I didn't have room for all of the "credit pieces" that Chuck Jennings provided for our recent interview on credit card collection, so I'm featuring one of his rare credit coins today.
Chuck calls the credit objects
he collects "pieces" for good reason: as you can see, not all old credit was made of plastic. Charge coins
are believed to have first been issued after the Civil War, according to Jennings, who is a board member of the American Credit Collectors Society. The earliest were made of celluloid, later ones, like the one feared here, were made of metal, which is when they became known as charge coins. The coins came in various shapes and sizes, and were issued mainly be department stores.
Some old credit coins can be worth hundreds of dollars today.
I have an Insurance Credit System coin from Dayton, Ohio with a $1.00 value marked on it. It's a softer metal material slightly larger than a 50 cent piece and about a 1/16th inch thick. It was found inbetween a floor board and a floor joyce at the home i've been remodeling. I'm wondering if you are able to provide me with any more info on it. Thanks!
-Ryan Flowers
Posted by: Ryan Flowers | July 14, 2011 at 05:15 PM