Chuck E. Cheese has issued 12 medals across its history, and they sit apart from the regular play tokens in one important way: they were never redeemable. A token bought you an arcade play. A medal commemorated something. Anniversaries, banquets, conventions, prize tiers.
This catalog separates medals from tokens because the audience, purpose, and design language are all different. Medal owners weren't necessarily arcade patrons. They might have been shareholders, franchise owners, banquet attendees, or a kid who hit a high score and walked away with a top-tier prize.
At a high level, CEC medals break into three groups: commemorative anniversary pieces, event and convention medals, and prize medals.
Compositions and finishes
Medals come in a wider material palette than play tokens. The catalog includes pieces in brass, nickel (or nickel-plated brass), anodized aluminum, and plastic. Diameters span a much larger range than play tokens too: from .922 inches up to a hefty 2.50 inches for the largest prize medals.
Every medal in the catalog uses medal orientation (front and back upright together), which makes sense given they're meant for display rather than insertion into a coin slot. Character art rotates between Adult Mouse, Juvenile Mouse, and Baby Mouse designs depending on the issue. The familiar "Where A Kid Can Be A Kid" reverse text shows up on many pieces.
Three Kinds of Medals
Anniversary commemoratives
These mark the chain's major milestones and were typically distributed to a controlled audience: shareholders for the 25th, kids at birthday parties for the 40th.
M01N marks the 25th anniversary, struck in nickel and given to shareholders.
M02B marks the 40th anniversary (1977 to 2017), struck in brass at 1.13″, larger than a play token but still pocket-friendly.
Event and convention medals
The smallest and most exclusive group. These were handed out at specific corporate gatherings to a narrow audience.
M03aA is the New Orleans Banquet medal, an anodized aluminum piece at 1.55″. The gold variant is one of the rarest pieces in the entire CEC catalog.
M04pB is the 2013 Franchise Convention medal, given to high-level employees. It exists in several painted variants (orange, pink, white).
Prize medals
Larger pieces awarded for top-tier prize redemptions. Six entries in the catalog (M05P through M10P), all plastic, in red, silver, and gold finishes. Sizes step up substantially from anniversary pieces, reaching 2.50 inches for the headline medals.
Top 4 by current fair value
Plastic Chuck E Cheese Medal (M06P-silver)
Plastic Chuck E Cheese Medal (M05P-red)
Plastic Chuck E Cheese Medal (M10P-gold)
Chuck E Cheese 40th Anniversary Medal (M02B)
A note before you go hunting
Medals are a different collecting target than play tokens. Distribution was narrow, populations are small, and "found in the wild" is much rarer here than for arcade pieces. If you turn up an event or convention medal, it almost certainly came from someone with a direct line to the company.