Critical to the success in the early 20th century southern textile industry were the mill villages. Like coal camps and mining towns that supported their respective industries, mill villages supported textile and cotton mills, and consisted of company-provided worker homes, schools, a church, and of course, the company stores. And like the coal camps, housing their workers in mill villages was a way that companies could exert undue control, as well as indirectly manage employees lives during non-working hours.
As with coal towns, housing was supplied for nominal rent. In exchange for the nominal rent, however, for each room that a house had a worker was required. That is, for a five-room house, five occupants were required to work in the mill; for a three-room house, three were required. Naturally, since most homes were occupied by a family, and exceeded two rooms, children often ended up being used to meet the company’s worker-occupancy requirement.
In South Carolina at the turn of the 20th century, children were permitted to work at any age in the summer months. The only stipulation was that each child attended school for at least four months a year, and could read and write.
The Toxaway Mill was no different. Incorporated in 1902, it had grown in four years to having 16,128 spindles, 484 looms, 2,400 bales of cotton, and was creating a product with a value of $265,000 per year.
It employed 150 operators with a payroll of $42,000 — or about $5.38 per week per worker. The village which supported the mill had a population of five-hunderd. 110 were under the age of twelve.
Numismatic Specimens
Tony Chibbaro lists 13 different varieties of tokens from the Toxaway Mill Store. Based on engraving, styling, and planchet composition, it appears that the tokens were issued during three different eras. The varieties are listed in the following chart. The Chibboro Scale is used to denote rarity.
Below are several examples of Toxaway Mill scrip. Their grade ranges from Very Good to AU. Workers and their families were issued this scrip as payment for their work at the mill. They were redeemable at the Toxaway Mills Company Store.
All specimens were photographed using axial lighting with clear glass angled at 45 degrees.
Aaron Packard ![[End Mark]](https://www.novanumismatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/EndMark2.png){kind=small}
Notes and Sources
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The Library of Congress Digital Archives
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The Independent, Volume 82, April 1915
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South Carolina Tokens, Tony Chibbaro, TAMS, ©1990
- New York’s Crystal Palace & The H.B. West Tokens - November 6, 2019
- Edward Aschermann’s Cigar & Tobacco Tokens - November 2, 2019
- George T. Hussey & His Special Message Tokens - October 30, 2019
I noticed that you have all the tokens listed except the 25 cent token. I was wondering what they may be worth? I have tried to find some but most mill tokens are rare. Also do you have any for trade or sale? Thank you..
Hi John –
Thanks for your post and question.
There are at least 8 listed varieties of the Toxaway Mill tokens. I know there is at least one 25-cent emission.
As to retail pricing, expect to pay between $10 – $40 depending on the variety and grade.
Unfortunately at present I do not have any available for trade or sale.
Hi Aaron,
I’m a native of Greenville, SC and have moved “home” after retiring.
I remember the cotton mills well and have a renewed interest as I do volunteer work for a charter school which is changing lives in an underprivilged area of town once dominated by the mills.
I have started collecting items for the school’s museum when it is built. Mill tokens fascinate me and I am buying local ones as I find them.
Can you please tell me the purpose of some tokens having had the initials of the mill apparently die stamped out of the metal. One person told me that indicated they had been redeemed but I wonder if that is correct.
Can you please tell me the reason. For example an Anderson Mill token has AM holes in it.
Many thanks,
John Traynham
PS Any suggestions for places to find these tokens as there were dozens of mills here in Greenville…”the textile center of the south”.
Hi John –
Thanks for the note and question. I was just passing through Anderson and Greenville yesterday, and it’s nice to hear about your efforts at the Charter School as well as the school’s museum.
What you’re asking about are known as “cut-outs.”
Cut-outs were often struck through tokens so that storekeepers could readily distinguish their tokens from other stores that issued similar looking tokens. This was to ensure that tokens from one mill operation couldn’t be redeemed at another. This practice wasn’t limited to the textile industry; It was also prevalent in coal mining, agricultural, and lumber companies as well. (In Anderson, there were many cotton mill operations, owned by different companies.)
Secondarily, cut-outs were also made so that workers could easily distinguish tokens that were issued by their employers from those that weren’t. During that era, oftentimes child workers as well as immigrant workers were [yet] unable to read and write. Cut-outs enabled them to easily recognize their own tokens, and distinguish from those which weren’t issued from their own employer.
I address this topic a little bit in “The Panther Coal Company Tokens.”
Stuart E. Brown also addresses this topic in his book “Scrip,” pg.118. (Scrip, Stuart E. Brown JR, Virginia Book Co, ©1978)
As to your enquiry regarding where you can find coal scrip tokens, I recommend you reach out to Tony Chibbaro. He is the author of ‘South Carolina Tokens’ and is considered the foremost expert in South Carolina mill tokens. He specializes in selling South Carolina tokens, including those you’re interested in. Below are two links to his site and token offerings:
Anderson and other mill tokens
Greenville and other mill tokens
I also recommend you try these two searches on ebay:
Greenville Mill scrip
cotton mill scrip
Hope this helps.
Good luck with your efforts!
Aaron
You are possibly in luck. I am from Anderson SC. My grandparents worked in the Anderson cotton mills (Appleton Mill). I have a bag full of these tokens. They range from 1 cent to $1. I am on Facebook so you are welcome to message
Hello Aaron,
Can you tell me of any mills that may have existed in the South West section of town near the Belton Woods Apartments? Was there anything located there historically?
Hi Zachary –
Unfortunately I am not aware of any mills that may have existed in the SW section of town.
Kind regards,
Aaron Packard
I am from Anderson County. I know where many of the old mills were because a lot of them were still standing when I was a kid.
The Toxaway Cotton Mill and the Riverside Yarn Mill were near Belton Woods (fka Anderson Gardens) apartments. However, they were located on the southeast side of Anderson. These ruins were torn down in the 1990s.
Wellington Mill was located on the southwest side of town in the Homeland Park area. It burned down in 2010. http://archive.independentmail.com/news/local/remainder-of-old-mill-in-anderson-catches-fire-ep-414115648-349696741.html
Hi Jessica –
Thank you very much for the additional information and insight.
Kind regards,
A. Packard
what about the round concrete looking tokens with clay bumps on the side? the bumps could be broken off to show how much your cotton was worth . does anyone have any information on these? my dad has one.