JL Hudson's Credit Token, 1919

JL Hudson's Credit Token, 1919

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Description
Consumer credit expanded in the 1920s, promoting a credit revolution. Stores like J.L. Hudson of Detroit, Michigan issued credit to favored customers, expecting full payment at the end of the month. Before the advent of magnetic stripe plastic credit cards, these metal coins identified the customer that had credit at the store (the reverse has a customer ID number).
Joseph Lowthian Hudson founded the chain of Hudson’s department stores in Detroit, Michigan in 1881. As Detroit grew, Hudson’s moved to its flagship location on 1206 Woodward Avenue in 1911. This location was 25 stories tall and grew to the size of the city block. The department store expanded to other locations and in 1969 was acquired by the Minneapolis based Dayton department store forming the Dayton-Hudson Corporation. In 2000 Dayton-Hudson changed its name to that of its discount retail division – Target. Later the department store division was renamed Marshall Field’s which was then sold to Macy’s in 2006.
Object Name
coin
date made
1919
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 15/16 in x 1 1/2 in x 1/16 in; 2.38125 cm x 3.81 cm x.15875 cm
ID Number
2014.0062.05
accession number
2014.0062
catalog number
2014.0062.05
Credit Line
Gift of Target Corporation
See more items in
Work and Industry: Retail and Marketing
Industry & Manufacturing
American Enterprise
Coins, Currency and Medals
Exhibition
American Enterprise
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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Comments

When customers turned in their credit coins to to Credit Department they would be collected in a bag and 2 employees would get in a boat and drop them in the middle of the Detroit River. That number never to be used again.

Donna Wilhelm

Mon, 2021-11-22 08:46

I have token number 135. It was in my mothers jewelry box.

Judy VanDusen

Fri, 2021-01-22 09:02

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