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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;lordmarcovan, post: 5141223, member: 10461&quot;]Note the &quot;DB&quot; designer&#039;s initials on the first coins of Tonga from 1967.</p><p><br /></p><p>Those are the initials of <a href="https://bahaichronicles.org/dudley-m-blakely-and-elsa-blakely/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://bahaichronicles.org/dudley-m-blakely-and-elsa-blakely/" rel="nofollow"><b>Dudley Moore Blakely</b> (1902-1982)</a>, a skilled sculptor and painter.&nbsp; He and his wife Elsa (&quot;Judy&quot;) traveled to Tonga in the 1950s and &#039;60s as Pioneers (sort of like missionaries) for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith" rel="nofollow">Baha&#039;i Faith</a>.&nbsp; He designed the kingdom&#039;s first independent coinage.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://bahaichronicles.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bwns_5227-0.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr. Blakely was a friend of my family and taught me woodcarving when I was a young teenager.&nbsp; His house here on St. Simons Island, Georgia was full of mementos of their time in Tonga, and had woven Polynesian grass mats on the floor instead of carpeting.&nbsp; His paintings and carvings were everywhere.&nbsp; Dudley was a colorful character and drove around in a beautiful one-owner <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1956_Ford_Thunderbird_Blue.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1956_Ford_Thunderbird_Blue.jpg" rel="nofollow">1956-T-bird</a> that still had Hawaii license plates on it.</p><p><br /></p><p>One time when we were in his workshop, he showed me a proof set of coins- including gold- which were the <i><b>very first strikes</b></i> of Tonga&#039;s coinage!&nbsp; He had the original plaster models for the dies in his workshop, too.</p><p><br /></p><p>He died suddenly in 1982 and Judy had to go into a nursing home.&nbsp; The person who had power of attorney over their estate sold their house and its contents, and there is no telling what became of those first-strike Tongan coins.&nbsp; Whoever owns them today probably does not realize how special they are.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dudley and Judy Blakely are buried here on the island, next to my grandmother.&nbsp; I am fortunate to have known them, young though I was at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>One day I hope to own a nice 1967 proof Tongan coin to remember Mr. Blakely by.&nbsp; Maybe one of the gold ones, if I can afford one.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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