Bottoms Up!
I bought a token that was listed as originating from G.A. Stokes in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The seller, an experienced, fellow New Jersey collector whom I know, most likely used the Pacific Avenue street address inscribed on the token for the basis of his attribution. I generally research an item before I buy it. Still, between the low price and my comfort with the seller, I was intrigued enough to roll the dice, figuring I would research it further when I had more time. Upon receipt and closer examination, I discovered that the merchant’s name was actually C.A. Stokes. After some preliminary digging, Atlantic City was looking like a bad bet. The question then became, was it even from New Jersey? After additional research, an exciting backstory took shape, and my purchase went from bust to bubbly.
Liquor Token
The token reads C.A. STOKES / LIQUOR CO. / 1130 PACIFIC AVE. on the obverse and GOOD FOR / 10¢ / IN TRADE on the reverse. I learned that C.A. Stokes was a liquor wholesaler and saloon keeper in Tacoma, Washington, during the heyday of its expanding downtown business district. His business was located at 1316 Pacific Avenue. As noted in the July 31, 1889, edition of The Tacoma Daily News, he “removed his wholesale liquor house…to a more spacious location at 1318 Pacific Avenue.” A 1979 National Park Service rehabilitation report on Tacoma’s Union Depot District notes that Stokes must have later moved again and was “the first tenant of the 1891 Branson building at 1336 Pacific Avenue, an elegant renaissance style, three-story building,” where he conducted a wholesale wine and liquor business. In June 2017, Holabird Americana sold a one-pint C.A. Stokes bottle with the street address—the auction listing stated, “3 or less known.” By 1897 he had opened a saloon at nearby 1306 Pacific while maintaining the sales operation at 1336 Pacific; however, in 1897, he moved both ventures. The wholesale business was relocated to 954 Pacific, while the saloon moved to 207 S. 11th Street, where it stayed through 1900. By 1899 the wholesale business was located at 1130 Pacific Avenue, the address noted on our subject token. After 1901, the trail on C.A. Stokes runs dry other than an ad in the June 29, 1901, issue of The New Age of Portland, Oregon, where he was distributing “Pabst Milwaukee Beer” from the 1130 Pacific address.
C.A. Stokes
So, who exactly was C.A. Stokes? The old-time custom of using initials instead of full first names makes present-day research challenging, and while a large landowner named Claborn Albert Stokes pops up in Tacoma’s history, articles about him do not directly mention him being in the liquor business. As such, I have ruled him out (for now). While a merchant token from Tacoma is not something I usually collect, it shows that even an occasional mistake can still make for an interesting acquisition.
I want to thank Elizabeth Korsmo (curator at the Tacoma Historical Society/Tacoma History Museum), Uwe Nikoley of Holabird Western Americana Collections, and author extraordinaire David Schenkman for their kind assistance with my research.