From whomren at coinlibrary.com Sun Dec 7 21:34:47 2003 From: whomren at coinlibrary.com (whomren@coinlibrary.com) Date: Wed Dec 22 19:41:55 2004 Subject: The E-Sylum v6#52, December 7, 2003 Message-ID: <20031208023447.9886.qmail@woodstock.binhost.com> Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 52, December 7, 2003: an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. PEARL HARBOR AND NUMISMATICS On this date in 1941, also a Sunday, the Japanese attacked the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. "The 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of the great defining moments in history. A single carefully-planned and well-executed stroke removed the United States Navy's battleship force as a possible threat to the Japanese Empire's southward expansion. America, unprepared and now considerably weakened, was abruptly brought into the Second World War as a full combatant." From: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/pearlhbr.htm The Pearl Harbor attack had a direct effect on U.S. numismatics in the form of the Hawaii overprint notes of 1942-1944. http://www.moneyfactory.com/document.cfm/5/44/105 SAN FRANCISCO MINT DURING WARTIME Dr. K. A. Rodgers of Auckland, New Zealand writes: "Greg Burns suggested I send you an e-mail. I had written him as follows: "2004 is the sixtieth year since the San Francisco Mint last struck coins for Australia. It struck coins in 1942, 43 and 44 during World War II. I am putting together a piece on the Mints of San Francisco for an Australian coin magazine to commemorate the occasion. I have received several excellent images from various American numismatists but am anxious to try and get something truly spectacular of the World War II mint building as a high resolution image we might use as a cover illustration. I have seen several such on the web that would seem to be aerial views looking obliquely across the mint building. However, I am at pains not to breach other people's copyright. Can you perhaps help me? ... if not directly then can you steer me to someone who might assist?" NBS MEETING PLANNED FOR CENTRAL STATES SHOW An informal regional meeting of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society has been scheduled for 1:00PM Saturday, May 8, 2004 during the Central States Convention in Milwaukee (May 6-9, 2004). NBS President Pete Smith will preside at the meeting. If you are an NBS member and are planning to attend the show, please put the meeting on your calendar. If you would be willing to give a presentation to the group about numismatic literature or research, please contact NBS Secretary-Treasurer W. David Perkins at wdperki@attglobal.net. KUDOS FOR THE ASYLUM Steve Pellegrini writes: "I just received my issue of The Asylum and want to congratulate all involved. It is an outstanding issue. Like any other on-going publication not every issue is a hit. But this one is. I hope that Pete Smith has enough material for another article taking us along Dick Johnson's years at Medallic Art Co. This is fascinating and important numismatic history. While we have a great many memoirs of coin collectors and dealers we are sadly lacking in material on the key figures in the field of Medals. You need only flip through the pages of any Johnson & Jenson auction catalogue and read some of his lot descriptions to get an inkling of just how broad is Dick's knowledge of this often obscure field. A few years back I think I mentioned in E-Sylum how important and immediate it is to collect and preserve the recollections of our major numismatists. Pete Smith's foresight in listening and recording Dick Johnson as he 'blue skys' is exactly the appropriate modal. Couldn't we mail mini-recorders and a pound of Starbucks and/or a fifth to our veteran Illustrati? We would include a SASE to make retrieval of their memoirs all the more convenient. We would certainly get more historical value, more bang for the buck than by contributing to yet another building fund created by our Numis-politicos. I'm sure that every subscriber of this Newsletter has a short list of the living people they feel has had the greatest impact on numismatics. Those few whose knowledge & experiences we can least afford to lose. My list would include in addition to Dick Johnson, George Fuld, Gunther Keinast, Christopher Eimer, Joe Levine and Paul Bosco. I believe Dave Bowers would have pride of place on most lists. It would be interesting to see who would appear on the short lists of other members. I have been selling my duplicate Numismatists and have been re-reading them as I go. The Fulds, father & son, had a byline in the 50s. I do think that it would be very interesting to learn how the two managed to coordinate all their research, books and regular columns while living in two different cities - with only snail mail and a telephone." ASYLUM INDEX Steve Pellegrini writes: "In the current issue of the Asylum it is mentioned that this issue may be the last in which past issues are offered. Has an Articles Index ever been prepared? Even a bare bones listing of Articles would certainly help the individual to ID which issues would be most interesting or useful. If there is such an index would you include info or a link in The E-Sylum? Thanks." [There is a copy of an Asylum index on the NBS web site, courtesy of compiler Bill Malkmus and webmaster Bruce Perdue. http://www.coinbooks.org/. Click on Publications. Then click on Subject Index or Author Index. Indices have been published in past issues of The Asylum. With our 25th anniversary coming next year, Bill is already working on a completed updated version. So stay tuned. -Editor] ANS BASS LIBRARY DEDICATION John W. Adams writes: "On Tuesday, December 2nd, the American Numismatic Society Library was dedicated to Harry W. Bass, Jr. Most of you know Harry as an avid collector of numismatic books on his own but only a few of you appreciate his success in bringing modern technology to the greatest numismatic library of all. This accomplishment, along with many others, was described movingly by Frank Campbell, his friend of 33 years. The large audience then repaired to the 5th floor of the new ANS building, where Harry's widow, Mrs. Doris Bass, accompanied by her sons David and Michael Calhoun, cut the ceremonial ribbon. Skeptics might say that the event will be little noted nor long remembered. However, for bibliophiles, the celebration of one of its most honored own in a stunning new facility combined for a truly memorable occasion. CLOSE CALL AT THE ANA'S MANLEY LIBRARY Just after we all breathed a sigh of relief over the Crestline fire, there was another close call at the American Numismatic Association library in Colorado Springs, CO. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving (November 23). ANA Education Director Gail Baker came in to her office that day and heard the sound of running water. A pipe had burst on a heat exchanger, and water was flowing in the basement section of the library. Help was called quickly and the water shut off. It is believed that the pipe had burst about an hour before it was discovered. Although the event could have been a catastrophe for the catalog section of the library, damage was minimal and nothing irreplaceable was lost. The area sustaining the most damage held videotapes of Numismatic Theatre presentations. A few other boxes of recently donated material, which had been temporarily stored on the floor were also damaged. A disaster recovery company swooped in to salvage the damaged material, which was quick-frozen and dried out again. It is believed that that video tapes are fine - only the paper inserts in the cases were lost. The rare book room and main section of the library were never in danger, thankfully. Librarian Nancy Green has probably sprouted a grey hair or two, but we all have something new to be thankful for. Hats off to Gail for her fortuitous discovery. The ANA is investigating the installation of water sensors to immediately alert the staff should something like this happen in the future. SEARCHABLE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE Len Augsburger writes: "The commercial web site proquest.com now offers fully searchable text of the New York Times and Washington Post back into the 1800s. Local libraries may have subscriptions where you can access this for free. I tried it at the Maryland Historical Society this Friday & quickly found a ton of leads on topics of interest. The constant explosion of electronic resources really demands that you keep rechecking the Internet periodically for any research you have in progress." BUY THE BOOK: AN ANECDOTE Joseph Lasser, of New York, who admits to being "sufficiently computer and typing illiterate" forwarded the following item via "snail mail" this summer. Your editor is only now getting a chance to type it up. He adds, "The E-Sylum gives me a weekly lift." Sorry for the delay. Here goes: William Swann, the New York bookseller, offered a copy of Lord Anson's "A Voyage Around the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV" at auction, I wanted it because I had several "Lima" minted from Anson's booty. Successfully bid -- in due course, the book arrived at my home carefully packed -- very carefully packed -- because it was in miserable condition. The spine was broken; the front and back covers had fallen off and were stained and split; several sections of pages were detached; the engravings of scenes and the maps were discolored and improperly folded, etc. etc. Overall, it was a mess; completely useless as a book. What could be done? I made a call to a recognized conservator, Jeff Rigby, and asked what I should do. His reply was simple and direct. "The book is an antique. Have someone make a book box labeled "Anson's Voyage." Put the book in the box and place it on a bookshelf." Dismayed, I replied "I bought the book to read about Anson's adventure. I don't want a book box ornament. His response was "You made a mistake. Antique books are no longer antique if you recondition them." "But, Jeff, I want to read about Anson. My coins will have much more meaning," "Sorry, Joe, you'll no longer have an antique." We argued the pros and cons and I won. Jeff said he would restore the book and give it a presentation binding. I sent it to him and four months later it was at my home again -- pristine -- at a cost of more than the book itself. -- And I've had the pleasure of reading a well written and well illustrated history of Anson's four year round the world expedition to South America, Manilla and Canton; then back to England. My book, no longer is an antique but it has brought my coins to life -- and it even may become an antique again in another hundred years. A. M. SMITH FAMILY RESEARCH During a web search Christine Smith found Pete Smith's online exhibit on the NBS site about an ancestor of hers, coin dealer and publisher A. M. Smith. I put her in touch with Pete and he forwarded her a good deal of information. She writes: "This is a brief note of thanks for putting me in touch with Pete Smith, from whom I heard this morning. I am both appreciative and excited to be able to receive so much information about my family. This is very much thanks to your kindness in forwarding my request to Pete: I am most grateful!" BILL DEWEY AT A YOUNG 98 David Gladfelter writes: "I received a greeting card today from a real old time numismatist, and New Jersey historian, Bill Dewey. Bill writes: "I'm doing fairly well for a "young" man of 98! I spend part of my time in the summer on the deck here in the sunshine, and by the lovely fireplace in the wintertime. Your cards and notes are very much appreciated, and I enjoy hearing about your lives and families. My very best wishes to you for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year." Bill was the ANA librarian in the 1940s and is a Krause Numismatic Ambassador. His address is: Woodcliff Lake Manor, 555 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake, N. J. 07675." [I'm sure Bill would be glad to receive cards from well- wishers among our E-Sylum readers. -Editor] WOODIN FOLLOWUP Alison Frankel writes: "I just wanted to thank you for running my query. I just heard from an e-sylumite who collects Woodin memorabilia, which should help me a lot. Thanks again. I love the newsletter." MUSEUM QUIZ ANSWER Chris Fuccione was the first to respond with a correct answer to last week's question about the oldest continuously operating museum in Manhattan. Gar Travis was a close second with this reply: "The New-York Historical Society, which was formed in 1804, runs the oldest museum in the city and is the second-oldest historical society in the country." David Klinger adds: "It is located at: 2 West 77th Street at Central Park West (212) 873-3400 www.nyhistory.org" [So what's the oldest continuously operating museum in the country? The Peabody Essex Museum of Salem, MA. From their web site: "This museum is one of New England's largest and specializes in early American decorative arts and Federal period architecture. Begun in 1799 by seafaring entrepreneurs, it is the country's oldest continuously operating museum." -Editor] FREDERICK AYER AND PATTON About the "Reminiscences of Frederick Ayer", Fred Reed writes: "The important things to remember about Fred Ayer are: (1) he was General George S. Patton's father-in-law (2) he does not mention encased stamps in his book (3) another copy of the rare book will be in the Ford book sale by Kolbe, since the copy I used for my book, Civil War Encased Stamps, was Ford's" SCOTT-FROSSARD FEUD SOURCE David Fanning writes: "Does anybody know what caused the animosity between J.W. Scott and Ed. Frossard? Frossard was the editor of Scott's "Coin Collector's Journal" for its first year, at the end of which he left and started his own publication, "Numisma." Based on Frossard's comments over the next several years in "Numisma," he and Scott did not part on the best of terms and it was no secret that he thought Scott a poor numismatist. However, I've never read anything that went into detail about this. Did they have a quarrel over something in particular? Any info would be greatly appreciated. My e-mail address is fanning32@earthlink.net." NEW ORLEANS MINT ARTICLE SOUGHT Dave Ginsburg writes: "Does anyone have a copy of, or know where I can get a copy of, R.W. Julian's article "First Years of the New Orleans Mint" that appeared in the November 1977 issue of Coins magazine? Please contact me at ginsburg.d@worldnet.att.net if you can help." SNOW JOB: SIGNING MONEY U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow was interviewed by Time magazine for their November 10th issue. Asked "How do you feel about spending money with your signature on it?" he replied: "It's made me a hero to my grandchildren. And it's been the occasion for my meeting any number of people in restaurants and airports and ask me to sign their money. I try to oblige." ROSE MCKAY-CLEMENTS SALE SOUGHT Darryl Atchison writes: "I need to know if any E-Sylum reader has a named copy of the McKay-Clements sale conducted by Frank Rose in May 1976. I am specifically trying to determine who the purchaser was for lot no. 512 which is noted as " a possibly unique pattern St. John's, N.B. halfpenny". The coin is obviously an error piece since it should read St. John, N.B. However, the question that has to be asked is whether the piece is a pattern or a remainder from an returned order since corrected pieces were issued. By the way, this sale is the only place that I know of where this particular token was auctioned since I cannot find any previous or later mention. It is also the only place where the token is illustrated to my knowledge. If any E-Sylum reader can me help with the name of the purchaser I would be greatly appreciative. I can be contacted by email at atchisondf@hotmail.com." HARDBOUND FORD CATALOGS? Great collections deserve great catalogs - and great libraries deserve hardbound catalogs. I've heard from several collectors wondering if I've heard if/when Stack's will make available for sale hardbound copies of the John J. Ford sales. I've seen no announcement, but understand the firm is aware of the demand and is considering options for producing some hardbounds. I'll reserve a space next to my sets of other important modern U.S. sales, such as Taylor, Garrett, Norweb, Champa and Pittman. ANA GRADING GUIDE OBSOLETE IN PRACTICE Joe Boling writes: "You printed Amanda Rondot's confession about becoming a numismatic bibliomaniac I had already responded to the ANA as follows: Amanda Rondot, in writing about some of the books in her library, had this to say about one of them: "Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins is helpful not only for those of us who doubt our grading abilities and wish to improve them, but also for all coin collectors. Since few people are familiar with the grading standards for series outside their collecting specialties, this book is good for acquainting oneself with a new series before buying unfamiliar coins. I find it to be an especially useful study guide when I am acquiring type coins for my collection." I took the ANA grading course last month [October 2003]. I found, when comparing the ANA grading set (graded by NGC) with the book, that the book no longer reflects market practice. If you are using it to familiarize yourself with a new series, expect the circulated coins that you find in recent slabs to be at least one full grade different from what you will see in the photographs in the book. In other words, if you want a coin that looks like one called fine in the book, you will have to buy a coin slabbed as very fine to find one with that degree of wear. If the grading service is one of the ones reputed to use even more liberal standards than NGC and PCGS, you might find two grades difference between the slabbed grade and the book's illustrations. If you are trading by mail with another collector, and you both agree to use the standards of the book, that will work OK. But if you are buying from a dealer, and you find one who is still using the standards of the ANA's official grading book, you had better cultivate that relationship." COLONIAL FINANCE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS In recent issues of the Colonial Coins email discussion group, two books of interest were discussed. "The Economic Rise of Early America" by Gary M. Walton & James F Shepherd was described as a readable look at the financial side of the period. "From Dependency to Independence: Economic Revolution in Colonial New England", by Margaret Ellen Newell was also mentioned as a favorite. "Financing The American Revolution" by Udo Hielscher, published by the Museum Of American Financial History in New York was described as "a very easy read and great photographs of various Colonial and Early American notes of commerce." TEXAS QUARTER DESIGNER ARTICLE The Dallas/Ft. Worth Star-Telegram published an article about the designer of next year's Texas state quarter. "[Daniel] Miller's winning design, announced by Gov. Rick Perry's office Nov. 17, features a five-pointed Lone Star superimposed on an outline of the state. A rope design will border the coin." "Miller rejected a longhorn and an armadillo after deciding that no single critter could represent the entire state. He finally put about 100 hours into the design before rushing to the post office on the day of the deadline for the competition." "... Miller isn't worried about how many Texas quarters are made. The honor is enough for Miller, who is an art director for Practitioners Publishing Co. in Fort Worth. Much of his work involves creating materials for CPAs. "You can imagine how exciting that is," he said." To read the full article, see: http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/states/texas/arlington/7402594.htm [Now we know why many of the state quarter designs are so shallow. They are designed by laypeople and graphic artists who work in two dimensions and may have little understanding or appreciation of the sculptural arts. The third dimension of relief never comes into play. The paltry $1,000 stipend the mint is offering to "artists" seems likely to attract more writers of accounting manuals than true artists. Medallic artist Alex Shagin is quoted in an article on coinage redesign in the January 2004 issue of COINage magazine as follows: "The fact that the mint won't credit the artists who designed the coins, as opposed to the engraver who simply takes someone else's design and sculpts it, indicates to me it does not care about art." ("The New Counterrevolution: Coinage Redesign Champions Are Concerned About the Future" by Jon Blackwell) -Editor] VIETNAM CURRENCY REDESIGN UNDERWAY Gar Travis sent a link to a Forbes magazine article about currency redesign in Vietnam. (The article was from the Reuters news service). "In an effort to foil counterfeiters and promote the use of vending machines, Vietnam said on Thursday it will introduce a 500,000 dong ($32) currency note, redesign its 50,000 dong note and mint three types of coins." "Vietnam decided on the changes "to make the money structure more reasonable and to better fight against counterfeits. ... the new Australian-made polymer-based notes were more durable, dipping one specimen into a glass of water to demonstrate. "People selling vegetables and fish in the market will be very happy with this money," he said to laughter. http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2003/11/27/rtr1162288.html CANCELED NUMISMATIC EVENTS Peter Koch writes: "I had planned a trip to Baltimore for this past Friday, but weather forecasts of blizzard conditions convinced me my usually pleasant 4-5 hour journey from north Jersey to the Inner Harbor would be nightmarish so I reluctantly canceled. Don't mind the snow, and never cared about how cold it gets, but, man, that ice. Lookout! Really sorry to miss this show. Joe Levine (Presidential Coin) had an important auction and I planned on some serious table- hopping. I participated in the auction via last-minute fax but doubt any lots will come my way. I dislike mail bidding; you're at a distinct disadvantage. Especially on unusual items where no published price guides exist or no past performance can be leaned on. How do others feel about mail bid sales? Any special strategies you could share? I don't know if the Baltimore show took a hit because of the weather. Anyone hear anything? It would be tough to cancel a coin show/convention, but has it ever happened? The recent California fires caused a postponement of the Kolbe MBS, and auctions and any shows surrounding 9-11 were moved. Down through the years I wonder how many numismatic events, auctions, or shows were cancelled/postponed for whatever reason. Anyone know? [The topic comes up periodically in The E-Sylum. For example, some events were postponed due to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and a coin auction was postponed due to the Lincoln assassination. Has anyone ever compiled a comprehensive list? -Editor] WHAT ARE WE, ANYWAY? Peter Koch writes: "This may have been covered somewhere along the line, but for the life of me, I simply cannot find it. What do we call ourselves? Those that study and collect coins are numismatists; what are those who study and collect numismatic literature, and likely to may or may not collect coins also? If 'Bibliomaniacs' is the choice, it was a term I recall that did not sit well with many collectors. Of course, 'Bibliophile' seems to make the most frequent appearance. I thought I saw somewhere the derivative use of the words Numismatic and Literature. Numis-Lit-Matist? Numis-Lit-Mist? Numis-Lit-eratti? Any thoughts?? My genuine thanks for any suggestions." [One who loves books is a "bibliophile"; coin book lovers are "numismatic bibliophiles". The term "bibliomaniac" is related, and I take it to mean one who takes bibliophilic urges to extremes. Perhaps some of our readers will chime in with their current thoughts on the topic. I hadn't heard these other terms before. I do like "numisliterati" ! -Editor] A LEWIS & CLARK BIBLIOPHILE Anyone who would mortgage their home to buy books is a bibliomaniac in my opinion, although in the end many such hobby maniacs turn out in the end to be crazy like a fox. One numismatic example is John Pittman, who I believe put a second mortgage on his home to obtain funds to purchase rare U.S. coins in the fabled Farouk sale. His investment paid for itself many times over. The Wall Street journal ran a front-page profile of a bibliomaniac in another field. The December 5, 2003 article describes "A Man's Pursuit Of Lewis and Clark - Construction Worker Builds A University's Collection." Some excerpts follow: "In 1805, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark reached the Pacific Ocean .... at the end of their epic journey across North America. In 1986, Roger Wendlick embarked on his own daunting quest: to buy everything ever written about the expedition. Every book, journal, article and government record. In English, German and Dutch. From the first report by President Jefferson in 1806 to the 1979 paperback bodice-ripper about Sacagawea and beyond. "I'm just a construction guy," says the 58-year-old Mr. Wendlick, who laid sewer lines in the Portland drizzle, never married and didn't go to college. But he needed a hobby, he says, and "there's no better story in American history" than Lewis and Clark." "The weathered and wiry Mr. Wendlick says his interest in the expedition began with a souvenir plate from the centennial and an eight-volume set of the journals that a Wisconsin newspaperman named Reuben Thwaites published in 1904, the first time the journals were printed. When he inherited the plate from his grandmother, Mr. Wendlick says, he decided to start collecting centennial knickknacks -- crockery, buttons and, in 1986, a first-edition set of the Thwaites journals that cost him $695, or about $395 more than his weekly take-home pay. The books, he quickly realized, were a bigger challenge and a better investment than the tchotchkes. There were so few of them, and with the expedition's bicentennial approaching, he figured their value could soar. So, for $1,000, Mr. Wendlick next bought an account of the expedition that was written in 1814 by a banker named Nicholas Biddle, who wasn't on the trip but had read the captains' journals. After that, for $200, came a copy of a journal kept by Patrick Gass, a sergeant on the expedition and the first member of the corps to get to market." "In 1991, 1993 and 1995, he refinanced his house to buy books. He ran up $142,000 in debt on nine credit cards. He worked six days a week, bulldozing trenches even in Portland's raw winter, as a crew foreman for a construction company that laid utility lines for housing developments." "Finally, in what Mr. Wendlick calls the perfect sale, he moved his Lewis and Clark library to Lewis and Clark College, which already had a small collection about the expedition and wanted more. In 1998, the college agreed to pay Mr. Wendlick $375,000 in cash and $30,000 a year for a decade, and gave him a desk in the library. Mr. Wendlick retired from his construction job the next day and then, for the first time, began to read his books. "I dove in," he says, working his way through everything except the novels in three years." [See the Journal for the full article. QUICK QUIZ: What famous bank was Nicholas Biddle affiliated with? And what is the bank's connection with numismatics? -Editor] A HANDS-ON COIN QUIZ Inspired by Myron Xenos' coin quiz last week, Col. Bill Murray writes: "After a recent conversation with a numismatic friend, I got to thinking about how much fun I have had with a presentation I make to non-numismatists of all ages above kindergarten. I had no trouble with Myron’s trivia quiz, primarily because I have a 30 minute presentation, based on the cent, originally for grade school kids, then to Kiwanis, Rotary, other service clubs and once to a group of bank employees. While the presentation varies based on the audience (words, techniques), the base information remains the same. The point of the presentation, at whatever level, is to point out how little we know about our coins, which we see and handle every day. It's fun for me and seems to be enjoyed at all levels. Here's an outline. Issue a coin to each person. Whose picture? They respond. Why his picture on the coin? Not “because he was president,” but because the 1792 law (Act of April 2, 1792) required a “device emblematic of liberty” to be on coins. Lincoln surely qualifies. The word liberty - same law. Ask about the date - usually answered correctly. Why the small letter below the date? Most know about mint marks. How many Mints? (None know West Point.) Read "In God We Trust" above Lincoln's bust. First on 1864 2-cent piece (tell that story, including, not on paper money and not a national motto until after 1956 when Eisenhower signed bill). What's the name of this coin? Unanimous answer, “Penny.” “Turn it over. What does is say at the bottom?” “One cent.” “We've never had a U. S. penny. That's just a nickname, held over from the English coin (1792 law). “See United States of America at the top? Required by 1792 law on gold and silver coins, but always on the penny, oops! One cent.” How many times does Lincoln appear on the cent?” This piece of trivia frequently is known by non-numismatists. Most times, I cut some cents into two pieces, and before handing them out, ask what is the cent made of. Usual answer, “Copper.” Not since 1857, I tell them. Then bronze until 1982 and then copper plated zinc. Hand out cut coins and prove it. Believe me, this is an attention holding presentation, fun to give and educational about something few people know." NEXT TIME BURN THE CREDIT CARDS From a December 2nd Reuters report: "A Frenchman who burned his life savings to a cinder before swallowing two bottles of pills is facing life with an empty bank account after neighbors foiled his suicide attempt." "The man, who lived alone, had cleared out his bank balance of 240,000 euros ($288,500) and set fire to the pile of 500 euro notes in his bath before swallowing the pills, hoping to leave nothing behind after his death." http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3924025 BANK IT OR BURN IT Burning cash must be the latest fad. A December 1st report noted: "A British radio station is under investigation after it burned 5,000 pounds ($8,600) rather than give it to charity -- or to a listener for her breast enlargement operation. Birmingham-based Galaxy radio torched the cash after listeners voted to burn it rather than give it to a competition winner ..." Galaxy ignored its appeals for the money to be given to charity. "There are some bloody good charities in Birmingham doing good work week in, week out," said the church spokesman. "There is quite a groundswell of resentment." http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3916356 FEATURED WEB PAGE This week's featured web page is a short section from Q. David Bowers' book, The History of United States Coinage. "In January 1895 the readers of The Numismatist were treated to an interesting article, "A Tour Among the Coin Dealers," by Augustus G. Heaton, a frequent contributor to The Numismatist and the person who had several years earlier advanced the interest in collecting mintmarks of United States coins by publishing a monograph on the subject." Dealers mentioned include J.W. Scott, David Proskey, Ed Frossard, Henry Chapman, J. Colvin Randall, Edward Maris, E. B. Mason, Jr., E. B. Mason, Jr., W. Von Bergen, Charles Steigerwalt, and Dr. George Massamore. Interesting how information lives on in new forms - from Heaton's original article to Bowers' book, to a web site and now this email, 108 years later. http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article2877.chtml Wayne Homren Numismatic Bibliomania Society The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site. To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. For those without web access, write to W. David Perkins, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, P.O. Box 212, Mequon, WI 53092-0212. For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact David at this email address: wdperki@attglobal.net To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, just Reply to this message, or write to the Editor at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com (To be removed from the E-Sylum mailing list send an email message with the word "Unsubscribe" in the body of the message to: esylum-request@binhost.com) From whomren at coinlibrary.com Sun Dec 14 21:21:31 2003 From: whomren at coinlibrary.com (whomren@coinlibrary.com) Date: Wed Dec 22 19:41:55 2004 Subject: The E-Sylum v6#53, December 14, 2003 Message-ID: <20031215022131.15982.qmail@woodstock.binhost.com> Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 53, December 14, 2003: an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. SUBSCRIBER UPDATE Among recent new subscribers are Yossi Dotan, courtesy of Howard Daniel, and Jim Wiley. Welcome aboard! We now have 609 subscribers. NEWMAN NUMISMATIC MUSEUM On December 9th, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an article about The Sam Fox Arts Center at Washington University is St. Louis. Why should E-Sylum readers care? According to the article, "When completed, one special feature of the $56.8 million arts complex will be a 3,000- square-foot numismatic museum, the Newman Money Museum. A gift of $2 million from St. Louis philanthropists and civic leaders Eric P. Newman and Evelyn E. Newman will endow it. A variety of money-related exhibits are to be presented, as well as opportunities for scholarly research." "Evelyn Newman is famous for raising money for good causes... Her husband, Eric, is a distinguished numismatist. His collection began more than 80 years ago when his grandfather gave him a one-cent piece dating from 1859. His fascination grew, and his collection has grown to be one of the nation's most famous. It is especially important for its U.S. and early American coins and paper money. Eric Newman, a former Edison Brothers Stores Inc. executive and a lawyer, is a graduate of the university's law school." The paper's web site is: http://www.stltoday.com/ After reading the article I dropped everything and sent a quick note to Eric: "I just read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article about the new Newman Money Museum. Fantastic! Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts with your bibliophile friends via The E-Sylum? " Eric replied: "You certainly do not let a piece of newspaper publicity stay unnoticed and I thank you for contacting me. The Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (Incorporated in 1958) will be allotted numismatic museum space of about 3,000 sq. ft. in the new 55,000 sq. ft. Sam Fox Arts Center on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis which will have a total exhibit space of 15,000 sq. ft. open to the public and the balance will be used for art and art history education, reading rooms, administration, facilities and art collection storage, etc. Our coin and paper money exhibit space will include a small Victorian office-library containing some of our numismatic library material (major rarities will be kept in bank vaults) and the balance of that library will be brought to the museum for research from on-campus space when convenient. Unusual numismatic books, broadsides, and pamphlets will sometimes be on exhibit. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2004. I am delighted to be connected with such a prestigious institution which is only a couple of blocks away from my home. Any suggestions from your readers as to subject matter or types of coin, paper money, token or library exhibits are more than welcome." Several years ago during an Early American Coppers convention in St. Louis, I visited an earlier incarnation of Eric's museum (twice), with Eric himself as a guide. John Burns and Charlie Davis joined us for a look at Eric's numismatic library, which was displayed in a two-story high office at the back of the museum. A balcony circled the room, accessed by a spiral staircase. I felt like I was in the numismatic library of heaven. I replied to Eric: "I recall your earlier museum at the Mercantile Bank. I remember some simply gorgeous high-grade colonial coins. I also seem to recall you had a couple animated figures in period dress. What became of them? Your exhibits were very nicely done. Would there be both a permanent exhibit and rotating exhibits of coins? Could we expect to see your Confederate Half dollar on display someday?" Eric replied: "What a memory you have! We had the numismatic museum at the Mercantile Bank in St. Louis for almost 20 years and the new one at Washington University will be bigger and hopefully better. It will emphasize money uses, the economic and political history of money, the art on money and other matters related to numismatics. We will be revitalizing the best of the old displays and adding new ones. We are developing a new animated figure of Franklin and a few surprises. We will rotate exhibits when deemed advisable. You ask about exhibiting the Confederate Half dollar and other major rarities and that gives rise to a security problem which must be carefully considered. Anything we have would be available for examination to appropriate scholars on advance arrangements but the items not on exhibit would naturally be kept in bank vaults and not at the museum. Our numismatic books and pamphlets are too numerous to count but will be available to researchers. Some of our library will be in a small Victorian style office in the exhibit space. We invite encourage you and your readers to suggest themes, subject matter and categories for displays which will increase public interest in numismatics other than commercial value. We try to use associated artifacts, pictorial material, explanations, broadsides, etc. to supplement the coins, paper money and tokens in a display. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask them as you have your eye on what encourages the joys and satisfactions of the intellectually stimulating discipline of numismatics. A happy holiday to you and your many friends." ANS LIBRARY ARTICLES The December 22 issue of Coin World has two great articles relating to the American Numismatic Society library. Q. David Bowers chronicled the recent dedication of the Harry W. Bass Jr. Library (p76). ANS Librarian Frank Campbell provided an overview of the library and its holdings of 150,000 items beginning on p76. LAKE BOOKS SALE #72 Fred Lake writes: "Lake Books announces that its 72nd mail-bid sale of numismatic literature is now available for viewing on our web site at http://www.lakebooks.com The sale is Part III of the library of Dr. William E. Hopkins and features reference material relating to ancient coinage, early American coinage, tokens, medals, paper money and the full gamut of the numismatic hobby. The closing date for the sale is January 20, 2004 at 5:00 PM (EST) and email, telephone, FAX, and regular mail bids are welcomed. I hope that you all have a Happy Holiday season and that 2004 will bring you much health and prosperity. Cordially, Fred." NBS TABLE AT PORTLAND ANA Howard A. Daniel III, has formally applied for an ANA National Money Show club booth in Portland, Oregon, where he will promote NBS, Numismatics International (NI) and the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) from March 26th to 28th, 2004. Howard will also be moderating separate meetings and educational forums on March 27th (Saturday) for IBNS at 11 AM and NI at 12 Noon in the same room. The booth and meetings are regularly approved, so he is not expecting any changes. NBS members are invited to both meetings, but especially the NI meeting because Scott Semans will be speaking about his recommendations for creating numismatic catalogs. Howard is still searching for a speaker for the IBNS meeting. If anyone is interested in speaking at it for 20-30 minutes, please contact Howard at Howard@SEAsianTreasury.com NBS members are also invited to visit the booth and use it for leaving messages for other NBS members or just to take a break and rest. If an NBS member finds a prospective member at the show, please send them to the booth and Howard will convince them to join us, or at least to sign up for The E-Sylum." NBS PLANS FOR 2004 PITTSBURGH ANA As announced at the NBS meeting at this year's ANA convention in Baltimore, plans are underway for a special outing to celebrate our 25th anniversary at next year's convention here in Pittsburgh. We'll visit the E-Sylum Ground Zero (my library), as well as the numismatic libraries of Asylum Editor E. Tomlinson Fort and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The latter features the rare first six volumes of the ANA's Numismatist magazine, and a shelf of early U.S. copper literature from the library of George H. Clapp. Separately, if there is enough interest, we may be able to arrange a viewing of selected coins from the Carnegie collection, which includes Clapp's Large Cent collection, some colonials, and some U.S. patterns. The colonials include three Higley coppers (at least two of which are likely copies). Although the bibliophile excursion would be limited to NBS members, the coin excursion would be open to all ANA members. We are currently looking into costs for chartering buses, and to gauge demand for these two events, I'd like all SERIOUSLY interested readers to respond to this e-mail. Please don't respond simply to agree that it's a great idea; respond only if you would be willing to commit an entire afternoon of the convention to the outing and pay your fair share of the cost in advance. Please specify interest in the BOOK trip, the COIN trip, or BOTH. The convention is August 18-22, 2004. The book trip would be Friday the 20th, following our normal general NBS meeting. No date has been set for the coin trip, but it has to be on a weekday during regular museum hours. I'll look forward to hearing from many of you. INVASION OF LOUISVILLE TAPE The planned Pittsburgh excursion brings to mind the famed "Invasion of Louisville." Coincidentally, Darryl Atchison writes: "I was reading in an issue of Out On A Limb recently that Armand Champa had a VHS Tape made of the "Invasion of Louisville" which was subsequently shown at one of the N.B.S. meetings. Sorry I don't recall which year this was shown. I am hoping that one of our readers may have a copy of the tape that I could borrow. I would really like to watch this tape. If anyone can help me, please feel free to contact me at atchisondf@hotmail.com. Thanks." [Bibliophile Armand Champa of Louisville, KY chartered a bus to bring a few dozen bibliophiles from the Cincinnati, OH convention of the American Numismatic Association (1988, I believe) to view his library in Louisville. The event became known as "The Invasion of Louisville." I was one of the lucky attendees, and it was quite a day. Armand was never one to do things half-way. He hired caterers and bartenders to dole out refreshments, and had a photographer and videographer on hand to record the proceedings. Later, Armand treated everyone to dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. The afternoon's video was shown after dinner. Would some of our readers who were present care to tell us their recollections of the event? -Editor] SUSAN B. ANTHONY DOLLAR'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY. Dick Johnson writes: "Several editorial feature syndicates furnish lists "This Day In History" or similar to newspapers. One of these stated -- erroneously -- that last Friday, December 13th, was the 25th anniversary of the day "the Susan B. Anthony Dollar WAS ISSUED." One writer on the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Bill Blubinger) picked up on this item and wrote a story published Friday. He got the facts correct and noted the short-lived legacy of the Susan B. Anthony dollar. He called it the "Edsel of dollars; the New Coke of coins" and ended with the statement that the coin's legacy was rich but short-changed. Friday, December 13, 1978, was the day the first Susies were struck. The coin was designed and modeled by Frank Gasparro, chief engraver at the Philadelphia Mint at the time, and were placed into production that day. They weren't issued until July the following year. The date on the first coins was 1979, of course. The Plain Dealer story goes on to quote one Beachwood coin dealer, Jack Griffin, and also former Ohio Representative Mary Rose Oakar, who stated "When they wanted to do another Miss Liberty, I said, Why not put a real woman on the coin?" She had introduced a bill to use the famed women's rights advocate image on the coin. Here's the full story in The Cleveland Plain Dealer: http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living/1071311406294160.xml Looking back from a quarter century's perspective, the coin's lack of popularity rests -- not with the subject or the designer -- but mostly with its size. In a private conversation I once had with Frank Gasparro, he even admitted he spent one of the dollar coins as a quarter himself!" SUBSCRIBER PROFILE Jim Wiley writes: "For over a year, someone (probably Larry Dziubek) has been very nice to me by including me on your mailing list even though I am neither a "book collector" nor one who has always been able to fully appreciate some of the numismatic historical events and references that many of your compatriots seem to "get". I do enjoy reading many of the articles and enjoy trying to determine just what "turns the engines" of "you folks". ( Can't say I know for sure, but it intrigues me to see what kinds of things interest your subscribers.) At any rate, if you will be so kind, I would appreciate continuing receiving The E-Sylum at my new email address. With appreciation and admiration, Jim Wiley, mere merchant token collector" QUIZ ANSWER: NICHOLAS BIDDLE'S BANK David Gladfelter writes: "You'll get lotsa answers to the quiz, from John and Nancy Wilson among others. Biddle was president of the ill-fated Second Bank of the United States. Its numismatic output is catalogued in vol. 4 of Haxby; also see Hessler, An Illustrated History of U. S. Loans. John and Nancy had a specialized collection of the bank's notes." Chris Fuccione writes: "He was the president of the Second Bank of the United States until Andrew Jackson vetoed rechartering it. Biddle resigned in protest. I believe that was the start of the downfall of our economy in 1837. There are many references to the Second Bank on Hard Times Tokens." Nolan Mims writes: "I enjoyed the article on Roger Wendlick and his collection of Lewis and Clark memorabilia, especially the reference to Nicholas Biddle and his two volumes written from Lewis and Clark's notes. Biddle, later President of the Bank of the United States, was a brilliant financier who, I believe, graduated from Princeton as class valedictorian at the ripe old age of fifteen. His feuds with Andrew Jackson became legendary. Biddle's influence was felt as far South as Mobile, Alabama through the establishment of a branch bank there, much against the wishes of many Alabama politicians, including then Governor Murphy. Your QUICK QUIZ question as to the bank's connection to numismatics has several possible answers. One, of course, is the highly collectible notes issued by the bank and its branches. Another is the famous $1000 note bearing serial number 8894 which has collectors to this day believing they have a rare note worth a fortune. Also, many hard times tokens and scrip refer to the Bank of the United States and the controversy surrounding it. The E-Sylum is a great way to start a Monday morning. Keep up the good work!" Jess W. Gaylor sends the following, found in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Biddle "In the legislature Biddle quickly became prominent. He originated a bill favoring popular education, a quarter of a century in advance of the times. The bill was defeated, but came up again in different forms until, in 1836, the Pennsylvania common-school system was inaugurated as a direct result of his efforts. He was more successful in advocating the re-charter of the Bank of the United States, which was his first step toward a financial career. The War of 1812 intervened. Moving to the state senate, the United States bank was re-chartered in 1819 and President Monroe appointed him a government director. Upon the resignation of bank president Langdon Cheves, Biddle ascended to president. During his connection with it he was appointed by Monroe, under authority from Congress, to prepare a "Commercial Digest" of the laws and trade regulations of the world, for many years regarded as an authority. The "bank war," inaugurated by President Andrew Jackson in 1829, undermined the credit of the institution, and after the bill for its re-charter was vetoed in 1832, Biddle's efforts to save the bank failed. The withdrawal of the government deposits by Jackson's order in 1833 precipitated financial disasters that involved the whole country. Biddle's friends assert that his non-partisanship provoked Jackson's hostility, a claim denied by Jackson's admirers. The literature of the "bank war" is voluminous, including a series of letters by Mr. Biddle, vindicating his own course. In 1839 he resigned the bank presidency, and in 1841 the bank failed." Paul Horner added a fact I wasn't aware of: "He was the president of the 2nd Bank of the United States, and that bank received the 1836 Gobrecht dollars." COLLECTED JULIAN ARTICLES? Dave Ginsberg writes: "Nancy Green (ANA Librarian, as you undoubtedly know) sent me an e-mail today, offering me a copy of R.W. Julian's article. Thanks for your help. By the way, do you know if Mr. Julian's articles/research have ever been collected in one place? I would think they'd be an invaluable resource." [Later, Dave heard from Mr. Julian himself. I recall that at one time Ken Lowe of The Money Tree was compiling an index of Julian's articles, but do not know what became of the effort after Ken died. I'm not aware of any collected volume, unfortunately. I agree that it would be a very useful publication. -Editor] MEMPHIS BANK INFO SOUGHT Dave Ginsberg writes: "Recently, I purchased a $5 banknote issued by The Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of Memphis, TN. The note, which features a central vignette of five figures surrounding five Type I gold dollars, is numbered (#3308), signed (by [unintelligible first initial] Clarke as Cashier and J. Fowlkes as president) and dated March 1, 1854, which leads me to conclude that this note was actually issued for circulation rather than being an unissued note, as so many Obsolete banknotes in the market are. In reviewing my copy of "Banking in the American South from the Age of Jackson to Reconstruction" by Larry Schweikart (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1987), I discovered that this bank has a particularly colorful history. According to Mr. Schweikart (who is a Professor of History at the University of Dayton and the author of two other books on banking history), "Jeptha Fowlkes, a physician turned financier, was elected a director [of the bank] together with Seth Wheatley, Joseph Watkins. . ., and General Levin Coe on January 6, 1847, and immediately began an intrigue against the other directors, especially Wheatley." The bank was "forced to suspend operations in May 1847." On January 26, 1848, "two eastern stockholders" began legal action and three days later, when the sheriff served an injunction against the officers of the bank, a mob formed and tried to take possession of the bank. "After two years of legal wranglings, the court appeared ready to turn the bank back over to Fowlkes and the directors. Opponents and creditors of the bank persuaded former director General Levin Coe, a prominent lawyer, to oppose returning the bank to Fowlkes. [While Coe was regarded by some as the only man who could rescue the bank,]. . . others, including E.W.M. King and Alanon Trigg, regarded Coe as an enemy of Fowlkes. After making a court appearance, Coe and two friends ran into Trigg and one of his friends. In the ensuing gun battle, (emphasis added) Trigg was killed and Coe suffered a fatal pistol shot in the back. The deaths of Coe and Trigg and the turmoil surrounding the bank took its toll on popular support. Although the bank remained convincingly solvent, its notes dropped to 25 percent discounts. After six years the bank was dead." This information raises the question: "What exactly do I own?" Was this bank liquidated in 1847, as Mr. Schweikart states in a table of antebellum Tennessee banks and is suggested by the title of one of his sources: "Chronicles of the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of Memphis (1832-1847), by Jesse the "Scribe", ed. by James Roper (Memphis, 1960) or did it resume operations? Mr. Schweikart, in the above paragraph, implies the bank's notes were still circulating in 1850. Could new notes have been legally issued in 1854? (Certainly, my note hasn't seen much, if any circulation. Although the edges are a bit worn, the note doesn't appear to have any folds.) This note could not have been printed prior to 1849 (as gold dollars didn't exist then), but was it printed by a bank that was on its last legs, or was it printed and distributed by criminals in order to defraud those who didn't know that the bank had ceased operations years before? Was Mr. Fowlkes' signature forged or was he in fact guilty of "pilfering, swindling, and perjury" as Mr. Schweikart says he was accused of by the editor of the Memphis Eagle? I'd appreciate hearing from anyone familiar with this bank, or who owns a Counterfeit Detector from the period that mentions these notes. Please contact me at ginsburg.d@worldnet.att.net. Thanks." NEW BUFFALO BILL WEEKLY COIN ARTICLES Ron Guth of Coinfacts.com writes: "I ran across the following tidbits in, of all places, a pair of "New Buffalo Bill Weekly" Magazines from 1916. From the November 4, 1916 issue: UNCLE SAM'S NEW COINS If some one hands you a silver coin that has an unfamiliar look, don't refuse it immediately in the belief that it is a counterfeit or of foreign origin. The probabilities are that it will be a sample of Uncle Sam's new mintage, which has been placed in circulation in compliance with the law that requires a change in the designs of the silver pieces once in every twenty years. The new coins consist of half dollars, quarter dollars, and dimes. For more than a month the United States mints in Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco have been turning them out at a rate of about forty thousand dollars' worth a day. The design of the new half dollars is considered a higher type of art than the coins that have for so long been familiar. The markings are not so prominently cut, and the coin has a much smoother appearance. On one side of it is the figure of the Goddess of Liberty, holding in one arm a bunch of olive branches. Above the figure are the words, "In God We Trust;" below it is the word, "Liberty." On the opposite side of the coin there is a spread eagle, grasping an oak twig in his talons as he stands upon a rock. At the top is printed, "The United States of America," and at the bottom, "Half Dollar." One side of the new quarter has a full figure of a woman coming through a gate in a wall. On the opposite side there is pictured an eagle in flight. The new dime is of a sharper cut. On one side is the head of a woman. Over the head is printed the word, "Liberty," and in the lower left-hand corner the date. The obverse side of the coin has a bundle of Roman "fasces" tied tightly together, with an ax and a strong oak stick. Below the cutting is the Latin quotation, "E Pluribus Unum." From the November 11, 1916 issue: TWO AND THREE-CENT COINS SCARCE Ever wonder what has become of the two-cent and three-cent coins? Doctor William G. Graus, of Cleveland, Ohio, knows about the disappearance of some of them. "I have two hundred two-cent pieces and one hundred three-cent coins," he said. "I've been collecting them for fifteen years. Two-cent pieces have disappeared from circulation, but a few three-cent coins are still seen." These were the 217th and 218th issues of the magazine, so I suspect that additional interesting anecdotes are sprinkled throughout earlier issues. Anyone have a set of these?" POSTAGE CURRENCY PATTERN COLLECTION COMPLETED David Cassel writes: "This is a news release of sorts addressed to members of The Numismatic Bibliomania Society who bought my book, United States Pattern Postage Currency Coins. It has taken me three years since the publication of my book in 2000 to complete my Postage Currency coin collection. With the recent acquisition of the only collectible Judd-642, the only other example is housed in the Mitchelson Collection of the Connecticut Library acquired 100 years ago, I now have what I consider to be a complete variety collection consisting of at least one coin of each known variety. The collection numbers thirty-three coins with few duplicates. The Judd numbers include: 325 through 331 a,b, & c and 641 & 642, and 644-646, and 714 through 717a. plus multiple variations within the numbering system." [Congratulations! -Editor] MORTENSEN YEARBOOKS PUBLISHED Morten Eske Mortensen of Copenhagen, Denmark writes: "Following a number of enquiries from professional market players the owners of the publishing rights have agreed by special orders to produce an utmost and extremely strictly distributed minor number of 2003/2004 yearbooks which alone can be bought by those who previously are known to the publishers on a serious and professionally level . Printing run will not be allowed to exceed 99 copies (ninety-nine). The order of reservations will be according to the dates of receivings of the advance orders. (aka: first come – first serve). For details, prices, order form etc. check this direct link: http://home.worldonline.dk/mem/info/scand2004US.htm" GRADING THOUGHTS Ron Haller-Williams writes: "So imagine this description at some future auction: USA dime, 1910, slabbing grade MS-63, slab XF-40, coin EF-55. It could happen! Reminds me of where we often need to specify different grades for a counterstamp and for the host coin (where we'd also have the complication of genuine stamps on false coins, and vice versa)." THE THIRD DIMENSION Joe Boling writes: "Reference your note about state quarter designs, "The third dimension of relief never comes into play." That's because the mint won't allow it. For years now they have designed coins with extremely flat relief, in the name of manufacturing efficiency. Look at how the dies for the half dollar were changed in the late 1980s (I don't have enough half dollars here to tell you what year the hub was changed) - the shield on the reverse went from having a conspicuously raised chief to having a very flat chief. Similarly with the cent - the relief is now so flat that a road kill coin has its date obliterated very quickly. The old bronze cents take a hard beating before becoming illegible (and it's not just because bronze is harder than zinc)." MOVIE MONEY MADNESS Doug Andrews writes: "The Pearl Harbor anniversary that you mentioned in the December 7th issue of E-Sylum reminds me of the 2001 movie, "Pearl Harbor," and an egregious error that was made during its production. In one scene, there is a boxing match involving the character played by actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. Set just before the attack staged by the Imperial Japanese forces, several sailors are seen gambling on the fight on the deck of the ill-fated USS Arizona. Clearly visible on the back of some of the Silver Certificates and Federal Reserve Notes they were betting with are the "Hawaii" overprints! Of course the movie presents an impossibility, since the overprints first appeared in July 1942 - in response to the attack that had not yet taken place! - so the US currency could be quickly demonetized in the event Hawaii was invaded. Perhaps other NBS members and readers can contribute other movie "bloopers" made involving numismatic items." [We did touch on this particular blooper in the v4n27 issue of The E-Sylum (July 1, 2001), when Tom Delorey and Michael Schmidt reported it. In the previous issue, Alan Luedeking reported a blooper in the 1997 movie Titanic. Some others, anyone? -Editor] HARDBOUND FORD CATALOGS Regarding the Ford catalogs from Stack's, Steve Pellegrini writes: "About a month before the first Ford sale I called Stacks to ask about getting a copy. I was told that not only were they all 'sold out' but that a waiting list was developing. When I offered to send a check for $50 'just in case one showed up.' I was told that I really shouldn't because one was not likely to turn up. Hopefully Stacks will come out with a deluxe re-print but I sure would have liked to get hold of an original. Pretty amazing demand for a look at what is probably the most interesting, diverse collection of American material ever assembled." A NUMISMATIC INTERNET TURKEY SHOOT Roger deWardt Lane submitted the following item, which he titles, "Happy Thanksgiving!" For the past three years, I have had a Yahoo! Geocities.com site for my numismatic related information. Pages for the two local clubs; Gold Coast Coin Club, for which I am their Treasurer and bourse chair, and Fort Lauderdale Coin Club, where I am currently the Vice President. Another page promotes my e-book - Brother Can You Spare A Dime? So when I first built the site I posted the several page INTRODUCTION from my e-book and titled the page – “Introduction”. Like many “webmasters”, I have known that the site provider has statistical information on my site, as they like to also know the number of hits a particular site is receiving. It's good for their pop-up advertising that supports the free sites. Now the story begins – the other day I was looking at some of the statistics as I had just posted a new Mutt and Jeff story on the Ft. Lauderdale Coin Club page - www.geocities.com/dewardt/flcc/flcc.html. Much to my surprise, my site has received over 2,000 hits since inception. When you consider the specialty of a numismatic site and pretty much only word of mouth references, I was greatly pleased, but a little inquisitive. From their summary statistic page, I could see that the “Introduction” page was getting all the action – over 800 hits and a closer look at the statistics showed that between 6 and 10 people looked at it every day recently. Why, was the question I asked myself? So, I looked at another statistic – known as the KEYWORD used to reach this page. Here is what I found: Top search word used to find this page 42.71% typed "illustrations of a turkey" Introduction ... Turkey minted coins name lira and 2 piastres. ... The illustrations shown are from an earlier catalog published by JW.Scott Co., Ltd. 1913. ... For you computer non-literate people – there are many search engines, two very popular are Yahoo! and MSN. To update their search engine database they use a program known as a web-crawler. This program looks for prominent words and creates a Keyword list for the search engine. Sometimes they do not understand the subject matter, like numismatics and therefore you get this weird result. All during November, when Internet users were looking for a picture of a TURKEY for a greeting card or invitation to family members, they kept being directed to my site. I wonder if this introduced any new people to the science of numismatics." NUMISMATISTS INTERVIEWS AND ORAL HISTORY Chris Fuccione writes: "Great newsletter. You were writing about how old timers should be interviewed to preserve their story. Further down you mention Bill Dewey. Has anyone contacted him about his story? It would be a great story." Nolan Mims writes: "Steve Pellegrini has an excellent idea in preserving the recollections of major numismatists and has made a good start to a list of persons deserving of recognition. One who should definitely be included is Eric Newman. Although many noted numismatists are deserving, I would have a hard time choosing those to honor." Dick Johnson writes: "I sincerely appreciate the kind words by Steve Pellegrini in last week's E-Sylum. What Steve proposed – sending mini-recorders to selected numismatists for their recollections – is one method of gathering information (often used with aged family members in genealogical research). What is better, of course, is a one-on-one interview. In effect, creating an Oral History. If the interviewer is well prepared, has done his homework in advance, to determine the questions and sequence to ask, he can guide the direction of the response instead of a rambling discourse of questionable value. Ask the right questions and you can get the data you are seeking -- and often, a whole lot more! This came to mind recently for Donald Scarinci and myself on a research trip to Cape Cod and the Boston area. We were interviewing people for the book Don is writing on The Society of Medalists. We interviewed the widow of one sculptor (Ralph Menconi), my old boss at Medallic Art Co (Bill Louth), a couple who managed the Society for a half dozen years (the Crams), and one sculptor (Mico Kaufman). The first three were most successful. For Mico Kaufman, however, the taped record is a disaster. Mico was so excited his mind jumped from one subject to the next. He started a new sentence before he finish the last. He wanted to give us so much information it was difficult to stay focused. Also there were six people in the room. Often there were more than one person talking at the same time (myself included). It became difficult to direct the interview (and impossible to transcribe). I have been interviewing people for print since I was 18. For a high school journalism class – and with more gravitis than my youthful age warranted – I interviewed the editor of the Kansas City Star. In my mind he was like a journalism god. I entered that newsroom, it was the size of a half city block, as if this was the Holy Grail. His desk was in the center of that newsroom, no private office, he was in the midst of all the action. But he was so kind to me, his responses were so great, the interview literally wrote itself. He set the tone and gave me confidence for my interviewing for the rest of my life. I never feared people in high positions after that. I learned I could approach anyone, numismatic biggies included, and sincerely show an interest in what they had to say. After all, everyone is an expert on themselves, their work (and their collections!). And most people will talk about all (for hours if you let them). I remember an early interview of Reverend Arthur Braddan Coole, who built a fantastic collection of Chinese coins and compiled the “Bibliography on Far Eastern Numismatics” and the “Encyclopedia of Chinese Coins.” The interview was published in the Kansas City Kansan, the paper I was working for at the time (despite the fact I was in the advertising department). It was published the same month I received the letter from the publisher of the Sidney Press to come to Ohio and start a coin publication (which resulted in Coin World). Steve, if you want interviews of prominent numismatic personalities. I'm ready. If you have a motor home and can spare the time, I've got a computer and a tape recorder. We can travel the country together and interview whomever you wish." JAVAN COINS FOUND ON BANKS OF THAMES On December 11, Reuters reported that a mysterious "bundle of 17th century coins from Java, Indonesia, has been found buried in mud on the banks of London's River Thames. The 90 copper alloy coins are pierced with hexagonal holes and inscribed in Arabic with the words "Pangeran Ratou ing Bantan" (Lord King at Bantam)," according to experts at the London museum where they will be displayed." "These are the first Javanese coins ever found in Britain, the museum said in a statement. "How they got to London remains a mystery," it added. "Even in the 17th century they would have had no value in London." http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3977049 DEATH BY MISADVENTURE Q. David Bowers' "The Joys of Collecting" column in the December 8 issue of Coin World touched on the subject of cleaning coins and the use of a cyanide solution as one good method, with a deadly drawback. Bowers quoted from the August 1921 issue of The Numismatist: "J. Sanford Saltus, an international figure in the numismatic world, died suddenly at the Hotel Metropole, in London, on June 24. Apparently in the best of health up to the time his body was found in his room, the manner of his death was for a time a mystery until an official investigation revealed that it was due to accidental poisoning.... A verdict of 'death by misadventure' was rendered by the coroner's jury. The evidence at the inquest disclosed that on the day before his death he had purchased a small quantity of potassium cyanide for the purpose of cleaning some recent purchases of silver coins and retired to his room. Shortly afterward he ordered a bottle of ginger ale. A glass containing the poison and a glass containing the ginger ale were found side by side on the dressing table, and it is believed that while interested in cleaning the coins he took a drink of the poison in mistake for the ginger ale." FEATURED WEB PAGE This week's featured web page is "Turkish Money" From the page: "The first thing to mention here should be the difficulty for a foreigner to get used to the zeros. We are not use if there is another money with so many zeros on it... The national monetary unit is the Turkish lira (TL.). The coinage is in 25.000, 50.000 and 100.000 lira pieces. Bank notes are of 250.000, 500.000, 1.000,000, 5.000.000, 10.000.000 and 20.000.000 Turkish Lira." http://www.enjoyturkey.com/info/usefull_info/Money_Currency.htm Wayne Homren Numismatic Bibliomania Society The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site. To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. For those without web access, write to W. David Perkins, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, P.O. Box 212, Mequon, WI 53092-0212. For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact David at this email address: wdperki@attglobal.net To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, just Reply to this message, or write to the Editor at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com (To be removed from the E-Sylum mailing list send an email message with the word "Unsubscribe" in the body of the message to: esylum-request@binhost.com) From whomren at coinlibrary.com Sun Dec 21 22:47:46 2003 From: whomren at coinlibrary.com (whomren@coinlibrary.com) Date: Wed Dec 22 19:41:55 2004 Subject: The E-Sylum v6#54, December 21, 2003 Message-ID: <20031222034746.27767.qmail@woodstock.binhost.com> Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 54, December 21, 2003: an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. FANNING BOOKS FIXED PRICE LIST From the Press Release: "David Fanning is offering a fixed price list of numismatic literature, with an emphasis on numismatic periodicals, ephemera, and books from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Items of particular note include a nearly complete run of Frossard's Numisma, important publications of early numismatic and antiquarian societies, significant publications of Ebenezer Locke Mason and W. Elliot Woodward, and signed correspondence and business documents of M.H. Bolender, Leonard Kusterer, and B. Max Mehl. For a copy of the list, e-mail David Fanning at fanning32@earthlink.net." [The ranks of U.S. numismatic literature dealers have thinned greatly in recent years with the deaths of Frank Katen, John Bergman and Ken Lowe, and the demise of The Money Tree and Remy's Bourne's literature business. It's great to see a new face in the business. David's 12-page FPL is very nicely done, and should be a welcome sight for collectors. -Editor] KOLBE SALE 92 RESULTS [My apologies to George Kolbe for being late publishing the following release concerning his recent sale - his message to me got lost in the ether (or caught in a spam net). -Editor] George Kolbe writes: "Our apologies to E-sylum members and other interested parties for the late posting at our web site (www.numislit.com) of the prices realized list to Sale 92. The sale was earlier postponed by wildfires; this past week Linda and I were beset by the "wild" flu but both of us are getting better now and parcels will begin leaving Crestline in a day or two. A review of the results of the sale follows: George Frederick Kolbe/Fine Numismatic Books reports that: “although postponed due to the Southern California wildfires, our November 29th, 2003 auction was a great success. It brought $180,000, and over 350 bidders participated in the sale.” All prices cited include the 15% buyer premium. The auction featured many seldom offered works on a wide variety of topics, and competition was often intense. Some sale results follow. A near complete set of The Numismatist, unbound, realized $2,990; the catalogue of a New York coin auction originally scheduled for April 27-29, 1865 but postponed “upon the assassination of President Lincoln,” brought $402 on a $175 estimate; an early April 1 supplement to The Numismatist, probably dating from 1894, was avidly sought after, finally selling for $862 though estimated at $100; a very nice set containing all 116 of B. Max Mehl’s famous series of coin auction catalogues was slow to get off the mark until the last several days of the sale when one very strong and two more moderate bids were received, followed on the closing day of the sale by bids of $3,450 and $4,025 (it ended up bringing $4,312). Works on Napoleonic medals were particularly in demand. Though unillustrated, Bramsen’s three volume standard work on the topic realized $431 on a $275 estimate; two volumes on the topic from the great 19th century “Trésor de Numismatique” series were heavily bid upon, one selling for $1,265 on a $450 estimate, the other, from the family of Napoleon, brought $1,725 on a $750 estimate; an excellent set of Davenport’s works on crowns and talers realized $690; George Miles’ 1938 The Numismatic History of Rayy, headlined “The Most Elusive American Numismatic Society Publication?”, brought $690; a wonderful bound collection of 175 Sotheby British coin auction catalogues dating from 1830 to 1900 realized $3,220; Q. David Bowers’ first numismatic publication, an 8 page 1955 price list, sold for $718; an extensive research archive on obsolete paper money formed by John Muscalus brought $1,035; competition for an 1879 German auction catalogue featuring the first foreign appearance of an 1804 silver dollar, estimated at $250, continued to escalate over the course of the sale, culminating in a winning bid of $862; the many important books and catalogues on ancient coins featured in the sale generally brought strong prices; and, though a complete set failed to sell, individual early editions of Yeoman’s “Red Book” from the holdings of Garce Futerer continued to be in considerable demand. A few copies of the sale catalogue are still available and may be obtained, along with a prices realized list, by sending $15.00 to Kolbe. The firm's next public auction sale, to be held in association with Stack’s, will comprise the magnificent numismatic library of John J. Ford, Jr., scheduled for June 1, 2004. Details will be appearing in the numismatic press early next year, and some information and highlights are currently available at the firm's web site (www.numislit.com). The firm may be contacted at P. O. Drawer 3100, Crestline, CA 92325; by telephone at 909-338-6527; or by email at GFK@numislit.com." NEWMAN NUMISMATIC MUSEUM COMMENTS Len Augsberger writes: "I read with great interest about the Newman Library as I went to school at Washington University. It will be fun to go visit in a couple years after they get settled." Mike Hodder wrote: "As you can imagine, I was interested to read your communications with Eric about his book and coin collections. Can you email me with the exact citation to the paper in which the notice you found appeared? I'd like to obtain a hard copy for my files." [The URL was a mile and a half long, which is why I didn't publish it. Here goes. -Editor] http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+%2F+County/7F726F790794853B86256DF80023863D?OpenDocument&Headline=Museum+for+money+figures+into+plans+for+WU+arts+center++ [A browse through my numismatic ephemera collection unearthed two pamphlets from the old Mercantile Money Museum in St. Louis. They confirm my recollection: "The museum features two audio-visual mannequins: Benjamin Franklin and a counterfeiter. Mr. Franklin presents some comments about money and his many witticisms. The counterfeiter, dressed in prison garb, explains his predicament and the penalties for counterfeiting." I wonder if he had his ears cropped... -Editor] REUTERS ARTICLE ABOUT JAVANESE COINS Howard A. Daniel III writes: "First, I want to thank the editor for identifying the Reuters' article about some Javanese coins being found in London because I missed seeing it in my news sources about Southeast Asia. I went to the Reuters' web site to read the original article. I am sorry to write that whomever the Reuters' editors and/or reporters talked to was an absolute dunce or they are being incorrectly quoted. One quote was "Even in the 17th century they would have had no value in London." Can you believe that? Copper in any form in London was worth the value of copper, just like in Java or elsewhere in the world. They are also quoted with "How they got to London remains a mystery.", but then followed up with "One possibility is that a merchant dropped them overboard from an East Indiaman (ship) moored in the Thames when he found they were worthless." Was copper worthless in 17th century England? I doubt it, so it was absolutely a mishap that the bag was dropped. But the last sentence in the article finally grabs a little piece of reality with "Another is that they were being imported as curios for one of the many collectors keen to acquire interesting objects from the farthest corners of the earth." I am assuming they are quoting the British Museum, but from what was in the article, they must have been talking to a janitor because I do not know anyone there who would say such balderdash!" [I'd like to thank Howard for the opportunity to publish the word "balderdash" in The E-Sylum. (It doesn't take much to amuse an editor. -Editor] THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIEF ON COINS AND MEDALS Dick Johnson writes: "Joe Boling’s comments in last week's E-Sylum for the most part were right on target. Relief on our coins and medals is so important. Name one element that is evident at every step of a coin or medal's creation and life – its relief! This is of great concern for the designer, of course, relief is what the modeler creates, this is what forms the pattern from which the die is made. Relief determines the height of the rim for a circulating coin, it dictates a large part of how thick the blank must be, what pressure to set the coining press – or the number of blows for an art medal. Relief is most evident on the struck piece, it is what the public sees and the numismatist studies. The amount of wear on relief determines condition, of interest to the collector. Joe Boling called relief the “third dimension.” This is almost right. Three dimensions is the equivalent of sculpture in-the- round (and antique dealers use the atrocious term “3D”). Because it is attached to its background the relief on coins and medal is correctly called “bas-relief” -- the “s” is silent, pronounced baa-relief. (Joe: sculptors humorously, but more accurately, call this two-and-a-half dimensions!) Discussions with coin and medal artists talking about the concept of the rise and fall of relief – the design – needed a better term to express this. Years ago I came up with MODULATED RELIEF. Everyone understands it exactly. The rise and fall of the sculptural design. This is even true when it is incuse, like on the Pratt U.S. quarter-eagle and half-eagle coins of 1908. It is still true when this is in a sunken panel – raised relief below the background – which is termed “coelanaglyphic relief,” but which is better known as Egyptian Hollow Relief because it was so widely used by early Egyptian stone carvers. For the relief on a coin or medal – be my guest! -- call it Modulated Relief. What Joe is asking for is a higher or more modulated relief on coins made at the U.S. Mints." [coelanaglyphic - now that's a 50-cent word! I'll have to work that into conversation this week. Hmmm. -Editor] PRESIDENT PIERCE'S ORMSBY FOR SALE David Gladfelter wrote: "The deluxe Franklin Pierce copy of Ormsby is in the Heritage/Currency Auctions of America FUN sale next month. It has a realistic $15K-up estimate. There is also a nice run of Heath detectors. These are all listed in the back of the catalog under "miscellaneous". Go to http://www.heritagecoin.com [See lot 16959. I've taken the liberty of publishing the lot description below. If memory serves, this copy was discovered in New England by Bob Wester. Can anyone confirm that? Where has it been in the meantime? The book's pedigree is alluded to in the catalog description, but not published. The description begins with the text of a letter which accompanies the book. -Editor] New York Jan 31 1853 Dear Sir: Allow me to present you with a copy of my late work on Bank Note Engraving which will explain the cause of the vast amount of counterfeiting in this country. This is the first publication on this subject, and it is daily growing more and more important to every person in the community. I beg permission to call on you, at some future time, when my plans for constructing bank notes to prevent forgery are mature, that I may have an opportunity of convincing you of the utter insecurity of our present paper money, and the necessity of Legislative action on the subject. At present I will only ask your attention to the important requisites of a Bank Note which constitute its value - there are but two - first that the Bank be good - second that the note be genuine. The people loose (sic) more by counterfeiting money than by broken banks. It is therefore of as much importance to the poor people to have the note genuine as it is to have the Bank good. It is my object and aim to instruct the people in the art of Bank Note Engraving to the end that our General Banking Laws may be amended, so that they should define no less particularly the manner in which a note must be engraved than the manner in which the bank must be organized. Many of the counterfeit bills in circulation are absolutely the work of the original engravers. Counterfeiters obtained their work in spite of their utmost efforts to prevent it. This is all owing to the patch work system of constructing the note and the use of dies in the engraving of plates. My plan is to have a Bank Note one design or picture, with all the lettering interwoven in it. The whole to be engraved on the plate by the hand of the artist with out the use of dies. A counterfeiter then would be obliged to do the work himself in stead of employing others who do not know for what purpose their work is to be used. On turning to page 52 you will learn how a counterfeit plate of a five hundred dollar Treasury note was engraved for a counterfeiter by the very engraver who executed the original plates! Such things have frequently occurred - the matter is seriously alarming to every business man. Any encouragement which I may receive from you will be gracefully received by Your most obedient humble Sevt, W. L. Ormsby The book itself is inscribed on the blank flyleaf, "Presented to Gen. Frank. Pierce by his humble Sevt. The author W.L. Ormsby." Elaborately gold leafed on both front and back covers, the 100+ page master work measures thirteen-and-a-half inches by ten-and-a-half inches and contains a large number of beautifully detailed, superbly engraved plates, including a tri-color red, blue and brown frontispiece. The book is in flawless, as-issued condition, fully tight in its binding with only a few, very minor scuffs at the edges of the cover. Included with the book are some items of correspondence between previous owners, one of which discusses a possible $16,000 valuation in 1991 and another which presents a history of the ownership of the book since 1853. We auctioned this book in May of 1998 and at that time it realized just over $9,000. This book would be the crowing glory in any numismatic library or the ultimate association item in a collection of Obsolete Bank Notes. Est.15,000-up. BIDDLE, THE BANK, AND W. L. ORMSBY Coincidentally, Dave Bowers mentioned Ormsby in a note on a completely different subject. He writes: "I enjoyed the info on the BANK OF THE UNITED STATES. For a long time I have been gathering data on the Second Bank of the U.S. (1816-1836), including federal documents, contemporary financial accounts, etc. The popularly published histories of this bank are fascinating--as few people have ever delved into the SOURCE material. Also, Nicholas Biddle, who engaged in fraud after the Bank of the United States lost its federal charter and was then chartered by Pennsylvania, is hardly ever noticed in this connection--almost an untouchable subject (the record is clear--he engaged in illegal practices, many of his associates lost large amounts of money, etc., and if his name had been John Doe he would have been disgraced). The main cause of the Panic of 1837 was rampant inflation, not the failure of the Second Bank of the U.S. to be rechartered. In the west (then Indiana, Illinois, etc.) there were great land speculations. Jackson's "Specie Circular" put an end to buying land by "paying" for it with essentially worthless paper. If anyone doubts that popular histories often do not mesh with facts gained in numismatic and financial research, just pick up a copy of Schlesinger's prize-winning The Age of Jackson book, and read all about Hard Times tokens, bank scrip, etc. (hint: there is hardly anything mentioned). The Second Bank of the U.S. opened "subscriptions" in 1816 at its various branches, including Portsmouth, NH. If any E-Sylum subscribers have any printed currency or memorabilia specifically relating to the Portsmouth Branch I would be delighted to receive it to add to what David Sundman and I have (we've been gathering New Hampshire bank history, and if I were to print out the stuff on the Bank of the U.S., Portsmouth Branch, probably 50 pages would be used -- but, still, there are many unanswered questions and puzzles). Concerning the Second Bank of the U.S. (all over, not just Portsmouth), it is not often realized that most everyday citizens in the hinterlands -- did not like the bank. The reason was that other banks were state-chartered, were in general loosely regulated, could issue lots of currency with the hope that some of it would become lost or never redeemed, etc. There were state-chartered banks everywhere, and within any given state they had huge political clout--as they provided loans for the sinews of trade and commerce. The Bank of the U.S. was viewed as Enemy No. 1, and all across America the various local and regional bankers had no difficulty enlisting political solons to join them in this opinion. The Second Bank of the U.S. in Philadelphia was a spectacular example of the Greek Revival style (as was the 2nd Philadelphia Mint) and was widely reproduced on engravings---easily enough found today. Later, it was used for other purposes. While I am at it, a particular interest of mine is the history of bank-note engraving and engravers, mostly pre the Bureau of Engraving and Printing era. This field is very rich for research, and somewhat resembles that of early American silversmiths and pewterers (another interest) in that most publications simply copy other publications, there are vast errors in dating, spelling, etc. As a sample, as part of a biographical study of Waterman Lily Ormsby, I once checked all of the "standard" sources including numismatic publications, the Essay-Proof Journal (articles by Julian Blanchard), Groce & Wallace, Hamilton, Fielding, and others on engraving, and just about all say the same thing. And, all misspell his middle name as LILLY (probably thinking of Eli Lilly pharmaceuticals!). Again, I probably have 50 to 100 pages on Waterman, but, ironically, almost all gathered item by item, with no big help from numismatic sources (except from none other than Eric P. Newman, who loaned me an item I had never seen). Someday I may issue a Dictionary of Early American Bank Note Engravers and Printers, simply because this is a book I would enjoy owning now, and nothing like it even remotely exists. The main problem with printed sources is that, in actuality, a bank note partnership that expired years earlier may have an imprint of, say, 1855, on a piece of currency -- the result of an early plate being dusted off, and a later date entered on it. Accordingly, I have found my best sources are contemporary documents and newspaper records, and, a distant second, early town and city directories. However, newspapers are hard to find and tedious to read. Wayne, keep up the good work." VOIGHT ACCOUNT BOOK WHEREABOUTS SOUGHT Joel Orosz writes: "According to Frank H. Stewart, in his "History of the First United States Mint", "It is most unfortunate that [Henry] Voigt's first account book cannot now be found. Forty years ago [1884] it was in existence and brief quotations from it were made by Evans and others. Book Number 2 has been located, and on October 13, 1792 we find that George Breining was paid $1.50 on account of cutting a screw..." (p. 75) It appears that book Number 1 would have covered the period from June 1, 1792, when Voigt was hired, at least through the summer of 1792. Book Number 1 is not in the Mint collection at the National Archives branch in Philadelphia. Taxay does not specifically cite it in his U.S. Mint and Coinage (1966). Have any of you ever heard of Voigt's first account book surfacing? If you have, would you have any idea of where it might be, and whom I might contact about examining it? Many thanks, and happy holidays to all. " HOW THE ANTHONY DOLLAR GOT P'D ON Tom DeLorey writes: "I remember the day in the Fall of 1978 when I was still working for Coin World, when Margo Russell came into the Editorial Department with the official Mint rendering of the new Susan B. Atrocity dollar. I was less than impressed, but being rather technically minded I asked her where the mint mark was going to be placed, there being none shown in the rendering. Margo, ever prone to direct action, immediately called the Mint Director to ask her where the mint mark would be, only to find out that the Directrix had no idea herself. She said she would check, and called back within the hour to tell Margo that the mint mark would be behind the shoulder, and that the Philadelphia Mint would be using a P mint mark on them! I found it amusing that the Mint Director had not been consulted on either the mint mark placement or the use of the P mint mark before our call, and have often wondered if my innocent remark caused the Director to stick her nose into an area where the Mint's actual management did not want her direction, and if it was perhaps her "helpful" idea to begin using a P mint mark on regular issue coins. We shall never know." MEDALS DIES OF A PUBLIC CHARACTER While looking for other things in my ephemera collection I unearthed an October 1862 U.S. mint pricelist titled "List of Medal Dies of a Public Character." It lists size and price for 70 bronze medals in seven subject categories. (from the 19th Money Tree sale Lot 252 (March, 1994)). I remembered Dick Johnson's recent query for information about the sale of medals, so I wrote to him asking if he'd like a copy, he replied: "Would I? Yes! This sounds like the first use of the word "List" in relation to the medals for sale at the Philadelphia Mint. Isn't it interesting they call this "Dies" instead of just "Medals." Does this not imply they had the dies on hand and would strike for anyone who wanted such a specimen? It is not only beneficial to know what you have but also the significance of the item and its importance. This sounds like it is important in the numismatic scheme of things. Your discovery is astounding." So off went a photocopy to Dick. In addition to the 70 bronze medals, The pricelist offers seven silver medals, and four in gold. In addition to the medals, proof coins were offered as well: "Set of silver and cent proof coins of the year 1862, $3.00" A set of gold proof coins was $43. Payment for gold coins was to be made in gold coin; payment for silver, in gold or silver coin. EARLY JOSH TATUM REFERENCES SOUGHT Bob Leonard writes: "I wonder whether any E-Sylum readers have encountered the story of Josh Tatum and the gilded nickels of 1883 BEFORE 1968, when Lynn Glaser published it in Counterfeiting in America (pp. 224-6). I haven't, but I haven't made an exhaustive search. Eric von Klinger, in his fine article in Coin World, December 22, was unable to substantiate it. MORE NUMISMATIC MOVIE BLOOPERS Tom DeLorey writes: "In the movie "Run Silent, Run Deep," set in WW2, a submariner pays for a bar bill back in Pearl Harbor with a $1 Silver Certificate laid face down on the bar so that "IN GOD WE TRUST" plainly shows. Though some Series 1935 bills bear this motto, they were not issued until the mid-1950s. In the George C. Scott version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (not sure of the name of the movie), young Ebenezer Scrooge's fiancee tosses a King George V gold sovereign onto a balance scale, though George III might have been more appropriate." Philip Mernick writes: "You asked in the latest E-Sylum if readers had more examples of wrong coins in movies. There was a good (that is bad!) example on BBC TV just a few weeks ago. It happened in the final episode of a very detailed (and apparently well researched) series on the life and loves of King Charles II titled "Charles II The Power and the Passion". Some one was handed a tray of coins that were clearly 20th century rather than 17th. In just the few seconds that the coins were in shot it was possible to distinguish a George VI coin and a French Fifth Republic coin. No doubt a frame by frame examination of a videotape would have shown more but I watched it "live". The BBC web site encourages feedback on their programs and they received many comments about this. This quote is part of their reaction to these comments: "Unfortunately that was a production error and a few people have commented on it! We will say that we are pleased the audience follows the programme s closely.....!" They seemed surprised that anyone would have spotted something so fleeting. Little do they know how observant we collectors can be! I am sure the series will be shown on TV in the USA. Will they change the scene? - probably not - so look out for the wrong coins!" Joe Boling writes: "The Hindenberg (about the crash of the Zeppelin), in which a shot of the pursar going through some of the money on board shows modern Japanese Y1000 notes. The Time of Your Life, the William Saroyan play on film. Set in the 1930s, a 1953 or later $2 bill (small red seal) and a 1963 or later $1 FRN are visible taped to the mirror behind the bar. It should not have been so hard for the props departments to get this right." GOOGLE BOOK SEARCH "Google has started letting people search text within books, following similar strides from retail behemoth Amazon.com. The service, called Google Print Beta, lets Web surfers call up brief excerpts from books, critic reviews, bibliographic and author's notes and, in some cases, a picture of the book jacket." "The search feature works with approximately 120,000 titles from 190 publishers, which translates into some 33 million pages of searchable text." To read the full article, see: http://news.com.com/2100-1038-5128515.html IRON AGE HOARD FOUND Arthur Shippee sent a link to an article about a newly found hoard: "Peter and Christine Johnson, from Sittingbourne, sparked a massive dig when they discovered some coins on farmland near Maidstone using a metal detector. The couple contacted Kent County Council and as a result more than 360 coins and coin fragments, dating from the first century BC, were dug up." "The hoard could be worth thousands of pounds, according to the council, which is keeping the coins in its safekeeping until they are sent to the British Museum for analysis." To read the full article, see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/3315899.stm WORLD'S LARGEST BOOK Len Augsberger writes: "Remarkable. The world's largest book has been produced, and QDB did NOT write it." Len included a link to article about the book: "A 133-pound tome about the Asian country of Bhutan that uses enough paper to cover a football field and a gallon of ink has been declared the world's largest published book. Author Michael Hawley, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it's not a book to curl up with at bedtime - "unless you plan to sleep on it.'' Each copy of "Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Kingdom,'' is 5-by-7 feet, 112 pages and costs about $2,000 to produce. Hawley is charging $10,000 to be donated to a charity he founded, Friendly Planet, which has built schools in Cambodia and Bhutan. Guinness World Records has certified Hawley's work as the biggest published book, according to Stuart Claxton, a Guinness researcher." "Hawley said he's received about two dozen orders for the book, which includes an easel-like stand. Early customers include Brewster Kahle, the inventor of the Internet Archive project, who has known Hawley for years through his computer science work at MIT. Hawley said his research revealed that the biggest book in the Library of Congress was John J. Audubon's 19th century "Birds of America,'' which is 2-by-3 feet. " To read the full article, see: http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/12/16/largest.book.ap/index.html" FEATURED WEB PAGE This week's featured web page is the Roman Numismatic Gallery of Emperor's Wives and Families http://www.romancoins.info/Kaiserinnen.html Wayne Homren Numismatic Bibliomania Society The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site. To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. For those without web access, write to W. David Perkins, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, P.O. Box 212, Mequon, WI 53092-0212. For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact David at this email address: wdperki@attglobal.net To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, just Reply to this message, or write to the Editor at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com (To be removed from the E-Sylum mailing list send an email message with the word "Unsubscribe" in the body of the message to: esylum-request@binhost.com) From whomren at coinlibrary.com Sun Dec 28 22:31:45 2003 From: whomren at coinlibrary.com (whomren@coinlibrary.com) Date: Wed Dec 22 19:41:56 2004 Subject: The E-Sylum v6#55, December 28, 2003 Message-ID: <20031229033145.3072.qmail@woodstock.binhost.com> Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 55, December 28, 2003: an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. IT'S A NEW YEAR! Dick Johnson writes: "At the beginning of a new year, we pause to reflect on the gem we all share in The E-Sylum. For the numismatic book collector, for whom it was originally intended, The E-Sylum has become a “must read.” But The E-Sylum has grown beyond its service to the NB collector. For numismatic writers E-Sylum has become a treasured tool; not only does it provide article ideas, but research capabilities beyond compare in the collective knowledge of its 612 subscribers. (Ask a question one week, you're bound to get a knowledgeable answer the next!). For serious numismatists it's a unique means of keeping up-to-date that printed coin publications cannot match in such a timely manner. For the entire numismatic field The E-Sylum is an international treasure. Thank you Wayne Homren for doing this every week. And thanks also to NBS for your sponsorship." [Happy New Year, all. Putting The E-Sylum together each week is a chore, but an enjoyable one. Our subscribers are an interesting and talented bunch, and I get to look forward your emails every day! Please help out by encouraging friends to subscribe, answering a query or submitting a new item or topic of interest. -Editor] PITTSBURGH ANA EXCURSIONS As discussed in the December 14, 2003 E-Sylum (v6#53), plans are underway for a special outing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of NBS at next year's ANA convention in Pittsburgh. "We'll visit the E-Sylum Ground Zero (my library), as well as the numismatic libraries of Asylum Editor E. Tomlinson Fort and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The latter features the rare first six volumes of the ANA's Numismatist magazine, and a shelf of early U.S. copper literature from the library of George H. Clapp. Separately, if there is enough interest, we may be able to arrange a viewing of selected coins from the Carnegie collection, which includes Clapp's Large Cent collection, some colonials, and some U.S. patterns." For those who may have missed the previous request, please email me if you have interest in the BOOK trip, the COIN trip, or BOTH. The convention is August 18-22, 2004. My address is whomren@coinlibrary.com. GEDDENK TALER REFERENCE SOUGHT Steve Huber writes: "I've been told there is a new reference for Geddenk Talers. These are German medals about the size of a U.S. Half minted from about 1890 through 1930. Many memorialized war efforts and officers in 1914/1915. Not only can I not locate any source for such a new reference but cannot locate any specific reference on the subject. Can anyone help me locate such a reference? Thanks." NOTES ON THE ANR SEBRING SALE CATALOG The catalog of the January 5-6, 2004 Classics sale from American Numismatic Rarities makes for interesting reading. The sale opens with another nice selection of U.S. pattern coins and ends with the Thomas H. Sebring collection of shipwreck coins and related items. The Sebring collection has a two-page introduction by Bob Evans of the S.S. Central America recovery team. In addition to recovered coins and ingots, the consignment features related medals, including the 1858 medal struck for the state of Virginia to honor the Central America's heroic captain William Lewis Hearndon. For bibliophiles, lot 1666 is a deluxe leatherbound version of Q. David Bowers' 2002 "A California Gold Rush History." ".. front endpapers include a pinch of 'authentic gold dust from the Central America' protected behind plastic in the miner's pan of the illustrated scene - a nice touch, inspired by the 1849 second edition of the 1842 'A Manual of Gold and Silver Coins of All Nations' and the '1850 New VArieties of Gold and Silver Coins' bu Jacob R. Eckfeldt and William E. DuBois of the Philadelphia Mint, works which included a specimen of California gold dust behind a mica window.... This edition cost nearly $1,000 per copy to produce.." The catalog includes an essay by John Kraljevich, "My Friend Tom Sebring." John describes meeting Sebring when attending his first coin show in West Chester, PA at age 10 in 1988. Sebring invited John to join the local coin club, which he did, and had the chance to see and learn from Tom and other experienced numismatists every month for the next seven years. Related to a recent E-Sylum topic, the auction also includes a 1783 Chalmers Shilling (lot 1039). From the lot description: "The recent discovery of a Chalmers threepence in the basement of a house on the street where Chalmers lived in 1783, covered in such papers as the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun, has led to speculation that the basement was the site of Chalmers' mint. While the discovery is an exciting one, the presence of a single coin is not persuasive evidence of minting activity, particularly in the absence of silver scrap, minting equipment or tools, or other implements manufactured by Chalmers. We prefer the historical record, which notes an outbuilding present on property that Chalmers actually owned and occupied up the street from the location of the recent discovery. LOEWINGER PROOF GOLD COINAGE BOOK An ad in the January 5, 2004 issue of Coin World (p70) offers a new book by Robert J. Loewinger, M.D. titled "Proof Gold Coinage of the United States." It is a hardcovered 128 page book measuring 7.75" x 10.5", with 136 full color illustrations. A article by Paul Gilkes (p3) notes that Dr. Loewinger will have "an extensive exhibit of high-grade type Proof gold to be displayed Jan. 8 to 11 during the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando." U.S. COINAGE RENAISSANCE BOOK IN PREPARATION The January 5, 2004 Coin World also includes a Guest Commentary by Roger W. Burdette, where he notes: "During the past four years, I have examined thousands of documents on the subject of the Mint Bureau's subsidiary silver coin redesign of 1916 and 1917. This research is in preparation of the book, "Renaissance of American Coinage, 1916-1921." Research has involved primary sources in manuscript collections of academic, art, government and private archives." We will look forward to the publication of Burdette's research, which should be an interesting look at a period of important change in the nation's coinage. ANCIENT COIN OF THE DAY Arthur Shippee thought the following URL would be of interest. It's a web log (or "blog") being used by the author to publish a coin a day from his collection of ancient coins. The text is brief, but the images are great. http://hobbyblog.blogspot.com/ He also writes: "The following links are from Explorator, a weekly collection of web-posted news about the pre-Modern world. (See http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism) Here's one to build a crackpot theory on ... a Roman coin was found during construction in New Zealand: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/26/1072308676546.html http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=38338&cat=1005&c=w MEDAL DIES OF A PUBLIC CHARACTER Regarding the 1862 U.S. Mint pricelist discussed last week, Rich Hartzog writes: "Interesting! May I inquire if any of the Indian Peace medals were available in silver? Thanks! The E-Sylum is 'must' reading. I may just have to break down and join NBS..." [Please do! NBS is far more than just The E-Sylum. Only members receive our quarterly print journal, the Asylum. NBS also sponsors meetings and literature symposia at major coin shows around the U.S. If you like The E-Sylum, you'll love the in-depth articles and talks your NBS membership supports. I welcome all non-member E-Sylum readers to consider making NBS your New Year's resolution for 2004. Membership is only $15 per year to North American addresses, and $20 elsewhere. As always, information on joining NBS may be found at the end of this email message. -Editor] Jan Monroe writes: "I am also very interested in getting a copy of the 1862 Mint price list. This list may shed some light on the silver medals available to the public. I would think it worth publishing in the Asylum." [Here are the silver medals offered in the pricelist: Cabinet Medal Presidency Relinquished Allegiance Medal Time Increases His Fame Commencement of Cabinet Double Head - Washington and Jackson Single Head - " " Sizes (in sixteenths of an inch) are: 37, 25, 18, 16, 12, 10, 10. Prices are: $5.00, $3.00, $1.12, $0.75, $0.35, $0.25, $0.20. Jan notes: "Thanks for the info. It is very helpful. I think is interesting that no silver Indian Peace Medals are offered to the public on this list." The gold medals are: Time Increases His Fame Commencement of Cabinet Double Head - Washington and Jackson Single Head - " " Sizes (same as silver): 16, 12, 10, 10 Prices: $12.00, $6.25, $10, $10 -Editor] BANK NOTE COMPANY DIRECTORY Regarding Dave Bower's desire for a "Dictionary of Early American Bank Note Engravers and Printers", Wendell Wolka writes: "Enjoyed reading the E-Sylum #54 (as I always do) and noticed Dave Bowers' comments about a dictionary of early bank note companies and printers ... I seem to recall that Foster Wild Rice made such an effort when he published the "Antecedents of the American Bank Note Company" back in the 1950s (?). Someplace in my library (we all have that problem, don't we!) I have a copy and it seems that he lists the years of operation of all of the different partnerships and name changes." [Great name: Foster Wild Rice. Did he have an uncle named Ben? -Editor] Joe Boling writes: "Is it possible that QDB does not know about Gene Hessler's "The Engraver's Line", a volume much like what he says he'd like to have?" PIERCE'S ORMSBY Charles Davis writes: "I devoted an entire page to the Pierce's Ormsby in Champa 1 where it sold to a mail bidder at $3,630." [NOTE: $3,300 plus a 10% buyer's fee is $3,630. -Editor] Michael J. Sullivan adds: You asked about the ownership history for the Ormsby appearing in the Heritage - CAA January auction. As Charlie Davis describes in Champa One (Nov. 1994), "obtained privately from Robert Wester." While estimated at $5,000, it opened at $3,100 closing at $3,300 with Hugh Shull as the floor buyer. So ...there is a piece of the story. By the way, when Armand Champa acquired this second copy of Ormsby in his library, he sold his first Ormsby via a West Coast dealer to a St. Louis collector. This occurred sometime around 1992." THE LONG AND SHORT OF URLS Regarding the "mile-and-a-half-long" URL for the Newman Museum article, Stephen Searle writes: "You may be interested in looking into http://tinyurl.com/ for your URLs in the E-Sylum. It is free and it works. I made one for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article on the Newman Numismatic Museum you provided. http://tinyurl.com/2xcku Keep up your excellent work!" [After plowing through dozens of junk emails telling me how to make certain things longer, it's a pleasant switch to read about making anything shorter. I may use this in the future when the situation calls. But readers are always advised to never count on any URL existing far into the future. On the web, everything changes constantly. So follow Mike Hodder's example - if you want to archive a referenced article for your files, print it out right away. Don't wait, or you may be disappointed later. -Editor] NEW ANA NUMISMATIC RESEARCHER David Sklow writes: "I have been hired by the American Numismatic Association. Sherry and I are very excited to be moving to Colorado Springs. I will be the new Numismatic Researcher." [Congratulations to Dave, who is the former NBS Secretary-Treasurer and a longtime ANA history buff and volunteer ANA Historian. His monthly columns in the Numismatist magazine are always interesting, and he'll make a fine researcher. -Editor] TRUMBULL WHITE BOOK: BOTH SIDES OF THE SHIELD Gar Travis writes: "I have picked up a very interesting hard cover book, copyright 1895, a privately printed 1st edition of "Silver and Gold or Both Sides of the Shield, with portraits (photographs) of leading Statesmen and Economists". It was edited by Trumbull White (1868-1941), author of "The World's Columbian Exposition, " War in the East," "Pictorial History of Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom", "In the Shadow of Death: Martinique and the World's Great Disasters", "Our New Possessions", "Through Darkest America", "Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror: Scenes of Death and Terror; also Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and More Disasters; San Francisco Earthquake of 1906", etc. The book is explained on the leading page as: A symposium of the views of all parties on the Currency Question as expressed by their leading advocates. Thoroughly expounding the doctrines of Free Silver, mono-metalism and bi-metalism, with all the arguments, pro. and con. From the Pens of John Sherman, Wm. B. Allison, John G. Carlisle, Edward Atkinson, Wm. M. Stewart, W.J. Bryan, Wm. A. Peffer, Wm. H. Harvey, Benj. R. Tillman, and others. Trumbull White was the first editor of Redbook Magazine, founded in 1903, given that name because White said "red is the color of happiness". He was editor of Ridgeway's "Everybody's Magazine" beginning with the October 1911 issue in 1914 he was managing editor after which he departed the magazine. While a journalist, he was the first to advise the young Ernest Hemingway that the best writing comes from personal experience and during the Spanish American War he was a well known correspondent, popular author and historian. The book apparently was reprinted in 2001 "by" John Sherman and "edited" by Trumbull White ISBN: 0898756588 - Paperback." JOSH TATUM REFERENCES Jess W. Gaylor writes: "Here are a few references to the Josh Tatum Mystery, even one from an old E-Sylum. Thanks for the great work. http://www.thegavel.net/2009.html http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article997.chtml http://www.swafde.org/josh.html http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum_v03n19.html" [These references are fine, but they don't answer the original question, which Pete Smith brought up in v3n19 and Bob Leonard revived in last week's issue: Where was the story of Josh Tatum first published? The earliest reference Bob found was in Lynn Glaser's 1968 "Counterfeiting in America" book (pp. 224-6). -Editor] FEATURED WEB SITE This week's featured web site is the numismatic section of 2020site.org, a site devoted to preserving useful historical and other documents in electronic form. The home page quotes Brother Bartholomew of Northumbria, A.D. 1159: "If any words are worth saving, it is these words." The site has three numismatic subsections, but the source of the texts are not well-documented. History of the US Mint Coins of the US Mint War Medals of the Confederacy The History of the Mint section includes Notes on the Early History of the Mint (From the Diary of Robert Morris) Establishment of the Philadelphia Mint Facsimile of Original Document of Congress that Establishes the Mint Payroll for Mint from 1795 Extract From Rules and Regulations Adopted For the Mint, January 1, 1825 Enlargement of the Mint http://www.2020site.org/ http://www.2020site.org/mint/ Wayne Homren Numismatic Bibliomania Society The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site. To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. For those without web access, write to W. David Perkins, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, P.O. Box 212, Mequon, WI 53092-0212. For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact David at this email address: wdperki@attglobal.net To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, just Reply to this message, or write to the Editor at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com (To be removed from the E-Sylum mailing list send an email message with the word "Unsubscribe" in the body of the message to: esylum-request@binhost.com)