Trade tokens are usually used by traders when coins are unavailable or in the place of goods to enable trading to continue unimpeded. Generally they are similar to token coins.
During the 1800’s and 1900’s, Great Britain and the United States used trade tokens as the supply of regular money and the means to reproduce coins was time consuming and thus regular money was scarce. So tokens were used in there place, allowing people to buy goods, services and other needed items instead of trading goods such as grain. Only once in English history were they ever endorsed – copper farthings lasted just 60 years and were never seen again.