Fire Island sounds a little ominous, doesn't it? Well in 1951 Fire Island, Alaska was home to an Air Force Station (AFS) responsible for monitoring the Soviets and providing warning of an attack and was closed in 1969. The station was one of four in Alaska that feed information to NORAD. The island was set aside in 1914 as a military reservation and also saw use in WWII. So what's all this about? Well I was fortunate enough to be able to add a token from this short lived AFS to my collection. There are three tokens recorded in Cunningham for this station, and I got to add one of them! This is the sellers picture, combined for ease of viewing. AK290, Alaska, Fire Island AFS Obv.: REDEEMABLE AT / N.C.O. OPEN MESS / FIRE / ISLAND / ALASKA Rev.: GOOD FOR / (star) 50¢ (star) / IN TRADE Gilded brass, 32mm
As always, I enjoy seeing your latest additions Jack. Fire Island (Long Island) is as close as I get to this........
I love names like that on tokens. Who would expect to see a Fire Island in Alaska? Plus it's a military token.
I expect it to be darker but in far better condition than the Kunsan example. This was the most expensive token I recently picked up but still very cheap. I wouldn't be able to take my wife and son out to eat with the same amount of money. I've seen a Fire Island token a time or two. Last time I got in a bidding war and forced someone to pay too much for it. This time I went for it.
I suggest you check out the Ancients section. Lots of history there. Thanks for chiming in everyone! I know this won't turn into a Fire Island pile on...
Received my new token today. I think my picture is closer to what it looks like but makes the roughness of the fields really stand out and hides the scratches. This one would probably benefit from natural light. I did purchase this token knowing the sellers were photographed in such a way to make it appear golden. The seller's didn't look right. AK290, Alaska, Fire Island AFS Obv.: REDEEMABLE AT / N.C.O. OPEN MESS / FIRE / ISLAND / ALASKA Rev.: GOOD FOR / (star) 50¢ (star) / IN TRADE Gilded brass, 32mm
Something I find interesting about this token - I think the manufacturer took a preexisting die and used it for the reverse. I can base this on nothing other than speculation but I think it's odd the reverse has denticles while the obverse has none. Also...I think exonumia posts need to move away from the thread and we need to start bombing the Coin Chat thread with our additions. Linebacker III!
