Blundered Balmerino Communion Token

No one likes to make mistakes. But we sometimes revel in the mistakes of others. Why? Perhaps it reminds us of our own failings. After all, what is humor but a laugh at some small misfortune. It is not surprising then, that error coins and tokens fascinate us.
     Lester Burzinski loved errors. He served as an officer in CONECA. So I am sure that he took a particular liking to a small round CT from the Old Balmerino Church in Fife that is distinctive for its blundered design (BK138). The obverse reads: B/1725, but the digits presented problems for the engraver, as the 2 is retrograde, and the 5 is inverted. The reverse is reads: M/TK for the Minister Thomas Kerr who served between 1727 and 1741.

A wonderful CT from the Old Parish Church at Balmerino.
Only the 7 in the date is correctly oriented. This is an honest
token that speaks to the struggles on an unknown mold-
maker over two centuries ago.

     The village of Balmerino is a rural cluster of houses located along the Firth of Tay. It was the location for the Balmerino Abbey, now in ruins. The old parish church was built sometime in the 1560s, and it is now completely gone but for a small mound in a cemetery. Some of the stepping stones located there are believed to be from this old Kirk that was demolished in 1811. Here is a link to a photo of the old stones: Stepping stones made from the Old Church at Balmerino.
     Our story begins on a cloudy day some 288 years ago. A token was needed for the upcoming communion event, and the local blacksmith or plumber was employed to make one. The elders had dictated a certain design. Mold-making was probably not his specialty, but he knew how to use a chisel. He also understood that he needed to cut the mold in retrograde -- that is to say, the mold was cut as one would see it in a mirror reflection.
     And so, production began. The B was easy. Even with a rather ungainly chisel, he was able to complete the stem with two cuts and smoothly carve two loops with an extra cut at the top to complete the letter.
     But the digits were more of a challenge. It appears that he started on the left (remember: the mold needed to be cut in reverse). With several -- perhaps three -- deep cuts, he formed a 5. He probably started with the loop, carefully making sure that it faced right (in reverse, as it should be). But his error was that the digit was upside-down!
     Next came the 2. He cut it facing the wrong way! Did he forget to make it retrograde in the mold? Or did he use the 5 as a reference point? In any case, he made a nice loop, but seeing that the digit extended below the 5, he tried to correct it with a bold, over-lapping base. A 2 is a bit like the letter S -- these figures are difficult to flip-around in your head.
     The 7 was cut with an oddly sloped top bar. But he got it correct. By this time, he was running out of room. Luckily, only the 1 remained. But problems arose once again, as the serif of the one was cut facing left on the mold. As before, perhaps he was using the 7 as a reference point, so he pointed the serif of the 1 towards the 7 in a concrete attempt to make it retrograde relative to the 7 -- but what this actually did was make the one in the mold normal and retrograde on the token!
     Now, reverse was fine. The M and T were easy. All he had to do was get the K correctly. He did -- although he squeezed it somewhat against the rim.  
     Oh my! Was he dyslexic? Or did he not know his numbers very well? Maybe the task was too difficult, as his mental flexibility (that is, the set of skills needed to juggle concepts in the head so as to accomplish this feat of mental gymnastics) was poor. In any case, he was in for a surprise when the first tokens were picked out of the mold.
     And the elders? Well since we are making up the story anyway, we can just give it a happy ending. And so, the elders just smiled and thanked him for his work. After all, the smell of fresh bread, and the tap-tap-tap of the carpenters transforming planks into tables, filled the air. Anticipation was everywhere.
     For us collectors, we can identify with the plumber. He did his best with tools designed for repairing hardware of a larger sort. We enjoy contemplating this token that is so blundered, as to be beautiful for its distinctiveness and honesty.
     With this piece in our hand, we connect with this unknown mold-maker who so long ago struggled one afternoon to prepare for the sacramental season.

Market Watch

This Market Watch reviews all ebay auctions between October 20 and October 26. It has been a busy week with some interesting sales to report. In fact, CTs made of stone, tin and plastic sold this week. Also, an unfinished CT in lead with casting sprue attached crossed the block. It was an unusual week indeed.
     Overall, 42 CTs traded hands in the past seven days. Actually, the number was a bit higher than that since a few pairs were sold together. There was one CT(?) that sold for over $100 (what I call the Highly Desired category), whereas no other pieces sold above $75 (what I call Desired category). However, four CTs brought over $50, and the middle-range ($20 to $49) was filled with nine CTs. But of course, most sales involved much fewer dollars with 28 tokens selling for less than $20.

A pebble for your thoughts?

     The auction of 11 CTs held by cobwrightfortishe on October 11 produced the strongest prices for the week. This offering included some wonderful tokens from the Andrew Macmillan collection including a nice set of Edinburgh "castle" CTs (sold individually of course) that spanned most of the date range described by Brook. But the star of the show was an etched stone of unknown origin that sold for $152.
     The stone or pebble was a smoothly-shaped, rather oval piece at 35x24mm, with a crudely cut inscription AK on the obverse and a cross on the reverse. The piece was attributed to Athelstane in East Lothians based on an undocumented communication between Andrew Macmillan and the late Reverend William Cattanach D.D. (a church historian who ministered at St. George's West in Edinburgh). Is this piece a true CT from the early era? Or, was it used for a special event? This question deserves a longer posting in the near future. Suffice to say that pebbles have been used in the church since Roman times (sometimes called tesserae). Nonetheless, five bidders wanted this one, casting eight bids overall with most of the action unfolding in the last hour or so of the auction when the price soared from $50 to threefold. Here is the link: Athelstane early CT stone.

Three listings from Brook.

     The series of Edinburgh CTs offered collectors a chance to get a representative example of these early pieces with the attractive castle pictorial. Cobwrightfortishe offered four examples dated: 1754, 1766, 1781, 1795. Brook shows an earlier one dated 1718 (BK380) with the others numbered in succession, but he does not show one dated 1781 -- it is included in his listings however (we can just squeeze it in: BK382A). This group brought active bidding with five to seven bidders clamoring for each piece. All of these CTs are on the rare side, so the hammer prices were governed by condition: the 1795 (with the most pleasing light gray surfaces) bringing the most dollars at $66 and the 1766 (with mottled gray and brown surfaces) bringing only $39. All told, the four CTs were dispersed into three different collections -- I believe that one of them is headed to Virginia.
     An oddity deserves mention: a "concoction" CT dated 1571 with the legends: YE OLD TIN KIRK and THI SI AFR AUD (This is a fraud) brought a single bid, but with a high opening, selling for $49. It was a hand-snipped octagon. It was a curious piece that reminds us that CTs have been around for a long time and have been the subject of all sorts of wit, mischief and fakery.
     Also of note. An oval CT with casting sprue attached sold for $60 with six bidders contesting. Finally, a set of four plastic, uniface CT replicas sold for $22 with four bidders contesting. In summary, it was a good week for collecting. I would be remiss to not remark that several nice CTs sold cheaply in the lowest price category! Good stuff is out there, so keep looking.

Communion Token from the Scottish Missionary Society in Jamaica

An interesting token from the Scottish Missionary Society made an appearance on ebay two weeks ago -- it is something we do not see very often, so let's take a look.
     Missionary work has been a prominent part of the Presbyterian Church since the beginning. This was made clear in the Scottish Confession of Faith that was presented to Parliament in 1560:

 This glaid tydingis of the kyngdome sall be precheit 

through the haill warld for a witness unto all natiouns.

     The Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge was created in Edinburgh in 1709 with the goal of spreading the gospel to the North American Indians. The was just the beginning of a larger missionary movement in Scotland. In 1796, the Scottish Missionary Society was formed, and despite some difficulties getting organized, the Society began to establish missions across the globe in areas where the English Crown had colonies: South Africa, India and Jamaica were among the first. Missionary work spread to China, Russia and Sierra Leone with mixed results. But the missionary zeal was undaunted.

     The Mission in Jamaica was begun around 1800. There were many sugar plantations there with a large working populace, all of whom were emancipated in 1838. The first synod was held in the 1840s and many congregational churches were formed.

     Burzinski listed 17 tokens from Jamaica -- nine of them are from Kingston. Three more are from the Scottish Missionary Society. This leaves five tokens, each from a different parish.

Here is the example from the Simmons Gallery auction of
the Bob Merchant collection. It is a rare one by any standard.

     The token offered for sale on ebay was cataloged as B6333. It is a somewhat rotund oval, cast in pewter with a simple, bold design. On the obverse, the initials S.M.S represents the Scottish Missionary Society; the reverse carries the familiar Bible verse: THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. This particular specimen had a few small scratches on the obverse. The dealer reported a rarities rating of less then 5 known. Who is to say otherwise?

     This piece was listed with a starting bid of $395. This is serious CT money. Only devoted collectors need apply. Interestingly, the Simmons Gallery auction that ended a few days ago included a specimen (plus an example of another variety). The two pieces sold for high prices. Each one sold for $176. So, compared to the ebay offering, they were a good deal (essentially, two for the price of one). But the auction is over now. As such, the ebay piece is the only one left sitting on the block.

     So how much is a CT like this really worth? If all the collectors who wanted one participated in the auction, then we could easily say: it is worth $176. But if you missed it, and you really want one, then what are you going to do? How long can you wait? What if one does not come up for sale again in the next decade? These are the questions all serious collectors face.

Market Watch

This Market Watch covers ebay auctions held between October 13 thru October 19. It was a slow week on ebay with 22 CTs trading hands -- but it was a HOT week overall with the big UK auction closing mid-week (see previous post).

Here is an example from Haddington. Don't let the big
photo fool you: it is a small token that is sharply struck.

     Of the 22 CTs sold, 16 of them sold for under $20, whereas four more sold in the middle range. Two pieces sold at BIN prices above the $50 mark: both of them bringing $62; both of them sold by HistoryinCoins. This UK dealer has a strong presence on ebay and offers a wide selection of CTs. He lists his items at retail prices that bring consistent sales each week. I have purchased from him and recommend watching his offerings.
     The first of the two top sellers was a round CT from Mauchline in Ayr that was dated 1742 on the reverse (B4572). The obverse shows the parish name along the rim with a four-point star in center. It is a nice piece without distractions. Nineteenth century pieces with dates are always popular and do not last long on ebay. Here is the link: Mauchline CT.
     The second one was a shield-shaped CT from Haddington in Lothians (B7571) -- this piece appears two or three times a year and always sells. It is dated 1812 and depicts a goat. It is a small token with fine details, in a shape that is unique to this parish. Type-set collectors keep this token popular.
     The goat is part of the Arms of Haddington, a royal burgh dating back to the 12th Century under the rule of David I. In the arms, the goat is shown on its rear legs scaling an apple tree (or vine). The exact meaning is unknown. The image might reflect a geographic reference, as a place named "goat field" is near Haddington. The seal might depict a fable wherein a goat chews the leaves of a vine; the vine later produces grapes but demands that the goat be sacrificed during the harvest. Check out this link to learn more: Goat of Haddington.
     I think I would have held off eating the vine and just waited for the grapes.

UK Communion Token Auction Ends

The Simmons Gallery auction of 364 Scottish CTs (plus a token die and die trial piece) from the Bob Merchant Collection ended earlier this week on October 15. I hope you got something, as there were many nice pieces that went for affordable prices. There were many other tokens too!
     Ninety percent of the Scottish CTs found buyers, as only 37 pieces received no bids. There were many inexpensive CTs to be had with 60% selling at or below $20 (220 pieces). On the other end, only nine CTs sold for over $50 (just over 2% of the total). The rest crossed the block in the middle range.
     These prices certainly invite new collectors into the fold since the buy-in is easy on the wallet. At these prices, no one would find fault with a casual collector buying a couple of CTs and carrying them around for show and tell. Even at the Presbyterian Church, you will find some raised eyebrows and inquisitive expressions, as few parishioners realize that CTs were part of their church history.
     The two varieties of square CTs dated 1815 from Auchterarder in Perth (pictured in a previous posting leading up to the auction) sold on low end of the scale at about $12 a piece -- a bargain! At the high end, the two-piece mold sold for a cool $800 (this was the start bid, so it appears that only one bid was forwarded). I would have liked the mold, but my wife was not as enthused.

This rather plain looking cut rectangle was bid to $88,
as the piece was probably needed to complete a collection.
We are not so surprised when an early piece with hand-cut
lettering brings big bucks, but a cut rectangle dated 1845?
This goes to show that only the dedicated collector who has
focused on a particular shire or church really knows what is
rare and what is common. So how rare is it?

     Among the CTs that sold for over $50, there were three pieces that sold for $88 each. One of them was a Glasgow-styled square dated 1830 from Ardrossan in Ayr (B485) in VF condition. The other two were cut rectangles: one from New Church in Ayr dated 1855 (B611) in nearly VF condition, and one from Dalmellington in Ayr dated 1845 in VF. The connection seems obvious, but who would have guessed -- it appears that at least two collectors were vying for CTs from Ayr. I imagine that they were striving to complete a set from this shire. Now we know -- or can guess -- that these pieces are "hard."
     In contrast, the other six pieces in this high-priced group were from all over the place: Aberdeen, Kirkcudbright, Lanark(2), Moray, and yes, one more from Ayr (Old Church).
     Up to now I have been reviewing only the Scottish CTs, as the Irish and World CTs presented a completely different story. This is the domain of serious collectors. In short, these CTs brought very strong prices. For the 33 Irish CTs, only two stock tokens went cheaply (at $8 a piece), whereas the rest (but for one) sold for over $50 each. Twenty-one pieces brought over $100 with three of these bringing twice that.
     The top three Irish pieces were from Macosquin County in Londonderry (B4365), Donacloney in Down (B1797), and Portglenone in Donegal (5642). They were all primitive CTs with no more than a pair of letters to identify the parish or minister. I confess to knowing very little about Irish CTs, but I am intrigued (but also happy to save my dollars until I learn a bit more).
     Finally, the world tokens brought a wide range of prices with the highest priced pieces bringing over $500. A CT from the Free Church of Scotland at Calcutta in India brought $512, whereas a CT from the Scotch Presbyterian Church at Florence in Italy also brought $512. But the big winner was one from the Scottish Church at Isle of Man: it brought $622! Wow! This is a lot of token!
     Certainly, there are serious collectors out there. Keep in mind, however, that many collectors spend many more dollars on Civil War Tokens, Saloon Tokens and the like.

In Search of the First Glasgow Square

I am contemplating B2822. It is dated 1714. Is this the first Glasgow square?
     I have the third one dated 1725 (B2826). This relatively small (at 19mm), single-sided square was stamped with a hand-crafted die on crudely rolled or hammered stock.

The Glasgow Series in Brook.

     Brook shows the series starting with one dated 1716. However, the earliest one with a date of 1714 was not cataloged (or pictured) until Kerr & Lockie published a short article (aptly titled: Further Unpublished Scottish Communion Tokens) in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1952-53. They had apparently missed it in their original Unpublished Tokens monograph published a decade earlier in the same journal. As such, it came to light rather late. Burzinski gathered up all this info and included it in his catalog, but he did not have an illustration of the earliest piece in the series. As such, it can be easily missed by collectors.

The first one in the series as
pictured in Kerr & Lockie.
It is cataloged as B2822.

     I was happy with my 1725 piece until I spied the older one in the catalog. I'm still happy, but wanting. Isn't this the way of collectors: the focus is always on the next one! After all, it is the acquisition fantasies that keeps the fire burning. A collection to which no new pieces are sought is dead.
     On my piece, the seal of Glasgow is placed in the center of two concentric circles that form a band that includes the parish name at top, and the date at bottom. A simple  leaf or point, flanked by two pearls, adorn each corner -- perhaps representing the trinity. A subtle beaded border completes the design. It is the same design used in 1714 and 1716 with only minor variations.
     As mentioned in an earlier analysis, a bell hangs on a limb, a bird is perched atop the crown, and a fish rests below at the root. The 1714 piece is the earliest CT to show the Glasgow City Arms.
     It is also the first CT to show this arrangement of concentric circles on a square flan. Or is it? The design elements are certainly not new when it comes to the world of tokens. In fact, many round merchant tokens, plus church tokens for the poor, show a circular pattern wherein the legend follows the outer rim with a circle (lined or beaded) in the center. Within this inner circle, we often see either a tradesman design, initials, or in some cases, a legend or date.

Here is my ruddy Glasgow Square.
It is the third one in the series with
an attractive design that begat
a popular regional subtype. This
one is a bit worn out, but all there.

     These round tokens were commonplace during the late 1600s and early 1700s. Hence, the design format is an old one. Plus, it seems quite natural that a round token would utilize an inner ring to organize the data. What is interesting to me is that the design was not universally adopted for CTs.
     But wait! There is a 1714 Glasgow CT that is round and has the City Arms placed within an inner circle. Unfortunately, the piece is not pictured anywhere. It, too, was first cataloged by Kerr & Lockie in the above-mentioned 1952-53 article. But the round one was not made again. It seems that the square was preferred as if to identify it as a CT. Hence, Glasgow-styled squares are distinctive (but with a familiarity that token collectors ought to recognize).
     So, back to my question, is B2822 the first Glasgow square?
     And, in a related vein, when was the last Glasgow-styled CT made? "Glasgow" squares appear to have been made until 1819. But many parishes were producing similar squares well into the 1830s. But the last one? And don't mention B2895 from Glasserton in Wigtown! That one is a retrospective piece meant to look like the 1771 token!
     In the meantime, if you have a 1714 (or 1716) Glasgow piece you want to sell me, let me know. I want the first one (and the second one).

Market Watch

This market watch covers ebay auctions between October 6 and October 12. It was a moderately active week of trading cash for tokens, as 36 CTs found new collectors.
     There were two D CTs sold this week, but no HD CTs to report. The majority of CTs sold changed hands for under $20 with eight more selling over that amount but under $50. Four pieces were bid higher, including two that were in the Desired (D) category (over $75). These numbers underscore the affordability of CTs in general -- it is a ripe collecting field with many opportunities.
     The top two CTs for the week were sold on October 9th as part of a group of 16 pieces auctioned by cobwrightfortishe. His auctions tend to run every nine days or so, and they always include interesting CTs -- many of them in pleasing condition (or else, rare).
     Number one on the D list was a "pillow-shaped" CT from Linlithgow in Lothians with the full communion event date of 31 Jul. 1832 (B4283). It is essentially a rectangle with scalloped sides, curving inward. Several odd shaped CTs have come from this shire (and a few other midland regions) starting in the 1830s; most of them are eight-sided or "starfish" pieces -- this one from Linlithgow is a bit more unusual. As such, the CT attracted 6 bidders, entering 7 bids, to produce a hammer price of $89. The token had smooth surfaces, deeply toned with some lighter spots. Here is the link: Pillow shaped CT from Linlithgow.
     The other hotly contested CT was a broad square dated 1796 from Lochwinnock in Renfrew (B4408) that attracted 8 bids from 6 bidders. This CT was adorned with scrollwork and script lettering -- a regional variation that appeared in this region for a short period of time (mentioned in previous postings). The scrollwork designs are probably the work of a single engraver, as they are very similar. This specimen had a dark patina with slightly lighter highlights on the devices. I pictured one of these CTs in a posting last July.
     Another odd token deserves mention. This one sold with only one bid for $27. It was a silver CT with a copper plug dated 1730. Yes, silver! The seller -- a dealer from Virginia -- speculated that the silver composition represented the body, and the copper represented the blood of Christ. This round CT came from Cologne, Germany -- it is not cataloged in Burzinski. It came from the estate of Rev. William Sengel who was a paster at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, VA. Is it a CT or some other kind of church token? Either way, a fascinating piece -- Bravo to the buyer!