Hickey Brothers Cigar Store collection
Scope and Contents
This is a collection of about 450 trade tokens from Hickey Brothers Cigar Stores. They are organized by Location, store number, business name, composition, taken number and value. Additionally there is a small Hickey Brothers china tea cup and saucer and two publications.
A listing of tokens is available.
Published items:
Hickey Brothers Cigar Store Tokens by Glyn V. Farber [1992]
Pollack’s Catalogue of Hickey Brothers Trade Checks by Foster B. Pollack [1967]
Dates
- Creation: 1901-1992
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Biographical / Historical
Hickey Brothers Cigar Stores were opened in Davenport, Iowa in 1901 with entrepreneurs and brothers William and Dennis Hickey as proprietors. They built their business for the next 50 plus years and had stores throughout the United States and Cuba.
The tokens issued by Hickey Brothers were used to extend credit, serve as a medium of exchange, to make change in an odd amount, but mostly for gambling on merchandise and meals.
Approximately 156 cigar stores were opened by Hickey Brothers from 1901 to 1957. About half of them used tokens. Most tokens were made of aluminum, but other metals used include Zinc, brass and fiber. They were made in various shapes and except for the early tokens most had center holes also in assorted shapes.
The tokens are described in a format developed by Roland C. Atwood and the American Vecturist Association.
Extent
1 Box(es) : contains tokens and cup/saucer ; 5.5 x 12 x 5"
2 Volumes (in 1 folder: shares box with other collections)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
Range 33 Section 3
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center Repository
321 Main Street
Davenport IA 52801-1490 United States
specialcollections@davenportlibrary.com