. They usually came from the grinding department. Other workers were on a piece-rate system, such as the molders whose work was recorded on paper by the foreman. The chips were used until 1937, when the long process of automation began and the molten iron came in buckets on a conveyer belt along with the sand molds. There are five different known chip designs.
The first group of men who received chips were the “bowl pushers.” These men collected the hot molten iron from the furnace in large bowls. The worker would fill his bowl from the spout coming out of the furnace. One bowl was similar to a very large bucket, and would contain enough molten iron to fill three individual ladles. Each time a “bowl pusher” poured his hot iron into a ladle, he would be given a chip that had a value ranging from 3¢ to 5¢.
Two of the Malleable chips, front and back views.
The second design with the “Circle-A” came with both “One Bowl” and “1” reverses.
There are three known designs used on chips given to “bowl pushers.” The first chip (Cunningham 25A3C, with reverse text erroneously listed as “One Bull” due to verbal attribution) is 26 mm. in diameter and bears an obverse text of “ALBION MALLEABLE IRON CO.” A small flourish appears on top and bottom, and the rim is composed of fine denticles. The reverse states “ONE BOWL,” with a tri-flourish on top and bottom. The reverse rim is also composed of fine denticles.
The second chip (unlisted in Cunningham) measures 27 mm. in diameter. The obverse design consists of the company logo: the letter “A” within a circle. This chip bears a beaded rim on both sides. The reverse design is identical to the first chip and states “ONE BOWL,” with a tri-flourish on top and bottom. This particular chip however is “medal rotation struck,” a numismatic term meaning the reverse text appears upright when you horizontally turn the token sideways. All other Malleable token designs are “coin rotation struck,” meaning the reverse text appears upright when you turn the token over vertically from the top or bottom.
The third chip (unlisted in Cunningham) also measures 27 mm. in diameter, and the obverse design is identical to the second type. The reverse however does not contain a written text, but instead a large numeral “1” is placed in the center, signifying “One Bowl.” The reverse rim is dotted. By 1937 the wage for “One Bowl” had risen to at least 5¢.
The second group of men who received chips were the pourers who received the molten iron in their individual ladles from the “bowl pushers” and poured it into the sand molds to make a casting. For every ladle that a pourer poured into the mold, he would be given a chip. These chips have monetary values placed on the reverse.
The first chip in this category (Cunningham 25A3A) is crenated with 8-petals. “Crenated” is a numismatic term meaning the planchet is made/cut into rounded scallops. This token measures 25 x 27 mm. The obverse text states “ALBION MALLEABLE IRON CO,” with a “dash-dot-dash” design separating the lines of text. The rim is beaded. The reverse contains a large “2¢” in the center, with the rim being dotted.
As the years passed, wages were increased and pourers were given 5¢ per mold for their work. A second chip design reflects that wage increase (Cunningham 25A3B, erroneously listed as 3¢ denomination due to excessive wear on token). It is round and measures 27 mm. in diameter. The obverse design is identical to the first type. The reverse contains a large “5¢” in the center, with a beaded rim.
Mintage figures or other numismatic details about these chips are unknown. With daily usage however it would be logical to assume that a mintage of one thousand pieces for each design would have been necessary at the time. Regarding rarity, five examples of the type with the large numeral “1” on the reverse are known to have survived in collections today. This particular chip was apparently the last one minted when wages and the value of a bowl increased, and was used just before the automation process began in 1937. The surviving examples of this last type are all known in extremely fine condition signifying little usage, unlike their earlier counterparts which are well worn, signifying years of use. All other chip designs mentioned in this article are considered unique. The rarity can be attributed to the fact that these chips represented wages during the Great Depression when money was scarce, and few workers could afford to have saved these as souvenirs. The Company likewise would have tightly regulated their security due to their monetary value, and would have melted all remaining tokens when the chip system was abandoned after 1937.
Today in downtown Albion there is located the Molder Statue Park, which depicts a molder pouring a molten bowl of iron into a mold. This scene occurred daily at the Albion Malleable Iron Company for many years, and this statue memorializes the many molders of the Albion area. The small aluminum chips used by the workers are a reminder to today’s token collectors and historians of the daily way of life for “bowl pushers” and “pourers” in the 1930s during the Great Depression.
Bibliography
“Albion Malleable Chips.” Morning Star, June 9, 1996, pg. 5.
Albion Malleable Iron Company, “Circle-A-Tor” company magazine, various issues from the 1940s and 1950s.
Paul Cunningham, Michigan Trade Tokens, 1987.
AN ASSORTMENT OF UNLISTED
MICHIGAN ADVERTISING
“GOOD-FOR” TRADE TOKEN MIRRORS
By Frank Passic, LM-157
The Mich-Matist, Spring, 2003, pp. 17-27
A specialty in token collecting is the celluloid advertising mirror tokens issued in the early 1900s mainly by saloons and hotels across the country, including in Michigan. Advertising mirrors were an outgrowth of the celluloid pinback buttons that were patented in the late 1890s. These round mirrors measure 56 mm. in diameter, and were made by the Cruver Manufacturing Company of Chicago. They date approximately from 1900 to 1910. They are called mirrors because the reverse side is just that, a small circular mirror.
The obverse contains a value, usually “Good for 10¢ In Trade” on the top or left, and the name of the local merchant on the bottom or on the right. The obverse is encased in clear protective celluloid, giving it a shiny appearance. In the center is placed a colorized sepia-tone stock photograph, usually of a partially-nude woman in elaborate garb in various poses. Two designs, however, feature a little girl. The most popular of this type is the little girl holding a small bouquet of red roses. There are at least 13-known stock photographs used on the Cruver mirrors. These are illustrated on pages 725 and 726 of the standard reference source, Michigan Trade Tokens by Paul Cunningham (1987).
Although these advertising mirrors contain a specific value, it is unlikely that they were commonly used for trade and redemption at a local saloon. Aluminum “good-for” tokens sufficed for that and those were issued in sufficient numbers. Rather, these mirrors were mainly used for advertising and promotional purposes by the proprietor, and given to vendors or to special acquaintances of the owner. Because of their size and expense, “mintages” were naturally much lower than the aluminum tokens a saloon or hotel owner would issue. Today, advertising mirrors are rare on the collecting market, and multiple duplicates seldom exist. In addition to the limited mintages, the risqué images on these mirrors no doubt helped insure their disposal by wives upon their discovery, or by other family members as Michigan entered the Prohibition Era following World War I. Thus any mirror discovered today is usually “a new unique unlisted find.” There will probably never be a complete listing of Michigan “good-for” mirror tokens, but collectors are encouraged to submit their Michigan discoveries this writer, or to the Michigan Token and Medal Society “Junk Box” editor Paul Manderscheid, P.O. Box 256, Okemos, MI 48805.
The collection of an anonymous long-time Michigan exonumia and memorabilia collector has recently been cataloged, and contains over 40 different Michigan mirrors. Included in this collection are 11 mirrors unlisted in Cunningham, which we are featuring here. These come from 12 different Michigan cities. The discrepancy comes from one of the highlights of the collection: a mirror with a two cities listed on the same mirror: Alto and Freeport. Another highlight is a mirror specially issued by the Elks club in Kalamazoo. Its unique intricate design is especially fascinating and a departure from the usual theme found on mirrors of the period.
In the following listing, the top legend is described first, following by the bottom legend. Those with the legends on the sides are specially noted. Picture types are according to the listing by Paul Cunningham in Michigan Trade Tokens, pp. 725 and 726. As if these were not rare enough: a collecting variety has surfaced! Most of the mirror designs have a line-drawing embellishment decoration on the right and left of the picture, with a partial circle and straight line drawn around it. One mirror, however, from Allegan is missing this embellishment, and only the brown background appears instead. Collectors should check their own mirrors to see if they have this type of variety.
ALBION. “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” “McGUIRE BROS., ALBION, MICH.” Picture Type 4. Another mirror with Picture Type 13 (unlisted) was already discovered several years ago and illustrated in the Winter 1995 issue of the Mich-Matist, pg. 21. This particular saloon is known to have issued one of the few “horse-head” good-for tokens in Michigan, and an unusual 2½¢ denomination token. One of the partners in the firm was James “Deacon” McGuire, a celebrated major-league ball player and catcher whose career included a stint with the Detroit Tigers.
ALLEGAN. “THE STAR BUFFET, ALLEGAN, MICH.” (inside bottom) “DICK DE WRIGHT, PROP.” (outside bottom) “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE.” Picture Type 4. This mirror does not have the vertical decorative horizontal embellishment line drawing on the right and left, nor a circle drawn around the image. Instead, it has a blank brown area on each side.
ALMA. (left) “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” (right inside) “ELLICOTT AND HUBBARD, ALMA, MICH.” (right outside) “ELLICOTT AND HUBBARD.” Picture Type 10.
ALTO. See Freeport.
FREEPORT. This is an unusual dual-city mirror for both Alto and Freeport, Michigan. “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” “FREEPORT-GEO. B. PERKINS-ALTO, MICH.” Picture Type 4. Perkins is listed as issuing an Indian cent design token from Freeport in Michigan Trade Tokens, pg. 296.
GRAND LEDGE. “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” “V.E. BARIBEAU, GRAND LEDGE, MICH.” Picture Type 1.
GREENVILLE. “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” “PETER L. JOHNSON, GREENVILLE, MICH.” Picture Type 6. This firm has two previously-known advertising mirror Picture Types: 1 and 8 listed on page 338 of Michigan Trade Tokens, although they were not illustrated.
HUDSON. “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” “THE SMOKE HOUSE, HUDSON, MICH.” Picture Type 1.
KALAMAZOO. This mirror is unique with its own elaborate special design. It was issued for the local Elks club in Kalamazoo. The central inner circle design pictures the elk emblem facing forward. Riding on top however behind the horns is the face of a woman (hmmm.....) similar to those found on some of the Cruver mirrors. This definitely was a customized “special order.” The inner circle top arch reads, “KALAMAZOO, MICH.” The bottom arch reads “B.P.O.E. No. 50.” which means, “Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks No. 50.”
The perimeter design is quite interesting. It features various gem stones corresponding to months of the year, which are divided around the perimeter of the design. The stones are pictured in color on top of the name of the month. The month January begins at the top above the letters “AZOO,” and the months are read moving to the right. All letters are in capitals. “January, Garnet, Constancy. February. Amethyst, Sincerity. March, Bloodstone, True-Firm. April, Diamond, Innocence. May, Emerald, Happiness. June, Agate, Health. July, Ruby, Love. August, Moonstone, Felicity. September, Sapphire, Wisdom. October, Opal, Hope. November, Topaz, Fidelity. December, Turquoise, Success.”
MASON. “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” “CARTER & OSBORNE-THE HUB-MASON, MICH.” Picture Type 6.
MIDLAND. (left) “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” (right inner legend) “MIDLAND, MICH.” (right outer legend) “WITHEY’S,” Picture Type 4.
MOUNT PLEASANT. (left) “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE” (right inner legend) MT.
PLEASANT, MICH.” (right outer legend) “VANSICE & LATHROP.”
REFERENCES
Paul A. Cunningham. Michigan Trade Tokens. 1987.
Frank Passic. “Unlisted Horse-Shaped Michigan Token Discovered.” The Mich-Matist,
Winter 1995, pp. 21-27.
“Good For Trade Mirrors Least Understood of Tokens,” Coin World, September 25,
1995, pg. 36.
THE ALBION-CHARLOTTE RAILROAD,
AND A TOKEN OF INNOCENCE
By Frank Passic
The Mich-Matist, Spring 2001 (Vol. 37 No. 2, Serial No. 136) pp. 13-21
Token collectors are quite familiar with the usual "GOOD FOR 5¢ or 10¢ IN TRADE tokens issued by thousands of merchants in the early 20th century. Occasionally there will surface a token with an unusual shape, or with an unusual story behind it. This is the story of the latter, of a token wrapped in investment, crime, litigation, and public relations.
Our story begins around the turn of the century when in the late 1890s prominent investors and interested parties in southern Michigan made plans for the construction of a "northwest railroad," running from Albion, located in Calhoun County, then northwards past Duck Lake, to Charlotte in Eaton County. The right-of-way was acquired and the bed was prepared, ready for the rails to be laid. Announcements were made in 1898 and subsequent years that funding had been obtained, and that the railroad would "soon be built" as a regular steam locomotive line. But the rails were never laid. With the bed already having been prepared, the dream of an Albion-Charlotte railroad did not die however.
In February 1907, a man named George Mindeman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin came to Albion and Charlotte with the purpose of raising funds to build the railroad. He first boarded at the Albert and Anna Lacey residence at 115 E. Ash St. in Albion with his associate, Charles White. Together, the two men posed as capitalists.
The duo eventually established their headquarters at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gilson E. Murdock in downtown Albion in the Murdock’s elegant upstairs apartment located at 106½ E. Erie St. The Murdocks had invested several thousand dollars into the railroad project, which Mindeman welcomed. Long-time Albion residents, Gilson Murdock (1835-1910) ran a farm implement dealership, while his wife Sarah (1837-1919) was the daughter of wealthy Albion pioneer real estate agent and financier Samuel Huxford. The Murdock’s also owned a 130-acre dairy farm east of town on Newburg Road, the present-day site of the Albion College Nature Center. The Murdock Drain at the Nature Center is named for the family. How would you like to have a drain named after you?
Mindeman succeeded in obtaining a railroad franchise from the city of Charlotte, in March, 1907. Charlotte Mayor Merrell stated at that time, "We gave a franchise to George Mindeman at our last council meeting. Personally I haven’t much faith in the ability of Mr. Mindeman to carry out to completion the proposed road, but the demand that our council grant a franchise was so great that we granted it," it was reported in the Albion Leader. Albion’s city council, on the other hand, refused to grant a franchise until all legal obstacles (i.e. right-of-way) were settled. While original 1890s plans had called for a steam-locomotive line, Mindeman’s project involved an electric Interurban between Albion and Charlotte. July, 1907 was the planned opening month.
In June 1907 however, Mindeman was arrested on the charge of stealing diamonds, valued at $2,050 from Mrs. Murdock. The June 5, 1907 Albion Recorder reported, "Another chapter in the Charlotte-Albion railroad story was commenced Tuesday when Deputy Sheriff Mallory arrested George Mindeman in Chicago on a charge of stealing diamonds and jewelry of Mrs. Gilson Murdock of this city. Sheriff Graham and the Deputy Sheriff Mallory have been working on the case for some time. Prosecuting Attorney Stewart prepared extradition papers which will be hurried to Chicago after the Governor signs them and it is expected that Mr. Mindeman will be brought to Albion for examination.
The crime of which he is charged is that of stealing diamonds and jewelry of Mrs. Sarah Murdock, valued at $2,050, consisting of several diamond rings and earrings.
Mrs. Murdock missed her jewelry in March soon after she had shown them to Messrs. Mindeman and White who were using the Murdock home as headquarters while promoting the Charlotte-Albion railroad. Mr. Mindeman was permitted to be in the room in which the safe containing the diamonds was kept, for several hours alone, and this fact coupled with several other facts, caused Mrs. Murdock to swear out a warrant for his arrest.
While in this city posing as capitalists, Mr. Mindeman boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Lacey and he still owes a bill there of $39 for board. There is also a rumor that he will be asked to explain the absence of a gold watch which was taken from the Lacey home."
At the time of the arrest, Mindeman’s case had attracted considerable attention across the state. He apparently knew of the pending charges, and fled to Chicago in March, 1907, where he was arrested and extradited to Michigan after a long extradition battle. Because of this, his trial did not commence until February 20, 1908. News of the trial produced more details about Mindeman’s history and character.
The February 21, 1908 Albion Recorder reported: "Mr. Mindeman’s chief asset was talk, and when he was finally charged with stealing $2,000 worth of sparklers from Mrs. G. E. Murdock, he left for parts unknown. Detectives were put on his trail and he was brought back from Chicago much against his will. Bail was furnished by a "good fairy" in Milwaukee and Mindeman was given his freedom to await his trial in the circuit court. The detectives learned of a number of indictments against Mindeman in Milwaukee and Chicago but these were not brought out in the trial Thursday."
Although the evidence against Mindeman was circumstantial, George Mindeman was found guilty. Mindeman appealed the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court. There, the court decided that a technical error had been committed by the lower court and reversed the decision, ordering a new trial.
In September 1909, a new trial was held and this time, Mindeman was found not guilty of stealing Mrs. Murdock’s diamonds. The jury was out only about an hour before making its decision. The September 23, 1909 Albion Leader editorialized, "It is believed by some people that the prison has been cheated of its desserts through a failure to establish the man’s guilt, rather than because he was innocent of the crime charged."
The Albion Leader also reported, "Adrian F. Cooper, one of the attorneys for Mindeman in the case recently tried in the circuit court says that Mindeman never offered to plead guilty to the charge of stealing Mrs. Murdock’s diamonds, if he could be assured of leniency. He says the authorities tried to get him to so plead, but he refused to do so."
Authorities also charged Mindeman of stealing the missing Lacey watch. Concerning this, the Albion Recorder reported, "Mr. Mindeman says this case is a trumped up case and that it will be more sensational than the diamond case as he expects to locate in Calhoun County until he accomplishes certain things."
Mindeman threatened to sue the county and others for all the trouble they had caused him, since he was declared innocent by the court. But he stayed around in Albion long enough to issue a "public relations" token in 1909 asserting his court-declared innocence in the matter.
The token is aluminum, 29 mm. in diameter, with a small hole drilled at the top. The border on both sides is dotted. The obverse text reads, "GEO MINDEMAN ALBION, MICH. WHAT IS HIS RECORD GOOD OR BAD?" Three stars (not diamonds) appear at the bottom. The reverse emphatically states, "I SAY IT IS GOOD!"
The token is listed on page 12 of Cunningham (see bibliography) as 25M5A 29-R-A. This writer knows of two examples in existence today. I had the opportunity to photograph this token in the Coin Photography class at the ANA Summer School of Numismatics in Colorado Springs a few years ago, and that photograph is illustrated here, along with a photo of Mrs. Sarah Murdock, whose diamonds were stolen.
Mr. Mindeman left Albion following the disposition of his legal troubles, and was never heard from again. The Albion to Charlotte railroad likewise was never built. But this small aluminum token serves as an historical reminder of the saga of the missing diamonds, which were never recovered.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Paul A. Cunningham. Michigan Trade Tokens, 1987.
Riverside Cemetery Records, City of Albion, Michigan.
Albion Leader newspaper. Various issues.
Albion Recorder newspaper. Various issues.