For North Geelong collector Tony Allsop every coin and medal tells a story.
At this year’s Geelong Stamp and Coin Fair that story will be the centenary of the city’s iconic Gala Day, he said.
Tony will display his rare collection of medals from the festival for the first time this Saturday in celebration of its anniversary next month.
“There are probably only four different types and I’ve got three of them,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone else in the (coin) club has them.”
The Geelong Gala Day began in 1916, to raise money for the Red Cross and returned soldiers. From 1927 until recent years it raised money for the Geelong hospital.
Tony remembers the fair in the 1950s, when organisers would close off Moorabool Street for boxing troupes, “freak” shows and tattoo parlours.
“We used to march in it when I was teenager,” he said.
Coins and notes are a “window into history” telling the stories of monarchs, war heroes, and the events and people who shaped the nation, Tony said.
“Take the Queen Elizabeth II – she’s probably been on paper money in more than 35 different countries.”
The pride of Tony’s collection is a piece of Geelong monetary history: a 1980s “Parker” penny minted at Moorabool Street.
The building where Parker minted the coin, now a steakhouse, still bears his name.
The Stamp and Coin Fair takes place at Geelong West hall Saturday, from 9am to 4pm.
