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V11 2008 INDEX
E-SYLUM ARCHIVE
ARTICLE INTERVIEWS CANADIAN NUMISMATIST LES COPAN
Sometimes the general press gets it right. An E-Sylum
readers forwarded this article from a British Columbia newspaper
interviewing a local numismatist. Of course, one has to get past the
Gawd-awful first sentence. Anyway, here's a Quiz Question: what hobby
publication is Les pictured reading? -Editor
Coin collecting isn.t a science unless you happen
to be a practising numismatic. For 53 years Les Copan has been studying coins, tokens and other forms of currency, developing significant collections of his own along the way, as a member of what is now called the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association and an acting Fellow of the Canadian Numismatic Research Society.
Currency, as well as medals, says Copan, are also historically invaluable as they can depict the images of past leaders, events or cultural practices that might not otherwise be available.
.Anything else gets destroyed over time but the medal holds,. said Copan. .I saw an archaeologist who gave a talk with a slide show showing the importance of coins. He showed the colosseum in Rome and around the top there.s a series of notches, and for many years they couldn.t figure out exactly what they were for. Then somebody found a coin in a dig that illustrated how it was back 2,000 years ago. Evidently the notches were used to hold supports..
Copan.s foray into numismatics began in childhood at his parent.s Vancouver candy store. Coins and other foreign currency taken in at the store were collected in a jar.
.My mother used to say everybody should have a hobby,. said Copan. .She said to my older brother, .you can have the stamps,. and she said to me .you can have the coins...
Copan says you become a true collector when you buy your first coin, as opposed to picking it out of loose change. But he warns, collecting requires serious, long-term commitment, driven by a love for coins and coin collecting, as opposed to hopes of financial gain.
To read the complete article, see: Currency offers more than face-value (http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/eaglevalleynews
/lifestyles/28127309.html)
Wayne Homren, Editor
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.
To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com
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