Lord Marcovan's "Eclectic Box" collection as of February 26, 2020

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It is quite special, but not rare and not expensive. I is made from bakelite, and was used as canteen money for British forces.
The NAAFI; Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes was a company created by the British government in 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. So it’s not an official issue.
I like to collect means of payment that have been issued for a special historical context, though. Like this one, or for example money from the lepra colonies:

 

By that standard, my collection is mostly a size-unrestricted version of your eclectic box. I attach a lot more importance to something like your leper colony token or that cool 1/2 franc than I do to rare and esoteric varieties. Most of my coins are objectively not "rare," and I like it that way.

 

I would love to have that Belgian token. I wouldn't mind one of the ghetto coins either. As coin collectors, we have several objects celebrating genocides through the ages. There is a distinction between having them as interesting historical objects, and sitting with them in hand thinking "those were the days".
I have some paper money from the WWII ghettos.
They bring out some bad feelings, though. It's still a bit close.

 

Yay! Skully's back! Well, not the original Skully, I guess, but, still, a great token. I think I liked Skully I better overall, but I like how Skully II has a date.

I would absolutely love to have one of those ghetto tokens! I find it very easy to appreciate items like that while lamenting the circumstances under which they were made. I put them in the same bucket as Hawaii overprint notes or notgeld.: the history behind them is too important to forget.

A couple of years ago, I had my eye on a Hitler election token that I liked, but couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on. I have to admit that part of the reason was that I had just started seeing my current girlfriend, who is Jewish, and I wasn't ready to have to explain that to her. Today, it would be no problem, but, back then, I wasn't so sure.

Oh, and, in light of current events, your Justinian tremissis has become a little cooler than it was a few months ago. It would be relatively easy to nab a coin from the Antonine Plague, if you were so inclined, as well. It would probably be much harder to find a coin from the time of the Black Death, just because it didn't last nearly as long as the Antonine Plague, but there are definitely some cool 14th century coins out there that could probably stand in for it.

 

Very cool, this is how I collect anyway. Sure I have areas I concentrate on more than others but if I likes it enough, if it inspired me to write and research it, I get it....

 

You bring a new meaning to coin collecting for me. That is truly an amazing collection.

 

L.M., What a great & unique collection ! I enjoyed browsing thru it. Calling your collection "eclectic" is an understatement, however, I did detect an undercurrent that runs thru your collection, beautiful toning & eye appeal .

 

Nice new additions.