Well it's nice to be back. Years ago I came across a token I never saw before. It was called a Hard Times Token. I liked it. It seemed to be political and made before the civil war. It was a low grade but we buy what we like. I said someday I might find a real nice one. That happened at Davidson's auction. I saw my token and it looked real good. So I placed a bid. Clicked on the token and read about it. It was a MS 64� RB and down in the left corner it said Newman! It also said special holder. That I did not know. It was Newman's special label.��� � � � � � So i said I like it. And won the auction. The Hard Times Tokens were very political and loaded with satire. They were privately made. The label at the bottom L18- 32� deals with Jackson and his Vice President Martin Van Buren.� It seems that Jackson wanted to close the the Bank of the U.S. On 8/15/1836 he wrote a paper stating that Banks and people who received public money for public lands would have to take silver and gold. The banks started printing dollars and printing. This failed terribly.Banks failed and Business closed. We were in turmoil� and headed for our first depression.� � � � � So what we did was make these Hard Time Tokens. This token is called the Executive Experiment it is rated one of the top one hundred medals and tokens. It also says on the obverse Fiscal Agent.. The date 1837and has a turtle.� walking very slowly indicating the economy. It also has a box on top that said SUB Treasury. Jackson's idea was being torn apart. The reverse states Illustrious I follow in The Steps of My Predecessor. How bad can this get. Now these tokens were searched out and cataloged by Russell Rulau. . He found them kept looking and found more. It's like our red book. This token is in the redbook. Now we did not get back on our feet till 1844. It was a very bad time for our country even dealing in trade. But we came through it. These tokens are loaded with history. And they don't hold back on what they thought. If you haven't seen them take a look. There is so much of our history. The token dealing with American Slavery just sold for seventy thousand dollars.� � �Now this is the first token I ever owned by Mr. Newman. I very happy to have one in my collection. It also came with a typed notice about were and when it was sold. I mean Newman's label is enough but this is important also. I checked the population. This token there are three in RB. MS 64 and only five graded higher. No I didn't pay millions for it. Many people don't click on the coin at the auction. They didn't see Newman's name. So I was lucky with the price. And everything related to this token. I finally got the token i wanted and it was owned by Mr.Newman. Probably the greatest collector and teacher of coins and tokens. It will be a nice addition to my collection. Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you picked something up.� Pat.�� ��

My friends how are you. I Just wrote a Journal on this token not because of the token but the label has been wrong for years. Those of you who remember I had a disagreement with NGC before. It took three months three countries and Nobels auction in New Zealand to a library in England. It did make me physically sick. But after they received the fax from the English library. NGC said send it back slabed it graded it a MS 64 and I had won.. Turns out four were made. And it was of Queen Victoria.�� � � Now if you enlarge the picture of the label it tells you nothing. Not even how to look it up. So i searched the net and found a dealer selling it stating it was made in Philadelphia. Now We have gone to far. So I called NGC and spoke to a very nice woman. She stated that the information was found in the Red Book. I said no. That's all wrong. It's in the colonial section� it doesn't belong there. Q. David Bowers even said it never circulated here it was a collection piece. . There are others like it but at least put the proper information so people have a reference point.�� � � Well it says it's a Conder token and it was made in England I said all that information doesn't mean anything on the label. You have a founding father his first coin or token and it doesn't say anything. So after a long talk we agreed to disagree. I emailed� Q. David Bowers. He got right back to me and wants to speak to the person at NGC I said I will supply here with your number. Mean while Mr. Bowers emailed the other authors who worked on that part of the book. I simply said we can one take it out. Or two out the proper information for next year. We're it was made G.Britain D&H� 307b Middlesex� The Franklin Press.that's all were looking for. It seems small but what if you received a coin back with the wrong information would you keep it or send it back. I sent mine back and they are refusing to correct it with the right information. Now I like my coins and tokens label right thats all you would think that I was trying to change the world. I left out there resons.� because� it would be embarrassing I could not believe what I was hearing. I will stay with this and have everyone get the proper credit� mostly the label with the right information. They have it They use the proper book all the time. Why not this part of history? It's very important the correct information is on every token and coin. How else will I tell one from the other. I will keep you posted. This is not a small thing. There are allot of important author's working on the solution. Thanks for reading In will keep you updated. Pat

Hello everyone first I want to apologize because the flash went off on the reverse. That have it a light color. The raw ones and the obverse of the slabed one is the color. Can't get them right all the time. Now I'm not going to rights big blog on this. Because when I won the auction I decided not to wait and wrote the blog back then. What does this show. It shows the only place to buy these are in England. That's were they were made.this is one of Pidcocks menagerie. He had ever animal you could think of.�� � �Now this will have more information than the last but not much more. First it was made in Birmingham. Done by a great die sinker William Lutwyche. Pidcock did well of these. He had three rooms. You saw one room for a shillings two for two shillings and of course three for three shillings. And they came from all over to see these exotic animals. They have never seen these before.� � � It was a Farthing or half penny. And Me Lutwyche� did a fantastic job on the detail. As you can see. This was the time of the industrial revolution allot was go in on in Britain. Especially this exibit. . This token is one of the most desirable. There in the Brutish Museum that says allot. They were out there because it's part of there history. That's were they belong. Now that's it's slabed more Conder collectors will be mad. But they have to be protected. I want other collectors to enjoy these . They took care of them for us. They weren't made to be thrown away. Like I say it's art on Copper. And it is. It's just like a canvas. The designer was C. James. Now I hope you enjoyed this the other one has more but unwanted you to know Guttenberg places to buy these are were there made. England. To think this is grading higher than the West Point cents that's the was part and this is only a half penny. That's sad . Take care and enjoy. Pat

Hi everyone. Who says you need a company to trace your family tree? So far I have found two tokens one a Leaden token with the name Catherine Byrne and lived at one Spring Street Dublin. They were called that because they were made of lead. I will never own that it's in the British Museum. Now my wife spoke to my family back in Ireland and we did have relatives in Dublin. Both tokens are from there. This one I was just serching and came across it. So we don't know for sure of course but it is a fun thought.. This was a trade token made sometime in the 1840's.� � � I would think that the Queen is the obverse. Yes even on tokens the monarchy was the obverse.. This one a trade token advertises teas and wine. It also says merchants it says Byrne and CO. 6&7 Granby Row Dublin.. Now the Laffey� River the six was one side and the seven the other. They were postal marks like our zip code the odd on one side the even in the other. It could also mean the store was two address one building. You see it here today.� � �To get ones family tree done the right way would cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars . And with the recent notice that one popular company has been selling D.N.A. There not getting mine. It has to be done by backtracking all the paper work. We have gone back a few hundred years. Over time of course. But when you see your family name on a token or coin it's nice to have. There are many things we collect in this great hobby. This will be a good luck charm. Why not it makes the hobby fun. And it should be.� � �A find like this is not common. But when I saw it,� it yelled at me buy me. So I contacted the seller and he came down almost fifty dollars. He had no use for it and he saw my name so I got a good deal. It's a X45 so it was used. Now I started to look it up and don't you know I found another one at an auction in better shape but sold. That's fine with me. With a token or coin like this grade means nothing. It has no value only to someone with the same name. You saw my name on the set i put together so it doesn't matter. When I showed the family they all wanted one. Sure I will go back in time and get a few. Haha. Seriously it did perform a duty. It did it's job and now it has a home. Can't get better than that. I had to share this with you. A different type blog but still about our hobby. That's the important thing. So I hope you enjoyed it a much as I did. Keep your eyes open you never know what you might find. Pat.

Hi everyone. Well I got lucky at an auction. This token I have been looking for on and of. There is one it is D&H 9 that has a tiny tassel on his Cardinals hat . That tassel makes it a triple rarity. Very rare and hard to find. This token does not and is a single rarity still hard to find. Now I don't know how many of you saw the series the Tudors. That's a series of movies or shows were they mix fiction with non fiction. If you saw it be died out of the kings graces and commits suicide. Nothing could be farther than the truth. He died of dysentery.�