I first met David McDonald at a coin fair in New Carrollton, near Washington, one summer in the mid-1980s. He came bounding up to my stand and asked if I could sell for him a copper Isle of Man halfpenny that he had bought as part of a larger lot. It was long before the days of ‘slabbing’ but as the piece was in mint condition with good red lustre I knew that I could sell it well.


An hour or so later he came back and was surprised to discover what I had achieved in getting for it. I think it was at this point two things happened – his interest in British tokens, coupled with an appreciation of condition, was born and secondly a lifetime friendship between the two of us was established.


A few days later I was invited to his house in Westminster, MD, to meet Patti his wife and their three daughters – young Brooke, toddler Melissa and babe-in-arms Kelsey. I was soon introduced to the McDonald tradition of a crab dinner! Locally caught crabs were steamed in highly piquant spices and once cooked everyone dug in in a sort of frenzied free-for-all. They were without doubt the most messy meals I have ever partaken in – but also one of the most delicious!


From then on I would see David six or seven times a year, using his house as a base during the Baltimore and New York fairs and ANAs, travelling over from the UK laden with tokens. David would buy from me and I from him, and soon he possessed an extensive stock and a good collection of 18th century tokens, in addition to Scottish coins which he was also putting aside.


Throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s we shared tables at the various ANA coin shows. I would arrive at his house and we would set off in his well-appointed campervan to far- away ANA venues such as Milwaukee, St Louis, Pittsburgh and Chicago. On the way we would take in rivers such as the Upper Potomac, Youghiogheny or the Ohiopyle where he taught me to white-water raft and to kayak. He had done these sports for many years and even in spite of a back injury was very proficient! David also come to Britain in search of tokens, attending many important auctions here and becoming one of the principal dealers in Conder tokens in the US. In turn I took him to the river Cam in Cambridge and taught him the slightly more sedate activity of ‘punting’!


Dealing in coins was not David’s main occupation – he held down a busy position in the pharmaceutical world. He also expended much energy buying and renovating residential properties around Maryland, as well as a ski chalet just over the state border in West Virginia in which he invested a lot of time and, I am sure, cash. I remember extending my winter trip to the Baltimore coin fair several times to nip down to this beautiful lodge in the Canaan valley for a couple of days’ ski-ing!


These tokens were his speciality throughout his numismatic adventure and at all the Baltimore coin fairs he could be relied to have a large selection. As a dealer he was easy to get on with and was incredibly generous and friendly. Nothing was ever too much trouble. He will be very much missed at the coin fairs in Maryland and by all the numismatic community of the Eastern States. For me it is not just the loss a colleague in the coin trade but also of a very good friend who features so very strongly in the path of my own life.


Richard Gladdle


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