FREE: Kademenos Bros. Depression-Era Meal Token

The listing, Kademenos Bros. Depression-Era Meal Token has ended.

This is a "Hard Times" token, issued by the Kademenos Bros. chain of restaurants in Ohio. This has a value of "50" (no telling how much was needed for a complete meal); there are similar "Kademenos Bros." tokens listed on eBay and other sites showing different values (1, 10, 50) and different cities in Ohio (Yorkville, Portsmouth).

It's *possible* that the Kademenos Bros. colluded with employers in the cities listed on the coins, such that the employer would pay only in tokens, and the tokens were good only in a Kademenos Bros. restaurant (does this set-up sound familiar?). By doing so, employers could pay less than those paying workers in cash, and a portion of the money saved would be kicked back to the Kademenos Bros. It was an arrangement often seen in company towns established by coal companies in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern US. A worker would be paid in company scrip, good only for over-priced goods in the company store. Eventually, a worker would find himself deeply in debt to the company.

I'm not saying that this *is* what occurred, only that such arrangements were not rare during or after the Depression.

The coin measures 1.11" in diameter and 0.05" (about 1mm) thick. Appears to be made of brass. Wear is minimal; lettering is sharp.

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