Exonumia are

numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...

items (such as tokens,

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

s, or scrip) other than coins and paper money. This includes "Good For" tokens, badges, counterstamped coins,

elongated coin An elongated coin (also known as a pressed penny or smashed penny) is one that has been flattened or stretched, and embossed with a new design. Such coins are often used as commemorative or souvenir tokens, and it is common to find coin elongati ...

s, encased coins, souvenir medallions, tags,

wooden nickel In the United States, a wooden nickel is a wooden token coin, usually issued by a merchant or bank as a promotion, sometimes redeemable for a specific item such as a drink. Scrip and tokens have often been issued locally in times of severe econ ...

s and other similar items. It is an aspect of

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...

and many

coin collector Coin collecting is the collecting of coins or other forms of minted legal tender. Coins of interest to collectors often include those that were in circulation for only a brief time, coins with mint errors, and especially beautiful or historic ...

s are also exonumists. Besides the above strict definition, others extend it to include non-coins which may or may not be legal tenders such as cheques,

credit card A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...

s and similar paper. These can also be considered notaphily or

scripophily Scripophily is the study and collection of stock and bond certificates. A specialized field of numismatics, scripophily is an area of collecting due to both the inherent beauty of some historical documents as well as the interesting historical con ...

Etymology

The noun ''exonumia'' is derived from two classical roots: ''exo'', meaning "out-of" in Greek, and ''

nummus ''Nummus'' ( el, νοῦμμος, ''noummos''), plural ''nummi'' () is a Latin term meaning "coin", but used technically by modern writers for a range of low-value copper coins issued by the Roman and Byzantine empires during Late Antiquity. It ...

'', meaning "coin" in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

(from Greek νοῦμμος – ''noummos'', "coin"); thus, "out ideof- he categoryoins". The equivalent British term,

paranumismatica Exonumia are numismatic items (such as tokens, medals, or scrip) other than coins and paper money. This includes "Good For" tokens, badges, counterstamped coins, elongated coins, encased coins, souvenir medallions, tags, wooden nickels and oth ...

, may also be used. The words ''exonumist'' and ''exonumia'' were coined in July 1960 by

Russell Rulau Russell Alphonse Rulau (September 21, 1926 – November 12, 2012) was an American numismatist. He was involved in coin collecting for over 60 years. From his earliest days as a casual collector, Rulau contributed to numismatics as a writer, editor ...

, a recognized authority and author on the subject, and accepted by

Webster's dictionary ''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843), as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's n ...

in 1965.

Token coins

Many tokens were produced and used as currency in the United States and elsewhere when there was a shortage of government-issued money. Tokens have been used for both to advertise and to facilitate commerce and may or may not have a value. Token authority

offers a broad definition for exonumia in his 1040 page tome, ''UNITED STATES TOKENS: 1700–1900'' but lines between categories can be fuzzy. For example, an advertising token may also be considered a medal. Good For tokens may also advertise. Counter-stamped coins have been called "little billboards." One way of parsing tokens is into these three general categories: * Has a "value," facilitating commerce, such as ''Good for (something)''. * Commemoration, remembrance, dedication, or the like, for some person, place, idea or event. * Of a ''personal nature''. Typically, catalogs of tokens are organized by location, time period, and/or type of item. Historically, the need for tokens grew out of the need for currency. In America, some tokens legally circulated alongside or instead of currency. Hard Times Tokens and

Civil War tokens Civil War tokens are token coins that were privately minted and distributed in the United States between 1861 and 1864. They were used mainly in the Northeast and Midwest. The widespread use of the tokens was a result of the scarcity of governme ...

each were the size of the contemporary cent. Afterwards, value based items, such as ''Good for (amount of money)'', ''Good for One Quart of Milk'', ''Good for One Beer'', ''Good for One Ride…'' and others were specifically linked to commerce of the store or place of issue.

Medals

Medals are coin-like artistic objects, typically with a commemorative purpose. They may be awarded for recognition of achievement or created for sale to commemorate individuals or events. They may be souvenirs, devotional, or purely artistic. Medals are generally not used as currency or for exchange.

Exonumia collecting

Exonumia collectors, like coin collectors, are attentive to condition and rarity, as well as to history, form and type. Exonumists may collect items by region, topic, type, shape or material and this affects the ways tokens are documented. The following categories are typical. This is not all-inclusive but is a sampling of the wide variety of exonumia.

By type

''Modified/augmented'': *Love Token: A coin with hand engraving, generally on one side, or deliberately bent. *Carved Potty coins: usually

United States Seated Liberty coinage The Seated Liberty portrait designs appeared on most regular-issue silver United States coinage from 1836 through 1891. The denominations which featured the Goddess of Liberty in a Seated Liberty design included the half dime, the dime, the quarte ...

carved to show lady Liberty sitting on a chamber pot. *

Hobo nickel The hobo nickel is a sculptural art form involving the creative modification of small-denomination coins, essentially resulting in miniature bas reliefs. The US nickel coin was favored because of its size, thickness and relative softness. However, ...

s: Initially, hand-engraved Buffalo nickels mostly in the era 1913–38. Now, applied more generally to hand-engraved coins of different denominations. * Counterstamped/countermarked or

chopped Chopped can have the following meanings: * Chopped and screwed Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It ...

coins (done by merchants or governments) *Cut Coins: artistically carved creations made from genuine coins, both new and old, often for jewelry. *

Elongated coin An elongated coin (also known as a pressed penny or smashed penny) is one that has been flattened or stretched, and embossed with a new design. Such coins are often used as commemorative or souvenir tokens, and it is common to find coin elongati ...

s: Rolled out with advertising, commemorative, or souvenir designs on one side *Encased Coin: Generally in a ring with advertising * Colored or painted circulation or bullion issues *

Short snorter A short snorter is a banknote inscribed by people traveling together on an aircraft. The tradition was started by Alaskan bush flyers in the 1920s and spread through the military and commercial aviation. During World War II short snorters were s ...

: paper money signed by people sharing a common experience *

Coin slab Coin slab is a type of holder for a coin. Slabbed coins are typically from one of the coin grading companies. The practice of sending coins to third-party grading companies and then "slabbing" them began in 1986. When a grading company grades th ...

s: rare or sample slabs Geocoin at Spier's

''Play money / fantasy / counterfeit / art'' *

Play money Play money is noticeably fake bills or coins intended to be used as toy currency, especially for classroom instruction or as a marker in board games such as Monopoly, rather than currency in a legitimate exchange market. Play money coins and bil ...

* Fantasy issue or novelty money (e.g. Promotional fake United States currency, Prop money) *

Mardi Gras Doubloons Mardi Gras Doubloons are Mardi Gras throws shaped like coins that commemorate various Krewes, Mardi Gras Krewes. They are typically made of aluminum and are thrown from floats in carnival parades. The first doubloons used as throws from parades of ...

Counterfeit coins Coin counterfeiting of valuable antique coins is common; modern high-value coins are also counterfeited and circulated.evasion tokens * Money art ''Government services & non-national tools to facilitate commerce'' *

Jeton Jetons or jettons are tokens or coin-like medals produced across Europe from the 13th through the 18th centuries. They were produced as counters for use in calculation on a counting board, a lined board similar to an abacus. They also found use ...

s: Used as counters when verifying totals or weights of coins for commerce and exchange *

Telephone token Telephone tokens were token coins once widely used for making telephone calls from public telephones in place of ordinary coins. They were also sometimes used as a medium of exchange and as a collectible. Telephone tokens were once widely used in ...

s/ Gettoni * Local currency, e.g.

Ithaca Hours The Ithaca HOUR is a local currency formerly used in Ithaca, New York and was one of the longest-running local currency systems, though it is now no longer in circulation. It has inspired other similar systems in Madison, Wisconsin; Santa Barba ...

* Sales tax tokens: Issued by states and merchants * Dog license tags * Post office tags * Ration tokens, e.g. OPA tokens *

Food stamps In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...

* Slave tags: see

Slave codes The slave codes were laws relating to slavery and enslaved people, specifically regarding the Atlantic slave trade and chattel slavery in the Americas. Most slave codes were concerned with the rights and duties of free people in regards to ensla ...

''Transportation tokens'' * Ferries and watercraft * Buses * Subway * Trains * Trams/Trolleys ''Closed community / membership'' *

Communion token A communion token is a metal token issued to members of Reformed churches in order to provide them entrance to the Lord's Supper. There were many types issued in Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries, but they were largely superseded by communi ...

s: given to congregation members to permit them to participate in

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

) * Company scrip * Ingle Credit System script *

Lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC) * College Currency *

Challenge coin A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing an organization's insignia or emblem and carried by the organization's members. Traditionally, they might be given to prove membership when asked and to enhance morale. They are also coll ...

s * Fraternal ** Masonic ** Elks **

Moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

** Woodmen of the World *

Geocoins A geocoin is a metal or wooden token minted in similar fashion to a medallion, token coin, military challenge coin or wooden nickel, for use in geocaching, specifically as form of a calling card. Many of these are made to be trackable on various ...

used in geocaching *

Leper colony money Leper colony money was special money (scrip or vouchers) which circulated only in leper colonies (sanatoriums for people with leprosy) due to the fear that money could carry leprosy and infect other people. However, leprosy is not easily transmitt ...

* Military ** Military payment certificate **

Allied Military Currency Allied Military Currency ("AMC") was a form of currency issued by the Allied powers during World War II, to be issued to troops entering liberated or newly occupied countries, as a form of currency control. Background Historically, soldiers serv ...

Japanese invasion money Japanese invasion money, officially known as Southern Development Bank Notes ( ''Dai Tō-A Sensō gunpyō'', "Greater East Asia War military scrip"), was currency issued by the Japanese Military Authority, as a replacement for local currency afte ...

** canteen, mess hall, NCO club tokens * Plantation ** Picker tokens for crops * Prison and Correctional/Asylums *

Sobriety coin A sobriety coin is a Exonumia, token given to Alcoholics Anonymous or other twelve-step program members representing the amount of time the member has remained sober. It is traditionally a medallion the size of a poker chip, 34 mm (1.34 ...

''By material / shapes'' *

Wooden nickel In the United States, a wooden nickel is a wooden token coin, usually issued by a merchant or bank as a promotion, sometimes redeemable for a specific item such as a drink. Scrip and tokens have often been issued locally in times of severe econ ...

s * Cardboard or paper * Hard rubber or ebonite *

Bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...

, e.g. non-legal tender silver rounds ''Movements and ideals'' *

Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

* Anti-slavery * Religious (including temple tokens) * Political tokens, e.g. Bryan Money ''Of a personal nature – personals'' * Key tags (e.g. ''In case lost return to …'') * Badges ** Company ** Occupation * Hand-engraved or uniquely counterstamped coins, as pocket pieces * Watch fobs Loco pay cheque - GWR

''By issuer'' * Arcade/Amusement tokens * Apothecary tokens *

Bakery token A bakery token is a form of commercial token sold by and used in bakeries in the United States and postconfederation Canada primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century. The tokens, usually made of brass, copper or aluminum, were given in lie ...

* Beer * Pub/bar/saloon * Billiards/pool * Brothel tokens * Car wash tokens * Casino/Slot tokens/Casino chips * Cigar/smoke shops * Coat check *

Disney Dollars Disney Dollars is a form of corporate scrip previously sold by The Walt Disney Company and redeemable for goods or services at many Disney facilities. Similar in size and design to the paper currency of the United States, most bills bear the im ...

* Fisherman tokens * Milk/dairy * Parking tokens: for

meters The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

gates Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to: People * Gates (surname), various people with the last name * Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player * Gates McFadde ...

Pay toilet A pay toilet is a public toilet that requires the user to pay. It may be street furniture or be inside a building, e.g. a shopping mall, department store, or railway station. The reason for charging money is usually for the maintenance of the equ ...

tokens * Peep show * Railway cheque tokens ''Medals'' * Politicians, inventors and other notables, e.g.

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

World's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

s or other expositions * City or state anniversaries * So-called dollars: medals and souvenirs similar in size to a silver dollar commemorating American historical events such as world's fairs, anniversary celebrations, dedications, battles, public works projects, etc. ''Modern items'' under the exonumia umbrella include: *

Credit card A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...

s *

Gift card A gift card also known as gift certificate in North America, or gift voucher or gift token in the UK is a prepaid stored-value money card, usually issued by a retailer or bank, to be used as an alternative to cash for purchases within a parti ...

s *

Telephone card A telephone card, calling card or phonecard for short, is a credit card-size plastic or paper card, used to pay for telephone services (often international or long-distance calling). It is not necessary to have the physical card except with a st ...

s * Music cards

By region

China

There are many types of Chinese exonumia, including alternative currencies: *

Bamboo tally Bamboo tallies (Traditional Chinese: 錢籌; Simplified Chinese: 钱筹; Pinyin: ''qián chóu''), alternatively known as ''bamboo tokens'' or ''bamboo money'', were a type of alternative currency that was produced in Eastern China (primarily in t ...

Token Token may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Token, a game piece or counter, used in some games * The Tokens, a vocal music group * Tolkien Black, a recurring character on the animated television series ''South Park,'' formerly known as ...

and numismatic charms: *

Buddhist coin charm Buddhist coin charms are a category of Chinese numismatic charm, Chinese, Japanese numismatic charm, Japanese, Korean numismatic charm, Korean, and Vietnamese numismatic charms that depict Buddhism, Buddhist religious imagery or inscriptions. Thes ...

* Burial money * Confucian coin charm * Horse coin * Hell money *

Lei Ting curse charm Lei Ting curse charms (), or ''Lôi Đình curse charms'', are a type of Chinese and Vietnamese numismatic charms, these charms can be described as a talismanic coin as they are often based on Chinese cash coins but can also have round holes inst ...

* Marriage coin charm *

Open-work charm Open-work charms () are a type of Chinese numismatic charm, Chinese, Japanese numismatic charm, Japanese, Korean numismatic charm, Korean, and Vietnamese numismatic charms characterised by irregularly shaped "holes" or "openings" between their de ...

Vault protector coin Vault Protector coins () were a type of Chinese numismatic charm coins created by Chinese mints. These coins were significantly larger, heavier and thicker than regular cash coins and were well-made as they were designed to occupy a special place ...

Taoist coin charm Taoist coin charms (), or ''Daoist coin charms'' are a family of categories of Chinese and Vietnamese numismatic charms that incorporate elements of the Taoist religion. Taoist coin charms come in various shapes, sizes, and formats and can con ...

Zhengde Tongbao The Zhengde Tongbao (; Vietnamese: Chính Đức Thông Bảo / Chánh Đức Thông Bảo) is a fantasy cash coin, Chinese, and Vietnamese numismatic charm bearing an inscription based on the reign title of the Zhengde Emperor of the Ming dynast ...

Germany

Notgeld, primarily in the form of paper

banknote A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes w ...

s, was issued in Germany and Austria during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

by towns, banks and other institutions due to a shortage of money.

Latin America

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n coffee or plantation tokens were an important part of commerce. Many plantation owners had their own commissaries and workers used plantation tokens to pay for provisions. Many tokens were made in the United States or Europe. Plantation tokens had an array of denominations and names. The name can be the owner, their relatives or the name of the farm (or finca). Tokens had allegorical symbols to identify the owner. Tokens were used as currency when there was not enough official currency available. Workers could convert the tokens to official currency on Saturdays. Tokens were made in all types of base metals and alloys plus plastic, celluloid and

bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

. Unique to Costa Rica were tokens made of paper (

paper chit A voucher is a bond of the redeemable transaction type which is worth a certain money, monetary value and which may be spent only for specific reasons or on specific goods. Examples include house, housing, travel, and food vouchers. The term vouc ...

s). The word "boleto" is used in Costa Rica for the word token whereas "ficha" is used in the rest of Latin America.

United Kingdom

Conder tokens were privately minted tokens from the later part of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

United States

Rulau breaks down American tokens into these general time periods: * Early American *

Hard times token Hard-times tokens are American large or half cent-sized copper tokens, struck from about 1833 through 1843, serving as unofficial currency. These privately made pieces, comprising merchant, political and satirical pieces, were used during a ti ...

s were made during the " hard times" after

President Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

shut down the Second Bank of the United States. These tokens were issued privately to circulate in the local economy as a one cent coin. They had a wide variety of subject matter, including advertising and political/satirical themes (anti-slavery, anti-Jackson). * Civil War tokens were made between 1861 and 1864 due to the scarcity of government-issued cents during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Encased postage stamps were also used for this purpose. * Merchant (including modern gas tokens, ex: Shell tokens) * Trade tokens *

Gay 90s The Gay Nineties is an American nostalgic term and a periodization of the history of the United States referring to the decade of the 1890s. It is known in the United Kingdom as the Naughty Nineties, and refers there to the decade of supposedly d ...

References

External links

Token And Medal Society

Civil War Token SocietyRichard's Token Database
Searchable database for Good For's and other items {{Chinese exonumia