I found this coin the other day and have been unable to identify it with the Googles.
I think it might be a token from some sort of German Showbiz Pizza place with animatronic bears wearing lederhosen scaring the shit out of generations of European toddlers (thanks mom and dad!).
Why does is seem to say “Unicorn Pharmacy” on one side and if that’s true I kind of want to go there. Maybe.
It’s thicker than a US nickel and pretty heavy too.
Any clues?
A Thaler or Taler is an old European currency (and it’s a frequent crossword answer).
Mulheim is a city in Germany. Your coin looks like some kind of token… I don’t think it is a genuine thaler.
Well, my German is non-existant, but it seems to be a pharmacy loyalty card token:
http://www.einhorn-apotheke.de/service/heinertaler.html
Similar to our “extra bucks”…
And these folks are selling pharmacies on the idea:
http://www.mak.de/apotheken-bonustaler-konzept.html
Thanks Snowcarpet. I guess I’ll toss it back in the street to confuse someone else.
How it ended up in Chicago I’ll never know.
Before you do that, I suggest you check with a coin or token collector. It could be worth something.
Tokens were often handed out as merchandising gimmicks, at least in the US. They might be good for one free beer or a discount on a product or at a store. They are collected just like coins, and some are worth much more than the original value, as they weren’t saved very often.
I don’t know where to send you, so google might be a first start. About 15 years ago, pre-google, a friend found a token in the park from a local bar ca. 1930, and I learned a little bit about this during our research.
Given how new that one is, throw it back in the street.
Well then! How about putting it aside for 50 years? Maybe your grandkids can go to college on it?
That seems probable.
