Joann H. asks: I have a coin that I don’t know anything about. It is about the size of a silver dollar. On the front it has a man standing by a horse, it says: GREEN RIVER WHISKIES. THE WHISKEY WITHOUT REGRETS. On the back it says: ITS LUCKY TO DRINK WHISKIES. It has a horse shoe in the middle of it with a 4 leaf clover. It also says: oldetyme distillers inc. N.Y.C. The coin has a goldish color to it. Please help me.
“Green River Whiskey” is the most famous of the 19th Century merchant advertising tokens. Most are a gold colored brass that have a small “nipple” in the center. This type of token is called a spinner in that if you place it on a table, nipple side down, you can spin it like a top. I assume that Green River Whiskey was mild enough so that you could drink it and watch the spinning token too without having to run to the outhouse to deposit your cookies (the regret part).
They can come in nice condition but many suffer from black carbon spots. Value from $5 to $20. depending on condition.
