Fire Fighter 43
Moderator
Anyone have any idea what this might be. It is made of brass & .88 inches in Diameter.
Medal/token?
- Thread starter Fire Fighter 43
- Start date
Full Metal Digger
Active member
I think it's a stylized quarter eagle pendant. Probably was gold plated originally.
Timewarpdigger
New member
Not sure what it may be, but interesting find. Congrats. Safe & HH
Fire Fighter 43
Moderator
del
Administrator
if thats the case Jeff it could have been a pocket watch fob
Fire Fighter 43
Moderator
I decide to email Mark Parker at Western and Eastern Treasure Magazine and was surprised to get such a quick response from him.
Basically what I found is a casino chip called a Radiant American Eagle Gaming Counter. Here is a photo I found and the response from Mark at W&E.
"Your find is a "Radiant Eagle" game counter, and over 20 varieties have been reported. Some are as small as a dime; others, a little larger than a silver dollar. Denominations include 2-1/2 ( or 250), 5, 10, 20, 50, and 1.00. They exist in brass, gilt brass, silver-gilt brass, gilt pewter, and aluminum. Some are coin-like; some have watch-stem loops, like yours. They're called "game counters" because they were used in much the same manner as poker chips or play money. When they first appeared is anybody's guess— I'd guess late 1800's — but at least the aluminum ones can't be much over 100 years old. Value? If undamaged, $15-25 or more, depending on size, denomination, composition, and of course condition and collector interest."
This is a link to a site with some more information about the gaming counters.
http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n17a12.html
An interesting paragraph from the link above.
"These counters were issued to a casino. The variations were patterns and some were trial pieces. These are not common and are quite valuable. The watch stems were a gimmick to entice men to buy a piece and never use it, thus a profit to the establishment. All were destroyed when the casino changed counters, but a few survived."
Basically what I found is a casino chip called a Radiant American Eagle Gaming Counter. Here is a photo I found and the response from Mark at W&E.
"Your find is a "Radiant Eagle" game counter, and over 20 varieties have been reported. Some are as small as a dime; others, a little larger than a silver dollar. Denominations include 2-1/2 ( or 250), 5, 10, 20, 50, and 1.00. They exist in brass, gilt brass, silver-gilt brass, gilt pewter, and aluminum. Some are coin-like; some have watch-stem loops, like yours. They're called "game counters" because they were used in much the same manner as poker chips or play money. When they first appeared is anybody's guess— I'd guess late 1800's — but at least the aluminum ones can't be much over 100 years old. Value? If undamaged, $15-25 or more, depending on size, denomination, composition, and of course condition and collector interest."
This is a link to a site with some more information about the gaming counters.
http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n17a12.html
An interesting paragraph from the link above.
"These counters were issued to a casino. The variations were patterns and some were trial pieces. These are not common and are quite valuable. The watch stems were a gimmick to entice men to buy a piece and never use it, thus a profit to the establishment. All were destroyed when the casino changed counters, but a few survived."
Fire Fighter 43
Moderator
HEAVYMETALNUT
New member
how cool! and pretty rare too
Digger Don
New member
That really is a nice find. Very cool. Congrats
Bluewater103
New member
Super cool find i found one similar to yours over here in Northern Cal, Not alot of info on these tokens mine says 100 on the face