‘Quartee’ excavated from 1300-1302 S. Robertson Street (front)

‘Quartees’ are a type of informal currency or trade token commonly found in New Orleans, typically with a value of 2 ½ cents. According to local traditions, many lunch counters and saloons had ‘2 for a nickel’ lunch specials. When an individual just wanted one of these specials, proprietors would give the ‘quartee’ as change. The initials on one side of the coin identify the issuing business, thus ensuring return patronage. While it is typically very difficult to identify the business referenced, in this case the “H.M.N.” almost certainly refers to Hillary M. Nugent, the one-time owner of the 1300-1302 address. One could reasonably assume that Nugent initially provided the financial backing for the saloon Salvaggio operated, until Salvaggio bought him out in 1908, or perhaps even after.