Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 33

Thread: The death of tokens?

  1. #1
    Pretzel (Level 4) Cirrus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Akron, OH
    Posts
    947
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default The death of tokens?

    I remember tokens. I'm sure most of you remember tokens... you put your dollar, or your five dollars in the machine and you got a handful of golden (or silver, probably always aluminum) specialized coins that you could use in machines.

    Frankly, I don't even know why tokens existed... I mean, why not just use quarters. I guess it is just so you buy in early, and they don't offer refunds, so they get your money either way. (Even if you lose it, etc..)

    When I was young, there was an arcade by my house (the only dedicated arcade I ever really knew.) It was called Funsville, USA. In fact, I found an old token from that place, which probably closed down around 15 years ago, and I have put it under the glass on the bezel of my MAME machine. I just think that tokens were amazing, and they really aren't that common anymore.

    Maybe it's because arcades are going the way of the Dodo, but even the bigger, more successful arcades today are trending towards the "Game Credit Card" approach. Recently, I went down to a big mall in Kentucky and found a few games in a movie theater, and they actually had tokens for their games! They only had about 5 games, so I thought that was a little strange, but I decided to put in a dollar just so I could keep one.

    Here is a picture of the coins: (anyone from the Northeast Ohio area will probably recognize the Funsville Coin. Let me know if you do!)



    Sorry for the bad picture! The one on the left is a NAMCO token, with a new looking Pac-man on the front, and just NAMCO on the back. The one on the right is a clown face, the symbol of the arcade in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, when I was a kid.

    So, I started looking around for info on tokens on google, and came up with a website of a guy who actually collects them. (Not only arcade, but Chuck E. Cheese, Car Wash tokens, everything) He even has the Funsville token that I found recently.

    His website is here: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agor...entrading.html

    Putting together my arcade machine was one way of remembering the joy of going to an arcade. Another way is actually collecting machines (possibly the best way). Going to arcades doesn't work so well, anymore, because if they actually have the games I played as a child, they are usually in crappy shape and barely work, or have been gutted and replaced with some frigging snowboarding game.

    Another good way is holding onto a token whenever you get the chance. My Funsville token is probably the true centerpiece of my collection, and it was never worth more than a quarter, and is worthless to most anyone.

    Did anyone else here save a token or two? Do you display them? Show me some pictures.

    Also, show me some examples of other interesting websites on tokens if you can.
    -Mark

    Wanted: Activision Patches - PM me.
    Wanted: Popful Mail Case/Manual - PM me.

  2. #2
    Pac-Man (Level 10)
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    NJ where the weak are killed and eaten.
    Posts
    2,509
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I have some tokens from the pleasant beach arcade but they use the tokens for points and quarters to play the games.
    Sorry Ryan, but your girlfriend is in another school.

    Video games & manga (my manga scanlation group that scanlates video game manga) http://www.north101.net/Chara/vgm/index.html

  3. #3
    Apple (Level 5)
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
    Posts
    1,089
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I have a couple bucks worth of Namco ones (the same as in your picture) that I found while I was rearranging my basement a few weeks ago. I might use a few of them, but I'm planning on holding to one or two for posterity.

  4. #4
    Apple (Level 5) nik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Victoria BC Canada
    Posts
    1,127
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    Yeah, collectors items for the true arcade fan!

    I wouldn't mind a few Chuck-e-cheese ones!

  5. #5
    Peach (Level 3)
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Detroit
    Posts
    647
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Yeah, sometimes I end up leaving a token or two after getting home from an Arcade, and I keep all of them in a box. Not much variety, but kinda cool I guess.
    RIP Bargora.

  6. #6
    Pretzel (Level 4) o2william's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    In an arcade, circa 1983.
    Posts
    890
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Wow, I'll have to get me one of those Atari Family Amusement Centers tokens shown on this page. Awesome!

    I think I still have an Aladdin's Castle token floating around somewhere. I remember buying a token specifically to keep it back in the early '80s. It's amazing that I didn't plunk it into the Kaos machine.
    o2william's Found & Lost

    The Odyssey˛ Homepage! - Visit it for Sync-Sound Action!

  7. #7
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    350
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Tokens are still widely used today. Tokens were a way people could get you to put in $1 or $5 and make you have to use it all in the arcade.. meaning that $1 or $5 is gone. They didn't get $4.25 or $4.50.. they got the whole $5.

    Another thing tokens allowed people to do is offer you savings.. spend $20 and we'll give you $22 in tokens. Incentive to plunk down more money.

    Just sucks that a lot of places didn't maintain their games very well. So, it made me not want to go back to them places.

    Sportspark USA was a place in New Jersey. They had a few locations. They were HUGE. They had batting cages and other sports stuff in the back. Up front they had video games and food. They required to to buy $5 in tokens just to get in the door. The layout was too spaced out for me. They probably had 40 or 50 games and pinballs, but they were too spaced out.

    I remember the closest location to me had pinballs and newer games out front, then under this overhang they had a bunch of older games, then towards the back by the batting cages they had some arm wrestling machine, etc. I remember this ass Dave did the arm wrestling machine and he hit it so hard it broke! The machine turned off if I remember correctly.

    The coolest thing is they had a Super Mario pinball up front and the volume was turned up to max. My friend used to like going there when nobody was there because it was loud as hell. .

  8. #8
    Pretzel (Level 4) Cirrus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Akron, OH
    Posts
    947
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by yuppicide
    Tokens are still widely used today. Tokens were a way people could get you to put in $1 or $5 and make you have to use it all in the arcade.. meaning that $1 or $5 is gone. They didn't get $4.25 or $4.50.. they got the whole $5.
    Yeah, but places like Dave & Busters and GameWorks pretty much use little credit cards. I think it's just cheaper for them. Kinda kills it for me.

    I also thought of another pretty obvious reason for tokens: who wants to break open a Bad Dudes machine just to steal tokens?

    Well, ME, but most criminals are probably more interested in cash.
    -Mark

    Wanted: Activision Patches - PM me.
    Wanted: Popful Mail Case/Manual - PM me.

  9. #9
    Strawberry (Level 2)
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Albany, NY
    Posts
    485
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Summer Soldier

    Default

    There's an arcade and a Chuck E. Cheese near me that still use tokens. I wonder if I could get one of my cousins to go to Chuck E. Cheese's and bring me back $5 worth of tokens to keep :P
    Anyway, I didn't know tokens were so scarce nowadays. I'll be sure to grab a handfull next time I go to the arcade to add the the small stack that has been sitting in the corner of a box on my dresser.
    In a land beyond sight...

  10. #10
    Super Moderator Moderator
    Custom rank graphic
    Aussie2B's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    9,277
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    35
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    133
    Thanked in
    111 Posts

    Default

    The arcade at my college still uses tokens.

  11. #11
    Luigi (Level 20) Custom rank graphic
    kainemaxwell's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    12,601
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    12
    Thanked in
    9 Posts

    Default

    I prefer quarters myself. Arcade at my mall has a new system now where you get more tokens per alloted amount you put in. I forget all the math for it outside the lowest but $1 = 3 tokens now. I'll make a note to write them down tommorrow if I head to the mall.
    My Gaming Collection (Now at Google Drive!)

  12. #12
    Banana (Level 7) drwily008's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Stow, OH
    Posts
    1,476
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    DrWily008
    PSN
    DrWily008

    Default

    I love tokens, I have quite a collection. They are lost somewhere (possibly up at my Mom & Dad's house 1400 miles away in Ohio). But, I do still have them. I've got every Alladin's castle token and believe me there are at least 20 or more different ones. I've got quite afew different Chuck E. Cheese ones. I also have dozens of different ones from Geneva-on-the-Lake.

    BTW Cirrus, if you ever want something different and fun to do go to Geneva-on-the-Lake (GOTL). It's like 2 hours away from you and has about 5 different large arcades. It also has lot of places to eat and several bars. There are alot of things to do if you've never been there. Also Joe Hatcher (a member here) owns "World of Games" which is a great little store with lots of retro stuff! Make a weekend out of it, grab a cheap motel and spend 2 days there! You have to go in the summer, as it is pretty closed up now.

  13. #13
    Flawless Rawkality Flack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    OKC, OK
    Posts
    14,273
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    4
    Thanked in
    3 Posts

    Default

    I know I have Namco, Chuck E. Cheese and Aladdin tokens around here just from the local arcades. I can't remember what kind Cactus Jack's uses but I know they are unique as well.

    About a year ago I bought an arcade machine from a local auction and when I got it home and opened it up I found a few Malibu Speedway tokens. I think that place closed down in the late 80's or early 90's, and I kinda got a kick knowing those things have been down there for over a decade.

  14. #14
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    178
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I love tokens.

    I used to manage an arcade and we used to get tokens in bags by the 1000s. One time we got a bag that had all these wierd tokens with Astrological signs on one side and then some revealing pics on the other of certain matching positions. I picked out as many and kept a few for good times sake. I always wondered what place would use those, I have an idea but still want to know.

  15. #15
    Peach (Level 3) Pop Culture Portal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    779
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Tokens are great! I have a huge amount of tokens in a nice album...lots of old ones, quite a few Aladdin and Namco and several from amusement parks all around the country. Tokens are actually pretty cheap on ebay...they usually sell them in bulk/by the pound. And they're not a bucket-full of the same thing, either. Usually a pretty nice selection. I don't have access to my camera right now, but here's a list of some of the places I see on the tokens I've got:

    Mr. Gatti's
    Funtasia (Gatlingurg, TN)
    Steel City
    Doodles
    Showbiz
    Chuck E. Cheese
    Star Castle Arcade
    Jolly Time
    Pocket Change
    Putt-Putt Fun and Games
    Tilt
    Namco
    Bally's

    Interestingly, I have three different Chuck E. Cheese tokens, all of which are dated like real coins. I've got alot more loose somewhere :/ .
    All right youngens, bath time. Cover up your eyes and drop your britches! Who wants wax?

  16. #16
    ServBot (Level 11) davidbrit2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Southwest Michigan, USA
    Posts
    3,860
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Yeah, I've kind of got a thing for tokens too. So much in fact that I have a collection of a few dozen different tokens, labeled and mounted in a coin collecting book. I should probably check it and see if I'm lacking any from arcades I visit... Maybe I should start another binder for Gameworks/Dave and Busters cards, and cards from Sega games like Derby Owner's Club, Initial D, and F-Zero. Heh.

  17. #17
    Some douche Richter Belmount's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Silverlake
    Posts
    4,077
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AFGiant
    There's an arcade and a Chuck E. Cheese near me that still use tokens. I wonder if I could get one of my cousins to go to Chuck E. Cheese's and bring me back $5 worth of tokens to keep :P
    Anyway, I didn't know tokens were so scarce nowadays. I'll be sure to grab a handfull next time I go to the arcade to add the the small stack that has been sitting in the corner of a box on my dresser.
    I know you love chucky cheese =P afgiant = )
    U GAIZ JUST DONT LIKE CHANGE , (builds a artificial foundation here)

  18. #18
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    218
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I recall an arcade in Birmingham, Alabama, A Diamond Jim's, that used tokens that had ridges on the back...now, the coin slots on the machines will only let a token slide in when you line up the token so the ridges fit in the grooves of the coin slot. Okay, now, imagine that you're playing Super Contra (back in the days it was in the arcade) you're fighting the boss and you die...and you have to insert 2 tokens to continue.
    Did I fail to mention the arcade is dark and you have to try and fit the coins in the machine in under ten seconds?

  19. #19
    Peach (Level 3)
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    777
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I think tokens are slowly going the way of the buffalo... same thing with arcades in general ...

    But anyways, I used to work at a Peter Piper Pizza, which was nothing but tokens.. in fact im trying to find a few tokens for my journal because the PPP shut down since I worked there..

  20. #20
    Apple (Level 5) SuperNES's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    VT
    Posts
    1,115
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    i still have one of those namco ones.. i honestly can't remember where i got it... i also have one with an eagle on it that says "no cash value" somewhere.

Similar Threads

  1. Arcade tokens *picture*
    By zerohero in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 09-01-2013, 11:48 AM
  2. Gaming Tokens- Probably a stupid question.
    By Darth Sensei in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-25-2006, 10:21 AM
  3. Coins/Tokens in games
    By evm111 in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11-29-2005, 07:20 PM
  4. Odyssey 2, question about tokens
    By evm111 in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11-22-2005, 07:53 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •