When Kevin Day-Thorburn grabbed a cheap Chinese coin from the “junk bin” of his local dealer, he was mostly captivated by its 2×2 cardboard holder.
“There’s so much that makes our hobby great, and part of that is the people,” said Kevin Day-Thorburn, of Saint John, N.B., who’s the president of the Saint John Coin Club. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the collectors, dealers, club members or those covering numismatics; there’s a story that goes beyond the material. I enjoy knowing who’s behind a piece – the pedigree of sorts – as it adds to the coin, banknote, token or medal. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, ‘I wish this coin could talk,’ so this is a sort of extension of that idea.”
The back of the holder he recently found at the Coin Cabinet in Moncton, N.B., reads “Chuck’s Coin Corner” along the top in blue retro-looking type.
The holder contained a Chinese coin.
While his gut feeling is the holder originated in the United States, he’s putting a call out to collectors for more information.
“I also like seeing the time some take in preparing recognizable packaging,” said Day-Thorburn, who’s also the founder of the Canadian Banking Memorabilia Society.
“I think of Bob Armstrong with his unmistakable handwriting, Martin Phillips’ calligraphy on the 2x2s of Citadel Coins, Don Olmstead’s paper money holders or the rubber stamps used on the 2x2s of George Lamoureux, of Nova Coins and Stamps. These little extras add to the tale and give us, as collectors, a little more to appreciate.”