Tokyo Disneyland Resort Souvenir Medals
Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland Hotels and Transportation Terminals
The Tokyo Disneyland Resort medals are vended from three major areas or gates of the resort. Accordingly, Japanese medals are listed in three specialized guides: The TDL Tokyo Disneyland Guide, The TDS Tokyo DisneySea Guide and The TDR Tokyo Disneyland Resort Hotels Guide which includes the shopping, dinning and transportation properties. Tokyo Disneyland penny press machines press planchets rather than coins although they are often called "pennies" and "nickels" in Japan. Collectors outside of Japan often use the words "penny" or "nickel" to describe the medals depending if they are copper or silver in color. We prefer to use terms in our guides consistent with those used by collectors. However, we are told, the terms "elongated souvenirs" and "medals" are considered by some to be the "most correct". 
To give a brief overview of this excellent collection, here are some excepts from our Tokyo Disneyland Medal Collections Outline.
It would be challenging even for an advanced collector to complete a collection of all the medals ever issued at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. Some medals have been retired from Tokyo Disneyland Park since 1996. Not to mention all the other issues from the Tokyo Disneyland Park, DisneySea® and all Tokyo Disneyland® Resort Hotels. It’s a large collection! Yet there are some very well defined, interesting collection sub-sets or specialties that readers have mentioned. These subsets, listed below, are often easy to manage and provide a great start to collecting all the issues. Of course, if you are like us, you'll eventually want to collect them all. 
Here are a few suggested collections. The links will open the appropriate section of the Tokyo Disneyland Resort Guide in this window. The guide will offer thumbnail images that are links to full-size images, as well as descriptions and details. (All frames on this page may be resized by clicking and dragging the frame edge if you’d like a bit more viewing area.)
Tokyo Disneyland Park Collection
Years 1996-2000
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Park Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Difficult
Relative Cost - Moderate
Closed or Open - Closed
Note - This first group includes the earliest on-stage or "vintage" medals. Many are hard to find even in Japan. A few collectors in the United States have collected these over the years, but most didn’t start until after the turn of the century. (Wow! How time flies!) If you want the first coins, these are it.
TDL Park 1996-2000
Tokyo Disneyland Park Collection
Years 2001-2003
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Park Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Moderate
Relative Cost - Low-Moderate
Closed or Open - Closed
Note -The 2000-2003 group starts when on-line auctions began to offer "TDL’s" for sale. The universe of collectors greatly increased with the improved awareness and availability these auctions offered. At the time of this writing, groups of coins from this era are occasionally offered for sale or trade. Cost and availability is much better than the 1996 - 2000 era.
TDL Park 2001-2003
Tokyo Disneyland Park Collection
Years 2004-Current
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Park Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Low-Moderate
Relative Cost - Low
Closed or Open - Open. New medals issued often.
Note - Many collectors will choose to start collecting coins as they are issued. Of course, we know once you are hooked, you’ll want to collect the earlier issues as well. Because Tokyo Disneyland Park has increased the number of coins issued each year, this set could keep a casual collector busy. However, most of the new issues are easily obtained as they are often offered via on-line auctions or trading groups in the United States. Costs are modest for most of these coins. Special or limited issue medals can cost more.
TDL Park 2004-2005
TDL Park 2006
TDL Park 2007
Tokyo DisneySea® Collection
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Resort Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Low-Moderate
Relative Cost - Low-Moderate
Closed or Open - Open. New issues often.
Note - This is a new park at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. At the time of this writing, it’s only four years old. So, collecting past issues isn’t nearly as challenging as say, the Tokyo Disneyland Park that has been issuing medals for nearly ten years already.
Some advanced collectors might suggest that it’s best to collect the oldest and the rarest of collectibles as they often have the highest demand and value at a later time. This author agrees, but adds that specializing is a major key to collecting as well and of course one should collect what they like. So, if you’d like to avoid the higher cost of collecting early TDL issues, specializing in DisneySea could be a great choice.
TDS Tokyo DisneySea®
Tokyo Disneyland Resort Hotels Collection
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Resort Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Moderate
Relative Cost - Moderate
Closed or Open - Open
Note -This group of medals includes most all issues outside of the Tokyo Disneyland Park and DisneySea, but still inside the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. Currently, these coins are in the resort hotels. Current issues are nearly as easy to find as any other "TDL’s", however, Ambassador issues did start several years ago. There is a lot of catching up to do if you start today... and you wish to include the early Ambassador medals in your collection.
TDR Resort Hotels
Tokyo Disneyland Resort Coin of the Month Collection
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Park Resort, Disneyland Park and DisneySea Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Low, currently
Relative Cost - Low
Closed or Open - Open and limited to one coin per month per park currently.
Note - I saved this collection for last because I think it is in many ways the best for a new collector. The coins, since the start a few months ago, have been released like clock work. First at TDL then TDS. The coins are dated with both the month and year. They are easy to identify, organize and collect...if you start early! Although these coins are proper issues of Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea and are entered as such in their respective guides, I have grouped them together. Don’t they make a great set?
COM Coins of the Month
Tokyo Disneyland Park Collector Book Medals
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Park Resort, Disneyland Park Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Moderate
Relative Cost - Moderate
Closed or Open - Closed
Note - If you can find these books, you’re done! Although you might spend a serious amount of time finding them, it should be an enjoyable, fun time. If you are collecting all the coins from the Tokyo Disneyland Park, these are desirable options to that collection. They were sold inside the park, but they are optional to the collection because they are not made in the same way as the other medals. This set would make a nice framed display, no?
TDRB Book "Coins"
Tokyo Disneyland Resort Prototype Collection
Well defined subset of The Tokyo Disneyland Park Resort, Resort Hotels Collection.
Relative Collecting Difficulty - Very Difficult
Relative Cost - Moderate-High
Closed or Open - Closed
Note - These are the real key, rare coins to a "complete" collection of all TDR coins. They are not part of an "on-stage" issues only collection since they are believed to be prototype or pattern medals rather than souvenirs that could have been pressed by a Tokyo Disneyland guest. If evidence is found that they were on-stage, their value would probably increase as The Keys to the very popular Tokyo Disneyland Park collection. These extremely scarce medals are on par with some Disneyland USA Neverland or "DN" coins.
TDRP Rare Prototypes
Guide Number Code Example: TDL0501 "TDL" = Tokyo Disneyland Park "05" = 2005 "01" = Coin #1.
Guide order is chronological by year only.
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Index to Tokyo Disneyland Medal Variations
