BOOK REVIEW: VIRGINIA TOKENS, 2ND EDITION

Virginia Tokens – revised Second Edition
by David E. Schenkman, Assisted by Eric R. Schena
Review by Wayne K. Homren

Two is better than one. As important and useful as David Schenkman’s 1980 first edition of Virginia Tokens was, the new Revised Second Edition published in 2015 is even better by a country mile. So much has changed since 1980 – not only are far more specimens of Virginia tokens known and documented (with double the number of listings), but publishing technology has also advanced greatly, and the new edition features far more illustrations with most in full color. The book is a delight for any exonumist and a must-have for both new and advanced collectors of its subject matter.

Two heads are better than one as well, and the addition of Eric Schena to the project took the effort to a new level. As an advanced collector and researcher of Virginia tokens in his own right, he brought complimentary skills and expertise to the table, serving both as contributor to and designer of the Revised edition. The majority of the 6,000 different tokens from roughly 2,250 different merchants in approximately 770 towns are in the collections of the authors.

All of the modern images of the issuing storefronts were taken by Eric, who has made pilgrimages around the state to visit some of the sites. There's no substitute for shoeleather in numismatic research, and his efforts are apparent; many entries include new information obtained directly from the original token issuers, their families or neighbors. This first-hand research is nearly impossible to duplicate, and will stand the test of time.

Tokens in Virginia have a long and distinguished history and cover a wide spectrum of specialties including Hard Times store cards, transportation tokens, coal scrip, trade tokens and picker’s checks, Virginia Tokens documents the many varied aspects of Virginia tokens in a convenient and easy to use format. The layout is clean and simple, with ample white space making the pages easy on the eyes (and easy for writing notes and annotations).

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. Rounding out the book is a comprehensive index of merchants that will help collectors to quickly identify mavericks.

I personally enjoyed the illustrations of ultra-rare cardboard scrip and unusual old-timey tokens such as H15-10 from the Hughes Buggy Co. of Lynchburg, VA: “This Charm If Carried In The Pocket Prevents Bald Heads, Hard Work, Love Warts On The Nose, Bicycle Face, War Craze Swelled Heads, Insanity, Unhappy Marriages, Dark Brown Taste, Delirium Tremens And Punctured Tires.”

The state of Virginia is a perfect match for a project of this sort – it’s not too big, and not too small. A smaller western state might not have enough tokens to fill a book on its own; a larger northern state might require multiple phone-book size listings. Virginia seems “just right”. Every library in the state should acquire a copy – there’s something in here of interest to anyone who’s ever lived in or set foot in a Virginia town. As a transplanted Yankee living in the north of the state, the book is a great reminder that I’m south of the Mason-Dixon line and a resident of a largely rural state.

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 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.

Originally from North Carolina, Eric Schena has called the Washington, DC area home for more than thirty years. Eric was mentored by Alexandria, Virginia coin dealer Gene Brandenburg who introduced him to the wonders of local tokens and currency and later on introduced him to David Schenkman. In 2012, he published his first book, The Ingle System Scrip of the Mid-Atlantic Region, and has since authored several articles on various local numismatic subjects, ranging from the scrip from a Western Maryland coal town to Antebellum banking in Virginia. He is also a current member of the Token and Medal Society’s Board of Directors and is a recipient of the 2013 Cliff Mischler Cataloging Medal and the 2015 Gold Schenkman Literary Award. In his numismatic career, Eric currently works as a cataloger for Stack's Bowers Galleries, a job that provides him the opportunity to delve deeper into the history of some of the great American coin rarities.

The book is priced at $75 with a discount for VNA members. For more information or to order, contact the Virginia Numismatic Association or visit VNA’s website at www.vnaonline.org.

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