For those of you who don't know, Mardi Gras doubloons   are brightly  colored  aluminum coins  about  the size of a silver dollar. They   are   thrown by Krewe (club)  members  from Mardi Gras parade  floats   Doubloons  usually  have  the symbol of the Krewe on the front along   with the date the Krewe  was organized,  the back side usually  has the theme  for that years parade as well as the date. Each Krewe may have a number of different  'throw' doubloons for each years parade. Usually the silver (bright aluminum)  ones are the most common, followed by  a range of colors from red to gold.
        Most Krewes mint real bronze, silver and even gold doubloons, however these  are very  rare  and seldom put up for sale. Mardi Gras doubloons  are fairly rare outside  of New Orleans,  and many  are rare even  in the city. They make great  inexpensive  yet unique  collectibles  or gifts. If you've been to New Orleans, either for Mardi Gras or not, these will be wonderful souvenirs, and the foundation for a most unusual collection.
       Sometime in 1959 the master, H. Alvin Sharpe, proposed to the Captain of Rex that they  adopt  thin aluminum  coins  as their official throw. The Captain expressed doubt  about  the safety of the coins, so Al, as many  of us knew  him,  pelted the Captain with handfuls of the coins from a distance  of 10 feet. Convinced that  this coin would do the job,  the Krewe  commissioned Sharpe to design  and produce the coin, and history  was made.. Al designed and produced the coins for the next seven years, finally losing the contract to float-builder Blaine Kern, who has had it since then.
       There have been more than 40  years of Rex doubloons, with a number of obverse  designs  and a different reverse  each year.  Al also designed and produced hundreds of other medals in addition to Rex. Zulu, the oldest of the black Krewes,  produced a doubloon from 1964-67 for presentation, and began with ‘throws’ in 1968 when Blain Kern took over the production.
        Doubloons  have been produced in a number of metals, including aluminum (throws), Antique Bronze, Ox. Silver (silver-plated antiqued bronze), .999 silver, and 14K Gold. The 'throws' are relatively easy to come by, as they were produced by the  hundreds of thousands, but  the other metals are indeed hard to find.
       There have been a number of Price Guides written that set values on the different years and varieties, but  there is not a lot of agreement  among them. The most complete guide is “Doubloons, Commemorative Medals”, by Bayou Products, last issued in 2002. It lists medals from the whole Gulf Coast and other cities as well.  The only guide currently produced, The Crescent City Doubloon Traders,  lists only New Orleans parading Krewes, and values doubloons for trading purposes, not cash value..
       A few of the more well-known Krewes are:
                                  
       Krewe of Momus Chartered soon after Rex in 1872 and one of the oldest Krewes on the Carnival schedule, the Krewe of Momus was named for the God of Mockery. It first participated in the Carnival in 1877. Members come from the ranks of the all-white Louisiana Club and their motto is: "Dum Vivimus, Vivamus" ("While we live, let us live"). Momus is one of the big four Mardi Gras Krewes, founded in the 1880's, and composed of the bluest of New Orleans blue-bloods. They fell afoul of the New Orleans City Council in 1991 and refused to make public their membership list (as did Comus and Proteus) and were refused a permit to parade. They have not paraded since, although a new organization, the Krewe of Chaos, composed of many members of Momus, uses their floats and does parade.
                               
       ZULU SOCIAL AID AND PLEASURE CLUB The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is a Black Mardi Gras club (Krewe) in New Orleans. They have been around since 1916, it is said, and hold Mardi Gras celebrations that are legendary. In the old days (ten years or so ago) their parade (marching groups, no floats) started at daybreak on Mardi Gras, continued all day, and wound up sometime around midnight. There were frequent refreshment breaks, like anytime they passed a bar that looked interesting. There are lots and lots of interesting-looking bars in New Orleans. A parade route was published in the newspaper, but no one, least of all the Krewe, paid any attentition to it. A good time was had by all, Krewe and spectators alike. Here lately they have cleaned up their act, staged a ball, gotten some floats, and started acting like every other Mardi Gras outfit--a parade route you can count on, adhering to a schedule, no stopping any time someone wants a beer, and so on. They still hand out their signature decorated coconuts, wear ornate costumes, and have the time of their lives.
                               
        BACCUS, a 1,200-member Superkrewe, was formed in 1969 and does not require blue blood as a condition of membership. They hace a celeberty as Parade Marshal, and have had Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, Glen Campbell, Jim Neighbors, and many others,
                             
       PROTEUS is the second-oldest of the Krewes, and was founded in 1882, and has some 250 members.
                              
       ENDYMION,  the largest (2,300+) club in Mardi Gras history, was founded in 1967 and stages parades famous for extravagance in a city where extravagance is the nore. They hapr famous groups and persons as Parade Marshals, and have had Dolly Parton, Chicago, and the Beach Boys.
                                   
       VENUS, the oldest of the all-female Krewes, also fell afoul of the 1991 City Council, and disbanded, They are still actively collected, however.

                                  

       KREWE OF IRIS, with more than 950 members, is the largest female Krewe in history, and was founded in 1922.       
                                
Questions? e-mail me or call. I'll be glad to help any way I can.--Nick