THE CARDBOARD TOKENS OF G. H. KENT

For many long-gone Virginia general stores, all that remains of their history are their tokens and perhaps a few pieces of ephemera here and there. The history of the G. H. Kent store in Fluvanna County, Virginia is thankfully an exception. The tokens used by G. H. Kent reveal two different phases of his businesses, the first as proprietor of a general mercantile and then as a druggist.

The first store building was a large two story false front structure with a large main room with the post office located on the eastern side. Also on the first floor were separate rooms for crockery and shoes, plus bedrooms for the clerks and a counting room. The drug department was located at the back. Men’s clothing was displayed on the second floor. An outbuilding housed dry goods such as hardware and flour and even caskets. Kent used tokens, which were referred to as “due bills”, as way to extend credit to his customers, many of whom would sell their produce to Kent.

In 1906, Kent purchased the remaining stock of drugs and continued as a druggist in the old two story furniture building nearby. The records for the store still exist and currently reside at the Virginia Tech Library’s Special Collections. According to the business journals, even though Kent & Parrish ceased to operate under that name, account settlements did not complete until 1899. In addition, even though the trusteeship ended in 1906, the accounts were not fully settled until 1910. Kent died on November 16, 1936 and the drug store he ran for decades continued to operate at least until 1947.

A third store building, this time made of cinderblock, was built sometime in the 1940s or 1950s across the street from Kent’s drug store, and continued as a local general store with a small hot dog stand in the back until very recently. That building, adjacent to the Fluvanna County Volunteer Fire Department, is now used as a woodworking shop, and remains a center of community activity.

The tokens used by G. H. Kent were all round cardboard tokens 36 mm in diameter, using blanks ordered from Cussons, May & Sheppard in Glen Allen, Virginia. These blanks were then either filled in by hand or stamped with rubber stamps.

There are four basic types of Kent tokens: G. H. Kent & Co. handwritten, stamped G. H. KENT (in all caps), stamped G. H. Kent in mixed case italic, and the round KENT’S STORE, VA / M. O. B. postal marking. Denominations used include 1¢, 2¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and 50¢. Even though Cussons, May & Sheppard produced round tokens in $1 and higher denominations, Kent used rectangular card stock chits for $1.

The card stock chits are known in two varieties, a green colored chit with “G. H. Kent & Co.” handwritten and a cream colored chit bearing the italic G. H. Kent stamp. The earliest tokens are usually in fair to poor condition when found, while most of the later G. H. Kent & Kents Store stamped pieces are more frequently available and usually in high grade.

The hand stamps used to produce the tokens are still extant and tell an interesting story of the transition from the period from G. H. Kent & Co. through its trusteeship and into the 1930s.

For more information on the Token and Medal Society, see: www.tokenandmedal.org

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web