ADVENTURES IN COLLECTING DOUBLOONS

Folks lining parade routes in the Crescent City of New Orleans often call out Throw me something mister to the marchers and float riders in the Mardi Gras parade on ‘Fat Tuesday,' the last day before Lent, when pious folks may give up luxuries (such as foods with meat and sugar) until Easter. As they celebrate, they seek ‘Carnival throws' of doubloons, strings of beads, medallions, and even larger prizes like plastic cups, and carved Zulu coconuts that are carefully handed down. The Mardi Gras ‘doubloon' was introduced by H. Alvin Sharpe and became a popular ‘throw' by Rex (King of Carnival) in the 1960s. These are big coins, the size of pieces-of-eight of old. Hundreds of ‘Krewes,' private Louisiana and Mississippi social clubs, and Carnival sponsors issue doubloons with mystical designs and group heraldry on one side, and the annual theme of the float, parade marcher's costumes, or group's message on the other. Some groups issue multiple designs each year for officers, attendants, and the general public. Aluminum tokens of the same design may be anodized into many rainbow colors. Many have two dates, one for when the group formed, and another for what year Carnival was this design issued.

 
Looking into a big box of mixed Mardi Gras Doubloons

Besides colorful aluminum doubloons some may be made with dual color aluminum, bronze, nickel, pewter, wood, cloisonné, and silver. A few special, one-ounce, fine silver tokens may be awarded or sold to the groups officers for their dedication to making Carnival memorable each year. These are never thrown.

 
Classic Louisiana Scenes on golden Krewe of Rosethorne and Little Wrecks Carnival Club Doubloons

Some doubloons have damage from hitting the street, getting strategically stepped on, and carefully pried up from under foot by observant parade goers, fighting for them among the crowd. Yet, perfect and proof-like examples caught by hand can also be found. It is difficult to estimate how many of the older tokens exist as local doubloon collections and collector interest were swept away in Hurricane Katrina. One of the larger krewes ‘Bacchus' issued a special series of red ‘celebrity tokens' for the many Grand Marshals each year since 1970. The Gladiators issued a gold series with football stars from each Superbowl. The Elks issued a series with landmarks of New Orleans. Poseidon issued a series of historic ships.

In general, aluminum doubloons don't go for much. They can be purchased by the pound, or in economic lots of five hundred, or a thousand from Louisiana merchants. Buying smaller lots from different merchants helps insure a wide mix. The Crescent City Doubloon Traders Club is a non-profit club that promotes the collecting of Mardi Gras tokens by sponsoring about eight doubloon swap meets each year in and around New Orleans, Gretna, Metairie, and Terrytown. They publish a newsletter and have updated annual price guides for the past twenty-five years. Annual dues are just $10.00.

 
Bacchus, Thor, and Poseidon recall days of old on aluminum Mardi Gras Doubloons

I conducted an informal survey by purchasing from three different, on-line vendors, buying a total of two thousand doubloons to see what an exciting or boring mix might be sent. I am happy to say that in these lots I discovered a very wide variety of doubloons from the 1960s to 2024, from an astonishing number of issuers, some having dozens of designs over the years.

I'll list the different issuers to give you a sense of how broad a collection can be easily acquired today. I found doubloons from Alla's Golden Gryphon Society, American Carnival Association, Anheuser-Busch (Clydesdales), Argus of Jefferson Parish, Atlas, Baccus, Bal Masque, Centurions, Cleopatra, Cloud Nyne, Comus (Golden Cup), Daughters of Eve, Delachase Carnival Club, Elenians, Elks – Orleanians, Elks Krewe of Gretna, Elks Krewe of Jeffersonians, Elks Krewe of New Orleans (Lodge 30), Endymion (Token of Youth), Farhad Grotto – Motorcycles, Golden Rule Carnival Club (Jefferson Parish), ‘assorted' Grand Marshals, Hermes – Olympus, Hestia, Hestia/Mecca (Dinar), Irish Channel Corner Club, Italian American Marching Club, Jefferson City Buzzards, Jefferson Indians, Jefferson Marine Towing (Harvey, LA), Jefferson Parrish, Jerusalem Temple (Houma) – Scooters, Jerusalem Temple Clown Unit, Jet Set Carnival Club (Metairie), Jolly Funsters Carnival Club, Jolly Rogers Carnival Club, Jugs Social Club (King Nomtoc), Juno, Kings Club (SUNEV), Knights of Alla, Knights of Babylon, Knights of Chaos, Knights of Columbus (K of C), Knights of Jason, Knights of King Arthur, Knights of Momus, Krewe of Adonis, Krewe of Alpheus, Krewe of Alpheus Swanola Club, Krewe of Amle, Krewe of Amor, Krewe of Aquila (Metairie), Krewe of Arabi (Louisiana), Krewe of Caesar, Krewe of Carrollton, Krewe of Christopher, Krewe of Chronos, Krewe of Cleophas, Krewe of Crescent City, Krewe of Diana, Krewe of Freret, Krewe of Ghana (Thibodaux), Krewe of Grela, Krewe of Helios, Krewe of Hercules, Krewe of Hesper, Krewe of Houma, LA, Krewe of Icarus, Krewe of Iris, Krewe of Isis, Krewe of Jefferson, Krewe of Jupiter, Krewe of Mardi Gras, Krewe of Mid-City New Orleans, Krewe of Mokana, Krewe of Naiads, Krewe of Nereids (Waveland, Mississippi), Krewe of Pandora, Krewe of Pegasus, Krewe of Pontchartrain, Krewe of Rex (King of Carnival), Krewe of Rhea, Krewe of Rosethorne (Crown Point), Krewe of Sparta, Krewe of Sprites, Krewe of Terreanians (Houma), Krewe of Thalia, Krewe of Thoth, Krewe of Tucks, Krewe of Venus, Krewe of Zeus, La Societe Francaise de la Louisiane, Le Krewe de Etat, Little Wrecks Carnival Club, Loveland Carnival Social Club (Metairie), Lyon's Carnival Club, M K Druids, MacDonalds, Marrero Carnival Club, Mecca – Dinar, Merry Maskers Carnival Club, Metairie (Discount Doubloon), Minerva, Nefertari, Neophermenos, New Orleans Carnival Club, New Orleans Fabulous, Octavia, Okeanos, Old Reliable Pleasure Club (Chief Choctaw), Pan (St Bernard Parish), Pete Fountain's Half/Fast Walking Club, Poseidon, Proteus, Saint Bernard Sheriff's Posse, Saint Bernard Truck Parade, Saint Patrick, Schlitz (Beer), Selena, Shalimar, Shangri-La (MKS), Stardusters Drum & Bugle Corps, Strange and Wonderful Carnival Club, Ten Plus Club, Terrace Corner Marching Club, The Gladiators, The Lamplighter Club, Thor, Tri-Parrish Carnival Club, Triton (Bay - Waveland Mississippi), Turnbull's Social Carnival Club, U. S. Army (Uncle Sam), United States Coast Guard, Wannano - State Representative, and the West Jefferson Mardi Gras.

I want to know more about these mysterious Carnival groups as many have adopted amazing club designs, akin to the best iconography on ancient coins. So now I've started a somewhat reluctant collection, but I must say it is joyful to go through big bags of doubloons seeking out all the mysterious issuers, varieties, colors, shapes, and specials without knowing what in the world may come next. Frankly this may give you as much fun as going through heaps of pocket change looking for and finding semi-key wheat cents as a child. If you want to try a new numismatic adventure, make a deal with a New Orleans Mardi Gras doubloon purveyor. I'm boxing up my duplicates and will pass them on in treasure chests for kids to dig up or win as prizes, and to wonder about just how rich they just became, holding fistfuls of big shiny doubloons. Let that magic happen.

 
Elks Krewe of Jeffersonians 1980 Doubloon in a fancy necklace was a special ‘throw' to the crowd

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