View source for Exonumia

{{short description|Numismatic items other than coins and paper money}}
[[File:Exonumia.jpg|thumb|Assorted exonumia, including a [[poker chip]] and an [[elongated coin]]]]
{{Numismatics}}

'''Exonumia''' are [[Numismatics|numismatic]] items (such as [[Token coin|tokens]], [[medal]]s, or [[scrip]]) other than coins and paper money.<ref name=":0" /> This includes "Good For" tokens, badges, counterstamped coins, [[elongated coin]]s, encased coins, souvenir medallions, tags, [[wooden nickel]]s and other similar items.  It is an aspect of [[numismatics]] and many [[coin collector]]s are also exonumists.<ref name=":1">{{Citation |last=David Lisot Video Library |title=Ways to Collect Exonumia |date=2014-01-01 |url=http://archive.org/details/FUN14022WaystoCollectExonumia |access-date=2025-11-26}}</ref>

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]]s and similar paper.<ref name=":1" /> These can also be considered [[notaphily]] or [[scripophily]].

==Etymology==
The noun ''exonumia'' is derived from two classical roots: ''exo'', meaning "out-of" in [[Greek language|Greek]], and ''[[nummus]]'', meaning "coin" in [[Latin]] (from Greek νοῦμμος – ''noummos'', "coin"); thus, "out[side]-of-[the category]coins".<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Exonumia |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exonumia |website=merriam-webster.com |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> The equivalent [[British English|British]] term, '''[[wiktionary:paranumismatica|paranumismatica]]''', may also be used.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Edge |first1=Brian |title=PARANUMISMATICA DEFINED |url=https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v06n03a14.html |website=coinbooks.org |publisher=The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS) |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref>

The words ''exonumist'' and ''exonumia'' were coined in July 1960 by [[Russell Rulau]],<ref>{{cite web |title=TAMS Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://tokenandmedal.org/FAQ/FAQ.html |website=tokenandmedal.org |publisher=Token and Medal Society (TAMS) |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> a recognized authority and author on the subject, and accepted by [[Webster's dictionary]] in 1965.

==Token coins==
{{Main|Token coin}}
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 [[Russell Rulau]] offers a broad definition for exonumia in his 1040 page tome, ''United States Tokens: 1700–1900'' <ref name="Rulau">{{cite book |last=Rulau |first1=Russell |authorlink=Russell Rulau |title=Standard Catalog United States Tokens 1700-1900}}</ref> 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 token|Hard Times Tokens]] and [[Civil War token|Civil War tokens]] 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.<ref name="Rulau" />

==Medals==
{{Main|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.<ref name=":1" />

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, on one or both sides, or deliberately bent.  Some were made by convicts prior to deportation.<ref name="Convictlovetoken">{{cite news |last=King |first=Christina |url=https://www.rahs.org.au/convict-love-tokens/ |title=Convict Love Tokens |work=Royal Australian Historical Society |date=2019-06-06 |access-date=2025-02-15 }}</ref> When bent, the coin indicated the taking of a vow.<ref name="Coin News98">Coin News. Pub. Token. {{ISSN|0958-1391}}. July 1998. p. 29.</ref>
*Carved Potty coins: usually [[United States Seated Liberty coinage]] carved to show lady Liberty sitting on a chamber pot.
*[[Hobo nickel]]s: Initially, hand-engraved [[Buffalo nickel]]s mostly in the era 1913–38.  Now, applied more generally to hand-engraved coins of different denominations.
*[[Countermark|Counterstamped/countermarked]] or [[Chop marks on coins|chopped]] coins (done by merchants or governments)
*Cut Coins: artistically carved creations made from genuine coins, both new and old, often for jewelry (e.g. [[trade-dollar locket]]).
*[[Elongated coin]]s: Rolled out with advertising, commemorative, or souvenir designs on one side
*Encased Coin: Generally in a ring with advertising
*Painted or enamelled coins<ref>{{Cite web| last = admin| title = A Short History of Enamelled Coins| work = World Collectors Net| access-date = 2025-09-25| date = 1999-05-17| url = https://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/articles/short-history-enamelled-coins/}}</ref>
*[[Short snorter]]: paper money signed by people sharing a common experience
*[[Coin slab]]s: rare or sample slabs<ref name="sampleslab">{{cite web |url=https://readingroom.money.org/collecting-sample-slabs/ |title=Collecting Sample Slabs |last=Hoard |first=Kellen |work=The Reading Room |publisher=[[American Numismatic Association]] |date=2024-02-08 |accessdate=2024-05-18 }}</ref>
[[File:Geocoin at Spier's.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A Smokey Bear Geocoin]]

''Play money / fantasy / counterfeit / art''
*[[Play money]] or game counters (e.g. imitation guineas, whist tokens)
*[[Fantasy issue]] or novelty money (e.g. [[Promotional fake United States currency]], [[Prop#Money|Prop money]])
*[[Mardi Gras Doubloons]]
*[[Coin_counterfeiting#Collectible_counterfeit_coins|Counterfeit coins]] including [[Evasion (numismatics)|evasion tokens]] (e.g. [[Blacksmith token]]s)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thecoppercorner.com/history/evasions_hist.html | title = 18th Century "EVASION" TOKENS | last = McKivor | first = Bill | website = The Copper Corner | access-date = 2017-01-30 | quote = "The laws were written to cover Regal coinage. If a coin was made that was not an EXACT COPY of the Regal coin, it was considered to be a token, and the law did not apply. Thus, the counterfeiters simply switched from making counterfeit coins to making "Evasion" token coinage that looked somewhat like the regal coin." |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204045826/http://www.thecoppercorner.com/history/evasions_hist.html |archivedate=2022-02-04}}</ref>
*[[Counterfeit_money#Money_art|Money art]]

''Government services & non-national tools to facilitate commerce''
* [[Jeton]]s: Used as counters when verifying totals or weights of coins for commerce and exchange
* [[United States postal notes|Postal notes]]
* [[Telephone token]]s/[[Gettone|Gettoni]]
* [[Local currency]], e.g. [[Ithaca Hours]]
* [[Sales tax tokens]]: Issued by states and merchants
* Ration tokens, e.g. [[Office_of_Price_Administration#OPA_points|OPA tokens]]
* [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program|Food stamps]]

''Transportation tokens''
* [[Ferries]] and watercraft
* [[Buses]]
* [[Subway (rail)|Subway]]
* [[Trains]]
* [[Trams]]/[[Trolleybus|Trolleys]]

''Closed community / membership''
* [[Communion token]]s: given to congregation members to permit them to participate in [[Holy Communion]]
* [[Company scrip]]
** Bingle tokens<ref>{{Cite web| last = Johnson| first = Kele| title = Bingles are the Frontier Tokens with Big Numismatic Appeal| work = Numismatic News| access-date = 2025-07-13| date = 2025-07-10| url = https://www.numismaticnews.net/bingles-are-the-frontier-tokens-with-big-numismatic-appeal}}</ref>
** [[Company scrip#Lumber company scrip|Lumber]]
** [[Company scrip#Coal company scrip|Mining]]
* Ingle Credit System script
* [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC)
* College Currency
* [[Challenge coin]]s
* Fraternal
** [[Freemasonry|Masonic]]
** [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks]]
** [[Loyal Order of Moose|Moose]]
** [[Woodmen of the World]]
* [[Geocoins]] used in geocaching
* Ghetto currency, e.g. [[Łódź Ghetto mark]]

* [[Leper colony money]]
* Military
** [[Military payment certificate]]
** [[Allied Military Currency]]
** [[Japanese invasion money]]
** canteen, mess hall, NCO club tokens
* Plantation
** Picker tokens for crops
* Prison and Correctional/Asylums
* [[Sobriety coin]]
[[File:South Leith communion token obverse.jpg|thumb|right|175px|[[Obverse and reverse|Obverse]] of a communion token from [[South Leith Parish Church]]]]

''By material / shapes''
* [[Wooden nickel]]s
* [[Cardboard]] or [[paper]]
* [[Hard rubber]] or [[ebonite]]
* [[Porcelain money]]
* [[Bullion]], e.g. non-legal tender [[Silver_coin#Silver_rounds|silver rounds]] 

''Movements and ideals''
* [[Temperance movement|Temperance]]
* [[Abolitionism|Anti-slavery]], e.g. [[Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion]]
* Religious, e.g. [[Indian temple tokens]], [[devotional medal]]s, [[Las arras|wedding tokens]]
* Political tokens, e.g. [[Bryan Money]]

''Of a personal nature – personals''
* Dog license tags
* Key tags (e.g. ''In case lost return to …'')
* Badges
** Company
** Occupation
* Post office tags
* Slave tags: see [[Slave codes]]
* [[Watch fob]]s
[[File:Loco pay cheque - GWR.JPG|thumb|200px|A Great Western [[Railway pay cheque]]]]

''By issuer''
*[[Game arcade|Arcade/Amusement]] tokens
* Apothecary tokens
* [[Bakery token]]
* [[Beer]]
* [[Pub token|Pub/bar/saloon]]
* Billiards/pool
* [[Brothel]] tokens
* [[Car wash]] tokens
*[[Casino chip collecting|Casino/Slot tokens/Casino chips]]
* Cigar/smoke shops
* Coat check
* [[Disney Dollars]]
* Fisherman tokens
* Milk/dairy
* Parking tokens: for [[Parking meter|meters]] or [[Parking garage|gates]]
* [[Pay toilet]] tokens
* [[Peep show]]
* [[Railway pay cheque|Railway cheque tokens]]

''Medals''
* Politicians, inventors and other notables, e.g. [[George Washington]]
* [[World's fair]]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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Quick Introduction to So-Called Dollars|url=
https://www.socalleddollar.com/quickintro.html|website=So-called Dollars|access-date=9 September 2023}}</ref>

''Modern items'' under the exonumia umbrella include:
* [[Credit card]]s
* [[Gift card]]s
* [[Telephone card]]s
* Music cards

===By region===
==== China====
There are many types of Chinese exonumia, including alternative currencies:
* [[Bamboo tally]]
* [[Chinese token (alternative currency)|Token]]

and [[Chinese numismatic charm|numismatic charms]]:
* [[Buddhist coin charm]] 
* [[Chinese burial money|Burial money]] 
* [[Confucian coin charm]] 
* [[Horse coin]]
* [[Hell money]]
* [[Lei Ting curse charm]]
* [[Marriage coin charm]] 
* [[Open-work charm]] 
* [[Vault protector coin]] 
* [[Taoist coin charm]] 
* [[Zhengde Tongbao]]

==== Germany ====
[[Notgeld]], primarily in the form of paper [[banknote]]s, was issued in Germany and Austria during [[World War I]] and the [[interwar period]] by towns, banks and other institutions due to a shortage of money.  

==== Latin America====
[[Latin America]]n coffee or plantation tokens were an important part of commerce.<ref name="Rulau-LA">{{cite book |last=Rulau |first1=Russell |authorlink=Russell Rulau |title=Latin American Tokens: An Illustrated, Priced Catalog of the Unofficial Coinage of Latin America—Used in Plantation, Mine, Mill, and Dock—From 1700 to the 20th Century}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Rulau-LA" />

Tokens were made in all types of base metals and alloys plus plastic, celluloid and [[bakelite]]. Unique to Costa Rica were tokens made of paper ([[paper chit]]s). The word "boleto" is used in Costa Rica for the word token whereas "ficha" is used in the rest of Latin America.<ref name="Rulau-LA" />

====United Kingdom====
[[Conder token]]s were privately minted [[Token coin|tokens]] from the later part of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century in [[England]], [[Anglesey]] and [[Wales]], [[Scotland]], and [[Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conder Token Collectors Club – Official site for Conder (British/Irish 18th Century) Token Collectors |url=https://ctcc.info/ |access-date=2025-11-26 |language=en-US}}</ref>

====United States====
[[Image:BIGBUFF.jpg|right|thumb|Copper trade token of Durfee & Peck, Indian traders on Missouri River in various locations, circa 1869]]
Rulau<ref name="Rulau"/> breaks down American tokens into these general time periods:
* Early American
* [[Hard times token]]s were made during the "[[Panic of 1837|hard times]]" after [[Andrew Jackson|President Andrew Jackson]] shut down the [[Second Bank of the United States]]. These tokens were issued privately to circulate in the local economy as a [[U.S. cent|one cent]] coin. They had a wide variety of subject matter, including advertising and political/satirical themes (anti-slavery, anti-Jackson).
* [[Civil War token]]s were made between 1861 and 1864 due to the scarcity of government-issued cents during the [[American Civil War]]. [[Encased postage stamp]]s were also used for this purpose.
* Merchant (including modern gas tokens, ex: Shell tokens)

* Trade tokens
* [[Gay 90s]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Numismatics}}
* [[Coin]]
* [[Currency]]
* [[Numismatics]]
* [[Token coins]]
* [[Scrip]]
* [[Paraphilately]]
* [[Phaleristics]]

==References==
<references />

==Further reading==
* [http://www.chicagocoinclub.org/projects/PiN/cut.html Collecting U.S. Tokens: Challenges and Rewards, R. Leonard, Chicago Coin Club]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070905143355/http://members.fortunecity.com/tokenguy/tokentales/ Trade Token Tales], an educational website on trade tokens
* [http://www.plantagegeld.nl/ PlantageGeld], Plantation tokens, mainly Netherlands East Indies, British North Borneo and Ceylon (in Dutch)

==External links==
{{Commons category|Exonumia collections}}
* [http://www.tokenandmedal.org/ Token And Medal Society]
* [http://www.cwtsociety.com/ Civil War Token Society]
*[http://tokencatalog.com/ Richard's Token Database] Searchable database for Good For's and other items

{{Coin collecting}}
{{Chinese exonumia}}

[[Category:Exonumia| ]]