Here is where we display what we have come to find are the most common AA meeting, Newcomer and Anniversary AA coins featuring the Contemporary Sunlight of the Spirit/ God Centered AA coin. When we say AA coins here, we mean these are all almost exclusively used in Alcoholics Anonymous only. Most anniversary coins feature the Serenity prayer on the back with the exception of the Bill and Bob "Founders" medallion which reasonably states "Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path". Find many more under "Specialty Slogan Medallions".
The traditions of chips, medallions and birthdays vary in different parts of the country.
There is evidence that early on many people in AA carried personal momentos to remind themselves of the importance of their sobriety. Clarence H. Snyder - "The Home Brewmeister had his last drink on February 11, 1938 and he carried this medallion made from a silver dollar and a watch fob up until just before his death on March 22, 1984. It has been dated back into the mid-1940's, if not before, and the holes represent 46 years of sobriety. Clarence started AA group #3 in Cleveland in 1939, and in the beginning had a higher recovery rate than Bill and Dr. Bob combined. His story, "Home Brewmeister", can be found on page 297 of the Big Book.