Tokens
Tokens are objects that can be used as payment, much like coins. However, unlike coins, tokens are only valid at a particular location or for a particular good or service, such as a jug of beer in the Swedish army during The Thirty Years’ War. And unlike coins, tokens can be made of all sorts of materials - metal, wood, paper, leather and even birch-bark!
Tokens have mainly been used in industrial communities and for travel, for example on railways and boats. In this way, the tokens tell us about how our modern society has developed.
What is in the collections?
Uppsala University's Coin Cabinet contains a large collection of Swedish tokens, mostly from iron works and industries in Uppland and Bergslagen, but also from such different places and businesses as the Trollhätte Canal, Karlstad Liquor Company, Svappavaara Copperworks, Uppsala Steamboat and the Grand Hotel in Stockholm!
All images of the Coin Cabinet's items in Alvin can be downloaded in print quality and may be used freely, both commercially and non-commercially.
Uppland regiment, cantine token for bread, Inv. nr 300404
Token for Upsala railways, 1950s, Inv. nr 300402
Want to know more about the collection?
As a private individual, you can access the objects in our collections in various ways. Look out for our events, visit the Gustavianum's various exhibitions or search for the objects on the digital platform Alvin. If you have specific questions, you can contact our antiquarians for each collection.