Saturday, 16 February 2019


The theme of this month's meeting was tokens. A fairly general topic that covers a lot of ground! 

What is a token? Why were they issued and why are there no new tokens?
 “In numismatics, token coins or trade tokens are coin-like objects used instead of coins. Tokens have a denomination either shown or implied by size, colour or shape. A key point of difference between a token coin and a legal tender coin is that the latter is issued by a governmental authority and is freely exchangeable for goods. However, a token coin typically has a much more limited use and is often issued by a private company, group, association or individual.”  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Token_coin
A token is really any object that is not a coin. well that does not really help, does it! A token is not an official issue from a government or ruler. It is has a nominal value unlike a medallion. They are usually issued by a private trader for profit to encourage the buyer to use the issuer's store or services. 
well, can you do any better? 
Here are some tokens from Gibraltar, 


and some from India and St Helena.