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Saint Gray's Shrine, Bullfrog, Nevada Trade Token

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Exonumia - Tokens Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
Saint Gray's Shrine, Bullfrog, Nevada Trade Token
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To my knowledge, this token is completely unique, and the only token to carry the “Bullfrog, Nevada” name. The construction/manufacture techniques of this token bear discussion because of the numerous possible fakes of tokens from western Nevada. This piece is die struck in a manner of a professional die sinker, though no die maker insignia is present, with equal (measured) margins of words at left and right and lettering in even, straight or curved, lines of lettering. Questionable tokens do not carry these characteristics; they generally have letters tilted here and there, contain words that are not placed in straight lines, or have uneven curvature, even with different font types and sizes within single words. I write of there attributes because it is unquestionable to me that this is the real thing. Read below - you just can't make up this story, and it took me hours of intense research to find it!
Saint Gray’s Shrine is an interesting name. It resonates of a religious theme. There is no such person or ideologic figure in history with this name, as far as I can find. The Bullfrog townsite pre-dated the Rhyolite townsite by about a year, and information on the businesses there is exceptionally difficult to find, either in print or in photographic form. Alan Patera lists about two dozen Bullfrog businesses in Rhyolite, The Boom Years, (2001, p60,) but this list does not have several of the businesses seen in some historic street scene views of Bullfrog found on the web, including Taylor & Griffiths Mining Supplies. It becomes impossible to try to find a list of saloons there in the early years. I did find three references to "Johnson's Saloon" in Bullfrog, 1905-1906. Johnson must have been the proprietor of the Saint Gray's Shrine. The Beatty Bullfrog Miner reported in September, 1905 that Johnson's saloon held the first religious service in Bullfrog ... by singing sacred music in the rear of Johnson's Saloon ... success to Beatty's (Bullfrog) saloon-church." By June, 1907, most of the businesses had moved up to Rhyolite, leaving a slew of mining company offices and about two saloons and a restaurant. Nonetheless, this token is well worn, and is sold “as is” because I can find no proof at this point that this saloon existed, with original records almost impossible to find.

Obverse: Saint Gray's Shrine/ Bullfrog, Nevada
Reverse: gf 12 1/2c it
Shape/Metal: 4scal, al
Town: Bullfrog, Nevada