Oregon Centennial Tokens were a type of trade token

Token coin

In the study of numismatics, tokens are coin-like objects used instead of coins. The field of tokens is part of exonumia. Tokens are used in place of coins and either have a denomination shown or implied by size, color or shape...

 (also known as a "So-Called Dollar") issued during the 1959 Oregon Centennial

Oregon Centennial

The Oregon Centennial was the 100th anniversary of the statehood of the U.S. state of Oregon. The day of the anniversary was February 14, 1959, but centennial events took place throughout the year...

. Many localities sold them as a fundraiser

Fundraiser

A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...

 to finance their Centennial celebrations.

Design

The Northwest Specialty Sales Co. created several prototypes and induced 38 localities to purchase the tokens. Each locality had the option of using the standard obverse

Obverse and reverse

Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...

 and a customizable standard reverse. The standard reverse also had room for two logos around the outer rim. Each locality determined the logos that were displayed on the reverse upper and lower curvatures. The standard obverse was the official emblem of the Oregon Centennial.

The standard reverse had a center with the phrase: "Good For 50¢ in trade At any cooperative Business or Redeemable At face value at the (locality) (location) until 3 P.M. Friday Sept. 1959." There existed variations of the standard reverse phrasing between localities but this one was the most common.

Physical attributes

The tokens range in size from 32 to 40 millimeters in diameter. Different metal

Metal

A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...

compositions were used by the manufacturer of the tokens. Each locality had the option of which type or types of metal composition to use in production. Some localities created limited versions using different metals than their standard versions. These different versions were used as awards, gifts, or special mementos for dignitaries.