E-Sylum readership has demonstrated time and again that its expertise extends into nearly every possible numismatic niche. Therefore, I hope I may be able to draw from the well of its collected wisdom.The tokens: RECREATIVE TOKEN / JEL // ???? / ??. One copper, the other nickel, both 20mm.

The tokens pictured are among the most coveted in Taiwan. Of course, they are rare, but part of their desirability rests on the nearly ubiquitous common belief that they were struck at the Central Mint of China (CMC, Taiwan)-I hasten to add, without any supporting documentation.

The late Yuan Ming-teh, dean and author of Taiwan tokens (sic), devoted a full-page to this issue. After stating what he knew, including an auction record, he concluded that he himself was not convinced of a CMC manufacture.

Earlier this year, I contacted the CMC. I drew a polite, but emphatic response from Mr. Wu, a CMC engineer in their Planning Division: these tokens were not CMC products. He did, however, suggest that I contact Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C., which, at the time of presumed token issuance, managed the Joint Foreign Affairs Office (?????). To date, my several attempts to contact the JFAO have gone unanswered.

Therefore, I am appealing to your readers. If anyone has any knowledge of these tokens, possibly a veteran who served on Taiwan in the 1950s or 60s, I would appreciate any assistance in answering some specific questions: 1) where and by whom were these tokens struck; 2) who was the intended target user; 3) where and how were they used; and 4) what is the meaning of JEL?