JACOB LIPSON WESTERN COLLECTION SELECTIONS

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V25 2022 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 25, Number 50, December 18, 2022, Article 17

Nick Graver passed along an emailing from Jacob Lipson Rare Coins offering "a selection of Canadian rarities from the collection of a long-time enthusiast." Thanks. Interesting material, and great rarities. I don't believe I've ever seen any of these. -Editor

The Edmonton Hotel token is the premier key among Breton post-Confederation issues. According to Breton (1894), 1,250 examples were furnished by the Charles Pick & Co. of Chicago, who provided Mr. Ross with cutlery and silverware for his hotel. Two varieties are known. One features pentagonal stars on the obverse and the scolloped spoon on the left as here. The other shows hexagonal stars and the scalloped spoon right, suggesting two different striking periods. That fact, and the rarity of these tokens, might call into question what Breton wrote about 1,250 pieces being struck.

This example exhibits strong obverse detail. The reverse is softer, as usual. Brassy-gold surfaces display reddish accents. Missing from many of the most advanced collections of Canadian tokens.

To read the complete item description, see:
(c. 1890) Edmonton Hotel Token, Breton-933. (https://www.jacoblipsonrarecoins.com/inventory/c-1890-edmonton-hotel-token-breton-933)

24mm. 4.5g. Upset dies. Dr. Eugene Courteau (1924) provided an R.8 rating for this rare token, which features a large left-facing bust on the obverse and COMMERCIAL CHANGE on the reverse. ME in COMMERCIAL is nearly illegible, as usual, while the other letters are clear. The Robins example in MS63+ Brown confirms that these tokens were incompletely struck and even in high grades lack on the hair, shoulder, and legends. We would grade this as a strong Fine or lower-end VF with smooth chocolate-brown surfaces. Rarely offered.

28.8mm. 5.95g. Plain edge. Upset dies. The obverse features a laureated portrait of Louis XIV without an engraver's name below the bust, though clash marks appear there (as on all original strikes seen of this variety). The reverse is signed C.N.R. for Charles Norbert Röettiers. According to McLachlan (1886), it depicts "Three beavers at work on left of stream; on right Indian corn growing. He adds, This has reference to the failure to obtain the much-desired precious metals in Canada. It is here indicated that the fur trade, represented by the beavers, of which the French almost held a monopoly, was in no degree inferior to the products of the Spanish possessions. The present example is naturally toned with shades of gold and gunmetal-blue. There are minimal marks beneath the original patina, and just a brush of friction is present.

27.7mm. 4.56g. A terrific example of this scarce Blacksmith variety with a bold portrait, harp, and nearly full date. The only other example I have been able to locate with a readable date is the Robins representative that Heritage sold in 2018. The date is actually clearer on this piece, although the surfaces are not quite as nice. Still, this is clearly one of the finest offerings to appear in the last decade or two as far as I can tell.

26mm. 7.15g. The series of Repentigny tokens catalogued by P.N. Breton in 1894 as nos. 546 to 557 first came to light in 1890, having turned up in a Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge sale in London that year. Although New York dealer Lyman Low, who purchased the set, argued in favour of their being legitimate patterns for the Montreal Bridge tokens issued in 1808, it is believed they were actually struck as fabrications for collectors. Breton himself noted in 1894 Since their discovery they have been the object of considerable controversy, many eminent collectors holding that they are of recent fabrication.

Additionally, R.W. McLachlan stated in the September 1912 issue of The Numismatist:

… about four years ago I received a letter from Mr. W. J. Davis, of Birmingham, author of ‘The Nineteenth Century Token Coinage,' stating that he had found the person who had fraudulently produced the Repentigny tokens — one who had also emitted other forgeries. He had made him give up the dies to be destroyed after, as he had learned, six sets in all had been struck and issued.

These Breton-listed tokens are extremely rare. It is believed that three or four sets exist in copper. Perhaps two or three more were issued in silver. Sales are scant. I am aware of a full set of twelve copper tokens sold as part of the Roy Hughes Collection in February 1995. That set was purchased from Frank Rose in 1977 for $3,500 and was thought to be the ex: McKay-Clements set.

This single, which features DE / REPENTIGUY on the obverse and CALECHE on the reverse, is glossy mahogany-brown and essentially flawless.

To read the complete item description, see:
(1890) Repentigny Token, Breton-550. (https://www.jacoblipsonrarecoins.com/inventory/1890-repentigny-token-breton-550)

"The REPENTIGUY version was a mistake. Repentigny is the name of the region near Montreal."

So here's another numismatic example of a mixup between the letters U and N, like the misspelling "Yonng" on the Young America Furnace note. See also Gil Parsons' comments on "Mind Your P's and Q's" in this issue's Notes From E-Sylum Readers. -Editor