1935-1985 Alaska RRC Restrike Token Set

Matanuska Valley 50th Anniversary 8 Piece Rural Rehabilitation Corp "Bingle" Set. Choice to Gem UNC, housed in a custom holder. The "Bingle" was issued by the U.S. Government and could be exchanged for regular U.S. Coin or Currency. The tokens were given to farmers who participated in the "New Deal" Alaska Program that relocated nearly 200 farm families from the Mid-West to the Matanuska Valley near Palmer (Alaska) approximately 50 miles from Anchorage. Each adult got $30.00 worth of tokens and each child got $5.00 worth of the tokens (Bingles) to spend in the company store in Palmer. In 1937 the Government stopped issuing Bingles and then through 1938 began to redeem them. In 1938 the Legal Tender status of the tokens was revoked and most were melted. The nickname "Bingles" came from the Reverend Bert Jennings Bingle who served as the Presbyterian Church in the area for 38 years.