The TAMS Maverick column started in 1965 and
we now have over 16,000 mavericks in the database. In the early years of the
column, there were no photographs, so there are some errors in descriptions
that cannot be corrected. Also attributions were based on members' personal
knowledge. Today, a reference to some sort of catalog, business directory, or
the like is generally required to substantiate an attribution. Even then, it is
not unusual to have a particular maverick attributed to multiple locations.
Generally, at least one of those locations is incorrect. There are instances
where a business may have had multiple locations or it may have relocated and
kept the same tokens, but often it is a matter of an attribution that hasn't
been properly researched. Some tokens, of course, may never be truly
attributed. A case in point is a common name of a business such as "The
Pastime". There were businesses of that name in hundreds of towns across
the continent, so unless a maverick can be exactly matched to one that actually
came from a Pastime in a particular town, it isn't 100% certain.
Due to the near-impossibility of
attribution of certain types of maverick, the Maverick editor will no longer
accept "initials only" or similar pieces. Research has shown that the
names of proprietors of token-using businesses may be duplicated in far-flung
corners of the continent. Not the same person, but the same name.
When a maverick is listed in one of the
standard token reference books, like a state trade token catalog, that source
is shown, even though that book may not have been used in the original
attribution. It is recommended that researchers look at the state catalogs as
there is often supporting information there.
Submissions to this list are limited to
TAMS members, but attributions are solicited from anyone. If you can identify
the origin of any of the mavericks listed, e-mail the webmaster (below) with the
attribution and a reference that can be verified..
