9 JULY 1892, Page 43

The Tradesmen's Tokens of the Eighteenth Century. By James Atkins.

(W. S. Lincoln and Son.)—This is a labour of love, accomplished by an author whose somewhat Dryasdustish enthu- siasm is unbounded, and whose fitness for his task is proved by his "Coins and Tokens of the British Colonies." Mr. Atkins must have been at great pains in preparing this collection, for it contains upwards of seventy thousand specimens, and he is probably correct in regarding it as "in all probability the largest in the world." A book of this kind is, of course, of interest mainly to tradesmen ; but the outside public will find in the representations on certain of the tokens, revelations as to the history of the times in which they made their appearance. Thus, "A female holding a pole with a cap of liberty on it ;

Liberty and Commerce, 1795," speaks for itself. So does "A lam man on the ground, gnawing a bone ; French Liberty."