I'd be willing to bet that this was produced with the hole as a novelty piece.

Rich Green
Historic Archaeological Research
4338 Hadley Court
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Office:  (765) 464-8735
Mobile: (765) 427-4082
www.har-indy.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carol Serr 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 3:25 PM
  Subject: Re: Target token


  Hi Marty,

  I don't know anything about such targets either...but, you might want to
  check with the Holey Tokens & Coins Collectors Club...since some of them
  surely have encountered these. ??
  http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/Mall/2326/
  Or send an email to:  [log in to unmask] 

  Even tho, as I understood your description...I didn't think the 'target'
  had a hole in it to begin with...only a circled area in the center.
  Right?

  I found this bit of info interesting:

  This expression "bulls eye" derives from an old English sport,
  bullbaiting dogs try to pull a bull by his nose to the ground. Gamblers
  would place a bet "on the bull's eye" if he wished to make a bet.
  Crowns, an English coin, were used to bet so frequently "on the bull's
  eye that the coin itself came to be called a bull's-eye. Later, the term
  was applied to the black center of a target. The idiom right on the
  money is also derived from the ancient interchangeable use of a coin,
  bull's-eye and the center of a target. 
  http://sportsidioms.com/page/14.htm

  You might check out this trapshooting site...and contact someone from
  there.
  http://huntingsociety.org/HistTrapshooting.html

  Good luck.

  Carol


  >-----Original Message-----
  >From: Marty Pickands [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
  >Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 8:01 AM
  >To: [log in to unmask]
  >Subject: Target token
  >
  >
  >I recently excavated the site of a blacksmith shop that 
  >operated from the early 19th century until 1904, where we 
  >found a token that appears to be for target shooting. It is 
  >about the size of a penny, made of brass or copper, and has a 
  >.38 caliber bullet hole dead center. There is an embossed ring 
  >somewhat larger than the hole with the word "shoot" visible 
  >inside it. Inside the rim is a partial inscription 
  >"...bo...attempt to shoot it down..." I assume this was 
  >flipped into the air as a flying target, and if the shooter 
  >could hit it inside the inner ring or circle, he or she would 
  >win a prize. No writing is visible on the reverse, either 
  >because of corrosion or because it is absent.
  >
  >Does anyone out there have any information about this type of 
  >token? It does not seem to be mentioned on any of the token sites.
  >
  >Marty Pickands
  >New York State Museum
  >