Doubloons to be featured, thrown in Okeanos Parade
Parading for almost 10 years, the Mistick Krewe of Okeanos Mardi Gras Parade is more exciting and fun than other parades because riders of the floats and other entries don’t just stand and wave, they toss things to the crowds that are watching. The tradition of float throws came about in the 1870s in New Orleans with the Twelfth Night Revelers who decided to throw prizes to the parade goers. It wasn’t until the 1920s that parades starting throwing glass beads.
While Mardi Gras is most frequently associated with strings of beads, other keepsakes are thrown in the parades. Zulu throws hand decorated coconuts, Muses throws hand decorated purses, and Nyx throws hand decorated shoes. Okeanos has thrown branded cups, and also branded medallion beads in the past. One of the more prized “throws” in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades is the Krewe doubloon, a minted aluminum coin, similar to a commemorative coin.
The first Mardi Gras Krewe to mint and throw doubloons to the Mardi Gras crowds was the Krewe of Rex. Historically, the advent of the doubloon by the Rex organization in New Orleans in 1960, was a means to make its Mardi Gras day parade unique, and a way to maintain the diversity of the carnival krewe’s throws. Other Krewes saw the doubloon as a way to put the Krewe’s brand in everyone’s pocket, and from then to the present, the doubloon held a coveted spot among a Krewe’s throws. They are a natural collectible because they commemorate the Krewe, the parade theme, and the year.
T o honor the 10th anniversary of the Krewe of Okeanos, King Okeanos X had doubloons minted for the parade. The silver colored aluminum doubloons will only be thrown from the royal float in the parade. There are also a limited number of bronze doubloons that are given as favors from the King to past royalty and others.
Wayne Kraemer, one of the founders of the Krewe and King Okeanos X, believes that the addition of doubloons adds another dimension to the parade. He noted, “We [the Krewe] keep growing and finding ways to make the parade more like a traditional Mardi Gras parade but with a Texas flair.” Kraemer remembers collecting doubloons when he was growing up in Louisiana and he still has his collection. “I used to catch doubloons from the New Orleans parades, and thought they were fun to have,” he said. Kraemer also got doubloons from his uncle, whose hobby was designing doubloons for Krewes in South Louisiana.
Doubloons typically have the Krewe’s logo or some other identifiable imprint on the obverse, and a depiction of the parade’s theme on the reverse. The Okeanos doubloon follows that tradition. The Krewe’s logo is featured on the obverse of the doubloon. The reverse represents the parade theme of “Okeanos Salutes San Marcos” and depicts a collage of city icons such as the river, the gazebo in Veramendi Plaza, glass bottom boats, and Old Main.
The doubloons were designed by Texas State alum Serena R. Koga who also designed the logo for the Krewe. Koga was selected to do the inaugural doubloon design because of her skill at executing intricate drawings. She was delighted to draw the doubloon and found the challenge of designing for a small coin to be exciting.
When the Krewe of Okeanos royal float rolls by on Feb. 26 be sure to yell for the King to throw you a doubloon.
Submitted by Mistick Krewe of Okeanos
