LOT John D Kennedy  /  Navajo Trade Tokens  / 

21

AP Springstead Trading Post 1-dollar Trade Token

Currency:USD Category:Western Americana / Collectibles - Tokens Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:NA
AP Springstead Trading Post 1-dollar Trade Token
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Springstead tokens are rare. Alan P. (Colonel) Springstead built this post in 1930 and ownership stayed in his family until it closed in 1985. He was a respected trader and well-liked by his Navajo customers. The store was twenty-five miles northwest of Gallup among the red rock bluffs. During this time, there were nearly 70 trading posts within 50 miles of Gallup. Those were significant miles because travel was by horseback or wagon. Also, there was no reason to travel to Gallup because most business would have been conducted with cash. The Navajo people had limited cash. Their micro-economy centered around their trading post. Most business was done by trading. The area stores were sources for handmade silver beads. Most craftsman could not make beads, especially in Zuni. Necklaces were purchased by traders who then strung them with handmade beads. The majority of beads came from this area northwest of Gallup. Mrs. Springstead was a Gallup teacher for years. Their son Alan was my teacher in high school in the ’50s, and he was active in the community for years. The family had a Gallup residence in my neighborhood. The store handled Gallup throw rugs, silver beads, and piñons. There is nothing left of the store.
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