The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

PREV        NEXT        V3 2000 INDEX        E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 50, December 3, 2000: 
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
Copyright (c) 2000, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
  

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES 

   We have one new subscriber this week: Todd Ballen, a previous 
   subscriber who just rejoined. Welcome back! Lionel Silva 
   unsubscribed.   This keeps our subscriber count at 352. 
  

ASYLUM MAILED 

   The 2000 No. 3 issue of The Asylum was mailed on November 
   28th, and many NBS members have already received it. 
  Contents: 

      Wayne Homren: "President's Message" 
      Karl Moulton: "Behind the Scenes" 
      Mike Paradis: "A Research Query: Guttag Publications" 
      Joel Orosz: "Missing Masterpieces: The Twilight Zone 
         of American Numismatic Literature" 
      John and Nancy Wilson: "The Ken Lowe Library Sale" 
      Pete Smith: "News from the Net" 
      John and Nancy Wilson: "Overprinted Coin Show 'Red Books' 
         and Mr. Yeo" 
      E. Tomlinson Fort: "CD Review: Scottish Currency" 

   The back cover is a Memorium of John F. Bergman, 
   featuring a photo of John taken by E-Sylum editor 
   Wayne Homren during a visit to his library in 1991. 
   The upcoming 2000 No. 4 issue of The Asylum will 
   feature several remembrances of John.  The issue is 
   nearly ready to go to the printer and should be in members' 
   hands by the end of the year. 

   If you are not already a member of NBS, please consider 
   joining.  Only paid members receive The Asylum.  For 
   more information, see the end of this newsletter. 
  

MICHIGAN STATE SHOW 

   Michael E. Marotta writes: "The Michigan State Numismatic 
   Society annual Fall show over Thanksgiving Weekend draws 
   about 200 dealers.  If you count the two newspaper publishers, 
   this year there were six literature sellers.  I had the opportunity 
   to meet John H. Burns of North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. 
   I bought a reprint of Adams & Woodin from him. It looks 
   nice next to my Judd. I got it because Adams' catalog of 
   Western Gold served so well for those with a latter day 
   interest and because Woodin was instrumental in keeping 
   legal to own during the New Deal common gold coins priced 
   near London Spot such as the Three Dollar." 
  

FUN MEETING 

   A regional meeting of NBS will be held Saturday, January 
   6, 2001 at the Florida United Numismatists convention in 
   Orlando, Florida.  Held from 11:00am-Noon in room 
   231C, the featured speaker will be Mike Ellis,  former 
   President of CONECA and editor of the 4th edition of "The 
   Cherrypicker's Guide to Rare Die Varieties." Mike's topic is 
   "The Proliferation of Recent Numismatic Literature on the 
   subject of Varieties and Errors."  Room 231C. 

   Many thanks to Fred Lake and NBS Board member 
   Bill Murray for putting this event together.  [Editor's note: 
   Yours truly will be en route to Orlando for a family vacation 
   that morning, and with luck, will attend the NBS meeting. 
   I hope to many of you there.] 
  

MORE MARIA THERESIA REFERENCES 

   Ronald Greene writes: "I don't know if the person wanting 
   Maria Theresia taler information is aware of  "1780 Restrike 
   Talers of Maria Theresia" by M.R. Broome    Doris Stockwell 
   Memorial Papers No. 1, reprinted from the Numismatic 
   Chronicle, Seventh series, Vol XII,   1972   illus,  4 plates." 

   Greene's recommendation was seconded by  Granvyl G. 
   Hulse, Jr., Librarian of Numismatics International: "The best 
   work I have found on this subject is Michael R. Broome's 
   "The 1780 Restrike Talers of Maria Theresia" published in 
   1972, 24pp, w/plates. He has done quite a job of determining 
   the mints by the change in design on the outer rims.  One 
   other book not mentioned is Josef Hans "Zwei Jahrhunderte 
   Maria Theresien Taler 1751-1951", pub 1950, 60pp, illus. I 
   can't speak for how well it is written as my German is very 
   poor." 
  

MORE ON THE 1850 ECKFELDT-DUBOIS 

   George Kolbe writes: "I can add two more colors to Dave 
   Bowers' 1850 Eckfeldt-Du Bois palette, namely, black and 
   white. In my admittedly limited experience, black and blue 
   turn up most often, then red, and, rarely, white. The printing 
   must have been large, though many copies have surely perished, 
   and many appear to have been vandalized (i.e., the gold 
   samples have been removed). 

   I first met John J. Ford, Jr. over an enjoyable breakfast at the 
   old Statler Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles (probably in June 1977) 
   and recall that this book, and the binding colors, were among 
   the topics discussed. 

   Several years a ago a stunning copy of the 1850 Eckfeldt- 
   Du Bois came up for sale in Los Angeles, at an auction by Austin, 
   Texas bookseller Dorothy Sloan (herself stunning) of Henry 
   Clifford's "Zamorano 80" and other Western Americana holdings. 
   It was a superb, "blazing" royal blue copy, inscribed to "J. B. 
   Longacre with the respects of the authors, Feby 1850." 

   I attended the sale, intending to bid on this and several other lots, 

   but I never got a chance to raise my hand when the volume in 
   question came up for sale. Estimated at $2,500-$4,500, it 
   opened at low estimate and bids were rapidly batted back and 
   forth between the "book" (I believe) and a floor bidder, who 
   eventually prevailed at $5,100. I should'a been willing to pay 
   more - the mournful refrain of the unsuccessful bidder." 
  

PERKINS BANK BILL TEST 

   Eric P. Newman  writes: "You asked in your Nov.26, 2000 
   Bulletin about the present location of the  JACOB PERKINS 
   BANK BILL TEST from the Streeter sale in l966-70.  It is in 
   its original marbled paper thin boards and is in choice condition. 
   It has been in my library (actually in my bank safe deposit box) 
   since shortly after the sale. If my recollection is correct I was 
   unsuccessful in my bid for it because one of the institutions 
   outbid the limit my agent had from me. 

   Then the institution decided that they really didn't want it and 
   asked my agent to try to sell it to the underbidder for what I 
   had bid. I was just lucky to back into it that way.  The only 
  other one I have ever heard of was the Fuld - Bass copy which 
   was completely rebound and which I think Kolbe sold rather 
   recently.  Does anyone know of any other originals, as I have 
   not checked carefully?  Fuld made reproductions of his piece 
   long ago. As soon as others furnish you with information as to 
   what other numismatic books were in the Streeter Sale I believe 
   I can comment further." 
  

COIN THEFTS 

   Just one response so far to the "Famous Coin Thefts" query 
   -  the controversial case of William Sheldon and the Clapp 
   coppers from the American Numismatic Society collection. 

   Some lesser known documentary evidence of 19th century 
   coin thefts include broadsides printed just after the theft - do 
   any of our ephemera collectors have any of these? 
  

1804 DOLLAR FOUND IN CHINA 

   Just when you've thought you'd heard every cockamamie 
   story about someone finding an 1804 dollar, along comes 
   another one.  We last visited this perennial subject in the 
   January 23, 2000 issue (Volume 3, Number 4), after an 
   ad appeared in COIN WORLD offering a "$25,000 
   REWARD for the location  and legitimate recovery of my 
  1804 SILVER DOLLAR."  The full issue is archived on our 
   web site at this address: 
   http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum_v03n04.html 

   Nearly a year later, we're treated to a web site titled 
   "King of Kings of American Dollar?", where the author 
   (whose English needs some work) notes:  "I have 
   discovered an incredible coin in China. The 1804 dollar 
   to be precisely. "  Quoting from the web pages: 

   "The main purpose here is not to make my simulation one true 
   event. Rather my attempt is to draw interests to my collection. 
   Just in case this coin of mine is a genuine one. This much I 
   must do on my site so that other researchers can direct their 
   attentions on unexplored water." 

   "This coin was purchased in a Chinese flea market where most 
   items were once owned by families for decades if not centuries. 
   The very point of purchase in itself constitutes a strong case." 

   The site includes illustrations of the coin - see for yourself. 
   http://www.geocities.com/coinpoints/king_coin.htm 
   Perhaps one of you "other researchers" out there would like 
   to render an opinion... 
  

FEATURED WEB SITE 

   This week's featured web pages are devoted to Saint Eligius. 
   This past Friday, December1st, was the festival day of St. Eligius. 
   Most commonly known as the patron saint of goldsmiths and 
   blacksmiths,  Eligius is also considered to be the patron saint 
   of minters, minting, numismatics, and numismatists. 

   From http://www.catholic.org/saints/saints/eligius.html: 
   "Eligius (also known as Eloi) was born around 590 near 
   Limoges in France. He became an extremely skillful metalsmith 
   and was appointed master of the mint under King Clotaire II 
   of Paris. Eligius developed a close friendship with the King 
   and his reputation as an outstanding metalsmith became 
   widespread. With his fame came fortune. Eligius was very 
   generous to the poor, ransomed many slaves, and built several 
   churches and a monastery at Solignac." 

      http://www.catholic.org/saints/saints/eligius.html: 

   To see what St. Eligius may have looked like, refer to the 
   painting "St. Eligius in His Workshop", created in 1449 by 
   Petrus Christus (active 1444-1472/73 Oil on wood, 98 x 85 
   cm,  Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.  The second 
   page shows a statue of St. Eligius in France. 

      http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/c/christus/eligius.html 
      http://www.keenjunk.com/sketchbk/sh80409a.htm 

   For details of his life, see The Medieval Sourcebook: The 
   Life of St. Eligius, 588-660 

      http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/eligius.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, 
  contact Dave Hirt, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, 
  5911 Quinn Orchard Road, Frederick, MD 21704 

  (To be removed from this mailing list 
   write to me at whomren@coinlibrary.com)   

PREV        NEXT        V3 2000 INDEX        E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

NBS Home Page    Back to top

Google
 
NBS (coinbooks.org) Web