The Journal is a publication of the Ottawa Le Journal est une publication de la Société Numismatic Society. Published every two numismatique d’Ottawa. Publié aux deux mois, il months, it aims to promote money collecting and vise à promouvoir la collection de monnaie et la numismatics in Canada’s National Capital Region. numismatique dans la Région de la capitale The publication is available to paid members and nationale. Cette publication est disponible aux the general public through the ONS website. membres, ainsi qu’au grand public, à travers le site Back issues of ONS publications are available on web de la SNO. Les numéros antérieurs sont line to read or download. disponibles en ligne; prêts à être lus ou téléchargé. Contact Information Pour nous contacter The Ottawa Numismatic Society La Société numismatique d’Ottawa P.O. Box 11086, Station H C.P. 11086, succursale H Ottawa, ON K2H 7T8 CANADA Ottawa (Ontario) K2H 7T8 CANADA E-mail: [email protected] Courriel : [email protected] Website: http://www.ons-sno.ca Site Web : http://www.ons-sno.ca The society meets every month, usually on the La société se réunit habituellement le quatrième fourth Monday. Doors open at 7:00 pm and the lundi de chaque mois. Les portes ouvrent à 19 h et meetings begin at 7:30 pm in the Theatre (on the la réunion débute à 19 h 30 dans le théâtre (au 3rd floor) of the Heron Road Multi-Service Centre, 3e étage) du Heron Road Multi-Service Centre, 1480 Heron Rd, Ottawa. 1480 chemin Heron, Ottawa. Annual dues: $12.00 Frais d’adhésion annuels : 12,00 $ Executive Committee Conseil d’administration President: Steve Woodland Président : Steve Woodland Vice President: Serge Pelletier Vice-président : Serge Pelletier Secretary: Rod MacDonald Secrétaire : Rod MacDonald Treasurer: Wilf Lauber Trésorier : Wilf Lauber Key positions Postes clés Journal Editor: David Bergeron Rédacteur en chef du Journal : David Bergeron WebMaster: Mark Dennis Webmestre : Mark Dennis Greeter/Prizes: Kim Zbitnew Accueil/Prix : Kim Zbitnew

Next Meetings: Prochaines rencontres : January Janvier Date: Monday, January 26, 2015 Date : Le lundi, 26 janvier 2015 Speaker: to be announced Invité d’honneur : à suivre Topic: to be announced Objet : à suivre February Février Date: Monday, February 23, 2015 Date : Le lundi, 23 février 2015 Speaker: to be announced Invité d’honneur : à suivre Topic: to be announced Objet : à suivre

Table of Contents Table des matières President’s Word ...... page 3 Le mot du président...... page 3 Editor’s Message ...... page 4 Le mot du rédacteur en chef ...... page 4 Minutes of the ONS Meetings ...... page 4 Résumé des assemblées de la SNO ...... page 4 Nicholas Copernicus: Not Just a Revolutionary Nicholas Copernicus: Not Just a Revolutionary Astronomer by Gregory Zbitnew ……… .page 5 Astronomer by Gregory Zbitnew ……..…… page 5

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A Word from the President Le mot du Président

Happy 2015 to all our members Bonne année à tous nos membres et and welcome to a new year at the bienvenue à une nouvelle année à la Société Ottawa Numismatic Society! numismatique Ottawa!

It’s always great to start a new Il est toujours agréable de commencer year, make resolutions, set goals, and une nouvelle année, prendre des résolutions, have dreams. For me, at least fixer des objectifs et rêver. numismatically, I hope to acquire Numismatiquement, j’espère acquérir some key pieces for my collection (In quelques pièces clés pour ma collection (En fait, j’ai déjà commencé, et je vais vous fact, I already have, and I’ll tell you all raconter tout ça lors de notre réunion de about it at our January meeting). Janvier). Ending an old year is always a Mettre fin à une vieille année est hectic and stressful time. For me, as I toujours un moment trépidante et get established in my new career as a stressante. En tant que nouveau propriétaire small business owner consulting in d’une petite entreprise de conseil en gestion project management, it was a real de projet, c’était un véritable défi pour moi challenge to try and get all my d’essayer terminer tous mes livrables à mes deliverables in to my clients while at clients tout en essayant en même temps de the same time trying to get ready for me préparer pour les vacances et aussi the holidays and also enjoy our great profiter de notre grand passe-temps. Comme d'habitude, le passe-temps a pris la hobby. As usual, the hobby had to give (Don’t you just hate it when your job troisième place (Je déteste quand mon interferes with your hobby?). travail interfère avec votre passe-temps, Our focus for 2015 will be the n’est-ce-pas?). planning and preparation for the L’objectif de la SNO pour 2015 sera la RCNA Convention which we are planification et la préparation du Congrès de l’ARNC que nous organisons à l'Hôtel Delta hosting at the Delta Hotel Ottawa Ottawa Centre-ville en Juillet 2016. Notre Downtown in July 2016. Our club last club a accueilli son dernier congrès annuel hosted the Association’s annual de l'Association en 2008 (au même endroit) convention in 2008 (at the same et les gens parlent encore comment c’était venue) and people are still talking un congrès extraordinaire. Nous avons établi about how great a convention it was. un très haut niveau alors, maintenant notre We set a very high standard then and défi consiste à faire un travail encore our challenge now will be to do an meilleur. Marquez vos calendriers! even better job. Mark your calendars! Le Conseil d’administration de la SNO The ONS Executive Committee met s’est réuni récemment et nous sommes recently and we are pleased to report heureux d'annoncer que la Société est en that we are in very good financial très bonne forme financière. Nous avons shape. We also have some ideas about aussi quelques idées comment nous how we can put these funds to good pouvons mettre ces fonds à bon escient, use, but we would like to hear from mais nous aimerions entendre de vous aussi. you too. See any member of the Voir tout membre de l'exécutif avec vos suggestions. Executive with your suggestions. Je vous souhaite une grande 2015! Here’s to a great 2015! Steve Steve

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From the Editor Le mot du rédacteur en chef I regret that this issue is late on Je suis désolé si ce numéro du reaching you. It’s been a busy few months Journal de la SNO vous parvient en retard. especially since we are in the midst of Ça fait quelques mois maintenant que je redesigning a whole new museum at the suis très occupé à planifier tout un Bank of Canada! nouveau musée à mon travail à la Banque Since we’re already into 2015, I du Canada. would like to wish you all a Happy New Puisque nous sommes déjà en Year and prosperity for 2015. Let’s hope 2015, je me permets de vous souhaiter that we can continue enjoying our hobby une Bonne Année avec beaucoup de to the fullest. prospérité pour l’année qui vient. In this issue of the ONS Journal, we Espérons que nous pourrons continuer à feature an article on Nicholaus se divertir dans notre loisir à plein cœur! Copernicus by Greg Zbitnew. The article Dans ce numéro du Journal de la is an expansion of the fine presentation SNO, Greg Zbitnew nous fournit un article that Greg gave at the October meeting. sur Nicolas Copernic. Cet article est une Please forward to me any articles élaboration de la présentation que Greg a you have ready for the journal because I donné lors de la réunion d’Octobre. have run out of content for the next S.V.P. me faire parvenir vos articles issue… puisque je n’ai plus de contenu pour le prochain numéro… David David

Meeting summary – October/November Résumé des rencontres – octobre & novembre October's meeting was highlighted by a talk from Greg Zbitnew, who spoke about the Les réunions d'octobre ont été marquées par un "Universal Genius" Copernicus, a highly educated discours de Greg Zbitnew, qui a parlé du « génie universel » Copernic, un scientifique hautement scientist of 15th century Europe. He first e described the helio-centrifugal solar system that qualifiée du 15 siècle de l'Europe. Il décrit d'abord le we live in; prior to this people thought that système solaire hélio-centrifuge; avant ce temps, la everything revolved around the earth. Coins and peuple pensaient que le tout tournait autour de la paper money have illustrated Copernicus's terre. Pièces de monnaie et billets de banque ont theories. Many of his theories were released on illustré les théories de Copernic. Beaucoup de ses his death bed due to the Roman Catholic powers théories ont été libérés sur son lit de mort en raison de in Poland. l’église Catholique en Pologne. November's meeting was a fun night, with La réunion de novembre a été une soirée de personal collections displayed in a semi-formal plaisir, avec des collections personnelles affichées exhibition. On display was everything from a dans une exposition semi-formel. Sur l'affichage était beautiful Roman type collection, gold and silver tout d'une belle collection de type romain ; des pièces coins, Indo-Sassanian fire altar coins progressing en or et en argent ; des pièces indo-sassanides de type over the centuries to North India with similar but feu de l'autel, progressant au fil des siècles à l'Inde du reduced images, an amazing Rhodesian collection Nord avec des images similaires, mais réduites ; une noted for completion and eye appeal, as well an étonnante collection Rhodésienne, remarquable pour Ottawa Valley token and many other seldom seen son attrait visuel ; ainsi qu’un jeton de la vallée de pieces. There were many interesting displays l'Outaouais ; et bien d'autres pièces rarement vues. Il y with the collectors on hand to provide avait de nombreuses expositions intéressantes avec information and answer questions. les collectionneurs sur place pour fournir des informations et répondre aux questions. Rod Rod | P a g e 4

Nicholas Copernicus: Not Just a Revolutionary Astronomer by Gregory Zbitnew

The idea that the earth rotates and revolves around the sun was considered an absurd notion in the 1500s. For one thing, if the earth rotated, wouldn’t everything just fly off? Most of us have heard of Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543), the first person to seriously challenge the idea that the sun, planets and stars revolved around the earth. His revolutionary ideas ultimately prevailed and are now taken for granted.

Copernicus (in Polish, Mikolai Kopernik) is one of Poland’s most famous citizens, and his image appears on both the paper money and coins. His portrait is on the 1000 Zloty note dated 1982:

The back of the banknote illustrates the sun-centered Copernican solar system.

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A Polish 10 zloty coin dated 1959 A German 5 mark coin celebrating the 500th anniversary of Copernicus’s birth

Less well known are Copernicus’s revolutionary ideas on money and coinage. While there is no space in this short article to give a biography of this remarkable individual, there is an excellent biography in Dava Sobel’s book A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos (Walker and company, New York, 2011). To put his numismatic work into perspective, here are a few highlights of his life:

Copernicus was born in Thorn (Torun), part of Royal Prussia, then a subject state of the kingdom of Poland. He came from a well-to-do and even distinguished family, his father being a wholesale merchant and his uncle and mentor the bishop of Ermeland. Copernicus proved an inveterate student and theorist in many areas: studying mathematics at the University of Cracow, becoming a skilled painter, studying canon law and astronomy at the famous University of Bologna. Becoming a cleric, Copernicus was named canon of the cathedral at Frauenburg at the age of 24, but then took leave to lecture at Rome and to study in several fields. He then earned a doctor's degree in canon law at the University of Ferrara in 1503 and a medical degree at the University of Padua two years later. He became physician to his uncle, the bishop, and later served full-time as canon of the cathedral. http://mises.org/daily/4071 (accessed December 16, 2012)

As a “hobby” during his busy life, he was also an astronomer and developed the theory that the moon revolved around the earth, and that the earth and other planets revolved around the sun, not the other way around. The apparent motion of the sun was due to the earth itself revolving once per day. He did not publish his theory during his lifetime, out of concern for the potential controversy. Due to the influence of Georg Rheticus, the manuscript of his work was eventually sent for publication and, dramatically, Copernicus saw the finished book on his deathbed. The book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Sphere), as Copernicus thought, was highly controversial, but was also widely used, and ended up in the Roman Catholic Church’s list of restricted books for some time. The theory was revised by Kepler, and put on a solid theoretical foundation by Newton with his theory of universal

| P a g e 6 gravitation. Our modern world takes the motion of the earth and the planets for granted; the reverse would be considered ludicrous.

Copernicus was a prominent, well-respected, multi-talented individual. It explains, in part, how he came to play a role in numismatics:

Copernicus turned his attention to monetary affairs when King Sigismund I of Poland asked him to offer proposals for reform of the tangled currency of the area. Since the 1460s, Prussian Poland, where Copernicus lived, was the home of three different currencies: that of Royal Prussia, the Polish kingdom itself, and that of Prussia of the Teutonic Order. None of the governments maintained a single standard of weight. The Teutonic Order, in particular, kept debasing and circulating cheaper money. Copernicus finished his paper in 1517, and it was delivered to the Royal Prussian Assembly in 1522, and published four years later. http://mises.org/daily/4071 (accessed December 16, 2012)

The tangled currency reflected the tangled politics of the area, as indicated by this map:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Teutonic_Order_1466.png (accessed October 26, 2013)

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The western part of the state of the Teutonic order became “Royal Prussia”, part of the Polish Kingdom, after a battle in 1466.

Here are some pictures of some of the coins current during the lifetime of Copernicus (these images courtesy of Heritage auctions):

Polish coin dated 1507 Coin from Prussia (under Poland), a grossus 1529 Heritage (Image © Auctions) (Image © Heritage Auctions)

Teutonic order, schilling (Konrad von Juningen, 1393-1407 Note the Crusader cross emblem (Image © Heritage Auctions)

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The resulting paper, Monetae cudendae ratio made important contributions to monetary thought. I have been unable to locate an English translation, but the original Latin with the French translation is available at this website: http://www.taieb.net/auteurs/Copernic/monete.html (accessed October 26, 2013).

Some of his ideas were centuries ahead of his time. Some of the key observations of this paper were:

1. It is impossible to maintain old, depreciated currency with good currency. (This is another way of stating “Gresham’s law” that "bad money drives out good". This was stated well before Gresham.) 2. He explained that currency depreciated through debasement of the alloy, wear due to circulation, and that an increase in the supply of money caused inflation (an early version of the “quantity theory of money”).

The paper had 6 recommendations, as follows:

“Pour arriver à restaurer et à conserver une bonne To restore and maintain a good currency, several monnaie, plusieurs choses sont à considérer : things are to be considered:

1° Elle ne doit être modifiée qu'après mûre 1. It must be changed only after careful délibération des notables et en vertu de leur deliberation of notables and with their unanimous décision unanime. decision." 2° Un seul lieu, si faire se peut, doit être choisi 2. One place, if possible, should be chosen for pour la fabrication de la monnaie, qui doit être the manufacture of the currency, which must be frappée, non pas au nom d'une ville, mais au nom struck, not in the name of a town, but on behalf of du pays, en portant pour empreinte les insignes de the country, bearing the insignia and imprint of the l'Etat. L'efficacité d'une pareille mesure rencontre State. The effectiveness of such a measure found une preuve décisive dans la monnaie polonaise, qui conclusive proof in the Polish currency, which conserve ainsi son prix dans la vaste étendue du keeps its price in the vast expanse of the Kingdom. royaume. 3. When a new currency is issued, the former 3° Lors de l'émission d'une nouvelle monnaie, must be demonetized and removed. l'ancienne doit être démonétisée et supprimée. 4. It must be an inviolable and immutable rule 4° Il faut garder pour règle inviolable et immuable that there should be only 20 marks in a livre, de tailler 20 marcs seulement, et non davantage, removing only the quantity required for the costs of dans une livre, en retranchant seulement la quantité the coinage. In this way, the Prussian currency will nécessaire pour les frais du monnayage. De cette be put in rapport with the Polish currency, so 20 manière, la monnaie prussienne sera mise en Prussian gros, as well as 20 polish gros, will rapport avec la monnaie polonaise, de manière que constitute the pruthenien mark. (see note) 20 gros prussiens, aussi bien que 20 gros polonais, 5. One must avoid too great a multiplication of constitueront le marc pruthénien. denominations. 5° On évitera une trop grande multiplication de 6. All subdivisions of the currency will be numéraire. issued at the same time; that is to say one will 6° Toutes les subdivisions de la monnaie seront simultaneously strike scotes, groschen, sous and émises en même temps; c'est-à-dire on frappera oboles. (see note) simultanément des scotes, des gros, des sous et des oboles.”

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Notes: According to this paper, the mark was a unit of weight as well as a unit of money. Originally, in terms of currency, 1 livre=2 marks, 1 mark=24 scotes=60 sous or groschen, and 1 sous (schilling)=12 oboles. The paper also describes how the money of the Teutonic order, originally (about the year 1400) was valued at 149 1/3 sous of 75% silver (140 intrinsic value and 9 1/3 for the minting cost) per livre of silver, was now only worth 1/5 to 1/6 of its previous value. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_(unit) (accessed October 26, 2013), the weight of a mark varied from place to place and was about 250 grams. Although Copernicus’s recommendations were not followed, they appeared to be the inspiration for a currency reform in 1526. According to http://www.coingallery.de/KarlV/Polen_Tab_E.htm (accessed October 22, 2013), shortly after the currency reform Poland and Prussia had a uniform currency, 12 Pfennig=1 schilling=0.466 grams of silver, and 3 Schilling = 1 groschen. The only exception was that for denominations higher than 1 groschen, the quantity of fine silver was the same, but Prussia used coins of 87.5% silver; for Poland they were 37.5 % silver. It would be fascinating to know what would have happened if all his recommendations had been implemented at the time. In any case, we can still appreciate the brilliance of a man whose ideas were ahead of their time, even though his economic ideas did not cause the revolution that his astronomical ideas did.

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