Tourist tokens and medals represent an accessible and widespread form of collecting, distinct from traditional numismatics while sharing its appreciation for struck or stamped metal objects. These souvenir pieces are issued by cultural sites, historic monuments, nature parks, museums, cities and regions from around the world.
Tourist medals are generally presented as small metal discs, most often made of copper, brass or zinc alloy, struck in relief with motifs representing a place or event. They are frequently sold in vending machines installed directly at tourist sites, allowing visitors to choose from several available designs.
Flattened tourist tokens, also known as pressed pennies or elongated coins, represent a popular variant: a common coin is flattened and elongated under a press to reveal an engraved motif. This practice, highly developed in the United States, France and many European countries, produces oval and flattened coins bearing the image of a monument, an animal or a local symbol.
Numismatic supplies adapted for the storage and presentation of these objects include specialised binders, perforated plastic sheets with appropriately sized slots, storage boxes, and display frames designed to showcase collections. These accessories help preserve the surface condition of medals and allow them to be organised by theme, geographic region or order of acquisition.
Collecting tourist medals and tokens does not require significant capital: pieces are available at modest prices, generally between one and five euros, making it a hobby open to all ages. However, certain limited editions, issued on the occasion of special events or linked to sites that have since closed, may acquire notable heritage and documentary value for specialist collectors.
The most represented themes in these collections include castles and medieval monuments, cathedrals and religious buildings, iconic towers and structures, theme parks, protected natural sites, and major sporting and cultural events. Some collectors adopt a geographical approach, others a thematic or chronological one.
The storage and protection of these objects rely on collection supports compatible with the standard formats of tourist medals, notably the round format of 34 mm in diameter, very common in European vending machines, and the oval format of flattened tokens, whose dimensions vary according to the presses used.
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