Token - Shell Famous Americans Coin Game Booker T. Washington ND

Reverse

Shell in center

Script: Latin

Lettering:
FAMOUS AMERICANS COIN GAME
SHELL

Edge

Plain

Comment

FAMOUS AMERICANS COIN GAME was a promotional game issued by the Shell Oil Company in 1968. This was a collect-and-win game with instant winners. With each visit to a participating Shell station, customers received a free aluminum game 'coin' showing a portrait of a famous American. The coins could be mounted on a game card and the objective was to try to collect all the coins in any section of the game card, in which case the player won the prize for that section. Some coins were INSTANT WINNER coins.

There are twenty-four basic obverse designs in Shell's Famous Americans Coin Game. Orville and Wilber Wright appear together on one coin; Meriwether Lewis and William Clark appear together on another. Therefore, twenty-six different Americans are featured in the game.

Collecting the right combination of coins won cash prizes of $1, $5, $50, $500, $1,000 or $5,000.

If a game coin had FAMOUS AMERICANS INSTANT WINNER on the back, a prize was won without having to collect any other coins. The instant winner prizes were listed on the game card.

Glendinning Companies, Inc. produced the game pieces and all the associated promotional materials. The coins were struck by The Danbury Mint (a subsidiary of Glendinning) at their mint in England.

The game coins were struck on aluminum alloy planchets. The planchets are relatively thin, but the alloy used is quite hard which makes the coins sturdy and scratch-resistant compared to standard soft aluminum. The 'coins' (more accurately, 'medallions') are 26mm in diameter with a plain edge.

The coins came from Glendinning sealed in white, square, opaque paper packets. Forty-eight different game coins were issued, tallied as follows: Eighteen common coins with the 'Smooth Shell' reverse design; Eighteen common coins with the 'Coarse Shell' reverse design; Eleven key coins; One redesigned Lewis & Clark coin.

Three reverse designs were used on the game coins. Over 99% of the coins have the either the 'Smooth Shell' or 'Coarse Shell' reverse design. These were issued in roughly equal quantities. Less than 1% of the coins have the 'FAMOUS AMERICANS INSTANT WINNER' reverse design.
Http://www.billjamie.com/Shell/Shell-Coin-Game/Mr-President-Coin-Game/Mr-President-Coin-Game.html