The ultimate deader than dead US numismatic item is...
291fifth
Posts: 24,464 ✭✭✭✭✭
...numismatic telephone cards from the 1990's.
Does anyone collect these?
Does anyone collect these?
All glory is fleeting.
0
Comments
A lot of the problem is that there are only ten or twelve that are extremely
common and these only number a couple thousand or so. A lot of the rest
have only ten to a few dozen survivors. They are very nondescript except
for their usually very convoluted shape. Only a few words were used on the
entire group and designs are scarce except for arrows.
They had the convoluted shape so that they were the only thing which
could fit into the various patented coin acceptors which were designed for
the early pay telephones to exclude plug nickels and other "phoney" cur-
rency. Most are from Illinois and more specifically Chicago but there are
numerous examples from California and all over the world.
There are so few of these that even all phone collectors might have trouble
obtaining a specimen if they were better known.
As recently as a couple years ago there were very few collectors of Roosie
dimes from after 1964. It seems there aren't any US coins any longer being
mostly ignored but there are still dozens of token, medal, and coin-like exo-
numia fields where one can collect in virtual obscurity. There are tremendous
disadvantages to collecting things no one else collects but there are huge ad-
vantages as well. You don't have to be the first one at the show or shop to
acquire it. No one else can tell the common from the rare. You can amass a
good trading stock for next to nothing (wanna trade telephone tokens). And
collections can be formed on a shoestring but, are in some ways, even more
rewarding and satisfying than collections that require lots of money.
<< <i>Anyone have a picture of one? >>
If you mean the telephone token here's an eBay search: link
The scalloped edge pieces are a little better pieces.
A lot of telephone tokens trade as something else because sellers don't know what they are.
<< <i>POGS? >>
I know I didn't throw mine away, they are around here somewhere.