THE 1956 VICTORIA NUMISMATIC SOCIETY EXHIBITION

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V16 2013 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 16, Number 10, March 10, 2013, Article 11

Alan Roy in his column RoyAl Writings in the March, 2013 issue of The Canadian Numismatic Journal (a publication of The Royal Canadian Numismatic Association) wrote about The Victoria Numismatic Society Exhibition of 1956. With permission, here is a full reprint of the article. Thanks to CNJ Editor Dan Gosling for assistance. -Editor

In 1956, the Victoria Numismatic Society held its first public exhibition. For two weeks, hundreds of coins, tokens, and paper notes were displayed at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Although it included world coins, the display focused primarily on the numismatics of British Columbia.

It was billed as the most complete collection of the province's numismatic material ever displayed. The British Columbia Archives and several of the province's most prominent collectors provided many of their rarest items for exhibition.

Highlights of the exhibition were examples of the Province of British Colombia ten- and twenty-dollar coins. These were patterns issued in 1862 that never actually circulated. Also on display were notes from the bank of British Columbia and the bank of British North America, two early banks that operated in Victoria. Rare notes from the MacDonald and Company Bank were also displayed. This bank operated in Victoria for only five years. It was forced to close in 1864 after a bank robbery.

A 12-page brochure was published in conjunction with the exhibit. It provides brief historical information about the 1862 British Columbia gold coins, the Bank of British Columbia, and the Bank of British North America.

Just as with the exhibition, the pamphlet was not limited to Canadian coins. Photographs and brief historical backgrounds of such scarce pieces as the 1907 U.S. 20-dollar gold coin and the 1828 Russian three-roubles piece in platinum are included.

A rare Adelaide, South Australia one-pound coin was also mentioned in the exhibit booklet. It looked much like the British Columbia gold coins of 1862, and even had a similar history. It was issued by a community rich in gold but short of currency, and later withdrawn by the British government.

The purpose of the display was to encourage public interest in numismatics and to increase membership in collecting organizations. By all accounts it was successful. About 3,000 people toured the exhibit and the Canadian Numismatic Association acquired seven new members.

For more information about The Royal Canadian Numismatic Association, see: www.rcna.ca

Wayne Homren, Editor