Burnie attributions on Western Souvenir Gold tokens

R.H. Burnie was the author of the 1955 reference Small California and Territorial Gold Coins.

The following table lists die varieties of Western souvenir gold tokens and their Burnie equivalent:

Variety Burnie Page
AERH-2E-673
AIOD-13, 3A75
AIOD-2475
AIOH-1576
AIOQ-2978
AIOQ-3978
AIOQ-4978
AIRD-11, 1A74
AIRD-27, 7A75
AIRH-3476
AIRQ-6877
AMRD-1372
AMRD-2672
AMRD-3172
AMRH-1673
AMRH-2673
AMRH-5473
AMRH-11373
AMRQ-2673
AMRQ-6473
AMRQ-7473
ASRF-1F-174
ASRF-2F-174
ASRF-3F-174
ASRF-4F-174
CIOD-145-584
CIOH-145-384
CIOH-245-384
CIOQ-145-184
CIOQ-245-184
CIOQ-345-184
CIRD-146-684
CIRD-246-684
CIRD-346-684
CIRD-446-684
CIRH-245-484
CIRH-345-484
CIRH-445-484
CMOD-148-385
CMOD-248-385
CMOH-148-285
CMOQ-148-185
CMOQ-248-185
CMRD-147-385
CMRD-247-385
CMRD-347-385
CMRD-447-385
CMRD-547-385
CMRH-147-285
CMRH-247-285
CMRH-347-285
CMRH-447-285
CMRH-747-285
CMRH-847-285
CMRH-947-285
CMRH-1047-285
CMRQ-147-185
CMRQ-447-185
CMRQ-547-185
CMRQ-647-185
CMRQ-747-185
CMRQ-847-185
CMRQ-947-185
IIRD-1I-178
IIRH-1I-278
IIRQ-1I-378
LFRH-1L-279
LFRH-2L-279
LFRH-3L-279
LFRH-4L-279
LFRQ-1L-379
LFRQ-2L-379
LFRQ-3LB-379
MIRD-1M-178
MIRD-2M-178
MIRH-1M-278
MIRQ-1M-378
MIRQ-2M-378
OIRD-1O-178
OIRH-1O-278
OIRQ-1O-378
OMRH-1Type 2, No. 285
OMRH-2Type 2, No. 285
OMRQ-1Type 2, No. 185
WIRD-1W-178
WIRH-1W-278
WIRQ-1W-378

More than 60 years after it was published, Burnie's slender book (it was only 96 pages in length) remains the only comprehensive printed reference to Western souvenir gold. But it has its problems. There are no photographs, and the descriptions are strewn with errors. According to Jeff Rock's article in the Fall 1989 Brasher Bulletin, Burnie's is "a controversial monograph, as many of the varieties described by Burnie are not listed elsewhere, and are thought to be nothing more than fantasies of the author's mind."

Mistakes in the manuscript made their way into later references, such as those by Gould-Bressett and Hibler-Kappen.

Burnie was expelled from the ANA in July 1956 for mail fraud. He fled to Mexico, but on March 15, 1957, he pled guilty to swindling coin collectors of $35,000 and was sentenced to three years in prison.