Owner Comments:
TOKEN APPEARANCE/CONDITION:
Choice Uncirculated — Octagonal Shaped
*This brownish, golden specimen has smooth, even fields. The eye-appeal is pleasing, as the sharp devices stand out against the uniform surfaces. Appears to be conservatively graded by NGC at MS-63, as the piece has very minimal contact marks/abrasions.*
TOKEN BACKGROUND:
Token used by “V.F.W.” in La Junta, Colorado for 5C in trade circa early 20th century. — The only issue listed under the V.F.W. Pritchard notes this as being a fraternal organization.
CATALOG NUMBER(S):
Pritchard LA445
CMT L1545
RARITY: Pritchard estimates more than 75 are known
NGC Census not available.
TOKEN DESCRIPTION:
(Brass, 23mm, Octagonal, Plain Edge)
OBVERSE: V.F.W. / 1092 / La Junta, Colo.
REVERSE: Good for / 5¢ / in Trade
HISTORICAL TOWN/CITY BACKGROUND:
(La Junta, Colorado):
“La Junta (Spanish for ‘the junction’)was named for the fact it rested at the intersection of the Santa Fe Trail and a pioneer road to Pueblo. The town developed near Bent's Fort, a fur trading post of the 19th century.
——-
During World War II, La Junta had an Army Air Force Training Base outside town. An Air Force detachment of the Strategic Air Command remained there until modern flight simulators developed in the 1980s rendered live flight unnecessary for pilot training maneuvers. At least one military aircraft crashed close by during such training maneuvers.” — Credited Source: Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 179.