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Help identifying unusual coin
sjdshane
Posts: 4 ✭
Can anyone identify this coin? It is approx. the size of a silver dollar, and about the same weight. The eagle appears similar to some foreign (German?) coins I have seen, but the wheat stalks on the front & back, and the arrows held by the eagle look like American coinage. It is certainly not a legal tender coin, but could be a commemorative coin or medallion. I seems too heavy and detailed to be some kind of casino coin (thought that because of the 1.00 on reverse). Any help would be much appreciated!
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Looks like sum sort of token. Definitely not silver and definitely U.S. The star, arrows and the olive branch give it away. Otherwise I am not sure what it is.
Sorry, my comment wasn't clear about the metal. You're correct that it's not silver. It's actually a tarnished bronze or brass color. I thought it might be an old train or subway token because of the "1.00", but it's too big and heavy for that.
A “game counter,” used to keep score in a card game. The modern equivalent would be a poker chip.
Fantasy?
The game counter idea is interesting. It would have to have been a very old game because it was found in an old trunk belonging to my wife's grandparents. So probably from 1930 to 1950 range.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's National Recovery Act program used a 'Blue Eagle' as a logo, but it was rather different than this.
It's a radiant American eagle game counter. See link:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/periodical/15810
Posted in 2014 where someone else asked for an identification and learned more than he ever wanted to know about these tokens:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/911882/strange-token-or-gaming-piece-with-eagle-and-ten
Radiant Eagle token with "10"
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WillieBoyd2... Thanks so much for the excellent information!! And thanks to all who responded!
A few interesting notes: The design on each side of my token, compared to your photos, has some small but noticeable variations. These include: the number of leaves on the olive branch held by the eagle; the shape and angle of the eagle's head; the position and angle of the claws; the size of the star on the eagle's chest; the length of the eagle's legs that is visible between the feathers and the claws; the number of wheat buds on the reverse; and the more oval shape of the bumps around the edging. I assume that multiple metal shops produced these tokens during that period, which would account for the variations.
Ya gotta love the way forum members are always helping others.
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Debt
There was an entire issue on “American Game Counters” published in the TAMS Journal in 1981.
I am always amazed at just how much knowledge resides within these forums and how fast an insightful response is provided.