Ayrshire Coin Club president releases token book

Mar 6 2009 by Edwin Lawrence

YOU would expect a retired banker to know a thing or two about coins.

And Ronnie Breingan certainly does, being treasurer of Ayrshire Coin Club.

But he also knows a thing or two about tokens, as his latest book reveals.

For he has written a nostalgic look back at the kinds of tokens once used on stagecoaches, trams, ferries, buses, and just about every form of transport you can think of.

Ronnie’s book is aptly-named Scottish Transport Tokens – and it’s not just for the specialists.

For Ronnie, 70, weaves some very human stories through the chapters.

These include mention of Ayr’s very own chocolate and primrose trams, which ran from 1901 to 1931.

Ronnie said: “It’s a great shame Scottish towns and cities didn’t keep their tram systems.

“Just look at the trouble and cost Edinburgh is now having, to re-establish one.”

Ronnie’s book is the first of its kind specifically devoted to Scottish Transport Tokens.

He explains: “Tokens were the ideal way for transport firms to keep passengers’ custom.

“They also saved the conductor from handling cash, so it was a security precaution too.”

Ronnie’s fascination for transport tokens came directly through his lifetime interest in coins.

He recalls his boyhood pride in getting his hands on a 1951 Festival of Britain Crown.

Glasgow-born Ronnie spent his working life with the Clydesdale Bank, beginning in a city branch in 1955.

He later worked in branches in both Prestwick and Ayr, mostly as an accountant and investment banker.

Ronnie and his family have lived in Ayrshire more than 30 years.

And he was founder captain of the 1st Alloway BB company, back in 1979.

He is a past president of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Numismatic Society.

And he has worked as a guide at Culzean Castle for more than a decade.

Scottish Transport Tokens, priced £14.99, is available from The History Press, The Mill Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Glos GL5 2QG (www.thehistorypress.co.uk).