Skillful Winner token

[No gold in NY]

Found this token recently. It is a tad larger than a quarter. Is it taboo to clean a token? Tried to look it up. Found a token forum. Read where it said "no one on this forum has one to sell". Wonder why they said that, I didn't ask. Can anyone ID this one? Thanks

 

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[RustyGold]

Beautiful token. Looks to be in excellent condition. Maybe some tokens are valuable. Good luck!

 

[A2coins]

I love tokes that could be a valuable one I hope so keep us posted if you find any more info on it.......Tommy

 

[cudamark]

Some cleaning can help both condition and value, but, cleaning can also reduce both. It's similar to dug coins. Your token doesn't look bad, so, I'd rinse off any dirt and call it good. I believe it to be a fairly modern gaming/arcade token and not particularly valuable, but, that's only my guess. Maybe someone will know how rare and or valuable it is. If it's virtually worthless, clean it all you want to please your eye.

 

[Red-Coat]

Unfortunately it’s not a rare token. If you look just above where it says ‘No Cash Value’, you will see the intitials ‘RWM’ which is a trademark of Kilmartin Industries, operating as the ‘Roger Williams Mint’ out of Attleboro, Massachusetts.

It’s an amusement or arcade token, produced in plated aluminium. The Roger Williams Mint grew to become the world’s largest privately owned mint, producing tokens of every kind for business and state use plus commemorative coins and medallions for foreign nations.

Their website has been taken down since they became part of the ‘TokensDirect’ company in 2006 but their original site used to say “established over 75 years ago”, so the token won’t be before about 1931 and more likely rather later.

 

[Mackaydon]

Red-Coat
Great response !!
Don.....

 

[Red-Coat]

Thanks Don.

After a little more thought and some research, I wonder if the token relates to the Half Moon arcades at Weirs Beach, New Hampshire?

On the strength his teenage employment on the carnival fair circuit and his family owning an arcade at Old Orchard Beach in Maine, Sidney Ames went into business on his own in 1949 as the ‘Whiteway Amusement Company’. He had two successful seasons using a small rented space adjacent to the Half Moon Snack Bar at Weirs Beach and then purchased the Half Moon properties (a restaurant, snack bar, and bowling alley) in 1951 to expand his arcade business.

Here’s his 1950 lease agreement prior to purchasing the Half Moon Premises which details the types of amusement he was operating:



The arcades are still there today (some interesting history and vintage pictures on this website too):
Half Moon Amusement Arcades « WEIRS BEACH ? WHERE LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE BEGINS

 

[xr7ator]

Except that the token is not plated aluminum, but clearly is made of brass.

 

[Red-Coat]

Except that the token is not plated aluminum, but clearly is made of brass.

The recorded examples I found were described as plated aluminium, but I fully expect that RWM made them in different metals at different times and/or for different purposes as specified by the customer. As is always the case with tokens like this, they exist in many variations and not all of them get catalogued.

 

[No gold in NY]

Thank you Red-Coat for the terrific information on my token. It is defiantly brass.

 

[against the wind]

Sweet token and great research,,