The Pacific Northwest has a rich numismatic history dating back to the colonial period. For example, the original Nor’westers were members of the North West Company, organized in 1783 and well-known for their 1820-dated tokens valued at one beaver pelt. See the article on the PNNA website.

As the 19th century progressed, Oregon became a state in 1859, and Washington became a state in 1889. Portland was incorporated in 1851, and Seattle was incorporated in 1869. Seattle’s growing businesses and role in the Klondike Gold Rush (1896-98) assured that there would be a widespread need for and use of money in various forms. In the decades to come, Seattle businesses issued thousands of “GOOD FOR” tokens, which remain popular with collectors today.

According to Wikipedia, “The Gold Rush era culminated in the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition of 1909, which is largely responsible for the layout of today’s University of Washington campus.” There are plenty of numismatic souvenirs from the AYPE. [See the 4th Q 2024 edition of The Nor’wester with a feature article by Phil Iversen about the AYPE.] Portland also had its big event – the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, with its own souvenirs.

The Seattle Coin Club was founded in 1936 and soon joined forces with the Oregon Numismatic Society in 1940 to found the Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association. [The ONS is a predecessor of today’s Willamette Coin Club in Portland.]

Per the PNNA history page, “No medals were issued for the first two PNNA conventions in Centralia in 1940 and 1941. There were no PNNA conventions in 1942-1945 due to World War II. … The PNNA issued its first medal at the third convention held in 1946 in Centralia, Washington. Many additional memorabilia items, such as medals and wooden nickels, and now elongated coins, came along over the years. Most of these items commemorate the annual conventions. … The 1946-1948 medals share a common reverse – a map of Washington and Oregon with the names of the two founding clubs.”

During the post-war prosperity of the 1950s and into the 1960s, U.S. coin collecting became very popular, and coin clubs were founded in several Northwest cities besides Seattle and Portland. For example, the Tacoma Coin Club (1957) which eventually merged with the Lakewood Center Coin Club (1963); the University Coin Club (1960) which merged with the SCC; the Olympia Coin Club, the Everett Coin Club, the Boeing Employees Coin Club (1963) and the now-defunct Auburn Coin Club. In Oregon, clubs were founded in cities such as Salem, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Albany and Springfield. Visit the PNNA clubs page to see which clubs are active today and when and where they meet.

Several of these coin clubs held annual (or even semi-annual) coin shows, along with the annual PNNA conventions and coin shows. In addition, coin shows – often at Seattle Center in the 1980s and 1990s – were organized by the Pacific Northwest Coin Dealers Association. The PNNA event calendar will show you which clubs and organizations hold shows today.

The 1962 Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World’s Fair) produced its share of numismatic memorabilia, including the official medal depicted here. And then there was the memorable $1,000,000 display at the Fair consisting of 30 tons of silver dollars, “Presented by Behlen of Columbus, Nebraska.” (There’s a medal for that display as well.)

The American Numismatic Association Anniversary Convention (now known as the World’s Fair of Money) was held in Seattle in 1990, and Portland in 1959 and 1998. The ANA’s spring National Money Show was held in Portland in 2004, 2009 and 2015. See “ANA Conventions and Shows in Portland, Oregon 1998 to 2015“ on the PNNA website.

Northwest collectors have held a wide variety of collecting interests – besides the obvious U.S. coins and Northwest tokens and exonumia, the interests have ranged from ancient and colonial coins (despite most colonial coins being associated with east coast states), to more modern topics such as medals commemorating Boeing airplanes and the space program. A few Washington State collectors have specialized in the many tokens and medals depicting George Washington. And, as described on our Memorial page, one local collector and dealer even became an enthusiast about British numismatics, especially Conder tokens, organizing a British Token Congress in Seattle in 2009.

Another prominent local numismatist and SCC past president, Byron F. Johnson, Jr. (1931-1988) was inducted in 2016 to the ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame, and the PNNA’s collector exhibit Best-of-Show Award at the annual convention is named in his honor. See his biography on the PNNA website.

As the Seattle Coin Club celebrates its 90th anniversary, we can be proud of our long and distinguished history while looking forward to a bright future.