http://www.vancouvernumismaticsociety.ca/

Vancouver Numismatic Society, 5851 W. Boulevard, Vancouver, BC (2026)

10/01/2026

Vancouver Numismatic Society
October Newsletter

Next Meeting – Thursday, October 1st
at 7:15 pm

October Program

Our meeting will begin with an opportunity for “Show and Tell”.

Our Program Coordinator, Jan Verster, will be presenting the second part his program on the "Changing Canadian Currency”.

Member News

It’s with sadness that we report the recent passing of long-time VNS member Bob Dewhirst.

Congratulations go to Peter Moogk to his 50 year membership in the RCNA.

Floor Auction

After our break, the meeting will continue with the Club’s floor auction. Please bring in your submissions.

Articles

Peter Moogk submitted this article on Propaganda and Artistry in a banknote:
It is common knowledge that currency often promotes a cause or a claim connected with the issuing country. National heroes and allegorical imagery frequently appeared on French banknotes. This one, Pick 42a, has the soft, pastel-coloured image for which the French are famed. This is a Bank of France five thousand francs note, issued from 1942 to 1947. Suitable for its high cash value, it is a physically large 21X11 cm. note.
What it portrays is a blond woman, representing the French republic, caring for her colonial subjects from Central Africa, Indochina, and North Africa. These people from the French colonies did not share this view of benign French rule. They were pressed to adopt the French language and French culture. French administrators called this their “civilizing mission.” This Francisation (Frenchification) could offend native cultures. In the two decades after the Second World War independence movements swept through the French Empire and overcame European resistance to establish independent republics. Like the British Empire, the French Empire dissolved in the postwar years.
What puzzles me is the date on this note, 22 March 1945. France by then had been liberated from the German armed forces and yet this note’s design dates from 1942 during the period of German occupation. At that time French overseas colonies were being seized by the Free French forces of General Charles De Gaulle. Both the collaborationist Vichy government and the Free French, who were opposed to the Vichy regime, could have shared the same romantic conception of their country’s colonial empire. This image of empire then would have been acceptable to both sides.

09/01/2026

Vancouver Numismatic Society
September Newsletter

Next Meeting – Thursday, September 10th
at 7:15 pm

September Program

Our meeting will begin with an opportunity for “Show and Tell”.

No program is scheduled yet for this meeting.

Floor Auction

After our break, the meeting will continue with the Club’s floor auction. Please bring in your submissions.

Articles

Peter Moogk submitted this article on a banknote of Kossuth, the Hungarian revolutionary:
This is a Hungarian banknote for one forint that might be mistaken for a legitimate, government issue. Then you notice that the printer, identified at the bottom right corner, is “Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co.” of Philadelphia, USA. That is an odd choice for a European regime. The Hungarian text states that “This banknote is backed by the state at a nominal value of one silver forint (specifically, a twenty kreuzer piece).” On the left hand, the text is “All Hungarian public funds – or rather, the three of them – are accepted; public opinion is unanimous.” This exile series was issued with values of 1, 2 and 5 forints. These must be the “three” public funds. The central vignette shows the figure of Liberty stamping on a crowned man with the border inscription “She made it home” and “for freedom.” Tom Kovacs may want to comment on these translations. The texts make the banknote sound like an official issue.
The banknote is signed by Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894) but lacks a second manuscript signature and a date, indicating that it was an unissued remainder. Kossuth’s 1852 portrait accompanies this article. He was a Hungarian nationalist, a journalist, and a lawyer. He was also a democrat who opposed the Austrian Habsburg emperor who ruled Hungary. Kossuth led a rebellion in 1848 to establish an independent Hungarian republic. He was the Governor-President of the short-lived republic before it was crushed by the Austrian army. He fled into exile, first to the Ottoman Turkish lands, where he was imprisoned, but then released in September 1851. As a free man, he toured Europe, where he was hailed as a hero. His triumphal tour continued in the United States where he was described as “The Washington of Hungary.” Kossuth’s bust would later be placed in the Capitol at Washington, DC. Being a democrat concerned with human rights, Kossuth disapproved of slavery, which did not sit well with some Americans. As a passionate Hungarian nationalist, he expected the Slovaks and Romanians within Hungary to adopt the Hungarian language. The banknote belongs to the early 1850s when he wanted to rally immigrants in the USA to form an army of liberation. The note might have been intended for use in a freed Hungary, or it could have been sold as a fundraiser for a second rebellion.
Kossuth returned to Europe in 1852 and allied himself with other nationalists, such as the Italians who wanted to unify Italy. They were fighting against the Austrians, which pleased Kossuth. His long absence abroad cost him his status as a Habsburg subject, making it difficult for him to return home. In the Habsburg Empire, an 1867 Compromise made Hungary an equal partner with Austria and with its own parliament. That political concession weakened popular support for Kossuth. He would have been seen as a dangerous radical who was demanding too much. He remained in Italy, where he died in 1894, never to see his homeland again. His body, however, was repatriated for burial in Hungary.

06/03/2026

Vancouver Numismatic Society
June Newsletter

Next Meeting – Thursday, June 4th
at 7:15 pm

June Program

Our meeting will begin with an opportunity for “Show and Tell”.

No program is scheduled for this meeting.

Stan will be ordering in pizza for everyone to enjoy. Any contributions to the cost of the pizza would be gratefully appreciated.

Floor Auction

After our break, the meeting will continue with the Club’s floor auction. Please bring in your submissions.

Articles

Peter Moogk submitted this article on a Numismatic Adventure at Louisbourg:
In 1975-76 I was a visiting historian at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. Documentary research and archaeological excavations were going on to guide a partial reconstruction of this fortified French seaport that had existed from 1713 to 1758. The federal government hoped that the site would become a tourist attraction on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton. The island’s old economy, based on coal mining and steel production, was in decline. Alternative employment had to be found for the population. Some 800 coins had been found by the archaeologists and 695 were identifiable. Immersion in damp soil and sea salt made several coins unrecognizable. There had been a start in identifying the coins and, for me, as a coin collector, this was an opportunity to find out what currency French colonists were using in the 1700s. The first photo shows a young me examining coins in the artifact storage room. Gold coins were absent and silver ones were few; most finds were copper and bronze pieces. The reason was obvious; people would notice the loss of a valuable coin and would have tried to find it. Moreover, silver and gold would stand out against the dark soil. They would be easier to find. The collection was full of surprises. Coins made expressly for the French colonies, such as the copper nine deniers of 1721-22, were rare. The settlers were using coins from the previous century, especially copper liards of the 1650s, worth three deniers. They accounted for a third of all the coins discovered. Thirty-two dardennes made in 1710-13 from bronze cannons and worth six deniers were a revelation to me. I had not seen this coin before. One denier coins, like Canadian cents in recent years, were of such little value that they were neither minted nor used in the 1700s. There were twelve deniers to a sol, sometimes called a “douzain.” These sols or sous were made of billon, copper with a small admixture of silver. Again, most were from another century, a few from 1500s. They acquired another name, “sous marques” because they were often stamped with a fleur-de-lis to raise their value to fifteen deniers. Eleven billon thirty deniers coins from 1709-13, called “mousquetaires” because the cross on one side resembled that on a musketeer’s tabard, were found. Another, equally rare issue of billon coins valued at 18 deniers from a 1738 series were also called “sous marques”. It was obvious that the colonists relied on old, worn French coins from earlier centuries for small change. Eighteenth century issues were uncommon. As for silver, there was one Mexican dollar, eight Spanish colonial cobs, and three milled, two reales coins from Spain. The second photo shows one of these Spanish coins on the far left of the top row, beside a 1740 sou marque, and a copper liard. Below are a billon 15 deniers sol of the 1690s, a Dardenne, and another liard with the profile of a young Louis XIV. These were all found on the site.
In the March 1976 issue of the Canadian Numismatic Journal, I reported on my findings in an article titled “A Pocketful of Change at Louisbourg.” I published a later, complementary article about the coins found by archaeologists at Quebec City’s Place Royale. Consequently, Charlton’s yearly catalogue of Canadian coins expanded its list of foreign currency that had circulated in Canada. I intended to buy good specimens of the coins that I now knew were in common use in the colony of New France. My publications backfired. As soon as I had identified the French coins that had a Canadian connection, their price shot up. That was the numismatist’s equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot. I got my representative coins, but a much higher price than I would have been charged in earlier years.

05/23/2026

Please forgive the late posting of our May Newsletter. Our next Club meeting will be Thursday June 4, 2026. This will be our final meeting before the summer break.

Vancouver Numismatic Society
May Newsletter

Next Meeting – Thursday, May 7th
at 7:15 pm

May Program

Our meeting will begin with an opportunity for “Show and Tell”.

No program is scheduled for this meeting.

Floor Auction

After our break, the meeting will continue with the Club’s floor auction. Please bring in your submissions.

Articles

Peter Moogk submitted this article on Necessity Money (Notgeld) in 1920s Germany:

Provisional paper money was produced in Germany before the twentieth century by towns under siege. A shortage of metallic currency usually led to this expedient. In the First World War German towns produced paper scrip in denominations under one mark. At first called gutscheine or geldscheine, these notes became known as kriegsgeld (war money). After the war hyperinflation in 1921-1923 caused an explosion of paper necessity money. The notes of the government’s Reichsbank (state bank) were being issued with values in thousands, millions, and then billions of reichsmarks. In November 1923 production of such banknotes ceased, and, in 1924, they were declared to be valueless. They were replaced by Reichsbank rentenmarks in January 1924. That was a more stable currency, rated at 4.2 new marks to an American dollar.

During the financial chaos of the early 1920s towns, large and small, local banks, and businesses produced necessity money – really scrip – against their own credit. The notes were printed on both sides of stiff paper and were decorated with expressions of local pride and culture, which included folklore, history, and legends. Texts might use the local dialect. Despite this provincial focus, there was a strong undercurrent of German pride. The notes in the second frame protested the Germany’s territorial losses after the First World War and the division of Schleswig-Holstein between Germany and Denmark proposed by a 1920 plebiscite imposed on Germany. That region in South Jutland had been lost by Denmark after a war with Prussia in 1864. The area had a mixed population of Danish and German speakers. Despite Germany’s defeat in 1918 some communities there were defiantly pro-German, even anti-Danish, as one note shows with Michel (the fictional embodiment of Germany) stamping on a Danish flag. Historical figures also appear on these notes, such as the note with the portrait of the Protestant theologian Martin Luther.
The historical notes in the first panel appealed to me. Apart from the Walpurgisnacht illustration (a springtime festival like Halloween), the others refer to specific events: the radical Anabaptists’ theocracy (which included someone called “Mook”) in Munster city during the 1530s, for example. Past military triumphs were recalled, offsetting the demoralizing defeat in 1918. The town of Sternberg chose to reproduce a 1492 woodcut of an anti-Jewish legend. Jews, it claimed, had obtained a consecrated communion wafer from a priest, and then stabbed it until it bled. The Jews were burned alive for this reputed crime. After the stabilization of currency in Germany, people started to collect notgeld. Communities sold sets of notes for a price above their collective face value. Necessity money on wood, porcelain, silk cloth and linen appeared as novelties. That was the effect of an enthusiastic collectors’ market. Even now, because they are so plentiful, individual notes rarely sell for more than five dollars. The ones printed on unconventional materials fetch a premium. For me, these colourful notes are fascinating evidence of the past political and social history of Germany.

04/01/2026

Vancouver Numismatic Society
April Newsletter

Next Meeting – Thursday, April 2nd
at 7:15 pm

April Program

Our meeting will begin with an opportunity for “Show and Tell”.

Our Program Coordinator, Jan Verster, will be presenting a program on the "Origin of the Netherlands Guilder”.

Floor Auction

After our break, the meeting will continue with the Club’s floor auction. Please bring in your submissions.

Articles

Peter Moogk submitted this article on Berna Ho, Secretary of the VNS:

In 2004 the Vancouver Numismatic Society had been without a club secretary for a few years. At the Annual General Meeting in November 2004 a young woman volunteered to fill that post. Her uncle Al McCormick had been a member of the VNS, and she had joined the club in September 2003. She was a collector of tokens. That person was Berna (McCormick) Ho. The accompanying photograph was taken at the club’s December Christmas Party in 2004. It shows Berna with Past President Norman Williams.
Over twenty-one years later, at our February 2026 meeting, Berna was honoured as our secretary with a certificate of appreciation signed by many club members. Rob Simms also presented Berna with a club pin for her service. She is one of the longest serving members of the VNS executive. Her voluntary work for the club was on top of her other duties. After graduating from UBC in 1980, Berna was a paralegal. In 2002 she set up With Care Home Transition Services to assist seniors and others “downsizing” in their living quarters. Their surplus household and personal items are sorted for possible sale, donation to various charities or recycling. Berna also has a part-time job with the Teamsters’ Union.
That is the varied career of a very public-spirited person, and we are so grateful that she has helped to maintain the Vancouver Numismatic Society for the past two decades.

01/06/2026

Vancouver Numismatic Society
January Newsletter

Next Meeting – Thursday, January 8th
at 7:15 pm

January Program

Our meeting will begin with an opportunity for “Show and Tell”.

Please remember that during the evening we will be collecting donations for the Vancouver Food Bank.

December Meeting Report

The December meeting was the VNS Christmas party. Stan Chin ordered pizza for everyone to share.

Our Program Coordinator, Jan Verster, presented a program on Holiday (Christmas) coin sets.

Floor Auction

After our break, the meeting will continue with the Club’s floor auction. Please bring in your submissions.

Articles

Peter Moogk submitted this article on an ill-fated woman's bag of coins found at Pompeii:

In August 2024 it was reported that archaeologists working in the buried Italian city of Pompeii had made an astounding discovery. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD a woman and a young man – possibly her slave – sought shelter from the descending rocks and ash in a small room of a villa located in Region IX, Insula [=block] 10. The falling pumice filled the adjoining rooms and doorways, blocking their escape. Finally, a superheated wave of ash and gas, called a “pyroplastic flow,” from the volcano killed them. The boy was found in the corner of the room. The woman’s skeleton was in a fetal position on a wooden bed. Close to her was a cache of coins, evidently carried in a pouch to save them when she fled from the catastrophe. The few gold coins were in remarkable condition, thanks to being hoarded and uncirculated. The first photo shows the archaeologists at work over the male skeleton. The second picture is of the huddled woman’s remains with some of the gold coins beside her. Two of the gold aurei are illustrated. One shows the bust of the Emperor Vespasian in whose reign Pompeii was destroyed. The other photograph is of the reverse of another gold coin with a seated female figure. Was this a representation of Roma – the city’s guardian – or of Victory? Lacking expertise in this field, I cannot say. The text below her, “COS VI,” refers to Vespasian’s sixth year as Consul, meaning the coin was struck in 76 AD, three years before the destruction of Pompeii. Although these coins will never come on to the market, one can speculate about their commercial value. A gold aureus celebrating the conquest of Britain by the Emperor Claudius, found in Pompeiian suburb in 1895, sold recently for US $22,400.

12/04/2025

Vancouver Numismatic Society
December Newsletter

Next Meeting – Thursday, December 4th
at 7:15 pm

December Program

The December meeting is the VNS Christmas party. Stan Chin is ordering pizza for everyone to share. Contributions to our menu and/or the cost for the pizza are welcome.

Please remember that during the evening we will be collecting donations for the Vancouver Food Bank.

Our Program Coordinator, Jan Verster, will be presenting a program on Holiday (Christmas) coin sets of Canada.

November Meeting Report

The club’s Annual General Meeting was held. The executive positions were filled by acclamation:

Robert Simms – Treasurer Berna Ho – Secretary
Stan Chin – Director Jan Verster – Director

Bob Dewhirst was also elected as a director.

The club’s Treasurer, Rob Simms, presented the club’s financial statements.

Floor Auction

After our break, the meeting will continue with the Club’s floor auction. Please bring in your submissions.

Articles

Peter Moogk submitted this article:

An impractical currency: Swedish Plate Money (1644-1777):
Being rich in copper and poor in silver, Sweden’s royal government resorted to an unusual form of currency in 1644. Copper sheets were flattened by hammering, cut into rectangles and squares, and then impressed with the monarch’s monogram and a stamped value in dalers. The stampings were placed at each corner to prevent trimming of the copper sheet. As you can imagine, these copper plates were heavy. The one daler plate weighed 650 grams and the ten daler plate weighed 20 kilograms. Such money was too awkward for change or small purchases, so it was used for large, domestic transactions or for foreign trade. The Russian Empire faced a similar monetary problem: too much copper and too little silver and gold. So, it too produced plate money or weighty, copper coins. The Swedish found that paper credit notes were far more convenient and the production of copper plate money ended in 1776.

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