I don't want to be cynical but when I read small token of appreciation, I thought it would be something more than just branded stuff from the company. You could argue that all they could send was LinkedIn marketing material but it just rubs me the wrong way when companies put out their branded trinkets as "gifts".
Please just give me the money. I'll decide which companies I will do free advertising for.
Meh, that's why it's a token of appreciation. If I were the guy, I'd be more offended by money than by some marketing trinket; sending me money implies they thought my involvement was worth that amount of money, and it's unlikely they would send enough to correspond to a reasonable hourly rate. Sending a trinket with no monetary value makes no such implication; it's purely a social gesture, not an economic one.
On the other hand, if some company wants to thank me for something in the future with something more than tradeshow swag, I would not turn down a nice bottle of whisk[e]y, just sayin'.
Please just give me the money. I'll decide which companies I will do free advertising for.