Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 4, Number 03, January 21, 2001: 
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
Copyright (c) 2000, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
  

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES 

   We have four new subscribers this week: Bill Bischoff, 
   numismatic bookseller Orville J. Grady of Omaha, NE, 
   bookseller and bibliographer Harold Thomas, and 
   Hadrien Rambac, "a collector of antiquarian (1514-1750) 
   numismatic books"  See his Subscriber Profile 
   below for more information.  Welcome aboard, all! 
   Our subscriber count is now 364. 
  

SPMC ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 

   Fred Reed of the Society of Paper Money Collectors reports 
   that the "numbered limited edition of hard-bound copies of 
   SPMC's 164-page 40th Anniversary Commemorative Issue 
   are available for $50 postpaid and insured.  The issues will 
   be impressed with the Society's corporate seal and numbered 
   -- a real collectors' and bibliophile's heirloom!  Additional 
   regular softbound copies are also available for $15.  All issues 
   include a commemorative souvenir card by BEP Plate Printer 
   Michael Bean. 

   The issue includes articles by 56 authors and nearly 400 
   photographs of society members and activities, award-winners 
   and officers.  A special feature is the honoring of all SPMC 
   members with 9+ years seniority with the Society. 

   All current and new members receive the commemorative issue 
   (which commenced mailing January 19th), including the 
   souvenir card, and five more issues of our award-winning 
   magazine this year.  Membership is $24 annually. Address all 
   inquiries to Paper Money Editor Fred Reed, P.O. Box 793941, 
   Dallas, Texas  75379-3941  or by e-mail at: freed3@airmail.net 
  

RESEARCHER WALCUTT DIES AT SHOW 

   From an article on p36 of the January 29th COIN World: 
   "National Bank Note researcher and author Doug Walcutt, 
   65, died Jan 3, after suffering a heart attack while attending 
   the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando." 

   "Mr. Walcutt might be best known for his long-running 
   series based on his research of large-size national bank 
   notes.  The 26th installment of Mr. Walcutt's research into 
   national bank notes was published in the April-June 2000 
   issue of The Rag Picker, the Paper Money Collectors of 
   Michigan's Journal.  The first installment was published 
   in the January-March 1995 issue." 
  

BOOK: HISTORY OF THE POUND 

   A new 302-page book by David Sinclair, published by 
   Random House UK, covers the long history of the British 
   pound.  The book is titled "Pound - a Biography: The Story of 
   the Currency That Ruled the World and Lasted a 1000 Years" 

   A review by Paul Podolsky in the January 15th Wall Street 
   Journal noted "the first portion of the book is limited to 
   examining 500 years of the quarter-penny farthing, the groat, 
   the noble and other such monetary experiments concurrent 
   with the reign of King Eric Blood-Axe." 

   From the Publisher: "Packed with detail and colour, this 
   fascinating book charts the Pound's development from its 
   origins in the Dark Ages to its role today in cyberspace when, 
   single European currency or not, it may be coming to the end 
   of its life. The Pound is also the revealing story of Britain and 
   her people on the world stage.  Britain's currency was the first 
   great international exchange currency, laying the foundations 
   for world trade. The Pound illuminates the kings and queens, 
   merchants and bankers, politicians and fraudsters who have 
   all played their parts in the rise and decline of the British Nation." 
  

SUBSCRIBER PROFILE: HADRIAN RAMBACH 

   New subscriber Hadrien Rambach of France is a 19 year old 
   business student and collector of antiquarian numismatic books 
   (1514-1750).  "I intend to work either in a bank or in the art 
   market  (big gallery, auctioneer ...  I already have work experience 
   with an auctioneer in France, and Spink & Son in London.  I am 
   also a collector of the denars of Publius Aelius Hadrianus 
   (76-117-138) and his family. 

   I already knew about the NBS from a paper which had been 
   put in a Kolbe catalogue.  Yesterday I found your website, and 
   discovered that you had a mailing-list." 
  

SPECIFIC GRAVITY 

   Dan Demeo writes: "With regard to Rafael Delgado's inquiry 
   about metals having specific gravity around 7 (6.9-7.3), there 
   are lots of choices, some of which could be eliminated easily: 

        chromium--7.20, but too hard to strike coins 
        cast iron--7.2--but brittle, and it rusts 
        tin--7.28--a good possibility 
        zinc--7.14--another good one 

   There are quite a number of metals and alloys which fit the 
   range specified.  One way to determine the composition is to 
   put the object in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and 
   analyze the surface using energy dispersive x-ray analysis 
   (EDX).  PCGS has had this done, so Mr. Delgado should 
   be able to have his object (coin?) analyzed or authenticated 
   through them.  Or, he could look up local laboratories offering 
   SEM/EDX services or x-ray fluorescence services.  On the 
   bad side, it might cost several hundred dollars for the analysis, 
   but he will have an answer, which is always better than all the 
   guesses in the world." 
  

FLATT'S COINS OF INDEPENDENT PERU 

   Ralf W. Boepple of Stuttgart, Germany writes: "At this occasion, 
   I would like to inquire about a series of booklets  I have, the 
   volumes I-V of Horace P. Flatt's 'The Coins of  Independent 
   Peru" (bought in 1997).  I was wondering whether there have 
   been more volumes published subsequently, and if so, how I 
   could obtain them.  The publisher is Haja Enterprises in Terrell, 
   TX,  but I don't have an address or phone number. Can anyone 
   help?" 
  

WANTED: ALL THINGS ITALIAN 

   Our Turinese associate Ferdinando Bassoli writes: "Out of 
   curiosity, please ask your associates in the next E-Sylum, at 
   their convenience, whether they know of any book or coin in 
   their reach of Italian interest.   Thank you." 

   [Mr. Bassoli's email address is  albergian@tiscalinet.it. 
    Our web site bibliography, edited by Larry Mitchell, 
    lists six references for the Modern Coinages of Italy, 
    the Papal States, and Monaco. 

   http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_biblio_mo_italy.html 

   -Editor] 
  

NOTES ON DYE'S PUBLICATIONS 

   In response to the earlier question about Dye's Encyclopedia, 
   Dave Bowers has submitted a large number of notes from his 
   file on John S. Dye, in hope that they may stimulate some 
   discussion.  While a bit lengthy for The E-Sylum, in the interest 
   of furthering research, here they are.  [Editor's note: Wow!] 

 . • Imprints in Cincinnati, OH; New York City, NY. 
   • 1847: Commenced publication of Dye’s Wall Street Broker. 
   • 1850: Cincinnati, OH.  Imprint appeared on Dye’s Counterfeit 
      Detector and Universal Bank Note Gazetteer. (Essentially, 
      this same publication was also issued under the imprint of 
     Joseph Arnold, Philadelphia, 1850). 
   • 1852: In Cincinnati he published Dye’s Bank Mirror and 
      Illustrated Counterfeit Detector. 
   • 1852: Title of his publication changed to Dye’s Bank Mirror 
      and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector. 
   • 1853: Dye’s Book of Bank Note Plates, an Accompaniment 
       to His Illustrated Bank Mirror for 1853, published in 
       Cincinnati. 
   • 1854: Moved to New York City by this time; 172 Broadway 
      at the corner of Maiden Lane. Published the semi-monthly 
      Dye’s Bank Mirror. 
   • 1854, circa: Published Dye’s Gold and Silver Chart Manual 
      with New York City and Cincinnati imprints. 
   • 1855: Began publication of Dye’s Bank Bulletin. In the same 
      decade he published Dye’s Bank Mirror. 
   • 1855: Published first “complete edition” of his manual, Dye’s 
      Bank Note Plate Delineator. 288 pages; lists about 1,200 
      banks.  Apparently, this manual was also issued in regional 
      or partial editions. 
   • 1855: Published Bank Bulletin on a daily basis. 
   • 1856: In 1856, Hodges & Co., New York, introduced 
      Hodges’ New Bank Note Delineator; A Complete Spurious 
      and Altered Bill Detector, Giving Correct Printed Descriptions 
      of all The Genuine Notes of Every Denomination, of All Banks 
      Doing Business Throughout the United States and Canada. 
      This contained identical wording and some errors found in an 
      1855 Dye work and was either pirated from or a successor to 
      Dye’s work. • 1856, August. The Merchants’ Magazine this 
      date carried a report of a lecture by Dye in which he told of 
      bank note frauds, the making of fake plates for fake banks, 
      the alternation of plates and notes, etc. 
   • 1858: The Litchfield (CT) Bank was insolvent. Court 
      testimony indicated that the bank had paid nearly $1,000 in 
      various transactions to Monroe, Dye, and Taylor, being three 
      New York City publishers of bank note detectors; this was 
      done “not to blow the bank.” 
   • 1870s and 1880s: Published Dye’s Government Counterfeit 
      Detector. 
   • 1879: 1338 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, opposite the 
      U.S. Mint. 
   • 1883: Listed as author of Dye's Coin Encyclopaedia, but he 
      had died by the publication date.  The book was a “potboiler” 
      issued with a pretentious “encyclopedia” title, but consisting 
      more of a scrapbook of miscellany.  However, careful perusal 
      of its contents reveals much useful information including the 
      processing of gold, discoveries in California, E.L. Mason, Jr.’s 
      recitation of the re-discovery of the 1861 Confederate States 
      of America half dollar, etc., etc.  All told, it is a useful addition 
      to any 19th century American numismatic library, but it is hardly 
     the source for all you want to know about coins. 

   Dye’s Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector. 
   • 1852: New title of the previous Dye’s Counterfeit Detector 
      and Universal Bank Note Gazetteer. Cincinnati, OH. 
   • 1854: By this time, John S. Dye had changed the title to Dye’s 
      Bank Mirror. Dye was in New York City. 

   Dye’s Bank Mirror and Illustrated Counterfeit Detector. 
   • 1852: Published by John S. Dye in Cincinnati, OH. 

   Dye’s Bank Mirror. 
   • 1854: John S. Dye, 172 Broadway at the corner of 
      Maiden Lane. Renamed from Dye’s Bank Mirror and 
      Illustrated Counterfeit Detector, which Dye had founded 
      in Cincinnati, OH. 

   Dye’s Bank Note Plate Delineator. 
   • 1855: Published in New York City by John S. Dye. 

   Dye’s Book of Bank Note Plates, an Accompaniment to His 
   Illustrated Bank Mirror for 1853. 
   • 1853: John S. Dye, Cincinnati, OH. 

   Dye’s Counterfeit Detector and Universal Bank Note Gazetteer. 
   • 1850: John S. Dye, Cincinnati, OH.  (Essentially, this same 
      publication was also issued under the imprint of Joseph 
      Arnold, Philadelphia, 1850). 
   • 1852: Title of publication changed to Dye’s Bank Mirror and 
      Illustrated Counterfeit Detector. 

   Dye’s Government Counterfeit Detector. 
   • 1870s and 1880s: Published by William S. Dye in New 
      York City, later Philadelphia. 

   Dye’s Wall Street Broker. 
   • 1847, circa: Published by John S. Dye. 
  

2001 COINAGE OF THE AMERICAS CONFERENCE 

   A number of E-Sylum subscribers will be featured at the 2001 
   Coinage of the Americas Conference, sponsored by the 
   American Numismatic Society.  The conference is being 
   organized by NBS Past President P. Scott Rubin, and the 
   topic is "Error Coins."   From an ANS press release: 

   Conference Topic: Error Coins 
   Date: March 17, 2001 
   Location: Baltimore Convention Center, One West Pratt Street, 
      Room 302, Baltimore, MD 21201 

   Registration Fee: $25 
   Sign-in and registration begins at 9:00 a.m. 
   Lectures will begin at 9:30 a.m. 

   For more information or to register, please contact: 
   Tarnisha Smart 
   Tel:(212)234-3130 ext. 217 
   Fax: (212)234-3381 
   Email: smart@amnumsoc.org 

   Speakers are listed below with their topics: 

      P. Scott Rubin, Conference Chairman 
      "A History of Error Collecting in the U.S." 

      Dr. Philip Mossman 
      "Colonial Coinage Errors" 

      Tom DeLorey 
      "1943 Copper Cents" 

      J.T. Stanton 
      "Pocket Change Varieties" 

      Allen Herbert 
      "Are Errors Really Minting Varieties?" 

   A paper by members of the Gallery Mint Museum on 
   investigating if a coin was an error or an intentional mint 
   necessity coinage will be included with proceedings." 
  

GENEOLOGY QUOTES 

   "One man told his friend - "I looked up my family tree 
   and discovered I was the sap."  [April 1977 Reader's Digest] 

   "I come from a stupid family. During the civil war my great 
    uncle fought for the West!"  [Rodney Dangerfield] 
  

FEATURED WEB SITE 

   This week's Featured Web Site is a news article from The 
   Independent: "A perfectly preserved hoard of gold coins, 
   which were hidden under the floorboards of a palatial Roman 
   villa 1,800 years ago, have been discovered by archaeologists. 

   The treasure, consisting of 43 Roman gold aurei dating from 
   AD60 to AD174, would have been worth the equivalent of 
   £60,000 when it was interred by wealthy Romano-Britons. 
   The 22-carat gold coins are one of just four comparable 
   hoards found in Britain and the first such treasure to be 
   unearthed in London. 

   Archaeologists from the Museum of London discovered 
   the gold in a small subterranean chamber under the long- 
   decayed floorboards of a once well-appointed Roman 
   town house, off what is now Fenchurch Street in the city 
   centre." 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2001-01/coin100101.shtml 
  

   Wayne Homren 
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society