HORNREICH COLLECTION of World and U.S. Historical Medals Including So-Called Dollars
1959 OR BR, Grants Pass OR Statehood Centennial GF50C Token

Owner Comments:

Medal (Token), 1959, BR, GRANTS PASS OREGON STATEHOOD CENTENNIAL, Good For 50C Token, NGC MS65 Gem, Cert# 1826270-126. Caveman, Obv. The Oregon Caveman, Oregon's 100th Anniversary Celebration, Rv. Good For 50C in trade. Comment: In the southern part of Oregon is a town called Grants Pass, which participated in the Oregon Centennial token program of 1959. They purchased 20,000 of them. They were one of the municipalities to go with their own design on both sides. The obverse is unique and would be a story itself. The reverse promotes Grants Pass, proclaims the token to be good for 50 cents in trade or redeemable at face value at local merchants and gives an expiration date. It is unknown how many they sold, but there was evidently a surplus when the party was over. This surplus sat collecting dust until 1964. When Grants Pass began to feel the effects of the coin shortage, someone got the bright idea to put the surplus tokens into circulation at the stated value of 50 cents. The only problem was the stated expiration date of 5 P.M. SATURDAY OCTOBER 31, 1959. The solution was to grind off the expiration date to avoid confusion and then release the tokens into circulation. Now the original in Mint State are somewhat scarcer than the "grinded" circulated examples that had been stored until 1964.