I have had this token/coin for about a year. It is from an estate in upstate NY. It weighs 4.8 grams has the diameter of a nickel and is slightly thinner. It is non magnetic. I have previously posted this on an other board with no identification made. Based on the design I was thinking maybe produced in the late 1960s or 70s, but I really don't know. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Kie
Thanks guys Didn't think about it beibg an old gaming token. Any suggestions on where to look for such an item? I hate not being able to positively ID it. Kie
I don't think there is a reference guide for something like this. I would start by emailing Parker Brothers or Milton Bradley and see if they can identify it.
I don't know for sure, but it could be a jeton. A jeton must be less than 38mm, and the smallest one I have ever seen was 13mm. Jetons date back about 1000 years in Europe. They were first used by merchants to calculate sales much like the Chinese used the abacus. As time went on, jetons were used to keep score for a variety of table games. Jetons were minted privately, and some had intricate designs of a particular region or village in Europe. They were never produced by the mint of any country, and they had no cash value. Chris
Salty thanks for the nudge, I will e-mail them tonight. Chris, I have heard the term jeton before, but not very familiar with it thanks for the info, if it is one I'm guessing it would be almost impossible to positively ID. I still get this nagging feeling this was made in the last 40-50 years. I am probably chasing a ghost. Kie
I was thinking along the lines of it being a gaming or arcade token of some sort too Kie. I think you might be right about it being 40-50 years old, but it's really hard to be sure. Bruce
I think the design is too intricate to be an arcade token, and it would likely have the name of the establishment and maybe even "No Cash Value" on it. As a matter of fact, if you rotate the token about 45 degrees counterclockwise, the central design looks like a stylized "S". Chris
You're right Chris, probably not an arcade token, but I still think it could be a gaming piece of some sort. I don't know much about jetons, but weren't they generally in use long before this piece was probably struck? Somehow it doesn't look really old to me, but I'm just guessing. Bruce
Even though jetons were still produced into the 20th century, I'm inclined to agree with you that it isn't a jeton. More likely, it is a personalized gaming marker similar to personalized casino chips that you can order. Chris
Soooo would the concensus be positive ID is probably going to take much more effort than it is worth, and I should just put it in the drawer, forget about it and move on to more important things. Kie
Probably the best thing to do Kie. Unless someone recognizes this for what it really is, the chance of identifying it is very small. There's just nothing in the way of text or a recognizable symbol to research. Even the central design is fairly well worn and makes it difficult to tell what it represents. I've researched counterstamps and tokens for years and usually pieces like this remain unknowns. I enjoy the challenge, but there's just nowhere to take this one. Bruce
Thanks for the help guys, I guess when I get long in the tooth and we have fancy research engines like they have on the boob tube shows I'll pull it out again and see what I can find. Kie
