Strong sexual economies were prevalent in most western towns due to their unusually high male population ratios and are always present in mediums that portray western American life including towns such as Tombstone, Arizona. Brothel tokens in their material culture role may provide insight into, not only a controversial area of female occupational history, but also how these women portrayed themselves as a specialized commodity and advertised their services.
Also labeled brass checks and love tokens, brothel tokens came in many shapes and sizes. Most brothel tokens have been shown by numismatics to be hoaxes sold to green horns interested in Western culture. A select few however, are the real artifact and a fascinating relic from the days of shootouts, bandits, cowboys and hurdy-gurdy girls of the Wild West. Introduction Found among numismatic collections are licentious tokens either depicting or referencing erotic acts.
Some have pictures while others have cheeky slogans and establishment or madam names inscribed. Many fakes and replicas abound to the point that controversy has developed as to whether they existed at all in the American West. Finding authentic tokens is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. Historically, brothel tokens did exist, most date to the late 19th-early 20th century and very little information is available regarding the role they played in society.
In an attempt to make this unique item more accessible to the public as part of occupational and sexual material cultural heritage, museums are incorporating them into displays such as that of the Kalgoorlie Goldfields Museum in Australia.
In another instance the Museum of London last year as part of a temporary exhibit housed the only known spintria, a possible brothel token, to be found in Britain Fig. These two museum exhibits are part of an effort to educate the public regarding the material culture of the sex trade and the economic role it played in society as a viable occupation.
