The left token is from the Grand Canyon National park, and the right is from Death Valley National Park. I could buy some cheap knick-knacks, but they often get tossed on a shelf and rarely admired after coming back.īelow are two tokens I got for about $10 each. When I’m on trips, I like to look for novelty items that will bring me long-term enjoyment at a reasonable price. Well many coin collectors hide their coins from potential thieves or children looking for quarters to buy ice cream, tokens are great for display because they can easily be repurchased. The artwork and lack of inherent value make tokens great items to display! Tokens and medals have some amazing artwork and history attached to them. For most people, there is no value in these items so they are simply thrown away or forgotten in a drawer. There are bulk token lots on eBay where tokens are sold by the pound. Why collect tokens if they have no monetary value?įor one, tokens are much cheaper to purchase than legal coinage. Prayer coins and AA chips fit well into this category. This is kind of a catch-all category for items that are neither coins nor Type 1 or 2 tokens. Remember these have no inherent monetary value, meaning the value is not backed by a government. Tokens of the Type 2 variety usually commemorate historical events or figures. Type 2 could be made by the US Mint or a private entity. A bus token is also Type 1 because it can be used to purchase a bus ride. Cheese would be Type 1, because the coin can be used to play a game.

Type 1 is the most common, or at least most commonly collected. Ones that have trade-able value, or can be exchanged.Exonumia comes from the greek “exo” meaning “out of” and “nummus” meaning “coin”. The term exonumia was coined by Russel Rulau in July 1960. Tokens, medals, and scrips (a substitute for legal tender) are all exonumia. Exonumia is the study of numismatic items that are not accepted as legal tender. Numismatics is the study of currency, coins or bills that are accepted as legal tender. Numismatics and Exonumia go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Aa coins artwork