MILTON BRADLEY’S EDUCATIONAL TOY MONEY

A fascinating and under-studied group of exonumia is that of play money, coins and currency made to be used by children in play or in an educational setting. These items are distinct from game money used in the context of a board game, or gaming counters used by adults in card games or gambling, but are often grouped in incorrectly with this group. In the United States, the Milton Bradley Company of Springfield, Massachusetts was the pioneer of play money, largely as part of their founder’s involvement in the kindergarten movement.

Though primarily known for his involvement with board games, Milton Bradley became involved with early childhood education starting in 1869 after attending a lecture by Elizabeth Peabody, the educator who opened the first English language kindergarten in the United States. From this point on, Bradley utilized his company to manufacture a wide array of items to be used in a kindergarten classroom. Many of these items he freely gave away.

The first iteration of play money made by Bradley bears dates ranging from 1853-1879 and is printed on white cardboard with a near-exact representation of the coins of the era. Denominations include: cent, two-cent piece, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, silver dollar, quarter eagle, three dollar gold piece, half eagle, eagle and double eagle. These “coins” are not marked as play money in any way. The ink used to print the coins varies, with some sets produced with black ink only, while others have copper ink for the copper coins, and gold ink for the gold. The box in which the author’s coins reside bears a patent date of March 20, 1877, however this same box cover and patent date were used for later styles as well. The underside of the lid of this set reads in part:

The likeness was so similar in fact, that the U.S. government decided to intervene and instructed the company that they must come up with a new design.

The second type, made in response to government intervention is also printed with black ink on white cardboard, bears no dates, and displays the denomination on the obverse with EDUCATIONAL TOY MONEY / MILTON BRADLEY CO around the periphery. The diameter remains equivalent to the coins they imitate while the images vary depending on the composition. For the two “copper” coins, a Phrygian cap and pole is depicted; the nickel through dollar bear a simple star with five dots between the points; and the gold denominations bear a 31-star American flag with a Phrygian cap at the top of the pole. Though the box cover is identical to the previous set, the underside now reads in part:

Both of the previous types seem to be quite scarce, and finding sets with the original boxes can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, a third type exists that proves somewhat easier to find. These types are once again produced in the familiar denominations and keep the proper diameters of the coins of the era. Once again, no dates are present on the coins, but these bear the denomination on both sides, once in text within an ornamental fame and once with numerals. Around the peripheries of both sides is printed MILTON BRADLEY CO. / TOY MONEY. Two variations exist for this type.

For more on play money, you might seek out a copy of Richard Clothier’s 1985 Play Money of American Children, though original copies are quite scarce. Fortunately, the author is kind enough to provide images of the book in its entirety, available to print at http://rfc33.tripod.com/ .

To read the complete article, see:
Milton Bradley’s Educational Toy Money – Part One (www.stacksbowers.com/NewsMedia/Blogs/TabId/780/ArtMID/
2678/ArticleID/65569/Milton-Bradley%E2%80%99s-Educational-Toy-Money-%E2%80%93-Part-One.aspx)

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