These are experimental test tokens. The purpose was to loan these tokens out to vending machine companies so they could calibrate their machinery in advance of a new coin being released. Therefore they are the same size and weight as the issued coin but usually with a markedly different design that identifies it as a token. Ideally, these tokens were supposed to be returned to the mint, and to this end a very high deposit is charged to the vending company to ensure their return but some simply never make it back home. These tokens are very rare, in fact few collectors ever see them. And, we believe they have excellent potential for price growth. This is an expanding series, meaning the mint continues to issue these tokens for machine calibrations as new coins are introduced. A recent advent is that the mint has sold its test tokens directly to the collecting public. The first and only issue of the tokens sold this way was the $2.00 test token, which sold out after only a few days of release and has since doubled in price. These tokens do have listings with catalogue numbers in the Charlton Standard Catalogue. No prices are shown because they trade so seldom, and who could price them anyways?
