Description: This site is an information site only. There is nothing for sale. The photo is just that - a photo, not inventory. I prepared this site for assistance and information for people interested in Navajo trade tokens. eBay rules require a photo, price, and postage. I do not expect anyone to take this as a sale site and have adjusted the pricing and postage figures accordingly. Sorry for any confusion. Navajo trade tokens date from the late 1800s - mid-1940s which means that they can be ~80 to ~100+ years old. Some show more wear than others and some are cleaner than others. To clean a trade token, use an eraser of any kind. Some appear to be nearly new. It all depends upon how they were handled and for how long. Navajo trade tokens came about from the government issuing them to Navajo refugees in exile at Bosque Redondo in the mid-1960s. In the early trading years, the Navajos spoke no English and had no jobs = no money. Trading posts revolved around credit. When a trader made a deal for livestock, crafts, etc., a transaction often had a balance which the trader listed in a ledger and issued a credit slip. However, most of the Navajo people could not read or write and were not comfortable with a slip of paper. The people suggested to traders that perhaps the use of tokens would be more acceptable. Tokens were historically popular throughout the US with saloons, clubs, etc. so traders could source token manufacturers. They were immediately accepted in Navajo country because they were tangible and physical representations of money. Many Navajos wanted to keep their tokens after they were redeemed so they traded devised means of cancellation, usually by punching the token. They went out of circulation in the early 40s after the US Government banned their use by claiming that traders were making economic prisoners of their clientele. So, what had been right for the goose was no longer right for the gander as the government ravaged the Navajo culture and economy with arbitrary regulations. The Navajos could object because they were not a voting constituency until the 40s when they elected their first leader. The traders objected but had no individual clout, so the bureaucracy ran rough shod with their regulations. Similarly, the government banned trading, credit, and pawn. Every attempt to penalize traders ultimately had equal or greater impact on the Navajos. I say all of those as a third-generation trader in my family spanning 100+ years of trading. In 1913 my grandfather built Salina Springs Trading. He was among the early traders. By 1950 there were 250 trading posts. My dad and I were the only two people that traded with every trading post because of Navajo rugs and pinon nuts.
Price: 5000 USD
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
End Time: 2024-09-10T00:42:34.000Z
Shipping Cost: 500 USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
