By M. C. and Ray Dobson
Certified Coins or Coin-Covers is an area of Philatelic and Numismatic collecting that I have previously overlooked. I was aware of them but did not take them seriously. However, when one turned up with a New Zealand milk token I started to pay a little bit of attention.
Ray Dobson who is one of the partners in the company that produced the cover, Nuphil Associates Ltd, is not that hard to get in contact with. Ray advises that Certified Coins or the more modern term: PNC’s (Philatelic-Numismatic Covers) is a significant area of collecting in America, and there is a range of Australian and New Zealand items. Australia Post and the Australian Mint have produced joint Philatelic and Numismatic items and continue to do this to this day. However, in the 1960’s and 1970’s this was a new idea and a few companies produced special covers that are now quite collectible. If you look at www.aussiecoins.net, which is a forum site, there is a section dedicated to PNC’s.
Certified Coins or PNCs are covers or holders that combine a coin with stamps that are then postmarked with a date that has meaning for the coins or the stamps or both. This is definitely a merging of the two areas of collecting. The original Coin-Cover, according to Ray Dodson occurred in America. A coin collector, John Miles Baker, glued two Kennedy half dollars on the face of two envelopes and had them postmarked on the first day these coins were released to the public.
Since then various covers by different companies have been produced for many different countries including Australia and New Zealand. A major early supplier was the 99 Company of Capistrano Beach, California. Nuphil Associates Ltd was a New Zealand company that first undertook New Zealand related covers and then produced the first Australian PNC, which is now known as the Yarralumla Cover. One of these was recently sold on Ebay for over $700. Space is limited so the story about the Yarralumla Cover will have to wait
Ray advises that when they created the New Zealand covers they were faced with selling them to recoup some of their investment. A few were sold in NZ but none in Australia so they sent a set to the 99 Company in the US hoping they would not sue them for infringement of their patent. To their surprise the 99 Company advertised them in the 99 Company newsletter and Nuphil were swamped with orders.
The earliest New Zealand Coin-Covers produced by Nuphil Associates Ltd began with the change-over to Decimal Currency on 10th July 1967 and were followed by latter issues of NZ coins as they became available yearly. For personal reasons the directors of Nuphil Associates Ltd were not able to continue with the production of their Coin-Covers after the late 1970’s and the business was closed.
Recently however, Nuphil Associates Ltd came out of retirement and produced Nuphil’s 2006 New, Smaller Coins PNC series.
In 2005 the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the country’s issuing authority for coins and currency, announced that the existing 10c, 20c and 50c coins would be changed to smaller and lighter versions though the new coins, to be introduced on 31st July 2006, would retain their current designs. Furthermore the present 5c coin was to be withdrawn from circulation and made invalid for commercial purposes.
Nuphil Associates PNC, with its history of producing Philatelic Numismatic Covers dating from the introduction of decimal currency in 1967, decided to produce a series of covers to commemorate the introduction of these coins. An article on these covers is being written so I will not go into more detail here except to say that the set consists of four covers.
Where do Milk Tokens come into this?
During the 1970’s Nuphil also issued a ‘fun-cover’ using milk tokens. Ray advised:
‘This was done in 1970. We had become friendly with Ray Whelan, a coin dealer from Healesville, Victoria, and had been swapping material with him for some time. He asked if we could get some milk tokens from NZ for him so we hunted around and sent all we could find from Christchurch.
Varian Wilson, my partner in Nuphil Associates Ltd was in Wellington on business for us when he heard there were some metallic tokens available in the Hutt Valley just outside Wellington. So he went out to the Milk Board or whatever there and asked if they would sell him some. I think they were on the point of discontinuing tokens and were very happy to sell him 200+ as they would not be cashed in for milk. We sent some to Ray for his catalogue and put the rest in covers. (See Nuphil Newsletter #6, page 3).
Ray and Lillian Whelan also helped Varian with the Yarralumla cover. (See Newsletter #1) We called it Nu 27 but I think Yarralumla Cover is a far better name.
Ray Whelan, Varian Wilson and Ray Dobson produced a cover for the milk tokens using the Cupronickel Hutt Valley Milk Token and the NZ 1970 health Stamp (3c postage, 1c for Children’s Health Camps). Nuphil Newsletter 6 states:
Ph-7 : MILK TOKEN “FUN-COVER”: Starring Isadora the Cow, An FDC with a NZ 1970 health Stamp (3c postage, 1c for Children’s Health Camps) contains a ONE PINT milk token (Whelan catalogue 1DF15). The Jersey cow motif is by Chas. Milne, whimsical cartoonist of Christchurch “Press”. 200 serially numbered “Cow Covers” prepared. Ph-7 : $US 2.75.
However, on Trademe about six months ago, the same cover was sold but with a different plastic token. Both covers have the same cancellation date so I assume that they were released at the same time. When I put the question to Ray he did a little digging and advised the following:
From a list that Varian Wilson prepared I see we did 210 of these covers. Perhaps 200 of the Hutt Valley metallic tokens and then 10 of the plastic ones but I cannot now remember. These were both numbered ph-7. Sometimes, for a bit of fun, we would produce some odd covers to give away or keep ourselves.
The result was two milk token covers that appear to be the only ones ever issued. Given that milk tokens are just about no longer used in New Zealand, they are also the only covers that were issued while the tokens were still being used (just). These token covers rarely come on the market and are generally keenly contested. A fitting addition to any one’s collection of Milk Token related items.
PS: Ray advises that the Nuphil’s 2006 New, Smaller Coins PNC series is still available. Please contact Ray directly.
References:
- Nuphil Associates Limited; Newsletter 6; 2 September 1970
- Ray Dobson: r.Dobson@xtra.co.nz