British Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Neil Todd
Neil Bowman Todd (1936 - 2014)
Neil Todd was born on 3 January 1936 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of Albert Bradbury Todd Jr and his wife, Mary Heath. His love of travelling and world affairs began when he was young, living with his military family on Army Air Corps bases in Alabama, Maine and Wales.
From the age of seven Neil was an avid collector, specializing in comic books, coins and stamps. For many years he was affiliated with numismatic societies and, at the age of 25, was a cofounder of Colony Coin Company in Newtonville, Massachusetts, in 1961, with his partners Harvey Fenton, Charles Wallace, Arthur Fitts III and John Cobb.
Neil graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with honours in Zoology for his treatise, ‘The Inheritance of Taillessness in Manx Cats’. At Amherst he met his wife, Joyce, née Seat. Neil and Joyce moved to Newtonville when Neil began his doctoral studies in biology at Harvard University, completing his dissertation, The Catnip Response, in 1963. An N.I.H. post-doctoral fellowship and the Committee for the Study of Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University supported his field studies on the lions in the Gir Forest, Gujarat, India. Dr. Todd was affiliated with and taught biology at Harvard, Boston University, Boston’s Lesley University and Emmanuel College, and at Trinity College, Dublin.
He combined his love of history with his interest in genetics, engaging in extensive travel in order to map the gene frequency distribution of the domestic cat. By conducting historical research on shipping and trade routes, he was able to determine how specific coat patterns and other genetic markers were distributed throughout the world. His field studies were conducted in Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, France, Spain, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Mexico, Curacao and Venezuela. For 17 years Dr. Todd published The Carnivore Genetics Newsletter. Dr. Todd’s articles were published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, and in the organs of many other learned bodies.
Throughout his life Neil was a keen numismatist, developing a special interest in 19th century tavern checks of the British Isles and Ireland. His British Tokens, Advertising Tickets, Checks, Passes, etc, ca. 1830 to 1920, the first edition of which appeared in 1974 and broke new ground at the time. Subsequently, and often in collaboration with Yolanda Courtney (née Stanton), Andrew Cunningham and Malcolm Eden, Neil published numerous catalogues of tavern checks of various counties, a pursuit he continued until his death. Aside from his extensive collection of these checks, he formed a type collection of British milled coins and a small but quality group of Isle of Man material, both offered in this catalogue.
For the past 20 years Neil was affiliated with the New England Historical Genealogical Society, where he was head of Research Services in the 1990s. He thoroughly enjoyed helping people learn about their ancestry.
Neil had an adventurous and unusual life until his health began to fail a few years ago as a result of autoimmune disease and cigarette smoking. He remained interested and well-versed in history and world affairs until his death, which occurred on 30 March 2014 at the age of 78. He is survived by Joyce, two daughters, Lydia and Amy, four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.
Collection Information
This collection was sold on 8 June 2016.
Other Collections Sold in 2016
- The Barrett J. Carr Collection of Boer War Medals
- Edwardian Sterlings of the Bury St Edmunds Mint, From the Collection of Dr Robin Eaglen
- Coins of Charles I From the Lyall Collection
- A Collection of Medals to the Gloucestershire Regiment (28th and 61st Foot)
- A Collection of Medals to The South Wales Borderers
- A Collection of Medals to the Manchester Regiment
- A Collection of Militaria to the Gloucestershire Regiment (28th and 61st Foot)
- A Parcel of Coins from the Durham (Neville’s Cross) Hoard, 1889
- A Collection of British Silver and Copper Coins, 1662-1758, the Property of a Cambridge Scholar
- A Collection of Shillings, Charles II to Edward VII, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Good Group of Victorian Florins, 1849-1901, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Maundy Coins and Sets, Charles II to Elizabeth II, the Property of a Gentleman
- Edward VIII Coins and Related Ephemera, from the Estate of the late Miss Fairlie Hopkin
- Numismatic Books from the Library of the late Jeffrey Gardiner, Darlington
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of the late David Perry
- A Group of Cheques Signed By the Late Lord Lucan
- A Collection of English Hammered Coins, the Property of a Cambridge Scholar
- Pennies of the Durham Mint, from the Collection of Ray Robinson
- A Collection of British Milled Coins, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Shillings, George III to George V, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Ancient Coins, the Property of a Gentleman
- British Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Neil Todd
- A Group of Admiral Vernon Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Good Group of Specimen Banknotes
- The Channer Family Medals
- A Collection of Gallantry Awards to the Indian Army for the Burma Campaign 1944-45
- A Small Collection of Medals to The Military Police
- London 17th Century Tokens from the Collection of Quentin Archer
- The Collection of Nottinghamshire 17th Century Tokens formed by Andrew Knighton
- The Collection of Somerset 17th Century Tokens formed by the late Terry Winsborough
- The Collection of Staffordshire Tokens formed by the late Edward Watkin
- Other British Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Edward Watkin
- British Tokens from the Collection formed by Tony Holmes
- Tokens and Gaming Counters from the Collection of Colin Narbeth
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of Derek Platts
- A Further Group of Admiral Vernon Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- British Coins from the Collection of the late Edward Watkin
- A Collection of British Coins sold on behalf of the Royal Flying Corps Veterans Association
- The Berscar (Dumfries and Galloway) 2014 Hoard of Edwardian Sterlings
- The Collection of Medals to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- The Collection of Medals to Musicians formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- The Collection of Militaria to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- A Collection of Banknotes of Northern Ireland, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Group of Banknotes of Iran, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Medals to the West Yorkshire (14th Foot) and Yorkshire (19th Foot) Regiments
- A Collection of Medals to Members of the Nobility and The Royal Household
- British Coins from the C.J. Boismason Collection
- Irish Coins from the C.J. Boismason Collection
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of Michael Longfield
- A Collection of City of London Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- The Collection of Sussex 17th Century Tokens formed by Tim Everson
- A Fine Collection of Racing Tickets and Passes, the Property of a North Country Collector
- British Tokens from the Collection of the late David Perry
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