The Fare Box About Pittsburgh Activities Were Eloquent and Humorous
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Pox 11661 9akland, ialifornia Palo Alto, California 94601 94306 Volume 24, Number 1 JANUARY, 1970 Our 271st Issue HARRY C . BARTLEY Harry C. Bartley of Pittsburgh, A . V .A . #46, died February 15 at age 63. He had been an active transportation token collector for a longer time, probably, than any other member of the A . V.A . He began collecting in 1920, fifty years ago t He was one of the pioneers of the I hobby . Words cannot express our sense of loss at Harry's death . His many articles in The Fare Box about Pittsburgh activities were eloquent and humorous . His sometimes grouchy exterior was only a front for a big heart and a keen mind . He had been promising to write an article about "Forty Years of Token Collecting, " so long postponed that it was going to be called "Fifty Years of Token Collecting ." It would have been a great story, and I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately I did not keep after him enough, and now we shall never be able to read it. We come to you with two issues in one mailing again, and I hope it will be the last time this is necessary . A March issue, if you all will send me something to put in it will be published in about 3 weeks, followed by an April issue 3 weeks later . That accomplished, we shall be on time again . Together with this issue you will find a ballot and two envelopes, to vote on the pro- posed AVA constitutional amendment passed at the Philadelphia Convention last August . This provides for two-year terms for officers instead of one year . Please mark the ballot in the appropriate box, place it in "Official Ballot" envelope and seal, then place that sealed envel- ope in the larger envelope addressed to Don Mazeau, and mail (with commemorative stamp if possible) . This requires a three-fourths affirmative vote for approval . Inside this issue is an article by Bob Ritterband telling why he opposes the amendment. President Ralph Hinde comments : "While I am in favor of a two-year span, there definitely should be a limitation on the number of terms, perhaps even to the extent of only one term of two years . Perhaps it would be best to vote it down this time and resubmit it with a limit ." I suppose the thinking of those who sponsored the amendment at Philadelphia was that a one-year term doesn't give an officer a chance to do much before election rolls around again . For myself I just don't like amendments in general ; they are a lot of work for me and a lot of expense for the AVA, and I think things are fine the way the are . I~G'n3eL~hdi71i ADli W G free download from: www.vecturist.com -Page 2- -January 1970- = T[]E PROPOSED A .V .A. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT = By Robert M . Ritterband, A .V .A. Vice-President The constitutional amendment providing for two-year terms for officers has cer- tain benefits for our association . Nevertheless it should be voted down! I am con- vinced of this as an active member for nearly two decades, rather than as a current officer . The intention of the proposal is quite commendable . Many national organi- zations have found that new officers are often getting their programs and procedures fully under way just about the tine a one-year term begins to run out . My worry is that the amendment does not specify how many two-year terms an officer can serve in succession . It could become a real problem . Our four most recent past presidents have each chosen to serve three tines in a row . This has been agreeable to AVA members, even though it meant having the leader- ship of only four of our people over a twelve-year span . But if these were two-year presidents, and if each decided to repeat three times (or maybe even more) it could bring very unhealthy stagnation . Continuity is worthwhile for the positions of Edi- tor, Curator, Secretary, and Treasurer, who do staff assignments . But the top offi- cers require some measure of limitation . I urge each of you to join me in voting against the change as it is now worded . Then at our next convention this summer the subject can be reintroduced in a proper manner for the benefit of all . Thank you! = NORM SHERMAN COMPLETES COLLECTION OF HORSECAR TOKENS = In the September 1964 issue of THE FARE BOX your Editor wrote a two-page story entitled "The Tokens That Picture the Horsecar ." In that, I observed that there were 34 varieties of tokens which actually picture a horsecar on them, from the United States and Canada . Since then two more have turned up : one from Winchester, Ky ., and a mule or pattern from Montana . both uncovered by Norm Sherman . Shortly after my article on horsecar tokens appeared, Norm Sherman, of Santa Barbara, California, began a serious effort to get them all . It seemed a well-nigh impossible task, as several of them were extremely rare, and a couple of them were unique . No one had ever done it before . If we want to get dramatic about it, we could say--quite correctly--that no person in world history had ever owned all known varieties of horsecar tokens . Now it has been accomplished . Norm Sherman has them all . He even has a beauti- ful unpunched solid of the St . Paul horsecar token, and all known minor varieties of those horsecar tokens where there are die varieties known to exist . It is quite an imposing array of tokens--I would imagine some 40 or so in number--and it would make a beautiful display . Now how about a collection of all the tokens picturing a trolley car on them? If you included the celluloids and vulcanites, that would be a task! Or perhaps a collection of all the depotel tokens? I don't think any of us will live to see that accomplished--too many of them are unique, and too many of them are so esteemed by their owners that they wouldn't sell them for any price . I know of one collector who plans to have his depotel tokens buried with him in his coffin . so that, like the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, he can enjoy his treasure throughout all eternity . = TWENTY YEARS AGO IN THE FARE BOX = The January 1950 issue, Volume 4, Number 1, contained 14 pages . There are sto- ries about transit development in Kansas City and Cleveland ; a story about Evans- ville's problems with its new tokens by Ivan Cline ; an article about Dixie Hills Transportation Co . of Altanta Ga., by Dave Jordan . The 6th Quarterly AVA Convention [we met every 3 months in those days] was scheduled for West Hartford January 28, and it was announced that pages of THE FARE BOX would henceforth be numbered . free download from: www.vecturist.com -January 1970- -Page 3- TOKENS SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN VECTURIST ASSOCIATION = By J.M. Coffee There are a number of tokens listed in our Catalogue which were either made, or made available, through action of the A .V.A . The earliest of these was Wash 780 R, made but never used by Seattle Transit . Through connections with the Transit, Paul Fouts secured a quantity of these in 1955, and had them placed in specially printed green cards with a hole cut in the center for the token . And they were then presen- ted to each member present at the 1955 A .V.A . Convention in Seattle . Then there was Calif 835 H, specially plated by Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines, but never released by them. Roland Atwood secured a few of these and they were dis- tributed free to members attending the 1959 A .V .A. Convention in Santa Monica . Whe- ther these plated tokens have since been placed into regular use I am not certain . But here are two tokens which were specially made available to A .V.A . members at a convention, both by municipally-owned transit systems . Then there was the Tenth Anniversary of the A .V .A . in 1958 . In honor of this event, the A .V .A . had 300 specimens of a bronze medal struck, picturing the horsecar from THE FARE BOX masthead, and the then seal of the A .V .A. Five were also struck in sterling silver, and presented to Coffee, F .Gordon Smith, Fax Schwartz, Roland Atwood, and I forget the fifth recipient . Mr . Smith, then president of the A.V .A ., super- vised the production of the medals . But of far more general interest than our medal was the striking of regular tok- ens for use by a bus company . Harold Ford, in the spring of 1958, drove around New England and, in Brattleboro, Vermont, had a conversation with the president of the little Brattleboro Transit Corporation . That gentleman said he was considering the use of tokens, and said he would be glad to place in regular use any tokens supplied to him by the A .V.A.