| Obverse Design |
Indian Bust facing right with the legend "WOODEN NICKEL" above. Circle around the Indian Bust and the legends. |
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| Reverse Design | Legend "ISTHMIAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY" above. Legend "Balboa Canal Zone" below. The center has the legend "ANNUAL COIN SHOW April 22-29 1967". | ||||
| Color | Red print on natural wood. | ||||
| Material | Wood. | Weight | About 2.5 grams. | Size and Shape | Round, 37.5 mm in diameter. |
| Dates Issued | April, 1967. | ||||
| Issuer | Isthmian Numismatic Society based in Balboa, Canal Zone. This numismatic society also issued medals in 1968 and 1975. The INS was started around 1957 and folded around 1979. On the Pacific side of the Canal Zone INS monthly meetings were held at the Jewish Welfare Board in Balboa and on the Atlantic side at the YMCA in Cristobal. Besides regular meetings the Isthmian Numismatic Society also held auctions and coin shows such as the one advertised on this wooden nickel. The coin shows were held at Stevens Circle in Balboa. Please e-mail me if you have additional information about this society. | ||||
| Mintage | Unknown. | ||||
| Rarity | Very Rare. | Manufacturer | Probably the Old Time Wooden Nickel Company. | Other Catalog Numbers | Asociación Numismático's FM-9. |
| Varieties | There are two other varieties, one from the 1966 coin show and one from the 1967 coin show. The 1966 variety has a different obverse design but a similar reverse. The other 1967 variety has the identical reverse design as this one but a different obverse design. | ||||
| Function | The piece was either an advertisement for a coin show or a souvenir from it. It may have functioned as both. | ||||
| Population Count | Two specimens in collector hands are known to me. I do not know of any recent sales. | ||||
| Notes | The photo below from 1975 shows George Chevalier as President of the Isthmian Numismatic Society presenting a book on Panama coins along with a Panama Proof Set to Governor Parker. The gentleman in the middle looking on is Joseph Maravilla. The book is the Numismatic History of Republic of Panama by Brian R. Stickney. | ||||
Photo courtesy of George Chevalier. All Rights Reserved.
pc75-03