Baseball Coins, Junket Brand

Q I have about 100 old baseball coins from the early 1960s. Most of them are plastic and some are metal. They came in Junket Brand products like Salada Tea. I have coins with Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Don Drysdale, Roberto Clemente, Early Wynn, etc. I also have about 20 football coins. Can you provide any information on these?

A Salada Tea and Junket were both part of Salada Foods, Inc. (now part of Redco Foods Inc.). Individual coins picturing baseball and football stars were packed in Salada Tea and Junket products in 1962. The 1962 baseball set included 1 1/2-inch diameter plastic ”coins” with a piece of paper picturing a player on one side. The complete set included 221 players, plus 40 variations. The 1963 baseball set, All Star Baseball Coins, included 63 metal coins with paper inserts. The top ten stars of each team were pictured. Coins for American League players had blue rims and coins for National League players had red rims. Information about the player is on the reverse side. Holders and a box were issued to hold the coins. You have coins from both the 1962 and 1963 baseball sets. Many coins sell for less than $5, but superstars’ coins sell for much more. Recent prices include $45 for a 1962 Yogi Berra coin and $90 for a 1962 Roger Clemente coin. A complete set of 1962 coins, plus 1963 coins for Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, sold at auction for over $1,800.