NEW Have you seen this token?

vindic8r

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As part of a project I'm working on, I've recently acquired a number of tokens and am trying to discern where they originally came from.

Does anyone remember the arcades that featured these tokens? I'm hoping to figure out where they were located, if possible.

Front sides:
http://imgur.com/DhocPEn

Back sides:
http://imgur.com/bAgyMOH

  • Wizard's Lair: I love this one. The logo is cool and the wizard on the back is a nice touch.
  • Fun-n-Games: Looks like this was an East Coast chain, with some locations in VA and NJ. I don't recall seeing it here in the Midwest as a kid. Anyone recall any Midwest locations or know anything else about it?
  • Great Games: For the fun of it?
  • Games Galore: Is this one really from Chicago? The e and pine tree logo on the back is interesting as well.
  • Game World: I believe this could be from an arcade in Prospect Heights, a Chicago suburb. Can anyone verify? I'm sure this was a common name for arcades.
 
Here is an interesting site that will help you identify your tokens.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/videogametokens/info

You need to join the group to be able to view the comments and download files. You can download an Excel spreadsheet of known tokens and locations where they were used, along with some of the unknown tokens that have been found but arcade location not identified.

Good luck with your search. I have over 900 unique and identified tokens that I have collected, using this list I added the locations of the arcade tokens in my collection.

Games Galore - California or Oregon (Bust-clown)?
Wizards Lair – Unknown
Fun-n-Games – New Jersey?
Great Games – Unknown
Game World – California?
 
Here is an interesting site that will help you identify your tokens.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/videogametokens/info

You need to join the group to be able to view the comments and download files. You can download an Excel spreadsheet of known tokens and locations where they were used, along with some of the unknown tokens that have been found but arcade location not identified.

Good luck with your search. I have over 900 unique and identified tokens that I have collected, using this list I added the locations of the arcade tokens in my collection.

Games Galore - California or Oregon (Bust-clown)?
Wizards Lair – Unknown
Fun-n-Games – New Jersey?
Great Games – Unknown
Game World – California?

Wow! Very useful info here. Thanks for the tip! Once my membership request is processed, I'm excited to learn more.

If anyone has any personal experience or memories of Wizards Lair or Great Games here on KLOV, let's hear it!
 
That's cool - I've been thinking about collecting arcade tokens.
Does many people collect them? Do you display them like coins?

If you collect tokens what's your favorite online resource?
Off to Google.........
 
Here is an interesting site that will help you identify your tokens.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/videogametokens/info

You need to join the group to be able to view the comments and download files. You can download an Excel spreadsheet of known tokens and locations where they were used, along with some of the unknown tokens that have been found but arcade location not identified.

Good luck with your search. I have over 900 unique and identified tokens that I have collected, using this list I added the locations of the arcade tokens in my collection.

Games Galore - California or Oregon (Bust-clown)?
Wizards Lair – Unknown
Fun-n-Games – New Jersey?
Great Games – Unknown
Game World – California?

We had a Games Galore in Chino, CA. Don't think it had multiple locations.
 
Cool. Did the logo look like the one on the token I have?

Don't believe so. They were quarters early on and switched to tokens in the final years, can't see to find any info or pictures on the place.

Turned into an ACE hardware in late 80s. Here's a picture of the place as it stands today, seems its a Karate studio now:

7cN18p8.jpg


https://www.google.com/maps/@33.987...4!1s1BKO74uSqojSxmnC5uMj0Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
 
Fun-N-Games was a mall based chain out of Youngstown, OH (Debartolo co.) Now the Simon mall chain. It was over seen by the well known Mike Pacak who to this day still houses a lot of Arcade and Pinball parts / manuals / flyers.

Fun-N-Games was also my home Arcade so if anyone is looking to sell tokens, I'm always looking to buy!
 
I keep my tokens organized in 3 ring binders. I then put them in a 2x2 coin holder for quarters, staple the open ends, label the token location and state.

I also collect some bus tokens, brothel tokens and gambling tokens. I ususally buy in bulk on Ebay and sort through the tokens, keep the tokens that I don't have then store the extra tokens for another use.....I make arcade token rings out of the extra arcade tokens.

Here is the link.....http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=324275
 
I make arcade token rings out of the extra arcade tokens.

Here is the link.....http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=324275

Woah! So cool. If I can think of a good token for this, I'm going to be hitting you up!

Also, thanks for the tip on the Yahoo Group. Courtesy of that crew, I found this site:
http://www.videoparadise-sanjose.com/1990arcades.htm

It's a treasure trove! Every registered "place of video amusement" as of 1990. I can fill in so many blanks with this in hand!

Alas, it's missing Wizards Lair. I suspect this arcade came and went before 1990. Or perhaps it came later?

However, I DID find a Games Galore here in IL. It was the arcade formerly in Evergreen Plaza AKA The Plaza, considered one of the first modern American malls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plaza_(mall)

Also referenced here:
http://deephousepage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152319&p=612429#post612429

Given how the token is labeled, I'm going to assume that this is where its from. And this is good, as it will have a very important place in the art project I'm working on...
 
Such a cool thread, mind if I chime in?

I recently came into a purchase of a nice Rowe BC-25MC:

rowe_bc-25mc_in-transit.jpg


...no key to open it (of course!), so had to do ye olde dent puller method to remove center lock (so easy, done in 8 seconds), opened it up!

rowe_bc-25mc_opened.jpg



...and what do I find? 1000s of tokens! Here's some of the highlights:

sorting_tokens.jpg


pyramid_place-cheap_thrills-cloud_ix.jpg


invaders_arcade.jpg


time_warp-you_make_difference.jpg


misc_tokens.jpg
 
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and some more...

local ones (to me in the metro-detroit, michigan area):

detroit_tokens.jpg


spankys_missque.jpg


major_magics.jpg


chuck_e_cheese-1982.jpg


Had 100's of CEC tokens ranging from 1981 to 1984, and only few stamped with WESTLAND, MI on them. So cool!

and just WTF are these? some kinky sex pervy horroscope tokens???

horroscope_tokens.jpg


These were the gold of the bunch, 4 out of the 7 video expo tokens only issued in 1982 world's fair at knoxville, tennessee ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_World's_Fair#Arcade_tokens ):

video_expo-1982.jpg
 
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Why do I have this feeling I should have a collection of game tokens?

I hate you guys!!!!!
 
Wizards Lair arcade

Why do I have this feeling I should have a collection of game tokens?

I hate you guys!!!!!

You totally should. Compared to the games we're buying, it's a super-cheap hobby! Spouses are much more likely to approve something that fits in a 3-ring binder...instead of a garage!

So this thread got a bit off topic, but I don't care. thegleek's finds are rad.

Does anyone remember going to Wizards Lair arcade as a kid? I'd love to figure out where this place was. It wasn't listed in the 1990 arcade census I found. Unless it was this place, maybe, DBA Wizards Lair?
WIZARDS AMUSEMENT
4789 RIDGE RD.
STEVENSVILLE MI 49127-9328

Pics again here:
http://imgur.com/DhocPEn

and here:
http://imgur.com/bAgyMOH
 
Wow that's an incredible lot of coin you got in that machine!

Thing I don't quite understand is I only purchased ONE of THREE that are for sale, STILL up for sale (via ebay):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Rowe-Chan...oth-1-Price-/231641780968?hash=item35eeed12e8

How can you go wrong with $150 per unit? They are chock full of tokens people!!! Heavy as fuck. But hey, the units are really nice. Not working 100%, but it won't take much to fix and all internal parts are still intact!
 
I buy sell trade tokens. I use to have a huge collection of different tokens but sold them for 1,000 dollars. I had a chance to buy a big arcade token collection but the guy wanted 2700 bucks. The guy who he got them from who had died use to buy tokens from me. I still have a few tokens in my personal collection. There were over 200 different Chuck E Cheese tokens. There is also a book on different arcade tokens.

Fun N Games was out of Youngstown, OH and had like 90 locations. There was one in N.O. and maybe FL as well.
 
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