I found this problem when I reviewed the medals of the series Norwegian Heritage, issued by National Tokens. This medals have a common side with the map of the country, the name of the series, and the name of (or the trademark related with) the issuing entity. I requested to move this side to the obverse (applying the guideline https://en.numista.com/help/determining-the-obverse-and-reverse-120.html and replacing “issuer” by “issuing entity”) but the referee @apuking warning to me there are other countries with similar series where this side is the reverse, and this decision must consensual (and it is true!).
The guideline https://en.numista.com/help/determining-the-obverse-and-reverse-120.html is written thinking in coins, which have an issuer (country, city…) and it is usually represented on the coin. The obverse is the side where is represented the issuer or the ruling authority (by name, coat of arms, bust, monogram…).
Tokens and medals have not usually issuer (they have a location) or ruling authority (if is not represented directly). https://en.numista.com/help/add-or-modify-a-piece-of-exonumia-in-the-catalogue-188.html They can have issuing entity (could be represented by name, logo… or trademark), but the issuing entity is not mentioned in the guideline when determining the obverse and reverse.
The guidelines should adapt to the case of tokens and medals with issuing entities.
Under current guidelines, the obverse of a token or medal that has no issuer or ruling authority, is determined by the 4th rule of the section “For medieval and modern coins”:
- The face bearing the name or insignia of the issuer is the obverse:
- If each side shows the name of a different issuer (for example, a local authority on one side and an imperial or colonial power on the other side) then the face showing the local authority is the obverse:
- If the issuer is not represented on the coin, then the face bearing the name, monogram, portrait, or insignia of the ruler is the obverse:
- If neither the issuer nor the ruler appears on the coin, or if either the issuer or the ruler appear on both faces, then the face with the larger-scale or more detailed image is the obverse:
If the issuing entity (which has the role as issuer in many tokens and medals) is taken into account, the 1st rule would be sufficient.
For example, in these commemorative coins one of the first three rules applies (obverses have coat of arms, name, symbol of country, or ruler; reverses have the commemorated event): Australia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, South Africa, United Arab Emirates or United States (of course, there are others who do not follow the guidelines).
But tokens and medals do not always follow the same criteria. For example, in Spain:
- Issuing entity in obverse: Autobuses Roca, Catalanist Union or Sociedad Cooperativa de Consumos Aurrerá
- Issuing entity in reverse: Prensacar tokens, Royal Spanish Football Federation or PortAventura World
- Issuing entity following the two options: National tokens