North York Coin ClubFounded 1960

MONTHLY MEETINGS 4TH Tuesday 7:30 P.M. ATEdithvale Community Centre, 131 Finch Ave. W., North York M2N 2H8

MAIL ADDRESS: NORTH YORK COIN CLUB,5261 Naskapi Court, Mississauga, ON L5R 2P4

Web site: www.northyorkcoinclub.com

President ........................................Bill O’Brien1st Vice President ..........................Len Kuenzig2nd Vice President..........................David QuinlanSecretary ........................................Henry NienhuisTreasurer ........................................Ben BoelensPast President ................................Nick Cowan

Director ..........................................Roger FoxDirector ..........................................Vince ChiappinoDirector ..........................................Andrew SilverJunior Director ................................Auctioneer ......................................David Quinlan

Auction Manager..........................Mark ArgentinoEditor ..........................................Paul PetchReceptionist ................................Franco FarronatoDraw Prizes ................................Bill O’BrienSocial Convenor ..........................Bill O’BrienLibrarian ......................................Robert Wilson

Executive Committee

Member :Ontario Numismatic Association

Royal Canadian Numismatic Assocation

Contact the Club :E-mail: info@northyorkcoinclub.com

Phone: 416-897-6684

THE BULLETIN FOR OCTOBER 2012PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Welcome club members and friends. Thefall colours are at their peak and so are thenumismatic events taking place in the GreaterToronto Area. I’m taking advantage of the fallweather and sparsely traveled byways andhighways of New England, taking in the fallfoliage and rugged coastal scenery. Sitting onthe deck enjoying the ocean view and a coldone, I’m writing my message for The Bulletin.Sometimes I can enjoy work and pleasure at thesame time.

As the first item of business, I wish clubmember Raj M a speedy recovery from a heartissue that had him hospitalized recently. Lifethrows us these curve balls now and then andall we can do is live life day to day and staypositive. This setback for Raj is also a setbackfor the club. We now need to replace Raj whowas going to take Bens place as Treasurer whilehe is away over the winter months. The Clubis asking that another member step forward tobe treasurer for these few months. Please seeme at the beginning of the meeting so you canbegin training immediately.

The September meeting was the first inour new Banquet Room location on the groundfloor at Edithvale Community Centre. It is veryspacious with abundant natural lighting. I hopewith any luck that we can continue to use thisroom for the years to come.

The club is planning the 2nd annualEdithvale Hobby Show on May 11th 2013. Thetables are now being sold on a first come, firstserved basis, so reserve your table and pay the$30 early. See the Treasurer to make your reser-vation now.

I’m sorry I have to bring this up again butyour NYCC draw prize cupboard is almostbare. Please look through your drawers and

closets and see if you have any numismaticmaterial just collecting dust. Please bring youritems to the next meeting so we can sort themand provide material for draws in the upcomingmonths. Your help on this is critical since thedraw ticket sales are the primary source ofincome for the club. Without a few good itemsevery month draw ticket sales go way down.Please see if you can help support the club inthis way.

If any members have any money left afterthis exhausting month of coin shows, don’tforget to put a few bucks away for theChristmas dinner. After checking withMississauga-Etobicoke members and co-ordinating with the dinner meeting of theToronto Coin Club, we have confirmed withthe Swiss Pick for Tuesday December 4. Thisis $38 per person with 8 oz. steak, and ampleportions of chicken, veggies, pasta, salad,desserts and tea or coffee. Paul Petch will makethe payment to the Swiss Pick, so please seehim with your money.

The final item I must bring up is our searchfor members who would like to do a presenta-tion. The club is always looking for presentersto share their expertise. One of the reasons weattend our meetings, besides the coffee anddonuts, is to gain numismatic knowledge: tolearn. So if any of you would like to enlightenus with your numismatic knowledge, pleasespeak with me and I will pencil you in forNovember or next year as one of our featuredspeakers.

Well that’s all I have for this month. I guessI will get back to my cold one, or maybe it’s mysecond and continue my east coast tour. Sountil we meet on the 23rd drive safely when youget out to visit the local coin shows.

NEXT MEETINGTUESDAY, OCTOBER 23

We start gathering in the BanquetRoom at the east end of the first floorat the Edithvale Community Centre,

at 7:00 p.m. with meeting start scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Our guest speaker for October is NishVairavanathan, an Analyst who joined theBank of Canada’s Ontario Regional Officein August, 2011. He promotes the Bank andits currency function across Ontario anddelivers its products and services to keystakeholders. He is involved in the RegionalOffice’s program to promote education andawareness of the security features onCanadian bank notes.

Nish has an MBA from Wilfrid LaurierUniversity with a specialization inAccounting, an Honours BBA from theUniversity of Guelph and a BA diplomawith a specialization in InternationalBusiness from Humber ITAL. With severalyears of public speaking experience, he is anideal representative as we look forward tothe $20 note release in November.

We appreciate all donations to oursupply of draw prize material. Please remember to bring yourauction lots if you would like an

auction at this meeting.Bill O’Brien

PAGE 2 — OCTOBER 2012 — NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN

The 581st meeting of the North York Coin Club was held onTuesday, September 25th, 2012 in the 1st floor Banquet Room at theEdithvale Community Centre, 131 Finch Ave. West. The meetingwas hammered to order at 7:35 p.m. with our president Bill O’Brien,in the chair; there were 27 members and 3 guests in attendance.

Our on-time attendance draw was the first order of business.Member, Tony Hine was present when his name was drawn toreceive the prize of $6.00. The draw will reset to $2.00 for theOctober meeting.

As is customary, the next order of business President BillO’Brien asked the members present if they had noticed any errorsor omissions in the minutes of our August meeting as published inthe September newsletter. There being no changes identified,Norman G. Gordon made a motion to accept the minutes with ArieYark seconding. Motion carried.

Our treasurer, Ben Boelens, was then asked to report on theclub’s current financial balance.

Ben mentioned that he was looking for someone to volunteer toact as treasurer while he is on an extended vacation. After somediscussion about the position requirements, member Raj Makhijanivolunteered to be the acting treasurer. Raj and Ben will worktogether to transfer any information that Raj will need to know.

Moving to the information portion of the meeting, Bill O’Brienmentioned that the Toronto Coin Expo was coming up shortly;September 28th-29th at the Toronto Reference Library. He remindedthe members present that the Ontario Numismatic Associationwould once again have a table at the show and that they werelooking for volunteers from the local clubs to help man the table

during the show hours. He directed anyone interested to contact PaulPetch, O.N.A. President.

Bill then asked Paul Petch to comment on the results of hisdiscussion with the Swiss Pick Restaurant regarding our ChristmasDinner meeting. Having taken feedback from the recent executivemeeting, held on September 11th, Paul approached his friend at theSwiss Pick with a desire to improve on last year. He was able toarrange a buffet including steak, for a price of $38.00 per person,based on an attendance of 40 people. Both suggested dates ofDecember 4th (Mississauga Club meeting date) and December 11th

(North York meeting date) were available. Paul also mentioned thathe had been able to contact Betty Fallis-Trow with respect to oursecond annual Hobby Show. She was able to confirm that the facilitywas available on our date of May 11, 2013. Paul has made up formsfor anyone wanting to register as a dealer at the show. There will be18 six-foot tables available at $30.00 each; due to limited availabilityhe recommended that members sign-up quickly, any remainingtables will be sold on a first come basis to outside dealers.

Bill mentioned that another item on the agenda at the last exec-utive meeting was the 2014 R.C.N.A. Convention committee. Therewere 16 members who attended the information session, with anumber of people volunteering to help out in various ways. Billmentioned that we are still looking to fill some strategic positionsso if you are interested please contact one of the co-chairs Paul Petchor Henry Nienhuis and they would be glad to talk to you in detail.Paul Petch handed out CD’s containing the convention manual,supplied by Paul Johnson, as well as copies of the information pres-entation, prepared by Henry Nienhuis.

NEWS OF THE SEPTEMBER 2012 MEETING

Continued page 4...

The denomination of one made beaver was a value the natives could all equate to rather than apound sterling. The initials on the reverse are HB (Hudson's Bay). E (East), M (Main), Nshould be M (Made), B (beaver).

Above: 48 mm silver Indian Chief MedalBelow: North West Company issued their own version of a medal for natives

NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN — OCTOBER 2012 — PAGE 3

In the 1850's the company set up to process oil from beluga whales. Four denominations of thebrass counters were needed to give the correct credit to the natives

A set of these popular tokens has been copied and is similar to the original with the exception of the word "Reproduction" on the reverse

Natives in the Hudson Strait district had no idea of the relative value of their furs. Parsons created five different shaped tokens and each represented a different animal fur

September of 1826 is the earliest date of the 1820 issue for the five-shilling denomination

Long service medal for fifteen years of service plus two five year bars is flanked by two long service pins

Card tokens were not authorized by head office and it is possible they were used after this dateThe Fort Grahame Post, established about 1890, is two hundred miles north of Prince George

PAGE 4 — OCTOBER 2012 — NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN

OCT. 20, Oshawa, Coin-A-Rama, FivePoints Mall. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Freedealer membership, hourly public draws. Freeadmission. Featuring paper, coins, tokens,medals and many other items. For more infor-mation contact Sharon Maclean, telephone905-728-1352, email papman@bell.net. OCT. 21, Stratford, Stratford Coin Club,Festival Inn, 1144 Ontario St. Hours: 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Adults $2 admission, 16 and underfree. Buy sell coins, paper money, tokens. Formore information contact Larry Walker, tele-phone 519-271-3352, emailiswalker@cyg.net. OCT. 27 - 28, Toronto, Torex - Canada’sNational Coin Show, Hilton Toronto AirportHotel, 5875 Airport Rd. Hours: Sat. 10 a.m. to5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission $6.Under 16 free! Official Auctioneer: TheCanadian Numismatic Company. The HiltonToronto Airport hotel is located directly acrossfrom Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.For more information call 416-705-5348.Website: http://www.torex.net.

NOV. 2 - 4, Montreal, QC Nuphilex:Canada’s Largest Coin and Stamp Show,Holiday Inn Midtown, 420 Sherbrooke West.Hours: Fri. and Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun. 10a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission $3 Fri. and Sat.,Sun. free. More than 74 dealer tables of coins,stamps, paper money, tokens, military medals,jewellery and watches will be showcased.Come buy, sell, trade or appraise your valu-ables. Coin auction conducted by LowerCanada Auction in the Gouverner Room. Formore information contact Gabriel, telephone1-514-842-4411, email nuphilex@bellnet.ca.Website: http://www.nuphilex.com.NOV. 3, Scarborough, 16th AnnualScarborough Coin Club Show, CedarbrookCommunity Centre, 91 Eastpark Blvd.. Hours:9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free admission and draws,refreshments available. For more informationcontact Dick Dunn, email cpms@idirect.com,or PO Box 562, Pickering, ON L1V 2R7.NOV. 4, Windsor, Windsor Coin Show,Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Ave. Hours: 10a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission $1, junior members

free, plenty of free parking. For more informa-tion contact Colin Cutler, telephone 519-962-2584, email ccutler@cogeco.ca. Website:http://www.windsorcoinclub.com. NOV. 17, Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls CoinClub Coin Show, 6944 Stanley Ave. Hours: 9a.m. to 4 p.m. Free parking. $2 admissionincludes ticket on gold coin draw; coins,tokens, paper money and more. For moreinformation contact Todd Hume, telephone905-871-2451. DEC. 2, Brampton, Brampton Coin Show,Century Gardens Recreation Centre, 340Vodden Rd. E. Buy, sell, trade and appraise atmore than 40 tables of dealers, featuring coins,medals, tokens, paper money, trade dollars,militaria. Children’s table. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to4:30 p.m. Admission $3, under 14 free. Freeparking. Funds raised for Children’s Charities.Sponsor/Affiliate: B&W Coins & Tokens andthe Brampton Rotary Club. For more informa-tion, contact B&W Coins & Tokens, WillardBurton telephone 905-450-2870, emailb_and_w@sympatico.ca.

COMING EVENTS FOR FALL 2012

Listings are courtesy of Canadian Coin News Coming Events

Bill then asked if anyone had brought a show-and-tell theywould like to share with the meeting. Raj Makhijani was first to passaround a very nice Canada Post issue of 1976 Olympic Stampsstruck in 16 gm of fine silver. The set was housed in a presentationbox containing the original stamps as well. Ben Boelens displayed5 new beautifully detailed polymer notes from Malaysia; hementioned that they were in the smaller format.

Roger took the floor to talk about a regular special event of theCTCCC, a summer swap meet held every year. A different memberusually hosts the weekend event each year, this year it was inQuebec. The swap meet is a mini-convention giving members achance to socialize and trade collectables. As his show-and-tell, BillO’Brien talked about his plans to attend the War of 1812 re-enactment held each year on October 13–16 in Kingston Ontario.

At 8:15 pm, Bill called for an early refreshment break consistingof cookies, juice and coffee. This allowed Henry Nienhuis andPaul Petch to setup for the presentation this evening.

At 8:20 we moved on to our planned event of the evening—APowerPoint presentation from the O.N.A. Library—produced by theLondon Numismatic Association, entitled “Medals, Tokens andPaper Money of the Hudson’s Bay Company.” Paul and Henryaugmented the presentation with further research they had under-taken. This added depth and context to the numismatic materialincluded. In addition, a small display of pertinent numismatic mate-rial and books was used to highlight aspects of the presentation.

With the presentation ending at 8:50 p.m., the last portion of themeeting was devoted to the customary lucky draws and auction.Lucky draw winners were- Arie Yark, Walter Rodriguez (4),Danielle G. (3), Bill O’Brien, David Bawcutt, Michael G. (3),Richard Duquette (3), Len Kuenzig (2), Henry Nienhuis, DickDunn, and Tony Hine. The club earned $28.00 through the sale ofthe draw tickets! The lucky draws were intermixed throughout theevening’s auction, called by David Quinlan as auctioneer, andvolunteer runner Dick Dunn. Paul Johnson served as our actingauction manager and reported that receipts from the auction added$14.75 to the club coffers.

The club executive would like to send out a special thank youto members for supporting the club through the purchase of drawtickets and draw prize donations. We thank Italo Villella for his kinddonation of world coins to the club. Please consider supporting yourclub through a donation of numismatic material or other items.(Don’t forget to mention your donations to the club secretary so thatyour support can be recognized in the minutes and newsletter.)

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:38p.m.

As a reminder, the next regular club meeting will be held in theBanquet Room, on the first floor, October 23rd, at the EdithvaleCommunity Centre. Please note the change of venue for our 2012-2013 season schedule.

... Meeting Notes Continued from page 2

NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN — OCTOBER 2012 — PAGE 5

“A most melancholy catastrophe,” thePennsylvania Packet reported in 1785,“occurred on Thursday the 1st instant, nearthe capes of Delaware. The shipFaithful Steward, (Capt.)McCausland, from Londonderry,bound to this port, with240 passengers onboard, standinginto the Bay,unfortunatelyran on a shoal tothe southwardof CapeHenlopen, about150 yards from dryland. The captain, andsome others, got ashore,but the surge being very violent, the boatswere unable to return to the ship, which lay tillthe next day, and then beat to pieces.”

The wreck of the Faithful Steward on Sept.1, 1785, was the greatest disaster to haveoccurred on the Delaware coast. Out of about260 people aboard, about 70 survived. In addi-tion to its human cargo, the Faithful Stewardcarried a shipment of copper pennies that werespilled into the ocean when the ship foundered.

After the Faithful Steward disaster, theship’s cargo of coins were scattered by theconstant movement of the ocean waves.

Occasionally, some of these pennies were castonto the sand; but so few people visited the

Delaware coast at the time, the sandcovered up the pennies

before anyone noticed.During the late 19th

and early 20th centuries,Rehoboth and Bethany

b e a c h e s

were establishedas ocean resorts, andhundreds of beachcombers began to tread theDelaware sands.

In addition, during the Great Depression,the Civilian Conservation Corps was estab-lished to provide useful work for unemployedyoung men. In coastal Delaware, the men ofthe CCC were used for a variety of conserva-tion projects which brought them to the beachduring the fall and winter months when tideand weather conditions often carried sand out

to sea, leaving some of the Faithful Steward’scoins exposed on the beach.

On Feb. 24, 1937, the New York Timesreported, “Copper coins issued under the reignof George III of Great Britain, and bearingdates from 1774 to 1782 were picked up alongthe oceanfront today near Indian River Inlet,just south of Lewes. Youths from the LewesCCC camp discovered several hundred coinslying on the beach.”

The pennies discovered by the men of theCCC encouraged vacationers hiking by thesurf north of the Indian River Inlet to be on thelookout for coins. So many of the old pennieswere found that this area became known as“money” or “coin” beach. During the lastweek of August 1939, the Delaware coast wasbattered by a nor’easter for six days; and theslow-moving storm churned up the sea, sand,and coins from the Faithful Steward.

On Sept. 1, 1939, the New York Timesreported, “Daybreak yesterday found scores ofpersons at this resort’s ‘money beach’ fivemiles south of the ocean front near the IndianRiver Inlet in search of copper pieces, mintednearly two centuries ago in the reigns of KingGeorge II and III of England . . . TwoPhiladelphia matrons on Monday found nine-teen coins. Mrs. Harry Fehr of Whitemarshlocated 39, where her sister, Mrs. John W.

Watson of Chestnut Hill, added 44.”Although nearly three-quarters of a

century have passed since these vacationersdiscovered a small portion of the FaithfulSteward’s cargo, alert beachcombers visitthe area north of the Indian River Inlet afterstrong storms or unusual tides in the hope ofspotting a coin from the Delaware coast’smost disastrous shipwreck.

“MONEY BEACH” STILL LURES COIN HUNTERSbbyy MMiicchhaaeell MMoorrggaann

The Wreck of the Faithful Steward

Principal Sources:- Pennsylvania Packet,

September 12, 1785- Maryland Gazette,

September 22, 1785- New York Times,

February 24, 1937; September 1. 1939

PAGE 6 — OCTOBER 2012 — NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN

The Royal Canadian Mint is honouring theiconic “penny” circulation coin, whoseproduction officially ended on May 4, 2012,with an array of fine silver and goldcollectibles, as well as gift products, which payrespect to the one-cent denomination’s unfor-gettable legacy as both a pillar of Canadiancommerce and an integral part of our culturalhistory. These limited-edition products includea miniature pure gold coin; a selectively gold-plated silver coin; a five-ounce silver coin;and a five-coin set of fine silver “penny-sized”coins showcasing the evolution of one-centcirculation coin designs since the Mint firstopened for business in 1908. Launch plans forthe last one million pennies produced forcirculation will be announced at a later date.

“After helping satisfy the needs ofCanada’s trade and commerce sinceConfederation, the Canadian “penny” isretiring with honour and distinction thanks inpart to the launch of beautiful gold and silvercollector products commemorating thishistoric coin,” said Ian E. Bennett, Presidentand CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “Themaple leaf design of the “penny” became aCanadian icon 75 years ago and we are proudto celebrate it on new collector products whichare as unforgettable as the coin which inspiredthem.”

On May 4, 2012, the striking of Canada’slast one-cent circulation coin marked the endof an era in Canadian coinage history. Despiteits changing role as a tool of Canadiancommerce, the “penny” remains a vibrant partof our language and popular culture. Byappearing on all one-cent circulation coinsfrom 1937 to 2012 except for the celebrationof Canada’s 1967 Centennial, the iconic mapleleaf design of the “penny” is one of the mostenduring symbols of Canada and the RoyalCanadian Mint is pleased to capture it on animpressive assortment of finely craftedcollector coins.

The Mint’s farewelltribute to the “penny”

begins with a 1/25ounce, 99.99%pure gold coinfeaturing the time-

less maple leafdesign created by

artist George EdwardKruger-Gray in 1937. The image of two

upright five-lobed maple leaves, one slightlyoverlapping the other, appears on the reverseof this classic coin, along with the date of the“penny’s” last production, “2012,” its facevalue, and the word “CANADA”. The obverse

features the effigy of HerMajesty Queen ElizabethII by Susanna Blunt. It islimited to a worldwidemintage of 12,000 exam-ples. This coin is alsofeatured in exclusivejewelry productsconsisting of a ladies’pendant and men’scufflinks, both set in ster-ling silver.

Another stunning take on the “penny’s”signature design graces the reverse of a half-

ounce 99.99% pure silvercoin with a one-cent

denomination. G.E.K r u g e r - G r a y ’smaple leaves, selec-tively plated in pink

gold, leap from themirror-like surface of

this proof silver keepsakemeasuring 34 mm in diameter (nearly twicethe size of a regular penny). Only 30,000 ofthese 2012-dated coins are availableworldwide.

An even more striking tribute consists ofa five-ounce, 65mm-wide, 99.99% pure silvercoin capturing every detail of the G.E. Kruger-Gray “penny” design. Through boldlycontrasting finishes, its frosted maple leavesand twig stand out from the coin’s richlytextured background. Uniquely denominatedat one cent in face value, this coin also has anexclusive mintage of only 1,500 examplesworldwide.

The final and somewhat outstandinghomage to the one-cent circulation coin is afive-coin fine silver set whichtakes us back to the“penny’s” Canadianbeginnings, whenLady Grey, wife oft h e n - G o v e r n o rGeneral of CanadaEarl Grey, struck ourfirst domestically-produced “penny” at theopening ceremony ofthe Mint’s Ottawafacility on January 2,1908. The coin hassince undergone fivedesign changes, eachof which appears onindividual 99.99% puresilver coins, each thesame diameter as aregular “penny.”Each coin alsofeatures the effigy ofthe monarch whoreigned at the time oftheir issue. Limited to5,000 sets whose certificaterecounts the entirehistory of Canada’spenny, this productcelebrates thepennies of 1902-10;1911-20; 1920-1936;1937-2012: and theexceptional 1967 RockDove design bylegendary Canadianartist Alex Colville,commissioned forthe celebration ofCanada’s centennial.

THE MINT’S “FAREWELL TO THE PENNY” COLLECTOR COINS

NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN — OCTOBER 2012 — PAGE 7

Halifax folk musician Dave Gunning wanted to pay tribute to thesoon-to-vanish Canadian penny in song with his upcoming albumNo More Pennies. But the Royal Canadian Mint was not happy aboutthe image of the Canadian penny he is using on the album cover. Itsaid Gunning is contravening copyright and must pay a fee.

For every 2000 copies of the album he creates he has to fill outan application, wait for approval and be charged $1,200. So,Gunning has launched a penny drive, requesting that fans bringpennies to his fall shows so he can afford to issue his album.

The Ottawa-based mint waived the fee on the first 2,000 albums,to come out Sept. 18. But it was firm that Gunning must pay up forfuture releases. A mint spokeswoman confirmed that there is copy-right on images of coins.

“The Mint has an Intellectual Property Policy in place to protectits IP assets, which includes coin images, and ensure their appro-priate use. In instances where an approved use is being made forcommercial gain (as would be the case with an ad campaign orselling music CDs), royalty fees are applied,” she said in a statement.

Ironically, it was a fan trying to help that alerted the mint toGunning’s tribute to the penny. “Turns out I have a big fan whoworks for the Canadian mint. He got the idea, ‘the Canadian mintshould get behind this. Maybe we could actually sell the CD in ourgift shop,’” Gunning told CBC’s Mainstreet.

“But when he brought it to the attention of his co-workers,somebody in the intellectual property department picked up and said‘wait a sec—Dave Gunning has never applied to use the image ofthe penny.’He was trying to do something good and it clearly back-fired.” Gunning said he had no idea the mint would charge forimages of its coins. His album was already being produced so hequickly made an application.

The artwork for No More Pennies was by Michael Wrycraft, aJuno award-winning artist who has created CD packages for artistssuch as Stompin’ Tom, Ron Hynes, Gordon Lightfoot and BruceCockburn. It was meant to be a tasteful tribute to the penny, whichthe mint will stop making in 2012.

The image on the front cover of the CDis of a person sitting at a lunch counter tryingto scrape up enough change to pay for his cupof coffee, while on the back is a sunset withthe sun as a penny setting below the horizon.Inside is a lithograph of an old steam trainand the wheels of the train are little pennies.

No More Pennies features 12 original songs by Gunning andcollaborators such as George Canyon, David Francey, Bruce Guthro,Lennie Gallant and Scottish songstress Karine Polwart. Gunningwon two 2011 East Coast Music Awards for his last album, ATributeto John Allan Cameron.

But, as it turns out, there is a happy ending to this story. The Minthas had a change of heart, made ab exception to the rules and willnot be charging the copyright fee. Gunning said he is grateful forthe change.

Listen to Dave Gunning’s Penny Woes athttp://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/ID/2276607846/

MINT CHARGES MUSICIAN FOR USE OF COIN IMAGE

Dave Gunning had launched a ‘penny drive’ to pay copyrightfees to the mint for an image of the penny on his album cover.

(Photo by Chris Smith)

PAGE 8 — OCTOBER 2012 — NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN

“I’ve found bits and pieces but nothing likethis. I’ve got immense satisfaction that the

guy came to us and bought the machine fromus but I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish it

had been me.” Shopkeeper David SewellAnovice treasure hunter who bought a basic metal detector returned

to the shop in shock weeks later, clutching part of the country’s finestever hoard of Late Roman gold coins. The man stunned staff byshowing them 40 gold Solidi, before asking them: ‘What do I do withthis?’

They contacted local experts and together got the permits theyneeded, headed back to the scene and pulled up another 119 gleamingpieces. The hoard could be worth more £100,000.

David Sewell, the lucky shopkeeper who joined the second searchparty, said: ‘It’s a staggering thing. ‘We sold this guy an entry-levelmachine and he went off and pulled off one of the largest ever hoardsof Late Roman gold coins. We believe it’s the second largest. ‘He cameup with approximately 40 coins to start with. He came to see us andwe looked at it and thought: ‘Is this a stunt?’

‘I’ve heard in the past that the general reaction with things like thisis that people are terrified. They don’t know what they (the artefacts)mean.’

They advised the man to get in touch with the local finds liaisonofficer and armed with a JCB they went to the woodlands spot near StAlbans, Hertfordshire, and continued the work.

Mr Sewell, who founded metal detecting shop Hidden History withMark Becher in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, last year, said: ‘We wentwith them and took with us a couple of slightly more potent machinesand we pulled 119 more coins out of the ground.

‘These are 22 carat gold, they haven’t got any damage and theycame out of the ground looking like the day they were made. All I cansay is I was there and my heart was going at 10 to the dozen.’

The man had bought a Garrett Ace 150, retailing at around £135and described as being ideal for children to use for a hobby. Localheritage officials described the find as ‘a nationally significant find.’The coins are a rare example of the Solidus, dating from the last daysof Roman rule in Britain. The last consignments of them reachedthese shores in 408AD.

Officials refused to identify the exact site of the discovery or thelandowner to stop others from trying to cash in. They also would notname the person who found them, who could profit from a share of theproceeds from the coins.

A spokesman for St Albans City and District Council said: ‘Anationally significant find of 159 Late Roman gold coins has beenfound by a metal detectorist on private land in the north of the districtof St Albans, in Hertfordshire. ‘The find is believed to be one of thelargest Roman gold coin hoards ever discovered in the UK.’

Local museum staff, together with Hidden History, travelled to therural site to confirm the find. ‘Evidence suggests that the hoard was

disturbed in the last couple of hundred years due to quarrying activityor plough action,’ said the spokesman.

Mr Sewell said the coins were found across about 15 metres ofwoodland. It is believed that the area was used during the Second WorldWar to cultivate crops and it may be then that the coins were shifted.‘The interesting thing is there were no other artefacts there at all, nobrooches,’ said Mr Sewell. ‘Oddly there was no vessel at all to holdthem. It is quite a significant stash and I’m surprised that it would havebeen in an organic holder.

The council has now referred the hoard to experts at the BritishMuseum to investigate and prepare a report for the local coroner.They will also determine the value of the coins, which could fetchanything from £400 to £1,000 apiece. The coroner will then determinewhether the hoard counts as treasure.

David Thorold, curator of the prehistory to medieval section at theVerulamium Museum, in St Albans, said: ‘Gold Solidi were extremelyvaluable coins and were not traded or exchanged on a regular basis.‘They would have been used for large transactions such as buying land,or goods by the shipload. ‘The gold coins in the economy guaranteedthe value of all the silver and especially the bronze coins in circula-tion. However, must people would not have had regular access to them.‘Typically, the wealthy Roman elite, merchants or soldiers receivingbulk pay were the recipients.’

Mr Sewell, who resumed detecting three years ago after a 36-yeargap, has himself found a number of items, including a rare silverTealby Penny. He said: ‘I’ve found bits and pieces but nothing like this.I’ve got immense satisfaction that the guy came to us and bought themachine from us but I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish it had beenme. ‘It beggars belief. Thanks to things like Time Team people’sinterest in archaeology has really taken off. You do have the possibilityto change history.’

NOVICE TREASURE HUNTER FINDS ROMAN GOLD IN UKbbyy LLeeoonn WWaattssoonn,, TThhee DDaaiillyy MMaaiill

These late Roman gold coins were been found by a metal detec-torist on private land north of St Albans in Hertfordshire. The

find is believed to be one of the largest Roman gold coin hoardsever discovered in the UK (INS News Agency)

NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN — OCTOBER 2012 — PAGE 9

Museum focuses on aestheticquality of ancient coins and

links to other art formsThe Dekadrachm (Demareteion) of

Syracuse with quadriga, about 465 BC, is themost famous Greek coin in the MFA’scollection

Coins, it could be argued, are the smallestbut most widespread form of art, found inalmost everyone’s pocket. Later this month,the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, willbecome the first major US museum to open agallery dedicated to ancient coins, placing anemphasis on them as miniature works of art.

“The MFA isn’t merely giving coins thesame level of attention as vases, sculpture,”says Richard Grossman, the consultingcurator for numismatics at the MFA, who isworking on the installation of around 500coins in the new galleries, which are due toopen on 25 September. “What the MFA’sgallery shows is how ancient coins can beworks of art in their own right, and howcoinage is interconnected with artworks inother media and through time. To that end,the new gallery does more than display aselection of beautiful coins; it points tomeaningful visual relationships betweencoins and other objects—vases, sculpture,metalwork, gems, and even works on paper.”

The MFA has one of the largest collec-tions of Greek and Roman coins in theworld, with around 7,500 pieces, that as wellas being beautiful objects of sculpturalquality, also document the cultural and polit-ical history of those ancient empires.Highlights including a Dekadrachm(Demareteion) of Syracuse with quadriga,about 465 BC, a Tetradrachm of Amphipoliswith head of Apollo, 390–70 BC, and aDenarius with head of M. Junius Brutus, 43-42 BC, issued by Brutus after the assassina-tion of Julius Caesar. “The idea to puttogether a coin gallery grew out of discus-sions about how we could make these treas-ures most accessible to the visiting public.What the MFA’s gallery tries to show is howancient coins are works of art in miniatureand also documents of Classical history andculture,” Grossman says.

The gallery installation is planned as apermanent display, and there will be iPadsand a computer kiosk to allow visitors toexamine the coins in further detail. “Coinsare difficult to exhibit for a couple ofreasons—in particular, their small size andtwo-sided format. Several cases in thegallery have movable magnifying glasses sothat visitors can really see the details. Somecases are also supported by iPads, whichwill allow visitors to zoom in, to see bothsides of the coin, and to learn a little moreabout the cultural context of the coins ondisplay.” Grossman says. There are no plans

for temporary or special exhibitions, but thegallery will include other works from theperiods, including sculpture, ceramics, andmetalwork.

At the same time, the museum is openingnew galleries for its 11,500-strong collectionof gems and jewellery from the ancientMediterranean, the largest in the US. Morethan 200 objects will go on view, includingthe MFA’s famous Cameo with the Weddingof Cupid and Psyche once owned by theFlemish painter Peter Paul Rubens and thenby the Duke of Marlborough.

BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ART (MFA)TREATS COINS AS MINIATURE WORKS OF ART

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The Dekadrachm (Demareteion) of Syracuse with quadriga, about 465 BC, isthe most famous Greek coin in the MFA’s collection

The Denarius with head of M. Junius Brutus, 43–42 BC, was issued by Brutus after the assassination of Julius Caesar

and warns of death to tyrants on its obverse side with a cap of liberty flanked by two daggers

PAGE 10 — OCTOBER 2012 — NORTH YORK COIN CLUB BULLETIN

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, October 12,2012 – On the eve of the 200th anniversary ofMajor-General Sir Isaac Brock’s death on thebattlefield at Queenston Heights, theHonourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C.,Member of Parliament for Niagara Falls,Minister of Justice and Attorney General ofCanada, today unveiled a new Royal CanadianMint circulation coin honouring his memoryas a hero of the War of 1812. This is the firstof four circulation coins that commemoratekey historical figures who influenced the fightfor Canada from 1812 to 1814.

“Honouring the 200th anniversary of theWar of 1812 with this special circulation coinpays tribute to one of our greatest nationalheroes and a crucial moment on the road toConfederation,” said Minister Nicholson.“Our Government encourages Canadians totake this opportunity to learn more about ourheroes and history and to take pride in ourtraditions by collecting this new circulationcoin dedicated to War of 1812 hero Major-General Sir Isaac Brock”.

The War of 1812 was the fight for Canadaand a defining moment in our country’s historythat saw British regular forces, English andFrench-speaking militia, First Nations andMétis allies join together to defend ourborders. Without their courage and sacrifice,Canada as we know it would not exist.

Major-General Brock died leading acharge against the Americans during the Battleof Queenston Heights on October 13, 1812and earned the title “the hero of Upper-Canada.” He was a distinguished British Army

commander who led the successful defense ofthe province early in the War of 1812.

Appointed commander of military forcesin 1810, he organized the militia and preparedCanada for possible war with the UnitedStates. Following the outbreak of war and theforging of a crucial alliance with ShawneeChief Tecumseh, Major-General Brock ledthe daring capture of Fort Detroit, securing thewestern frontier and boosting the morale ofUpper Canadians. His death on October 13,1812, while attempting to recaptureQueenston Heights, has made Sir Isaac Brocka national hero and an enduring symbol ofbravery and patriotism for successive gener-ations of Canadians.

The reverse image of this new 25-centcirculation coin features a profile portrait ofMajor-General Brock, designed by NovaScotia artist Bonnie Ross, against an intri-cately engraved background comprised of thewords “The War of 1812” in both English andFrench. Featured in the design is theGovernment of Canada War of 1812 logo,composed of stylistic 1812 typographyencompassed by a stylized maple leaf withecru swords crossing behind it.

In all, 12.5 million of these commemora-tive circulation coins have been produced intwo distinct finishes: half of them feature acoloured War of 1812 logo, while theremaining coins have a frosted portrait ofMajor-General Brock while the War of 1812logo remains unpainted.

The obverse features the effigy of HerMajesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt,

as well as the Government of Canada’s offi-cial commemorative symbol for the 200thanniversary of the War of 1812. It began circu-lating on October 13.

“The Royal Canadian Mint is committedto preserving memories of the people, placesand events which tell the story of the Canadianexperience and the remembrance of the heroesof the War of 1812 is a wonderful way to cele-brate our proud values,” said Ian E. Bennett,President and CEO of the Royal CanadianMint.

The Mint has also released a number ofprecious metal collector coins to add to thecelebration of the 200th anniversary of theWar of 1812.

On September 5 the mint announced agold $350 face value commemorative of99.999% purity limited to only 1,000 speci-mens. Inspired by the design of a commemo-rative half-penny token issued in UpperCanada in 1816, two cherubs placing a wreathover an urn marking the date of Brock’s death,are framed by the immortal tribute of “TheHero of Upper Canada”.

On October 2, 2012, the Mint issued a $4face value 99.99% pure silver coin featuringa portrait of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, setagainst an intricately engraved backgroundconsisting of the bilingual text “The War of1812/La guerre de 1812.” This coin is alsoemblazoned by the engraved and paintedGovernment of Canada War of 1812 logo andis limited to a mintage of 10,000 specimens.

WAR OF 1812 HERO MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK

COMMEMORATED ON 25-CENT CIRCULATION COIN

This 25-cent circulation coin comes inpainted and un-painted versions.

This $4 coin is 99.99% pure silverand is limited to 10,000 specimens

A .99999 $350 gold commemorativeis limited to 1,000 specimens