Help identifying token w/ Egyptian theme....

savoyspecial

a friend of mine asked me to help identify this piece for him......he has owned it since the 70's but his interest in the token was recently piqued as he noticed a player in the televised Texas Hold 'Em Poker, Dr. Bruce Kater, possessed a similar piece that he used to cap his cards......approx. the size of a U.S. half dollar


obv




rev

Sapyx

Ah, this brings back memories. When my coin club first started an "ID Required" section in the club Magazine, some ten years ago, this was one of the first pieces submitted. I've seen several since, though couldn't find any discussion of one on this forum.

It's a modern souvenir-type medal, sold (and probably still being sold) to tourists in Egypt, probably marketed as a "lucky charm". It's been seen both with and without an attached loop, and both in this gilt-brassy colour and white metal-silvery colour. It is not based on any ancient artefact and I believe attempting to translate the heiroglyphs only results in gibberish.

WillieBoyd2

Here's a similar item used in a 1946 movie:
Picture from movie:

WillieBoyd2

See my website under "Egyptian Magic Coin" for more information on this item.