CoinTalk Posters Share Benjamin Franklin Tokens and a Paris Mint Edge-Mark Chronology
In a CoinTalk thread titled "Benjamin Franklin Token," a poster shared a Benjamin Franklin souvenir token from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Another poster suggested that a member check the edge of their Franklin medal and posted an edge-mark chronology. The thread as retrieved does not show posting dates, and the posts are the members' own statements and opinions.
Correction (Oct 13, 2026): We shortened and rewrote the headline, summary and body to match the source, a CoinTalk forum thread. We removed unsupported claims (that the token was issued by merchants after the Revolution and circulated as money, high auction prices, metal-detecting finds, Franklin's biography, and investment demand, grading and liquidity), and made clear that the content consists of members' statements and opinions and that the poster said the edge-mark list came from a Google search. The previous headline was "Franklin Token Highlights Early U.S. Private Coinage Value."
This article summarizes posts in a CoinTalk forum thread titled "Benjamin Franklin Token." The thread as retrieved does not show posting dates. The posts are the members' own statements and opinions, not confirmed facts.
A Franklin Institute souvenir token
The poster who started the thread shared a Benjamin Franklin souvenir token from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The poster wrote that it is older, all copper, and that "you can't get them like this anymore." Another member replied, "Yep, copper."
Other members said they had found many of that type in bulk lots over the years, that it was one of their favorites, or that they had a Franklin token for years without remembering where it came from.
No forum for tokens
The thread starter asked where the token forum was. Another member replied that there is no token or exonumia forum and that members have been posting in a thread in Coin Chat. The thread starter wrote of having over 400 tokens without knowing the exact number, and said a forum for tokens would be nice.
Franklin medals from Dupre's dies
A member who said they used to collect Ben Franklin tokens posted several and wrote that "the top two are pricey."
Another member then showed an example of the same Franklin medal struck from the original dies by Augustin Dupre. That member wrote that this piece was probably struck in the 1840s, given the "pointed hand" French stamp on its edge.
Asked when the other member's medal was struck, the same poster gave a guess: the 20th century. The poster said they were not sure about the finish because the Paris mint did different things in the 20th century, and that most 19th-century pieces have a dark brown, mahogany finish.
The posted edge-mark list
The poster suggested that the member check the edge of their piece for these marks. First, the poster wrote that a plain edge indicates an early piece from the late 1700s or 1800s.
The poster then posted a list headed "Edge Device Chronology (1832–Present)":
- Antique Lamp (March 30, 1832 - Oct 21, 1841): gold and silver medals - Anchor and Interlaced C (Oct 22, 1841 - Sept 25, 1842): all medals - Prow of a Galley (Sept 26, 1842 - June 12, 1845): all medals - Pointing Hand (June 23, 1845 - Oct 31, 1860): all medals - Bee (Nov 1, 1860 - Dec 31, 1879): all medals - Cornucopia (Jan 1, 1880 - present): standard mark for the Paris mint (the line is cut off in the source)
The owner of the medal, who said they only had a cell phone camera, wrote that its edge mark looks more like a cornucopia than anything else.
Asked whether the list came from a book, the poster said it started with a book, but this time they had Googled it because they had not memorized it, and mentioned Google AI. No other member in the thread posted a check of the list.
Source: CoinTalk, "Benjamin Franklin Token."
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