Still looking. Perhaps part of a "missionary" token from the triad
"the salesman, the missionaries, and the shooters." ("Winchester, The
Gun That Won The West" by Harold F. Williamson, Combat Forces Press,
Washington, D.C., c) 1952 by Association of the U.S. Army, Library of
Congress Catalog No. 52-11409

"All of the principal gun and ammunition concerns took steps to see
that their products were well represented in shooting matches and
tournaments. These events were closely followed by sportsmen and gun
users generally, and it was considered a distinct advantage for a
company to be able to advertise that its guns or ammunition had been
used by the winners of an important shooting contest.

"Not infrequently the missionaries were themselves expert shots and
took part in tournaments. Companies might also have some one on the
payroll who did nothing but represent it as a shooter. One of the best
known of the early shooters was James E. Stetson, who represented
Winchester. Stetson began working for Winchester in the 1870s as a
barrel-maker. His skill as a marksman was such that the Company soon
had him traveling full time representing it throughout the country. On
these trips he competed against such marksmen as Doc Carver and
Buffalo Bill and on one occasion won a diamond belt symbolic of the
championship of the country."*

"Until about 1900, however, the shooters were generally amateurs who
regularly took part in various contests..." p. 183 "Domestic Sales
Promotion"

* Cf. New Haven "Journal-Courier", April 28, 1930. Stetson left
Winchester and entered Yale Medical School at the age of thirty-seven,
graduating with the class of 1881. He began practicing in New Haven
and became a distinguished physician. He died in 1930 at the age of
eighty-four. (Ibid, p. 405)
"Around 1900 Winchester began employing "missionary salesman." These
men would accept
On 11/29/05, Marty Pickands <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 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
>