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Coin and Paper Money Collecting/Threepence token? Please help identify
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Question
Hi
)
I have this 'coin' I bought in a batch of old coins on Ebay.
Looks like a "3" as found on British threepence coins, except the border pattern is wrong. The other face is worn smooth, and nothing is legible, if there was ever anything on it. Could this be a token, medal or even play money? Feels like nickel or silver, definitely not aluminium, and it is 16mm across.
Thanks for your help
Hi Doc,
This would have been a small, local merchant's personal "coupon" that they would accept as money from customers. Basically, an early means of advertising.
Many such tokens do have the name and/or location of the merchant, but most of the small "mom-and-pop" shops saved money by buying a pre-designed generic token, such as this.
The other side most probably never had anything on it, as is the case for the majority of these. tokens.
If there was an important merchant on the piece, it may have had a good value. as it is, it would just be worth a couple of dollars, perhaps as much as $10 under the best circumstances.
The metal looks like nickel from the picture.
Thanks for the question! =)
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Answers by Expert:
Dmitry Livshits
Expertise
My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.
Experience
Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.
Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).
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