Tokens from the Collection of the late Peter Lee

Peter Lee

Peter Lee was born in Edgware, Middlesex, the eldest of four siblings. His family moved to Scotland in 1940 when his father, a Lieutenant in the army, was posted there. After the war ended, the family remained in Edinburgh for a further ten years.

Peter was educated at George Heriot’s School, Edinburgh, where he excelled, particularly in English, Geography and Economics. When the rest of the family moved back to London, Peter stayed in Edinburgh, living with his aunt while he finished his education.

In the late 1950s he rejoined his family in London and began his training to be a chartered accountant. At that time his parents ran the Hope & Anchor pub in east London. While living at the pub, Peter started playing the drums and formed a band with friends. After the death of his father, the family moved to Tooting, where his mother ran a shop. They later moved to Herne Bay; from there Peter commuted daily to London and worked in the City. He continued to play the drums, and joined a band called The Sect, who built up quite a following in and around the Whitstable area.

Later in the 1960s he met and married his wife Maureen, and after the birth of their second daughter they moved from Hornchurch to Tonbridge in Kent. They later moved to Langley, near Maidstone, and finally to the village of Hollingbourne, where he lived for the remainder of his life.

Peter was always interested in history and nature, and loved walking in the countryside. He was passionate about protecting the green belt areas around Hollingbourne and enjoyed metal detecting in the local fields, at times finding interesting objects. He was an avid collector, starting with stamps as a child in Edinburgh, and enjoyed visiting auctions and antique fairs to add to his various collections. Moving to the Kent countryside in the 1970s triggered an interest in the history of the county, and he built up large collections of related items, including old postcards and hop tokens.

Peter sadly died at the age of 83 in 2022 and is greatly missed by his family.

Cathy Heath