Each month there is a special South Carolina token or medal that
is highlighted as the Token or Medal of the Month. This month we
will showcase an interesting early 20th century trade token from
the city of Charleston. The city of Charleston has always played
a significant role in the history of the state of South
Carolina. From its beginnings in 1670 as a small colonial
settlement at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers,
through its growing importance as a seaport for the fledgling
nation, to its part as the incendiary flashpoint in the
sectional conflict which became the Civil War, the city has
enjoyed a prominence that seemingly lifted it above similar
communities in the state. It is no small wonder then, that some
of its citizens thought the city to occupy a pedestal raised
above its South Carolina neighbors. It was this feeling of
superiority that occasionally led some Charlestonians to
consider themselves immune from the laws and social mores
governing the rest of the state. And this sentiment