Saturday, November 22, 2008

USA, Tokens for Bus Rides


Here are four nickel tokens once meant for bus rides on Gibson Lines and Mobile City Lines.

Nowadays I wonder this kind of novelty idea of using tokens for bus rides is still relevant.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Canada, Tokens of Toronto Transit Commission


In the 1980s, commuters used tiny aluminium-alloyed tokens to ride the Toronto Transit.

Tiny tokens like these were cheap to produce but easy to misplace. If they were misplaced or lost and never to be found, I guess the Toronto Transit would consider that as service rendered and money paid for nothing.

I don't have any idea as to how long this kind of tokens had been used by commuters and how many of these tokens had been lost and never been found.

Nowadays I wonder this kind of novelty idea of using tokens for train rides is still relevant.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Italy, Telephone Tokens


In the mid-1980s, public telephones in Rome, Italy required brass tokens for calling.

Nowadays many people around the world carry cellphones around, and I wonder this kind of novelty idea of using tokens to make telephone calls is still relevant.

I guess these tokens are history and good mementos now.

USA, Philadelphia Mint Token


In the late 1980s, I'd received this 1987 mint set of coins from a friend living in the USA.

Until today, I am still trying to figure out the reason as to why the US Philadelphia Mint had packed a large token dated August 14, 1969 inside this pack of coins.

Monday, November 17, 2008

China, 1990 XI Asian Games Token


It's great to have a friendly seller, previously from Yahoo! Auctions Singapore, who was generous to give me this wonderful piece of bronze token commemorating the 1990 XI Asian Games held in Beijing, China.

The reverse of this token has a marvelous image of a galloping horse, 1990 being the Year of the Horse.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

China, (ND) Peking Hotel Token


It's great to have a friendly seller, previously from Yahoo! Auctions Singapore, who was generous to give me this large crown-size brass token.

This token was a souvenir from a hotel in Peking, China and its reverse has an impressive dragon-phoenix motif.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

China, 1987 Jinling Hotel Token


In 1987 (Year of the Rabbit), a relative had given me a copper token (sealed inside an acrylic capsule) after a visit to China.

It was wonderful to receive a nice souvenir from China at that time.
Some three years ago, a nice seller at Yahoo! Auctions Singapore had given me a similar token that he didn't want to keep in his collection any longer.

I am wondering whether all those visitors from Singapore might have somehow stayed in Jinling Hotel at that time, and this hotel had minted hundreds if not thousands of such tokens and given them to all its hotel guests.

Monday, June 23, 2008

2004 Calendar Card and Token


This is a calendar card with an encased copper token.

This interesting item was given to me sometime last year by a good friend who'd found it tucked inside a second-hand used book.

This item has Chinese characters and Russian alphabets, and I guess it might be made in China and sold in Russia.

It's a wonder that this nice souvenir has landed in Singapore.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Western Australia, Souvenir Coins or Tokens


Two Copper-alloyed Tokens.

1983 Perth Souvenir Coin and 1984 Kalgoorlie Goldfields Souvenir Coin.
Some three years ago, I'd traded an old piece of papermoney for these two large crown-size copper tokens with a fellow seller at Yahoo! Auctions Singapore.

These two pieces are actually medallions or tokens and not coins 'coz they're minted privately and do not have any face value.

Sold in March 2014.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

China, 2008 Medallion for Football Events XXIX Olympiad


Beijing 2008 Official Licensed Product, No. 101151.
Commemorative Medallion for Football Events of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

This is an official commemorative gold-plated copper medallion of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, produced by Beijing Fanrong Culture Development Co. Ltd., and presented in a solid silk/velvet leather-like box.

This proof medallion of diameter 60mm is enclosed inside an acrylic capsule and has a Collection Certificate #07053 for authenticity.

It's great to have a relative who has come back recently from working in China and presented me with this superb commemorative medallion.