Help With An Elephant In Central Illinois?

Judging from the pics, this MAY be a cast piece and/or environmentally damaged. I have a similar one in a set of colonial replicas, circa 1960's. Have you tried the old ping test? Balance the coin/token on the tip of a finger and gently strike the rim with a large copper or silver coin. Listen closely for a sustained ring, like that of a large cent or silver coin would produce. If it rings, it's not some pot metal product as are most replicas.

No mention was made of the third surface, the edge. That surface can reveal a few things.

I was recently in the Springfield area and found no sufficiently knowledgeable coin shop owners there. my advice would be to check the coin publications and locate an area show. Your friend could then personally solicit a few reputable opinions. Larry Briggs of SEGS, is a coin expert, and he does many a show in the region. He's one of my favorite go-to guys in numismatics.