Over a month ago, the Woodstock Coin Club (WCC) held their 35th Annual Coin Show on Sunday Aug. 25, 2024, at the newly renovated Goff Hall inside Woodstock Community Center. Members and volunteers, Dave McKenzie (not our former Oxford MP Dave MacKenzie) and Paul Dervoo, staffed the admission table. President of the Club, Dave Smith stated the club was formed in 1957. Next year, he hopes the venue will be located at Oxford Auditorium as the show is getting too crowded. Last year they had a record attendance of 237 paid tickets.
WCC members, Dave, Paul & Rick
Woodstock Coin Club is a not-for-profit club that produces commemorative coins and medals, the only coin club in Canada that makes the most medals. In 2023, the Club honoured Joseph Whiteside Boyle on a medal with the dates 1867-1923, and with the hockey team he formed, the Dawson City Nuggets, on the reserve side, with “STANLEY CUP CHALLENGE 1905” written underneath. The team played against the Ottawa Silver Seven (Ottawa Senators) in 1905, for the Stanley Cup. Dave stated that Dawson City in Yukon bought a medal to display in their museum.
 Coins of Joe Boyle's image |  the Dawson City Nuggets on the reverse side |
Known for his heroism in Romania during WWI, the Woodstock native-raised, Lt. Col, Joe Boyle, became a successful entrepreneur in Dawson City, Yukon, mining gold during the gold rush. As a result, he was referred to as “Klondike” Joe Boyle. According to Agnus Sutherland, who designed the medal and wrote an article for the Jan.-Feb. 2024 issue of The Ontario Numismatist newsletter, he cited: “Pierre Berton said that if Joe Boyle had been American, there would be movies and books and all kinds of legends about him.” Sutherland further cited. “Because he was a Canadian, few knew of him outside of Woodstock, Ontario, and the Yukon.”1
Dave methodically showed me all the coin and medal sets the Club has produced, which was quite impressive. Each coin set has four finishes: antique copper, antique silver, bright copper, and bright nickel.
Dave methodically showed me all the coin and medal sets the Club has produced, which was quite impressive. Each coin set has four finishes: antique copper, antique silver, bright copper, and bright nickel.
 Board built by Adam Pollard from the Woodstock Museum |  Four coin finishes Adam Pollard also designed the WCC logo |
WCC not only makes coins or medals of prominent individuals, but important inanimate objects have also been included. For instance, The Estelle was a famous streetcar that ran from Woodstock to Ingersoll for 25 years in 1900. The 11.5-mile line “ran on Dundas Street in Woodstock to Mill Street, turned left on Mill Street up to Park Row, then turned right and followed Park Row to the former Highway 2 (now Ingersoll Road). It followed the highway to Ingersoll, on the south side, then operated on Charles Street West and Oxford Street, and ended at the Ingersoll Inn.” 2
The two set coins for 2024 consisted of a commemorative token of the 190th year of the Presbyterian Church in Woodstock who ordered 100 coins. The medal came in three colours with the following inscription on the front: "1834. 190 Years Presbyterian Presence in Woodstock. 2024," with the scripture “This Do in Remember of Me” from 1 Corinthians XI, 24, on the reverse side.
The two set coins for 2024 consisted of a commemorative token of the 190th year of the Presbyterian Church in Woodstock who ordered 100 coins. The medal came in three colours with the following inscription on the front: "1834. 190 Years Presbyterian Presence in Woodstock. 2024," with the scripture “This Do in Remember of Me” from 1 Corinthians XI, 24, on the reverse side.
 The Presbyterian Church medal |  |
Dave Smith also informed me that the late Fred Freeman created Coins for Kids Canada, who was the founder and president of the Club along with Jack Griffith. Fred was a very active and well-known person in Woodstock who was as a prolific writer; penning articles over the years for Southgate Centre and his column "Watts New" appeared every other Friday in the Sentinel-Review. Fred was President and Past President of WCC as well as with the Woodstock Heritage Society. Fred Freeman is the person behind Woodstock’s slogan "The Friendly City." For his love of Woodstock and to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Municipality, Fred petitioned Woodstock Council to change the slogan from “The Industrial City” which was granted.
Dave Smith also informed me that the late Fred Freeman created Coins for Kids Canada, who was the founder and president of the Club along with Jack Griffith. Fred was a very active and well-known person in Woodstock who was as a prolific writer; penning articles over the years for Southgate Centre and his column "Watts New" appeared every other Friday in the Sentinel-Review. Fred was President and Past President of WCC as well as with the Woodstock Heritage Society. Fred Freeman is the person behind Woodstock’s slogan "The Friendly City." For his love of Woodstock and to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Municipality, Fred petitioned Woodstock Council to change the slogan from “The Industrial City” which was granted.
Fred Freeman with his book at The Writer's Circle in 2013
Numerous items developed by Fred, were available at the Kids Table staffed by Lianne, Larry and Rick, Past Present of WCC.
Volunteering at the Kid's Table Lianne, Larry and Rick,
Walking around the Woodstock Coin Show, I had the opportunity to talk to both visitors and venders alike. One such vender, Norman Lock, is a member of WCC who had a courtesy coin and notes optical viewing with a portable digital microscope available for visitors. The microscope comes with phone and TV integrated Bluetooth and adapter. It was amazing looking at tiny ridges around a nickel.
Norman with his optical viewing
Robb McPherson was another vender who explained how WCC is part of the Ontario Numismatic Association that was formed in 1961 to support both individual coin collectors and clubs and host an annual convention in the spring. Robb also showed me and explained the Lancaster coin he had. The plane is located at the Hamilton Airport, built in Canada it is still functional. He had coins for the Royal Canadian Air Force convention in which a speaker at the convention, Rick Dupis, received a commemorative coin.
 |  Robb gets a coin for Rick |
Nineteen-year-old Eli started collected coins last year and attended the show with his dad Paul and cousin Johnny, to add more to his Toonie Canada Binder Coin set. All family members from Brantford enjoy collecting and showed me their purchases.
 A family affair collecting coins |  Paul showing his new coins |
Both young and old, novice and experts attended Woodstock's 35th Annual Coin Show, like Cassandra with her two young daughters, Felicity and Keriah, who just started collecting coins and found some pennis that are magnetic. I spoke with a man from Hamilton who advised that one needs to do their due diligence researching coins before selling them at coin shows.
Felicity, Cassandra and Keriah sorting through coins
The most fascinating information I gleamed at the Woodstock Coin Show, was about a Canadian banknote. One vender had a book with the heading "The "Devil's Face' Notes" and he explained how in 1954 issue of Canadian bank notes, the image of the Devil's face appeared in Queen Elizabeth's hair just behind her ear. He explained that it was not spite nor was it a prank but due to the engraver's interpretation of the original photograph of the Queen.
Can you see the Devil's face highlighted in yellow? It looks quite ominous. I was not able to see it at first but the vender stated once you see it, you can defiantly notice it. Modifications to the plate was made by darkening the highlights in the hair to remove the shading that resulted in seeing the Devil.
Dan Hill, not the singer, was the last vender I spoke with at the Woodstock Coin Show. He had a large table displaying a wide assortment of coins, banknotes and knick knacks. However, it was Dan's photographs that drew myself and another visitor to talk to him about them.
Dan Hill, not the singer, was the last vender I spoke with at the Woodstock Coin Show. He had a large table displaying a wide assortment of coins, banknotes and knick knacks. However, it was Dan's photographs that drew myself and another visitor to talk to him about them.
Dan Hill with his wares at the Coin Show
While camping at the shoreline at Quetico Provincial Park in the west end of Lake Superior in 1991, Dan Hill took pictures of the Boreal. They were absolutely gorgeous! He reported that of 50,000 entries, in the Nikon International Photo contest, one of his pictures came in third place and is in the McLaughan Planetarium library. Another photography that Dan took of a tree, looked more like an etching rather than a photograph.
 Dan Hill's Boreal pictures |  My favourite picture |
After milling around the 35th Annual Woodstock Coin Show for over three hours, I finally left. However, there were still lots of other venders that I did not have the opportunity to stop by. Maybe next year.
1 "Woodstock medal shines light on ‘Klondike Joe’ Boyle,” in The Canadian Coin News dated, January 25, 2024
Col. Boyle – 1918 Celebrating 150 years! https://archives.oxfordcounty.ca/exhibits/joe-boyle/
2 The Estelle was the streetcar that ran between Woodstock and Ingersoll. - Woodstock Newsgroup By Paul Roberts (weebly.com)
Photo Gallery of Woodstock's 35th Annual Coin Show
All pictures taken by Heather A. Rennalls
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