Pierre Napoléon Breton

Pierre Napoléon Breton

By: Mitch Goudreau

Many of you have probably admired or shown some interest in Canadian tokens at some point or other, while perhaps not actively collecting them. This article’s intent is to give you some background on Pierre Napoléon Breton, a renowned early Canadian numismatist and Montreal coin dealer, who has left us with a numbering system that is still extensively used today.

P.N. Breton was born in Montreal, Québec on June 10, 1858. At the age of 15 he was employed in a banking firm which may be where he first developed his interest in numismatics. His favourite series was that of the copper “Bouquet Sou”. He later worked at a couple of bookstores beginning in 1875 before setting out on his own in 1889, opening a shop which sold books, numismatic items and knick-knacks. Pierre also managed to find the time to get married in 1879 to Marie Louise Lafricain and eventually raise a family of 15 children!

P.N. Breton Numismatist Token

Pierre Napoléon Breton’s most famous publication is the bilingual Illustrated History of Coins and Tokens Relating to Canada. It expanded on his Le Collectionneur Illustré Des Monnaies Canadiennes which was published in 1890 but with a different numbering system. This 1894 book has a brief introduction on Wampum, a type of money used by natives followed by Card Money used in New France, before progressing into the catalogue. There are 513 drawings with descriptions in total, commencing at no. 501 which is the extremely rare and famous French 1670 “GLORIAM REGNI TVI DICENT” 15 Sols silver coin. I have no explanation to offer on why the numbering system does not start at no. 1 like it did in his Le Collectionneur Illustré Des Monnaies Canadiennes. The “North American Token” is the last entry at no. 1013. The final part of the publication has some short biographies of well known Canadian collectors of the late 19th century such as R.W. McLachlan and Gerald E. Hart before concluding with some paper money descriptions.

Another well known Breton publication is the 1912 Popular Illustrated Guide to Canadian Coins, Medals. After a short preface it begins with sketches of medals, starting at no. 1 with a 1693 Louis XIV French medal that was presented to Indian Chiefs. The listings include some French and British medals better known today as “Betts medals”, several military, Governor General, and university medals amongst others. This section ends with a Temperance medal at no. 207. The next part of the book retains the images and numbers of his 1894 catalogue of coins and tokens, but like the newly listed medals, they are without descriptions. This does not mean however that there are not any other changes to his earlier work, as demonstrated by the Franco-American jetons (nos. 510 – 519) which have been expanded with small letters (ie 510a, 510b) to identify the different varieties that exist. Also included throughout the book are pictures of prominent Canadian numismatists and ends with a table showing prices paid by him for coins and medals.

Those of you who attended the RCNA Convention in Edmonton last summer may perhaps remember the excellent display by Markus Molenda of Breton’s Printing Blocks. This featured several of the actual wooden pieces used to make the coin and token illustrations in his books. Another collectable Breton item is his own personal token. Like other prominent numismatists of the time he struck these, also known as “Numismatist’s Tokens” or “Personal Cards”. The example pictured is from 1891 and is listed as No. 169 in his Popular Illustrated Guide to Canadian Coins, Medals. The reverse depicts Montreal’s Chateau de Ramezay which became the home of the “Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal” in 1895.

P.N. Breton was an outstanding member of the “Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal” as well as the ANA. He was very active in the 1909 ANA convention in Montreal. He hosted a reception at the St. Lawrence Hall Hotel and on another occasion gave a presentation on the “Bout de l’Isle” toll bridge tokens from the porch of the Hotel Bureau.

Although Pierre Napoléon Breton died over 90 years ago on Nov 10, 1917, he leaves a lasting legacy in Canadian numismatics. The reality that most auction houses even now use Breton numbers instead of the modern Charlton numbering system in their listings, is a testament that P.N. Breton’s work is still the benchmark in regards to pre-Confederation Canadian tokens. I would encourage you all to read his publications as they are still available in various reprint editions.

 

Previously published in the ENS “The Planchet” Magazine Vol-57 Issue-03