Antiques & Collectables, Coins, Gold & Silver (14% Buyers Commission)
A collection of 15 military exchange gift certificates, colloquially known as pogs, issued for use by the United States Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) and the British Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI). These printed card tokens were utilised as small change in overseas contingency areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan where metal currency was difficult to transport. The collection includes denominations of 5c, 10c, and 25c, with visible dates ranging from 2004 to 2011.
The AAFES tokens feature a variety of military and patriotic imagery, including:
– Military hardware: A tank (2009), a helicopter (2010), a naval vessel (2011), and a paratrooper in descent (2009).
– Active duty scenes: Soldiers in field operations and a specific 2008 token commemorating Operation Iraqi Freedom.
– Patriotic and personal motifs: The Statue of Liberty (2010), the United States flag, and a depiction of a soldier with a young child (2004).
The group includes three NAAFI tokens: two commemorative examples featuring the NAAFI crest with the motto Servitor Servientium and the text Serving the Services for over 90 years, and one 2011-dated 25c gift certificate token inscribed for use at EFI (Expeditionary Forces Institute) facilities trading in US dollars.
Most AAFES tokens bear the standard inscription: This gift certificate has a retail value of and is redeemable at any Army and Air Force Exchange facility.
Approximate diameter: 40mm each.
Condition report:
The tokens are in good used condition. There is light surface wear, minor abrasions to the printed faces, and light scuffing to the edges consistent with their circulation as field currency.
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