IF GIVEN A CHOICE, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

E-Sylum readers might get a kick out of this informal study. Last weekend I ran a poll on the Collectors Universe Message Board asking, “If you had a choice of receiving one or the other of these, which would you choose, and why?” The choices were:

a) a ten-pound bag of mixed, completely unsearched 19th-century silver dollars (types unspecified), or

b) a ten-pound bag of mixed, completely unsearched 19th-century U.S. medals and tokens.

As of Thursday afternoon, 77% of respondents said “Show me the dollars!” and 23% said “Gimme the exonumia!”

Personally, as tempting as the silver dollars would be, I would go for the medals and tokens. Early 1800s dollars might include various Bust types, Liberty Seated, even Gobrecht dollars. . . . but 1800s exonumia could include Washington medals, Hard Times and Civil War tokens, Feuchtwanger tokens, Lesher Referendum dollars, U.S. Assay medals (this is all theoretical!), Indian Peace medals. . . . figuring 30 to 50 pieces per pound, I wouldn’t be able to resist.

“I would honestly choose a single circulated common-date silver dollar over option B, since I don't collect medals and tokens.”

“The tokens and medals would be cooler to sort through with all the different designs. That being said, I have NO clue about them so I'd have to go with the dollars.”

“Assuming I have no financial stake in this, I'd probably go with the medals as it would be a more interesting historical lesson. I don't know any medal collectors that collect many multiples of the same design; their collections are quite varied, so it'd certainly be fun to look through. A bag of silver dollars could be all 1881-S.”

“I have already searched thru bags of silver dollars. Never had the chance to go thru a bag of medals/tokens. I would go with the latter just for the experience.”

“Tokens and medals are cool to see pics of and read about. But dollars are fun to own!”

“I'd rather sort through a bag of SBAs than a bag of medals and tokens.”

“I'll go for the dollars and use the money to buy medals and tokens that I have picked out myself!”

“You didn't specify whether we get to keep the sack. Either way, I'd take the medals. The dollars are probably worth more, but what's money for? It's to make us happy and the medals would probably give me more of that than I could buy with the dollars (unless they were all scarce dates).”

I imagine E-Sylum readers would answer more in favor of medals and tokens --- maybe even flipping the ratio from 3-to-1 to 1-to-3.