GROVER BEACH MUNICIPAL SCRIP
We recently
released our own
bi-metallic token that is Good For $3.00 in Trade.
The 28mm
token has a nickel-plated outer ring with a 18mm brass center
plug. It has a partially reeded
edge. The obverse features a frosted facsimile of a Chinese K’ai Yuan
cash coin
on the plug. The
Kai Yuan coin was
issued by the Tang Dynasty in China
from 618 to 907AD and serves as our logo. Around
the ring is our name, web address and postal address.
The reverse has the legend “GOOD
FOR
THREE
DOLLARS IN TRADE” on the ring and the denomination on the
plug. The tokens
were struck by Moffatt
& Co.
Inc. of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The mintage is 1000 pieces.
The tokens may be purchased at face value for use as gift certificates,
requested in place of a refund or added to your collection.
We
also expect to use them in some promotions. They may be
redeemed
at any time for merchandise from our website, catalogs or at our table
at coin shows
that we attend.
To
celebrate our 25th anniversary in the
coin business, in 1995 we struck two tokens, a brass "Good For
$2.50 in Trade"
and
a bronze-plated zinc "Good
for 50c in
Trade". Each had a mintage
of
3000 pieces. We used these as gift certificates, for small
refunds
and in promotions for our mail catalogs. Because these show
our
old
Merced address we no longer issue them, however you may
still
purchase or redeem them at face value.
We issued commemorative medals to celebrate our 25th Wedding
anniversary in July. One side shows a pair of wedding bells,
while the other bears the legend "JOEL & LILA ANDERSON
25th
ANNIVERSARY 2004 / THE BEARER OF THIS TOKEN RECEIVES MUCH HAPPINESS".
The 27mm tokens were struck by The Patrick Mint in both silver
plated zinc and
copper plated zinc. Only 500 of each were struck.
One side of
this brass-plated
zinc token has the obverse of the famed 1787 Brasher gold Doubloon, the
first gold coin struck in the United States. The other side
advertises the "Birds of
a Feather
Vacation Home, Just 32 Steps from
the Beach in Oceano, CA". The token pictures two
birds and
provides the web address for the property: www.OceanoVacationHome.com
and a
phone number for booking information. The vacation home is
available by the night or by the week. One Thousand of the 27mm tokens
were struck by The
Patrick Mint. The token is a lot cheaper than
the original
Brasher Doubloons, which go for well over $1 Million, and
it is one of the few tokens ever to come from the small beach community
of Oceano, California.
GHENT, BELGIUM SOCIALIST PARTY STORE
TOKEN
UNUSUAL
CHILEAN NITRATE MINE TOKENS
These
colored Vulcanite
tokens were used in nitrate
and other mines in Chile
during the early 20th century. The
atmosphere around the mines was so that metal coins quickly
deteriorated. The mine owners did not care
what this did to the miners, however they certainly did not want to
spend extra
money replacing their tokens. They made tokens from Vulcanite, a
plastic-like substance, that did not corrode in the harsh
environment. Tokens come in a variety of sizes and colors.
They
generally have the denomination on one side and the name of the mining
company
on the other. Miners would be paid with
the tokens, which of course, could only be spent at the company store.
These tokens, also known as
Scrip, Dingles, Clackers and many other names, were issued by coal
companies as an advance on wages when miners needed to buy mining
supplies for their work, food or necessities for their home, pay rent
on the company owned home, obtain medical care or almost any other
aspect of life in a company town. Of course, they could only
be
used at company stores, where prices tended to be high. The
value
of the scrip would then be deducted from a miners pay on
payday.
Miners could easily “owe their soul to the company store”.
Metal
tokens were widely used from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. During
World War II fiber scrip was introduced in order to save metal. The
tokens had the name of the mine or store on it, and were often punched
with the mine number or initials of the town. We have a
collection of 20 different West Virginia coal scrip tokens, ranging in
value from 1 cent to 1 Dollar. Included is one of the scarce
wartime fiber tokens. The tokens grade from Very Good to
Uncirculated. It is an interesting and historic set.

The
old San Francisco Mint, standing in the ruins of the 1906 San Francisco
Earthquake and Fire, is featured on these medals issued by the
California State Numismatic Association (CSNA) for their 118th
convention in January 2006. The medal, designed by Joel Anderson and
Michael S. Turrini, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the San
Francisco Earthquake. Though all surrounding buildings were destroyed,
the mint survived the calamity and quickly reopened to provide
financial liquidity to rebuild the city. The reverse features the
CSNA logo that features a California map, flag and a sailing
ship. The
mintage was highly limited. Only 100 one ounce numbered
silver
Proof medals, 156 golden bronze medals, and 175 Antiqued bronze medals
were struck.
We
have three versions of
the California State Quarters. The
first two are labeled "The Total Recall" One shows features a huge
Arnold
Shwarzenegger kicking Governor Davis in the posterior. The
other
shows
Arnold holding Governor Davis by the neck. The third
California
quarter
is labeled Cruz Control, after Arnold Shwarzenegger's main Democratic
opponent
in the recall election. It shows Arnold punching. Governor Cruz
Bustamante.
All three coins are dated 2005, the year the actual California state
quarter
was to be released.
Hillary
Clinton appears as a young princess on this 2003 dated Illinois Quarter
- until you rotate the coins 180o - then the old
hag Hillary
appears!. The obverse is the same as Clinton and
Bush
Quarters. It is an unusal design - with two heads on the
"tales"
side of the coin,
or perhaps you can call it a three headed coin. Either way,
it is
sure to bring a lot of laughs.
This 1969 copper California Bicentennial medal contains
quite a bit
of history. It contains copper left by an early Spanish
expedition
that was found on the grounds of the Old Mission Santa Clara.
It
also
commemorates the 200th Anniversary of the first European land
exploration
of California by Gaspar de Portolá and Father Junipero
Serra.
The exploration lead to the founding of the Missions and Spanish
settlement
of the state. The medal also honors San Jose as the first state
capital.
This medal was struck for "La Fiesta de Las Rosas" a festival that used
to
be held in San Jose to commemorate the city's Spanish heritage.
Unfortunately
for the organizers of the festival who had the medals struck, local
Mexicans
objected to the Spanish heritage aspects of the festival, as they felt
it
ignored the city's Mexican heritage. The result was the
festival
was
canceled and the medals sat in storage for the next 30 years.
This
attractive and historic 32mm medal comes in an "antique" finish.
UNRELEASED
MEDAL FROM
THAILAND
SILVER STRIKE
BROTHEL TOKENS FROM NEVADA
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