International Token Web Conference 2022

After three editions of the lnternational Token Web Conference, we can already confirm a bias on distribution of the token collectors or researchers: one third of the participants carne from the United States, one third from the United Kingdom, and the remaining third from the rest of the world. Surely this distribution is biased. Being an online conference in English, it facilitates the participation of people who speak English and those more dexterous on the internet platforms. Also, despite our best efforts, the schedules do not facilitate the participation of those in the extreme orient and Oceania. Even so, this distribution reflects what we all know, token interest is deeply rooted in the USA and the UK, where research, clubs and meetings are abundant. While in the rest of the world, it (still) tends to be somewhat underdeveloped.

ln many regions tokens are still regarded as a lesser field of numismatics, and that is absolutely unfair. Tokens open new fields of study in history, arts and economics, and frequently much deeper ones than current coins. ln fact, that may well be one of the difficulties, as the study of

tokens requires different approaches than the study of coins. The latter are usually well documented and reflect the history of whole countries or empires. The former reflect local niches, too often forgotten by history, but nevertheless with rich and colourful stories to tel1.

Why should we let these pieces of history to be lost? It is our responsibility to keep digging their origins, studying their stories, and sharing our finds so we all get richer and wiser. (Today's world is surely in need of more knowledge.) It is also our responsibility to encourage others to do research too, and support them, filling the gaps on our common memory.

With these International Token Web Conferences, we hope we have done precisely that. We tried to give a room for researchers to show their work. We tried to give the participants easy access to learn and to share opinions, both with the lectures and the thematic rooms. Most of all, we hope we succeeded in spreading knowledge a little more, and inspired a few to do their own research.

It is now in your hands to go on.

Thank you very much.

Luís Salgado

Yosef Sa’ar