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THE THIRD DEGREE KNICKER PIE EATER’S CLUBE-Sylum contributor Gawain O'Connor had an interesting exhibit at the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in Denver last month. It won First
Place in the Token category. At my request he forwarded images and wrote up this account for us. Thanks! Neat little items. -Editor
 A token with the enigmatic inscription THIRD DEGREE KNICKER PIE EATER’S CLUB on two lines (with a male head facing left) was a puzzle to members of the Token and Medal Society (TAMS) when it was described in “Maverick” lists in the 1960’s and 70’s. Mavericks are tokens without an issuer or place inscribed on them. Two generations earlier this pocket piece would have been familiar to boys who bought their clothes at Tim’s Official Store, as proud members of his Pie Eater’s Club. See, Tim is the fellow whose portrait is on the token – a simple figure, always with a half-smile and no last name. Tim first appeared in the middle of the 1920’s as a free lance marketing icon. A creation of Baltimore native Herman “Kay” Kamen, Tim was a brand for hire used in boys clothing stores across the country. In 1933, Kamen went on to become Walt Disney’s merchandising genius. Boys were offered all kinds of promotions to get them and their parents to come back to the store and buy more clothes. Members of Tim’s Club would regularly receive comic books, prizes and offers to events, depending on how much they bought in the store. Redbacks (a play on the “Greenbacks” term for US currency) were given as a bonus with each purchase. They could be redeemed at a future visit, usually for one cent each. This effective advertising in the form of “money” reminded customers to return to the store. Since they were saved as having some value, Redbacks are available ephemera. All are fairly scarce, but the 5 denominations are the hardest to find.  Joe Boling reviewing the exhibit Bibliography and further reading: Lawrence [Kansas] Journal-World Sep 10, 1926 Coin World, March 6, 2015. Superman fan club scrip note from the 1940s sells for $28 in Internet auction Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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