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<p>[QUOTE="fretboard, post: 705199, member: 19765"]Does anyone collect these? Was there any gold made? I have one in my collection, I'll have to post a pic sometime later as I'm at work. Anyone collect any Leper tokens? I'd really like to see one of those, maybe tokens are worth more money and are more collectable. The only tokens I've seen so far are cheap replicas. Anyone? </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>LEPER COLONY MONEY</p><p> By Dennis Marr</p><p><br /></p><p> Leprosy. It's a disease we seldom hear about, and yet millions of</p><p>people, perhaps 15 to 30 million, are afflicted with it. Throughout</p><p>history, lepers have nearly always been shunned, and forced to leave their</p><p>families and possessions and live apart. Because of this isolation, lepers</p><p>had to develop their own money, to be used only by lepers.</p><p><br /></p><p> During the first half of the twentieth century, it was a common</p><p>practice in many countries, including the U.S., to forcibly confine people</p><p>with leprosy to special institutions. This was because the disease was</p><p>believed to be highly contagious.</p><p><br /></p><p> In some countries, special coins, tokens or paper money were made for</p><p>use within these institutions, which came to be called "leper colonies."</p><p>In fact, the United States used special coins at its colonies in the Panama</p><p>Canal Zone and in the Philippines, when they were under U.S. jurisdiction.</p><p><br /></p><p> As medical knowledge of the disease advanced, medical experts</p><p>eventually realized that leprosy could not be spread by handling the</p><p>so-called "contaminated" money that lepers had touched. In most cases, the</p><p>special money was discontinued in the 1940s and 1950s. The remaining</p><p>examples of it were usually withdrawn and destroyed. Because of this, and</p><p>because coin collectors were reluctant to handle the coins, most leper</p><p>colony money today is difficult to find.</p><p><br /></p><p> Leprosy is now called "Hansen's Disease." And although great strides</p><p>have been made in the treatment of the disease, we still hear sick people</p><p>cry out for being "treated like a leper."</p><p><br /></p><p> Leper colony coins and tokens serve as stark reminders of a time when</p><p>people with leprosy were denied their freedom and common human dignity.</p><p><br /></p><p> This has been "Money Talks." Today's program was written by Dennis</p><p>Marr[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="fretboard, post: 705199, member: 19765"]Does anyone collect these? Was there any gold made? I have one in my collection, I'll have to post a pic sometime later as I'm at work. Anyone collect any Leper tokens? I'd really like to see one of those, maybe tokens are worth more money and are more collectable. The only tokens I've seen so far are cheap replicas. Anyone? LEPER COLONY MONEY By Dennis Marr Leprosy. It's a disease we seldom hear about, and yet millions of people, perhaps 15 to 30 million, are afflicted with it. Throughout history, lepers have nearly always been shunned, and forced to leave their families and possessions and live apart. Because of this isolation, lepers had to develop their own money, to be used only by lepers. During the first half of the twentieth century, it was a common practice in many countries, including the U.S., to forcibly confine people with leprosy to special institutions. This was because the disease was believed to be highly contagious. In some countries, special coins, tokens or paper money were made for use within these institutions, which came to be called "leper colonies." In fact, the United States used special coins at its colonies in the Panama Canal Zone and in the Philippines, when they were under U.S. jurisdiction. As medical knowledge of the disease advanced, medical experts eventually realized that leprosy could not be spread by handling the so-called "contaminated" money that lepers had touched. In most cases, the special money was discontinued in the 1940s and 1950s. The remaining examples of it were usually withdrawn and destroyed. Because of this, and because coin collectors were reluctant to handle the coins, most leper colony money today is difficult to find. Leprosy is now called "Hansen's Disease." And although great strides have been made in the treatment of the disease, we still hear sick people cry out for being "treated like a leper." Leper colony coins and tokens serve as stark reminders of a time when people with leprosy were denied their freedom and common human dignity. This has been "Money Talks." Today's program was written by Dennis Marr[/QUOTE]
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