CoinWeek published the Virginia Numismatic Association press release on Dave Schenkman's new edition of his Virginia Tokens
catalog. I've got a copy and it looks like a great book. I'll do a review in a future issue. -Editor
In 1980, David Schenkman’s Virginia Tokens was the first work to document the trade tokens from the Commonwealth and helped set the
standard for state token catalogs nationwide.
Now, 35 years later, the second revised edition is ready.
Tokens in Virginia have a long and distinguished history and offer the exonumist a wide spectrum of specialties. From Hard Times store
cards, transportation tokens dating back to the 1860s, coal scrip, to trade tokens and picker’s checks, Virginia Tokens seeks to document the many
varied aspects of exonumia throughout the state in a convenient and easy to use format.
With nearly 6,000 different tokens listed from roughly 2,250 different merchants located in approximately 770 towns, the new 2015
revision more than doubles the number of known listings from the original catalog. The revised second edition includes an expanded
introduction that features a history of tokens in Virginia, as well as details on several of the principal token manufacturers. In
addition, tips on collecting will benefit both long-time specialists as well as novices to the field.
The catalog also features hundreds of full-color illustrations throughout, of not only the tokens but also related images that add to
the historical interest and flavor of the pieces. Rounding out the book is a comprehensive index of merchants that will help collectors to
quickly identify mavericks.
In addition to Virginia Tokens, David E. Schenkman has authored seven other token catalogs, including Merchant Tokens of Washington,
D.C., Maryland Merchant Tokens, and recently (in 2009) West Virginia Merchant Tokens, all of which have become standard works. Schenkman
has been a prolific writer throughout his numismatic career, serving as editor of the Token and Medal Society’s TAMS Journal from 1982 to
2010, a task that included editing all the books published by that organization during that time. The second edition of Virginia Tokens
continues in this fine tradition of ground-breaking research and will no doubt become an influential work on merchant tokens for years to
come.
The catalog was successfully released at the Virginia Numismatic Association’s 57th Convention & Coin Show held September 25-27, 2015 at
the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In addition to its enthusiastic reception by convention attendees,
Virginia Tokens is now available for sale through the VNA. The book is priced at $75 with a discount for VNA members. For more information
on the Convention and book ordering, please contact the Virginia Numismatic Association or visit VNA’s website at www.vnaonline.org.
To read the complete article, see:
VNA Releases 2nd Edition of
Schenkman’s Catalog of Virginia Tokens (www.coinweek.com/coin-clubs/vna-releases-2nd-edition-schenkmans-catalog-virginia-tokens/)
Wayne Homren, Editor
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