2006 Conder Token SCAN CD: Gary Sriro's outstanding Conder Token SCAN CD has been updated. The new version is now available at $36 and $3 for domestic shipping ($4 for International). Gary writes:

"What's new....A LOT. I have added over 600 tokens this last year, more than 400 brand new ones and another 200 tokens were upgraded. The number of token scans on this CD now stands at 3,119.

The data base from which populations are generated grew from 27,000 entries to now over 33,000. Population numbers have changed on probably 95% of the scans, and for many tokens, the actual rarity has changed as well. Thus there has been a new update on the rarity levels, and up to what population number is allowed for each 5 rarity level. You will find hundreds of departures from the D&H book.

If you wish this new CD - it's first public offering - and several pages of informational enclosures, let me know."

I have Gary's 2005 Scan issue and am looking forward to getting the 2006 update. This CD is another essential addition to the reference library of any Conder collector or enthusiast. Gary can be reached at gsriro@sbcglobal.net for orders or additional information ... or you can buy a 2006 Conder Token SCAN CD right now with PAYPAL using Gary's email address (gsriro@sbcglobal.net) to make the transaction ... only $36 and $3 for domestic shipping ($4 for International).

Business or Hobby: A recent ecommerce-guide.com article addresses why so many people who try to turn a hobby or passion into a business so often fail. The author uses a number of real word examples including an online coin business and offers some sound advice such as ... "Find a niche market. There's nothing special about the coin business. It's like any other industry out there. You have to find items that somebody else wants to buy. Or you have to find an item and tell people why they should buy it. All you have to do is find that niche." And perhaps most important ... "Have fun". Read article ...

NumisLinks.com: A new resource for numismatists and coin collectors has been launched at www.NumisLinks.com . According to the owner, S.J. Miller, NumisLinks.com is designed to be a categorized listing of the best coin information on the Internet. Sounds promising, yes? Unlike a simple directory where, typically, only the main page of a site is listed, the administrators of NumisLinks.com study a prospective numismatic website and dig deep into the site to find the highest quality pages of information that are then included in specific categories in the NumisLinks directory. This 'Human Spidering' leads to very specific and high quality resources being listed in the index. Hmmmmm? Human Spidering? There are already several token sites listed ... all apparently put there at one time last May ... but speaking of 'high quality resources' ... I have submitted the Conder Token Enthusiast.

Copper Corner List #43: As promised, Bill McKivor of The Copper Corner has sent out List #43 for January-March 2006 offering a "wealth of new material" consisting of some 200 items for sale. If you're not getting Bill's lists sent directly to you via email you should be. Bill can be reached at Copperman@thecoppercorner.com .

Copper Corner "State of the Token": In a recent email Bill McKivor of The Copper Corner provided his take on the "State of the Token" and also promised that he would have a new e-list out on January 9th.

Read Bill's "State of the Token" below and get on The Copper Corner mailing list by contacting Bill at Copperman@thecoppercorner.com .

"The 'State of the Token'. One of my good friends in London popped in on the latest DNW sale, and sent me a note that he feared he had 'lost the thread' of token values, as the prices were all over the map.

Yes---in the last couple of auctions they have been.

The Dollar has gained a bit vs. the Pound---at this writing about $1.77. If you are figuring prices, always add about 3 cents, as the banks charge it to exchange currencies, and sometimes more than three. Check with your bank to see just what is charged. Thus, $1.80 is about what most Americans will pay, at the moment.

It has helped a bit, but not too much by itself. Other factors have had a big influence.

In October 2004, the first Spence sale was held, with the first part of the Litrenta sale after that, followed this year by Spence part Two, and in December 2005 another sale with many rarities. This, essentially, has amounted to 4 major offerings in a space of little over a year. What has been seen is interesting.

The 2004 sale was the first major sale in some time, and nearly everything was hotly contested---the collectors found pieces not offered for years, and the dealers needed stock!! Prices were high across the board, and the dollar was around $1.90+---not a good combination for either the collector or for me!!

With the Litrenta sale, the stance softened somewhat, but prices remained pretty high.

Spence part Two contained 462 lots, and there was only so much money to go around. The really 'important' rarities sold to collectors at very high prices, while the “medium” rarities found homes for prices ranging from high to low---once in a while no one was looking, and a bargain was had.

The latest sale brought more of the same, with prices all over the map.

The coin and token business is one of supply and demand. Demand really has not changed, but for some reason many collections have come on the market at once, giving me - and you - opportunities to buy interesting items, and some at reasonable prices. Thus, the supply has, to some extent, outpaced demand.

I have seen this before---just as I have gone through periods when there were no tokens for me to buy, and my stock was getting REALLY low. About the time my stock gets down to nothing, another wave of tokens comes available, and I can build inventory again. Token availability, and to some extent prices, are cyclical.

So- what am I saying here? Spence II and the latest sale in December presented lots of tokens, with Spence II having NO unsold lots, and the latest sale having only a handful---thus the buyers are there, and the hobby is quite well. The sheer number of tokens in auctions of late have allowed for some bargains for the buyer with an eye for them be he/she dealer or collector.

Prices on some of the common material will probably soften a bit due to the dollar/pound adjustment in the last year--- but the rarities seem to just keep on going up no matter what happens. Just as water finds its own level, the token market does as well. Overall, the market for the tokens has continued upward over the last year, and is now finding its own level with the dollar/pound corrections and the supply and demand situation.

It has ever been thus is the coin and token business. Overall, coins and tokens have been extremely 'hot' and history tells us that nothing really goes down much, or for long. The smart buyer will look at prices and determine if the price being paid for a particular token is right for him/her based on what one can find out. If a token is bought correctly, it will be able to be sold correctly, and the collector will have value for the money paid.

Good material will always find a home."      Bill McKivor

Davissons Ltd Auction 24: Catalog for Auction 24 which includes "Exceptional, Unusual, Important Coins, Tokens and Medals" and which closes Thursday 8 December 2005 arrived today. Lots 403-482 are "British Tokens as listed by Dalton & Hamer". There are some very nice items here including one I particularly like - an uncirculated Middlesex 754. The auction also includes a wide range of many other attractive coins and medals which make up the total of 502 lots. There is no buyer's fee for this sale. Davissons can be contacted by email at coins@davissons.net, by phone at (320) 685-3835 and can be found on the web at www.britishcoins.com or www.classiccoins.com .