Dear pandamonium,
Bakery was their first business which they started in Shanghai. When the time went by their bakery became more and more famous and they had a lof of customers.
Then they had enough money to purchase in 1886 smaller bakery H.Evans & Co. Later they opened first department store in Shanghai and furniture factory, which produced and repaired furnitures.
They use bread tokens in their bakery, so when someone want to buy a bread, you had to first enter the store buy token from one person and go to another person to give him the token and that person will give you the bread.
Sometimes, someone bought few more tokens, so this time he will buy a few loaves and next time when he will come will buy another, so he doesn't have to buy tokens everytime when he comes to the store.
My point is that bread tokens never leave bakery, unless it was a situation which I mention above. I do not know the reason why they didn't use money directly.
Shanghai tokens can be divided on 3 cathegory: 1) before Japanese occupied Shanghai, 2) during Japanese occupation (1937-1945) and 3) after 1949-modern ones.
Hall & Holtz bread tokens belong to the first cathegory and they are all very rare and valuable.
