Expert: Jim Lawniczak - 9/2/2005

Question
I have a large coin that I cannot identify. It says Cent on it, with a picture of a woman. On  the tails side, it has Auburn, CA and the date 1861. It says something else about a charter. Do you have any idea what it is?

Answer
It is almost certainly not a "coin" as it doesn't look like it was issued as currency by a government.  It is probably a "token" which is a metal put out by a private group for some reason perhaps commeration of an event.  And this event looks like a celebration of the founding of the city of Auburn California (which may have been founded in 1861).  If that is so, wouldn't surprise me that this piece was made in 1961.  You might try going to www.google.com and doing a search for Auburn California 1861 and see what comes up.  After that maybe add token to your search and see if there is any information about this token.  Also try going to www.ebay. com and doing a similar search to see if anyone is selling a token like yours.  Jim Lawniczak