Edward Raper, Dairyman of Saanich, B.C.

by Ron Greene

(Text reprinted with permission from Numismatica Canada , June 2003, p.81.

This particular article illustrates the difficulties faced by collectors of local tokens; in this case the man issued both tokens and paper tickets in his own name, none of which are known presently to have survived – as well as tokens of two obsolete dairies and yet other non-dairy tokens! But it is important that the background facts be set down and that we be aware that there were at one time – and may still be – tokens in this man's name.)

Edward Albert Raper was born in Lanchester, England, and came to Victoria about 1915. There was an E. Raper listed in 1917 as a steward at the Empress Hotel, but the next listing was in 1921 for Albert Edward Raper, occupation given as a clerk, living at “Spring Bank” on Cedar Hill Road. Edward Raper knew Ernie and Tom Raper of the E. & T. Raper Dairy, but was not in any way related to them. People in the dairy industry who knew them referred to E. & T. as the Burnside Rapers and Edward as the Cedar Hill Raper.

We visited Mr. Raper in April 1963 in the farm house which appeared to be from the 1890s, set in meadows and old oak trees. He told us he bought the house at 3990 Cedar Hill Road in 1918 and started selling milk in 1920. At first he would ladle out the milk that he sold into customers' pitchers, but adopted bottles quite quickly. He introduced aluminum tokens not long after he started delivering and used the tokens until 1944, when he changed to using paper tickets. He seemed to have trouble keeping his tokens and lost many of them by people moving away, etc. He said that during the late 1930s tokens were difficult to obtain – perhaps this was due to a shortness of money during the Depression – so he bought Charley Buckley's tokens just before WWII when Buckley retired. He also acquired some Cadboro Bay Dairy tokens from their old customers and used those. When he ran low on Pint tokens he would use Washington State Tax Tokens which were round. The first Buckley and Cadboro Bay tokens that turned up were from Mr. Raper. Unfortunately he did not have any of his own tokens and in the nearly forty years that have ensued, none have turned up. He said his Quart tokens were octagonal and his Pint tokens round. Edward Raper retired in 1952. At one time he had as many as 25 cows and 4 horses.

Mr. & Mrs. Raper celebrated their 50 th Wedding Anniversary in March 1965 and Mr. Raper passed away in mid-August 1966 at age 79. He was survived by his wife, Sarah Isabel, 5 children and 14 grandchildren. The old house has long gone and the farm subdivided.