BOOK REVIEWS: TOKENS OF KOREA

As a military token collector I find it a pleasure to review the books UNITED STATES MILITARY TOKENS OF KOREA ($29.99) and TOKENS OF KOREA ($8.95) by Patrick R. O'Donnell (Raleigh and Wilmington North Carolina), having begun my own quest into the history of military tokens at the age of 22, some fifty years ago, and having issued two catalogs on the subject on Vietnam military tokens myself. Actually, I spent more time in South Korea than I ever did in Vietnam. First in 1963 and 1964 when most South Koreans were still living in mud huts with thatched grass roofs, and US Army units were still adhering to Korean War regulations. I returned again for two more years in 1978 through 1980, and was there during the period when President Pak-Chung-Hui was assassinated. While the entire country was placed off-limits and citizens were restricted to their homes during President Pak's funeral, from my quarters I witnessed Pak's caisson and his interment procession cross the Han River Bridge to its final resting place. Yet, my understanding of the country of South Korea and my knowledge of South Korean military tokens pales in comparison to Patrick O'Donnell's knowledge of the history of the Korean peninsula and its inter-connection with South Korean exonumia.

I first met Pat O'Donnell when a group of us, stationed in Seoul, formed the Korean/American Numismatic Association in 1980. It was then that Pat's enthusiasm and knowledge about the tokens used by the military in South Korea first impressed me. I knew back then, that to be a cataloger of military related monies, one must have a background in insignia and heraldry, military lineage, order of battle, and boots on the ground knowledge of the locations that issued such pieces. Pat was eminently qualified in all of those areas. I realized that the monumental undertaking that he had laid out as his goal would not be an easy one, but 37 years later his 270 pages of research in two 8 by 10 volumes rose to the task, and is certainly a labor of love.

Well over 1,000 tokens are listed in his UNITED STATES MILITARY TOKENS OF KOREA (2017) while several hundreds more used by civilian franchises are cataloged in his TOKENS OF KOREA (2016). Clear, sharp, color photos are on every page of both of his catalogs, which are enhanced by his complete descriptions and explanations. Not only are slot machine tokens and credit checks cataloged, but so are challenge coins and U.S., allied, and unofficial medals. Pat doesn't leave the collector in the dark about prices, as he devotes five pages to listing accurate evaluations.

Historical descriptions are also abundant. One such example is:

Pat O'Donnell's footnotes, convey important military facts, such as that of Red Sox legend Ted Williams and his participation as a fighter pilot during the Korea War, which is the type of information that Pat weaves into his catalog. The book's dedication to Pat's long time friend CWO Leonard R. Weitzel, US Army 1912-2006 is both stirring and noteworthy.

Readers will see the two books appear as 100% complete and 99% accurate. When I mentioned what I perceived as one minor error, ASCOM standing for Army Service Command, I contacted Pat explaining that in 1963, I knew ASCOM as Area Support Command. He graciously came back to me with documentation proving me wrong, which simply proves that on the ground - even in the day, terminology could be incorrect. In the military, confusion could often be created by GIs when an error in designation was made and picked up by the next GI and carried forward. Pat didn't grope in the dark for answers to such quandaries, but rather went to the documented source in each case, which makes his catalog so perfect.

I can't say enough virtuous things about Pat O'Donnell's cataloging skills, but I don't have to. The highest compliment anyone could give about the two catalogs came from long time South Vietnam military token enthusiast Kevin Malloy, Tracy, California, who kindly put me back in touch with Pat after many years. Kevin's words were, "My interests have always been in South Vietnam military tokens up until now. That has changed for me since seeing the two O'Donnell catalogs. I am now on a new quest to collect South Korean tokens and have Pat O'Donnell to thank for that. He has brought our Korean War legacy, and that which has happened since, into clear numismatic focus.

Ray Bows is the author of IN HONOR AND MEMORY: INSTALLATIONS AND FACILITIES OF THE VIETNAM WAR. It is an 800 page hardbound book which lists and tells the stories of 3,600 locations named during the war in Vietnam. It is available by contacting Bows through his website bowsmilitarybooks.com , or by calling Ray at 386-566-2089.

Ray adds:

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