Notice of Meeting

The next general meeting of the PEINA will be held on Monday evening, March 26, 2001, at 7:30 p.m. in the Library of Colonel Gray Senior High School, Charlottetown. Please note, we are meeting ONE WEEK LATER than usual as the school will be closed during March Break week.

In case of bad weather on March 26 we will meet in the school one week after that, on Monday, April 2. If in doubt don't hesitate to call Mark at home, 566-5837, but if schools are shut down then you can be sure that Colonel Gray is closed and our meeting postponed.

Dues for 2001

This is just a reminder. Bring cash or a cheque to cover your PEINA dues for the calendar year 2001 or mail it to the above address to be passed on to our Treasurer.

Remember: $10 for a student, $15 for ordinary members and $20 for a couple.

Those who were at the January and February meetings have received their membership cards and several cards were sent out with the last newsletter.

On our agenda:

We have many things to consider with regard to the May APNA show and this will probably take up a significant amount of time. However, we'll do our best to keep it short, so that we can have the show-and-tell session talked about at the February meeting.

One special item for consideration is the design for our show medal. The tour to the Farmers' Bank is another and possible insurance implications.

Parent-Teacher Interviews?

This newsletter is shorter than most, as your editor is busy as can be with preparations for this event which takes place during the two days before March Break. [And that's only three days away!] For one of his other activities, watch Cable 10 and the Royal Canadian Legion-sponsored "Call To Remembrance". The Colonel Gray students took part in this history quiz for the first time and finished a respectable third. It's great to see our young people taking an interest in our history, without the expectation of a reward or prize but simply the knowledge that they got involved and did their best.

New Website

Word is that we are slowly moving over to our new address, which is printed above in the masthead. Our thanks go to Terry and Gary for looking after this. This is a mighty contribution and one which has not gone unnoticed by members and by other clubs.

Island Lecture Series

Members may wish to note the theme of this year's annual lecture series, which has as its theme Island entrepreneurs. Full details can be obtained in the daily newspaper or the March issue of The Buzz, or by calling the Institute of Island History at UPEI at 566-0956.

On April 9, historian Dr Doug Baldwin will give a talk on the banking industry, "The Growth and Decline of the Island Banks: An Analysis of the Benefits of Having Indigenous Banks." This takes place at 7 pm in the Carriage House at Beaconsfield Historic House.

Numismatic Noodle?

Whatever that is, some folks are in it according to a recent story in the Globe and Mail. Seems that a Royal Canadian Mint employee has been charged with making fake coins and selling them as flaws.

See the attached copy of the Globe article. Wow!

Coins of the Month

Thanks are extended to Harley Ings for his permission to present below an article he wrote several years ago and which remains worth reading again.

Our Island Heritage

Unique coins tell history

by Harley Ings

In the fascinating world of numismatics there are some wonderful stories to be told. This holds true for those who pursue the collecting of old and new tokens, coins, notes, etc.

Even now the field has been broadened by the popular Trade Dollars, which in themselves tell an interesting history. The collecting of war medals, badges, etc., are a sideline of our past as revealed in numismatics.

The Prince Edward Island Holey Dollar, a Spanish silver piece, is probably one of the nicest pieces one could have in a collection. Its presence tells an interesting history of the early coinage of this province.

The Holey dollars were found to be in excess of the required silver content, in this case five shillings. According to the books of J. E. Charlton, recognized Canadian authority on coins, token and paper money, a thousand Spanish dollars were perforated in 1818 during the administration of the tyrannical Governor Smith and the rings and centres countermarked.

The rings then passed for five shillings and the plugs (centres) passed for a shilling. They were found to be threepence overweight. Local thrift caused them to be shipped overseas for melting down. This was never achieved because the vessel carrying them sank on its way to England.

The coins are also rare because forgeries forced their retirement from circulation the following year. Some of these are lightweight and others are crudely made. Genuine holey dollars and centre plugs have a small circle bordered by ten evenly spaced triangles resembling rays from the sun.

This is known as countermarking and can be distinctly recognized by the damage done to the coin on the opposite side, known to collectors as the reverse.

Another interesting piece to own is what is known to Islanders at the P.E.I. tree cent. Issued in 1871 this large cent bears the Island coat of arms. It is a large oak tree and three oak saplings, which represent the mother country sheltering the three counties, Prince, Queens, Kings.

This coin was the first designated decimal coinage in this province after Confederation.

This large cent is unique since it is the only coin issued anywhere in Canada with the Royal title in English, and the only coin of the Heaton Mint in Birmingham, England, without the familiar H mint mark.

It has a diameter of 25.40 mm, weight of 5.670 grams, and a composition of .950 copper, .040 tin, .010 zinc, with a plain edge.

Halifax Coin Club

You can visit the new Halifax Coin Club at <www.geocities.com/

halifaxcoinclub> and e-mail is <halifaxcoinclub@hotmail.com>. If you happen to be in the big city area, the club meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 pm at the Dartmouth Senior' Service Centre, 45 Ochterloney Street, in Dartmouth.

Medals

Have we ever had an article in the recent past regarding medals? To make up for this, the following item by George Manz will be of interest. He is a numismatic writer, collector, dealer, and member of the Regina Coin Club.

The Fun Of Collecting Medals

by George Manz

The first medals were produced in Italy in the 14^th century. During the 15^th century, medals then spread to other parts of the European continent, particularly Germany, France, Belgium and Holland. By the 16^th century, medals appeared in Britain.

Medals are produced by two main methods: casting and striking. The earliest medals were cast, produced from hot metal poured into a mold. Most modern medals are struck, produced when a blank is impressed with the images of two dies. Uniface medals have an image on only one side. High relief medals are usually struck more than once.

Medals are usually made of metal; the most common are copper, bronze, brass, silver, gold, white metal, lead and aluminum.

Although some medals may look like coins, they differ from coins in that they are not used as a medium of exchange. You can't go to the store and buy something with them.

There are many different kinds of medals, but perhaps the most common types are commemorative medals, those that record some historical event such as the coronation of a king or queen. Other medals are awarded as agricultural and horticultural prizes, school prizes, sporting and athletic prizes, and exhibition prizes.

I'll give some Canadian examples of these types of medals. One of the most common Canadian medals was struck in 1927 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. This 25mm medal portrays the co-joined busts of King George V and Queen Mary. The obverse includes the dates 1867 and 1927. The reverse includes the Canadian Coat of Arms. These medals are easy to find in grades EF - brilliant uncirculated and can be purchased for about $2, sometimes less.

Another commemorative medal is a series of three medals produced in 1939 to commemorate the Royal Visit to Canada of King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (who is now the Queen Mother). These were produced on the eve of World War II and marked the first visit to Canada by a British monarch.

The easiest to obtain medal of this series is 25 mm and is made of bronze. It has the co-joined busts of the King and Queen on the obverse, while the reverse show a map of Canada with two sets of railroad tracks, depicting their coast-to-coast travel across Canada by train. Again, they are easy and cheap to obtain in grades ranging from EF to mint state and cost about $2 each. Some of these are now beautifully toned in various colours and often command a slight premium in price.

A slightly less plentiful medal in the series is the larger 30mm version. Also made of bronze, you should be able to find them for $5 or less in EF to mint state.

The most difficult one to obtain is the 30mm medal produced in silver. It was sold in a small box in Canadian post offices for 50 cents. Unfortunately, most of these medals no longer have the original box. The silver version is about the same size as a silver Canadian 50 cent coin, but thicker, and is quite scarce. They can be purchased for $25 or less without the box.

The series of three medals is an interesting addition to any medal collection, yet can be purchased at an affordable price. This is often one of the first series of medals that new collectors begin to collect.

One of my favourite school prize medals was produced by F. W. Ellis and Co. The obverse, which has no date, shows a shield, maple leaves and a beaver on a crown, with the words "Toronto Public School Board". The reverse says "4 Years Good Conduct Punctuality Regularity Diligence." It was produced by William McKendry of Toronto. This attractive 40mm bronze piece has fairly high relief on the obverse and can be purchased in EF - uncirculated condition for about $15.

A different type of prize medal is the McGill University athletic award with high relief on the obverse. It features a clothed figure blowing a large horn with a naked man to the right. The reverse has the words "McGill University, Montreal", plus a crown, crest and maple leaves. This 39mm medal was produced by Eli Morton and Company in London and has extremely high rims on both sides.

Ed.Note: George Manz began collecting coins in the early 1960s. He is owner of George Manz Coins, and red large cents are now his favourite aspect of numismatics. He specializes in Canadian, Newfoundland, Maritime, U.S. and world coins, as well as Canadian paper money, medals, tokens, and odd and curious money. He is in the process of opening a book department to sell out-of-print numismatic books. For information, contact him at Box 3626, Regina, SK., S4P 3L7. His website is <www.georgemanzcoins.com> and he can be reached by telephone at (306) 352-2337

Book Review:

The Coin Atlas; a comprehensive view of the coins of the world throughout history. London: Little, Brown & Company, 1999. 338 pages. ISBN 0-316-84821-2 First published in 1990 by Macdonald & Co.

A review of this book appeared in the last newsletter, and a number of people had an opportunity to look through it at the February meeting.

I will bring it along in March, for the benefit of anyone who did not have time to take a peek.

Canadian Numismatic Association

The CNA Journal is starting a section devoted to club activities across the country. A survey has been received, and the name of the CNA's representative added to our newsletter's mailing list.

The correspondence course of the CNA was available for inspection at the last meeting and will be available again in March. On the table is the idea that, at some time in the future, the club might want to consider tackling this course as one of our winter projects.

Finally, members may wish to note that the CNA 2001 Convention is being held in Quebec City, from July 26 to July 29. Details of this, plus details of the one-day course, will be found in the CNA Journal which the club receives and will be available on March 26^th.

Buried Treasure

Two items of interest this time, the first a flaw pertaining to the new Macdonald $10 banknote recently introduced. Seems that some notes may have stuck to others and quietly slipped past a stage in the inking process and, buried between sheets of normal notes, escaped detection and entered circulation. This interesting numismatic story is reproduced elsewhere in the newsletter.

The second item was buried for a longer period of time, almost 1800 years in fact. A wonderful hoard of 43 Roman gold coins was recently discovered during excavations "near the Bank of England". This area was once the site of Roman London and almost every dig for a foundation for a new office tower reveals remarkably preserved treasures from the past. The Museum of London has been presenting highlights from recent archaeological work, and numismatic discoveries have been crucial for establishing approximate dates for various events.

Reminder

Our next meeting goes on Monday March 26 at 7:30 pm.