Prince Edward Island Numismatic Association
October 1999 Newsletter
This October meeting will be our annual meeting. The APNA show will be over and it will be a
great opportunity for us to do a post mortem on the show. Interest in the show has been great and I
hope you will all make it on Friday evening and Saturday. It has been a busy month indeed in
preparation for the show. Dealer response has been exceptional with all tables been sold. It's lucky
we didn't take the small room at McLaughlin's which we looked at in the spring. I would like to
thank the committee for all their hard work putting the show together. We hope we have all things
covered, and it is a success. I would like also to thank those who attended the two extra meetings we
had during the month to review our plans.
Ian Graham, North American Sales Manager for the Royal
Canadian Mint, will be attending the show. He will have a sample of the new $350 .9999 gold coin
with him for everyone to see. The mint has just announced its issue, very appropriate at this time.
The Prince Edward Island Lady's slipper will be on the coin, and it was designed by Mr. Henry
Purdy of Charlottetown, a very well known artist. The coin sells for the tidy sum of $999.99, has
38.05 grams of gold and is 34mm in diameter. The mintage is limited to 1999.
Comments on our
show medal have been positive. I would like to thank Island Pewter for doing such a fine job and
their effort in getting the medal out in time for us to do a pre-sale among our members. We will have
to put forth an effort and get them all sold to recover our cost as the selling price is $15.00. This leaves
us with no margin for profit. Island Pewter LTD produced 55 medals for us and only billed us for the
50 we ordered. If we sell all 55, the extra 5 will give us a bit of profit; so lets all get busy and sell
them all.
This meeting will also be the last meeting for me as your president and editor of this newsletter. It
has been an enjoyable experience for me; also very encouraging to see new members come into the
club. I am sorry to have to give up the presidency but due to health reasons I have to. When I was
managing the Lobster suppers I had at one time 118 employees working for me. I was younger then
and didn't realize what stress was. I guess there were a few stressful situations. I find now I can no
longer meet deadlines like getting the newsletter out on time etc. If I get behind the stress bothers
me. The coin club has been an important part of my life for many years since it was first formed
some 35 years ago. I think this has been my third time as president during those years. I was also a
member of the Summerside club before our club started. I must say it is great see so many faces
from those early days that are still involved with our club. When I look over the membership list I
am surprised to see so many. It must be a strong bond that holds us together. I would however very
much like to still be involved at my own pace with the club activities and serve on committees.
This
is also the month that our membership is up for renewal. The dues are a very important part of our
club. They are our only source of income. The cost of producing the newsletter seems to keep going
up. I would like to point out in the last 21/2 years our expenses were double our revenue,
consequently our bank account has dwindled almost in half.
On Tuesday the 19th following our meeting Evelyn and I are heading for the Torex show and sale in Toronto. We plan to take our time and get there on Thursday at noon. Tom Roger's collection is in this sale. Tom was one of the founding members of this club. It saddens me when I look through the catalogue and see a lifetime of collecting being dispersed; especially such a quantity of fine Prince Edward Island material that is very hard to come by, if ever again. For example the P.E.I. holey dollar, McCausland penny, James Millner sheaf of wheat, Merchants Bank of P.E.I. $10 note (only one known.). A nice Rustico bank note, and numerous Bank of P.E.I. notes, including a $10 fully signed note, as well as many lots of coins and medals, you don't have any idea what's in them until you get there and view the lots. I hope to bring some back to the Island but for the rarities there will be lots people competing for them. The one I would really like to have is the Merchants bank note; it is item 842 in the sale. There are a lot of items before that I would like as well, I will just have to wait and see what happens.
Don't forget the last 25 cents (December) in the 1999 millennium series is been launched in Charlottetown on the first of December. I haven't heard much about it as yet, but expect there will be some sort of a function. Those of us who were around for the launching of the 1992 provincial 25 cents will remember the great time we had. I wonder if the mint will give away a 1000 quarters this time around. Anyway keep it in mind, and lets make ourselves available in what ever way we can to help promote the hobby. Maybe Ian Graham, the mints representative, will have more information for us at the show on Saturday, don't forget to mention it to him. Well that's about it for now hope to see you all at the reception Friday evening and the show on Saturday.
BRING ALONG A FRIEND, EVERYONE IS WELCOME
Ralph Dickieson President
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