What is next for collectors of coins & tokens... #17.
23 Aug '25: Greetings to all coin & token collectors, where-ever you might be. Heron has received another 5 tokens for his 'Islands' segment. (Atencion: any coins & tokens mentioned in this report ARE NOT FOR SALE). This batch of coins & tokens brings the Islands issues to 225:
South Padre Island, Texas. Souvenir token.
Seal Rock Island, off coast of San Francisco City. Souvenir token.
Miller's Island, Maryland. Saloon 'good for' token.
Prairie Island, Minnesota. Casino token.
Aland Islands, Finland. Casino token.
Some of these casino tokens are very nice. Made with colorful plastics. The Casino Token hobby is a very large collecting segment. And many casinos are located on Islands...! Collecting Island items just for fun...! Good for a lifetime.
*smedley*
·11 months agohopefully the donut tasted better soaked with coffee...
elheron-grande
OP11 months agoHola Mr. Smedley...! Heron cannot remember any taste of donut after dunking in hot coffee. So, probably could not taste any 'bad' taste. And the coffee was very strong tasting coffee. Yep, and Heron also made another trip to Greenport L.I. about a month later. (The young Heron had several Snickers Bars in pockets of P- Coat. Drank the coffee and dunked Snickers Bar. That turned out to be a great tasting snack_). And set Heron on a lifetime of using Snickers Bars as 'emergency rations'.
*smedley*
·11 months ago15 years later, candy bars TRIPLED in price...
inflation was bad in the 70's...
elheron-grande
OP11 months agoHola Mr. Smedley...! Yep, inflation was rampant during the 1970s. The most recent price Heron paid for a candy bar was about $2.50. That was several years ago. Heron does not eat sugary foods now-a-days. (However, the memory of Hershey's chocolatey lingers on)
roccotacodad54
·11 months agoThat's a cool hobby you have elheron-grande.
At one time I collected drink coasters from all over the world. Friends and relatives would bring them back from vacations abroad etc.. Some sent from visitors to the US when they returned home as thanks for free drinks and food I provided them at no cost to me. Them asking if I'd like something from their homeland. Some of them were beautiful.
I stopped some time ago and will have to look for them when I think of it as I've forgotten about them since leaving that vocation.
T-shirts and hats from concerts and events never worn as well. Boxes of them somewhere.......LOL.
elheron-grande
OP11 months agoHola Roccotacodad...! Yes, the Alt Heron has seen some really nice 'drinks' coasters.
Especially coasters seen from 1960 to 1998. (During the years that Heron was in the USCG active duty, he visited the Waldorf Astoria adult beverage room. The bar was beautiful dark mahogany. The coasters were high class, for sure. Heron was in uniform and asked for a beer. The bar-man said "Beer is $3.00 per bottle". Heron said WHAAAT? A businessman sitting at the bar told the bar-man to put the beer on his account. I drank the cold beer and thanked the businessman for the beer. I told the businessman that the adult places Heron usually could be found had 12 oz bottles of cold beer for 33 Cents each. The guy chuckled and said he remembered his time in the Armee. Yep, that W/A Hotel was surely top of the line. Heron never returned.
*smedley*
·11 months agowith those prices it's no surprise... at that time i'm sure 3 bucks was a not-insignificant percentage of your take-home...
elheron-grande
OP11 months agoHola Mr. Smedley...! Yes, $3 in 1958 was a fair amount of money. A $1 note would also buy 4 eight oz bottles of Rolling Rock. And 20 full size candy bars. In addition, on the good ship Spencer, we Radiomen would stand a watch day for $2. So, although not a super amount of monnaie it was significant. Heron remembers when he was in basic training and then 6 months of radioman school his salary was $77 per month. The really good thing was; We could plunck down a $1 note at any bank and receive a Morgan Silver Dollar from the 'teller'. In addition, $1 would purchase 20 Copper foreign coins or 10 Billon coins at the 2nd hand shop on 8th Ave somewhat near Times Square. And Heron added quite a few coins to his 'collection'. Kept them in a Mason Jar with rubber gasket. Jar was in his locker. These coins were usually in Fine or Very Fine grade. Still have a few of them.
*smedley*
·11 months agoJJ de Quatro wasn't known for being cheap...
roccotacodad54
·11 months agoYes I told my son once when I was his age I could buy a pack of Marlboro Red and a quart of beer for $1.50 and a pair of Levis jeans for less than $10.00.
I don't think he believed me. LOL.
I used to be middle management in a Las Vegas Casino before they all went public. I had free reign to comp drinks, food etc. to customers as long as I didn't get too carried away. I would get off shift and if I saw a customer somewhere that hadn't been comped or hadn't asked for a comp I would approach and ask if they were hungry or if at the bar I would ask the bartender to put their drinks on my free tab. Quite often foreign tourists didn't realize they could get free drinks and food without spending a fortune (at least in those days).
Lots of times they would approach me later on another shift and ask if they could return my kindness somehow. That's when I would give them my peronal card and tell about my coaster collection.
I even took a few fishing or boating on subsequent visits as long as they weren't staying at the hotel where I worked. The boss wouldn't have liked me keeping them from the casino.
A nicer time then.............Sigh..............
elheron-grande
OP11 months agoHola Roccotacodad...! That special type of casino job sounds like an ideal job. Wow...! Heron's only job that he really liked was industrial sales. Employed by a large corporation manufacturing electric generators & motors. Motors from 1/10 HP to 500 HP. (although Heron never sold any 500 HP motors, he did sell four 300 HP motors)
plus a 75 HP DC motor. Yep, those were the good old years. All 31 of them.
agathetyche
·11 months agoI worked for a major coin company when the New York International Numismatic Convention was hosted by the Waldorf Astoria. Most of the dealers stayed at the hotel, but a lot of us would not eat there. Even those of us who could deduct it as a business expense. Prices were outrageous and the food frankly mediocre. After the show we would go out and find a pizza place. Those days are behind me now.
elheron-grande
OP11 months agoHola Aga...! Heron never did learn what the cost of a room would be in 1958. At the W/A hotel. The beer was $3.00 per 12 oz bottle so the rooms were probably sky high. Especially for a military serviceman during those years. (Best price Heron paid for a room (for half a night) was $2.00. This takes some essplanacion; Heron was in the USCG. He was at the Radioman School in Groton, Connectdecut. Heron was given a 2 day liberty 'pass' starting Saturday 0730 hrs. So, Heron decided to visit Long Island, NY. The old Navy LST was transformed into a ferry boat. Heron arrived at Orient Point. Nothing there so he walked a mile into Greenport L.I. At the time (autumn 1956) Greenport was a commercial fishing port. Heron arrived at an Adult Beverage dispensing place.
There was a 'pool' table and several dart boards. Heron was at a happy place that became a really happy place when the commercial fishermen discovered Heron was in the USCG. Heron departed that happy place about 2300 hrs that evening. Walked all the way to Orient Point. Saw the stern of ferry boat in the distance. Heron found a medium sized pine tree nearby. Made a 'bed' of pine needles. slept for about 1 hour.
Rain started and was a heavy rain. So, Heron walked back to Greenport. Found a really old wood frame Hotel. On the counter was a sign "Rooms $2 per night. Take a key and write what room number. So, Heron did. And he was awake at 0500 hrs on that Sunday morn. Walked back to Orient point. The Ferry boat had just landed at the ferry terminal. Heron walked onto ferry boat. Went to the small restaurante. Drank hot coffee. Ate one doughnut. It did not taste good. Lesson lernt: do not assume anything. Monday Heron was back in school room at 0800 hrs.