Notice of September Meeting

The next meeting of the PEINA will take place at the library of Colonel Gray Senior High School, on Monday, September 16, 2002. The meeting time remains unchanged, 7 p.m. for the early arrivals who wish to chat and the formal session starting at 7:30 p.m.!

On The Agenda

The first item on the agenda is a warm welcome to all members and guests and, we are sure, catching up on news of the past summer.

We shall then move on with an auction of numismatic material, donated by our friend Harry Eisenhauer. A complete list of the lots is included elsewhere in this newsletter. This is a club fundraiser, so bring your cash or cheque book, bid early and bid often!

Following the auction, we'll have a show-and-tell session. What numismatic treasures did you find over the summer? Please let the President know if you wish to have a little time to talk about your numismatic activities over the summer break. Our aim will be to start the season with an opportunity to talk about our hobby. One possible topic: do we want to host another APNA show, and if so, when?

HRCC & APNA & CNA

We continue to receive publications from these organizations and copies will be available for perusal at the September meeting.

They contain useful information for us all, and are available for loan.

The editor of this newsletter has no shame in "lifting" items which may be of interest to PEINA members. You will therefore note elsewhere the page devoted to the medals made for the APNA spring rally, also there is a page of

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Prince Edward Island Numismatic Association

c/o 10 Edinburgh Drive

Charlottetown, P.E.I.

C1A 3E8

(902) 566-5837

Member of the Canadian Numismatic Association

(# 12576) since 1976 and

the Atlantic Provinces Numismatic Association (# 64)

Club Executive

President

Mark Holton

<holton@islandtelecom.com>

Vice President

Ralph Dickieson

Secretary

Harley Ings

Treasurer

Gloria Houston

Website

Gary Woodhouse

Club web site

www.angelfire.com/art/peina

This newsletter

...is published every month except July and August by the P.E.I. Numismatic Association.

information regarding the Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors Club with a membership form included.

One point to mention: the "Atlantic Numismatist" which is the Atlantic Provinces Numismatic Association's newsletter, has classified ads and these are a good way to let people know what you are looking for or what you have to offer for sale. Although the PEINA is a member of APNA, you are certainly encouraged to take out your own individual membership. This is an organization deserving of our personal support and the annual membership fee is certainly modest.

The Canadian Numismatic Association Journal has been running an interesting series of articles by Wayne L. Jacobs on the subject of Britain's colonial coinage. This includes the 1820s "anchor money", so-called because of the design which did not feature a royal portrait, but a ship's anchor. These coins probably circulated to some extent here on the Island.

Ken Prophet

Ken Prophet passed away in June in Barrie, Ontario, after a long career serving members of the CNA. He had been the Executive Director of CNA since 1972 after his retirement from the Canadian Forces.

This editor never had the opportunity of meeting Ken Prophet in person, but we met several times over the keyboard and exchanged many letters. He was always generous in his assistance. Not long ago he very kindly went through CNA files to determine the PEINA's years of membership in CNA, explaining the mystery (to me at least) of why PEINA had two CNA membership numbers. We had joined in 1964, lapsed for a couple of years in the mid-70s, and then rejoined in 1976. Not long ago Ken sent us a certificate to mark our 25 continuous years as a CNA member.

The Canadian numismatic community has lost a keen supporter and worker. We extend our condolences to his family.

Autumn APNA In Moncton

As announced at the spring meeting in Dartmouth, the fall show is being organized by the Moncton Coin Club. The July-August edition of the HRCC newsletters "Pros and Coins" mentions the weekend of October 5-6, at a downtown location. No word yet on any "deals" for rooms, however this sounds like a great location, very central and easy to find for out-of-town drivers. The word from one organizer is that this is a Saturday and Sunday event, with the opening reception on Saturday evening and an all-day bourse on Sunday to be part of a larger Collectors' Show. This should certainly bring in the crowds. Watch this space for more news, as it becomes available!

Spring APNA Medals

The spring show held in Dartmouth saw some attractive medals made to mark this event. Details and illustrations appear elsewhere, but members may be interested to know that these medals are still available. Contact the HRCC directly if you want to add a set of these medals to your collection.

The Golden Jubilee 2002 and some new coins

Notice anything different? I must confess I did a "double take" when I saw my first shiny maple leaf penny without the date in the usual place.

These specially dated coins celebrate the Queen's fifty years as monarch, a record of longevity few previous monarchs have enjoyed. In addition, a special 50-cent coin is now in circulation, or is supposed to be. I have not seen many, although our neighbourhood convenience store was for a time dispensing them in change. I noticed that most people looked, then tucked the coin away for keeping. Many store clerks have obviously not been briefed, to judge by the odd looks I have seen when I include a new a half dollar in payment It's a handsome piece of work, and thus the tendency to set a few aside. This has meant the coin is not being seen as often as it should be.

The effigy of the Queen is taken from the 1953 Coronation Medal, one of which is included in the medal collection displayed in downtown Charlottetown in the atrium of the Daniel J. MacDonald Building of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Also in your change you may see the 25-cent coin issued to mark the 135th anniversary of Confederation. According to a report in Canadian Coin News, this "limited edition Canada Day coin" will be in circulation for three months only, July to September. To date I have received only one such coin in my change, suggesting that it will be appearing in pocket change even less frequently than the half dollar.

All this leads to the debate presently going on, regarding Canada's circulating and non-circulating coinage. Some strong opinions have been expressed regarding the outpouring of new issues from the Mint. The days of Canadian collectors having "one of each coin" seem to be long gone for many, given the variety and cost of many of these issues. I guess in the end it boils down to personal taste as far as design and affordability are concerned. I saw a tourist at the post office specifically ask for sterling silver commemorative coins, and the clerk was happy to oblige. There was certainly a good selection from which the tourist could make her choice. I like the new 2002 half dollar, but I know others who would give it a pass. If you like it, add it to your collection. If you don't, well, it's up to you.

HRCC News: Eisenhauer Paper Money Talk set for September

Long-time paper money collector Harry Eisenhauer of Saint John, N.B., will be giving a talk on Tuesday evening, September 17^th, at the Halifax Regional Coin Club's regular monthly meeting. This veteran numismatist will be giving a presentation on collecting banknotes. The HRCC meets at the Dartmouth Senior's Service Centre, 45 Ochterloney Street, in the downtown area and very near the Halifax-Dartmouth ferry terminal. Is anyone interested in going over for this event?

New CNA Library Publication Issued

The Library of the Canadian Numismatic Association has released a revised and updated catalogue of their Audiovisual collection, now running to an impressive 49 pages. Much new material has been added, particularly in the area of videotapes. Look for this publication at the September meeting and let the editor know if there is anything you feel we could use for a club meeting. Perhaps a member would volunteer to organize one of the fall or spring meeting with one or two CNA audiovisual items as the focus.

And speaking of audiovisual material, a recent Ontario Numismatic Association newsletter lists almost a dozen new videotapes added to the ONA library. The source appears to be the A&E Television Network. I checked the A&E website, and the cost for the tapes ranges from $25 to $45 US. I wonder if PEINA members are interested in acquiring some of these tapes which we could enjoy at one of our monthly meetings?

Don't Forget

Our next PEINA meeting on Monday, September 16, at the library of Colonel Gray. A draw will be held for some souvenirs from the national Currency Museum, picked up this summer by your travelling editor.

Who was James Conder?

I've been running into this guy a lot lately.

First, I am invited to a neighbour's home to inspect a tin box full of (mostly) Canadian colonial coppers. I find two Conder tokens. Then, my wife returns from Britain and brings me a few souvenir coins which she found at an antiques market: one is a lovely Conder token! Then, a friend in Nova Scotia e-mails me some pictures of tokens to be identified which, as it turns out, happen to be Conders. Then, at the APNA show in Dartmouth, I have a cheerful day with friends and look at a lot of coins and, there they are again, several Conder tokens. That same day, in conversation with a friend I am asked "what are Conder tokens", so the short piece which follows is an attempt to answer that question.

By profession James Conder was a businessman, a linen draper to be precise, living in Ipswich, England during the reign of George III. Conder's hobby was collecting tokens. In particular, his great interest was the series of copper tokens, mostly halfpennies, which had begun to appear in the late 1780s. These tokens had been issued by a variety of people all over England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, to address the pressing shortage of small change. In 1798, Conder published An Arrangement of Provincial Coins, Tokens and Medallets issued in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Colonies, within the last Twenty years from the Farthing to the Penny Size. Today, Conder's name is widely used to refer to the series.

The current "standard reference" to Conder tokens is "Dalton and Hamer", sometimes referred to as D&H. First published in 1910, the most recent D&H covers over 560 pages. Many of the 6000 or so tokens -- and I have seen various estimates of just how many there are -- are reproduced. For the record, the book is R. Dalton and S. H. Hamer, The Provincial Token-Coinage of the 18^th Century, reprinted 1990 with introductory notes and additions 1996, published by Davisson's Limited, Cold Spring, MN, 56320. The ISBN for the copy I have before me is 0-9627694-0-1. Beware: this is not an inexpensive purchase and the cost of shipping from the USA can be as breathtaking as the price of the book! However, if you are a Conder fan, the book is indispensable. Several dealers offer this book and it isn't too hard to find. Try <www.abebooks.com>.

How did these tokens come about? There are several reasons. A lack of small change is usually the reason given, and the ingenuity of some in solving this problem. Copper is not a "noble metal" like silver or gold and consequently government concern for the small change of daily life was not great. Even silver coins had not been produced in Britain in any significant quantity since the 1750s. Thus, for a variety of motives, merchants and others stepped forward and issued their own coin. Why? Because the Industrial Revolution was taking place, and folks were moving from the farm to the factory. Economic conditions were changing -- no pun intended -- and the rural system of barter and informal exchange was giving way to a cash system.

As Richard Doty points out in his study of Matthew Boulton, "the aspiring mill owner discovered that he could only attract workers in a particular way, and with a particular commodity. And the aspiring millhand found that he could only survive in a new area full of strangers if he received a particular commodity. The commodity in both cases was coin: the Industrial Revolution was based on the payment of regular wages, in the form of coinage. And since wages were uniformly low (the millhand might expect to receive six or seven shillings per week, if he were lucky), what the Industrial Revolution initially and most urgently required was a large number of low-denomination coins. Without that money, wages could not be paid. And without monetary wages, only a fool would leave the clear air of Norfolk for the sooty air of Leeds, or Manchester, or Hull - or Birmingham."

This cash was not terribly sophisticated, made up of mostly pennies and especially halfpennies for bread and beer and beef and eggs and other staples of the new urban market, That, and for paying wages.

There are a few other things which also promote the appearance of these tokens. First, the development of copper mines in various parts of the British Isles. Second, the rise of a middle class entrepreneurial type, the "self-made man" who did not stop at the first roadblock he came to. Third, Matthew Boulton and his steam presses at the Soho Mint, which could produce tons of halfpennies in a fairly short period of time, and do so to a very high standard. Each coin was identical, perfectly round, of full weight, bearing an easily recognized image, with perfect edges.

Thus the appearance of the tokens, first in the hundreds, then in the thousands. Most were produced for a specific local area, stating the name of the merchant or business responsible and where the tokens could be converted into royal money. Quite often, the names of these places appear incused on the edges of the coin. And, for their subject matter, token designers turned to a huge variety of images including, immodestly enough, the very merchants responsible for the token.

Thus we have one of the first series bearing the likeness, in profile, of the iron master John Wilkinson. Other "heroic" types were soon to appear, including historical figures, victorious military and naval leaders, as well as others not easily categorized. Collectors of this series have, however, a wide variety of subjects. Most popular are those Conder tokens with an architectural subject, and these ranged from castles to significant buildings -- the East India Company's headquarters, theatres, the Bank of England -- as well as bridges (the iron bridge at Coalbrook Dale being one of the most commonly appearing). One other interesting theme through which to approach this series: those halfpennies which illustrate, through mills and mines and machines, the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Indeed, a book on this theme has been published, it is....

Late News

The Canadian Coin News for September 10-23 says that the APNA show will be held October 5 in Moncton, at the Howard Johnson Brunswick Plaza Hotel, 1005 Main Street. Sponsored by the Moncton Coin Club, it will feature 65 tables of coins, paper money, sportscards, militaria, and stamps. Admission will be $2 and the hours 10 am to 4 pm.