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Exonumia is the study of coin-like objects such as token coins and medals, and other items used in place of legal currency or for commemoration. This includes elongated coins, encased coins, souvenir medallions, tags, badges, counterstamped coins, wooden nickels and other similar items. It is related to numismatics proper (concerned with coins which have been legal tender), and many coin collectors 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 cards and similar paper. These can also be considered notaphily or scripophily.
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Etymology
The noun exonumia is derived from two classical roots: exo, meaning "out-of" in Greek, and nummus, meaning "coin" in Latin; thus, "out[side]-of-[the category]coins". Usually, the term "exonumia" is applied to these objects in the United States, while the equivalent British term is paranumismatica.
The words exonumist and exonumia were coined in July 1960 by Russell Rulau, a recognized authority and author on the subject, and accepted by Webster's dictionary in 1965.
Forms of exonumia
Chronologically, in the United States exonumia items were used as currency when actual money was not easily available in the economy. Tokens were used both to advertise and facilitate commerce.
Token authority, Russell Rulau, kept a broad definition for exonumia, and lines between categories can be fuzzy. For example, an advertising token may appear as a medal. Good For tokens may also advertise Counterstamped items have been called “little billboards.” Strictly, exonumia is anything not a governmental issue coin. This could almost mean anything.
Para-numismatica, or alongside currency, appears more limiting, hinting that tokens may have some sort of “value” or monetary usage. One definition of Para-numismatica is anything coin like but not a coin. In America this is not the accepted usage. Rulau's tome, American tokens 1700-1900. This includes many tokens not associated with any monetary value. While he included many items, many types of exonumia was not included just so the book would not get too big.
The following groupings of categories are continually expanding. One way of parsing tokens is into these three categories. Generally, but not exclusively tokens fall into at least one of these three categories;
- had a ‘value,’ facilitating commerce.
- It could be a commemoration, remembrance, dedications, or the like, for some person place ideal or event, or
- were of a personal nature.
However, 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 there were some tokens that legally circulated alongside or instead of currency up until 1864. Hard Times tokens and civil war tokens each were the size of the contemporary cent. Afterwards, value based items, such as Good For …, Good For (amount of money), Good For one quart of Milk, Good For one beer, and Good For one ride… were specifically linked to commerce of the store of issue.
For clarity, Exonumia is NOT the study of coin like objects. Exonumia are the actual numismatic items, (other than coins or paper money) which are studied or collected.
Numismatica = Coins and Exonumia, (Numismaticist)
Exonumia = Tokens, Medals, Notaphily, Scripophily, and Gift Cards, Et cetera (Exonumist)
Notaphily has a fairly clear meaning (paper money).
Scripophily as well has a clear meaning (Stock certificates). (Scriptophilists)
Medals have a clear distinction from tokens in that they do not have a monetary value on the item. (Medalists)
Exonumists are attentive to not only the history behind the items but the shapes, and what types of items they are.
Exonumia that are studied and collected
The following categories of are typical types that are studied and collected. This is not all inclusive but is a sampling of the wide variety of Exonumia and Tokens studied.
- Tokens
Modified /Augmented:
- Love Token
- Hobo nickels Indian Head/Buffalo nickel; (Usually "buffalo nickels" engraved crudely by hand mostly in that era (1913-38))
- Carved Potty tokens
- Counter stamp / countermarked (not marked by government)
- Elongated coins'
- Encased Coin
- Encased Postage - Generally, this was actual currency –or postage- that had a modification to it so its previous use in the economy is removed or refocused
Play-Game money / Arcade Amusement / Novelty
- Arcade tokens
- Amusement
- Game Counter
- Play money
- Novelty money
- Peep Show / Bordello
- Casino / Slot tokens See Casino token
- Casino Chips
- Geocaching: Geocoins www.geocaching.com
Government Services & Non-National tools to Facilitate Commerce
- Jetton Metal tokens were used as weights to verify the actual weight of currency for commerce and exchange. http://www.cunninghamexonumia.com/british.htm
- Evasion tokens: Tax evasion tokens in the United States were made to look like actual currency. They were of lesser value because they had a lesser weight
- State Tax Tokens
- Parking Tokens
- Dog License Tags
- Post office Tags
- Food Stamps
- Ingle Credit System
Transportation
- Ferries and watercraft
- Buses
- Trains
- Trolleys
Closed Community / Membership
- Company Store
- Lumber
- Mining
- Plantation
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
- Prison
- College Currency
- Military Challenge
- Military Store and Entertainment
- Prison and Correctional/Asylums
- Fraternal
- Masonic
- Elks
- Moose
- Eagles
- Woodmen of the World
- KKK
- Communion Tokens (Communion Tokens were given to members in good standing to permit them to participate in Holy Communion.)
Unique material / shapes
- Wooden nickels
- Card board
- Mirrors
Movements and ideals
- Temperance
- Anti-Slavery
- Religious
- Worlds Fair
- Locations
- Great Lakes
- City Anniversary
Of a Personal nature
- Galvanic magnetic quark medical batteries
- Key tags (e.g. In case lost return to …)
- Badges
- Company
- Occupation
- Watch Fobs
- Slave Tags
- Picker tokens for crops
- Lumber tags
Some exonumists also emphasize study and collect certain comedies or people
- Milk
- Beer
- Pub/Bar/Saloon
- Billiards
- Smoke Shops
- Restroom tokens for individual toilet use
- Doctors
- Automobiles
- George Washington medals
- Mayors, Governors, various Politicians
New items that fall under the exonumia umbrella include;
- Credit cards
- Gift cards: Gift cards have been replacing the giving of cash for events.
- Telephone cards
- Music cards
Rulau 1700-1900 historically breaks down American tokens into these general time periods.
- Early American
- Hard times tokens were made during the hard times after Pres Andrew Jackson shut down the second bank. * These also were issued privately to circulate in the local economy. They had a wide variety of subject matter, anti-slavery, anti-Jackson
- Merchant
- Civil War
- Trade Tokens
- Gay 90’s
Even though the following are legitimate categories for exonumia, they are not included in the 1700-1900 reference.
- Amusement Tokens
- Military
- Prison
- Telephone tokens
- Certain political Campaign tokens
- Certain Transportation Tokens
- Medals 33mm and larger
- And others
Typical ways exonumists may collect these items are by region, topic, type, shape or material. These different collecting preferences may change the ways tokens are documented. (One could have a guide based on items in a particular state, but they could also be documented as amusement tokens)
The general distinction between tokens from Medals is that medals (both privately minted and minted by governments,) are primarily not associated with an actual amount or 'value' but rather are a Commeration of people, ideals, or perhaps places.
Various organizations have like TAMS (Token And Medal Society) http://www.tokenandmedal.org/ or
MichTAMS (Michigan Token And Medal Society) aid in the education of tokens and medals.
Another helpful site is www.exonumia.com
Other forms in Latin America
Another important area of token collecting is Latin American coffee or plantation tokens. Many but not all of these tokens were made in the United States while others were made in Europe and England. These tokens are circulated in more than one language although Spanish is the prevalent one. Plantation tokens can have an array of denominations and names. The name can be the owner or their relatives. Sometimes the token can have the name of the farm (or finca). Lastly, tokens had allegorical symbols to identify the owner. Very little documentation exists since the inception of Latin American tokens, therefore, many tokens cannot be verified as to who the real owner is or what the symbol or symbols meant.
Tokens in Latin America were used as currency since there was not enough official currency available. Customarily, workers could convert the tokens to official currency on Saturdays. It is widely understood that many plantation owners in Latin America had their own commissaries, therefore, the workers were able to use the farm owners tokens to pay for provisions. It is important to note that in the 19th century many of the plantation workers and families lived in the farm they worked on.
Latin American tokens were made in all types of base metals and alloys plus plastic, celluloid and bakelite. Unique to Costa Rica were tokens made in paper fashion, either uniface or printed on both sides. Many people call these paper chits. The word "Boleto" is used solely in Costa Rica for the word token whereas "ficha" is used in the rest of Latin America.
