The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 30, July 22, 2001, Article 13

BOWERS ON BOOKS AND BITS 

   From Dave Bowers' recent Coin World column:  "Books 
   and catalogues seem certain to endure.  For electronic media, 
   such as the Internet, the jury is out regarding permanence. 
   Often messages in electronic media are so disorganized and, 
   collectively, are so extensive that they are not saved. Witness 
   the millions of words that were exchanged among dealers on 
   the various Teletype and electronic trading media from about 
   1961 to present. I am not aware that any valuable research 
   information, or even market data, can be easily found from 
   such sources today, if indeed, they were ever archived. What 
   does survive is apt to be found in summary form in The Coin 
   Dealer Newsletter or in an article in a printed newspaper or 
   magazine. 

   So it is with the Internet. It is too early know what, if anything, 
   will achieve permanent status from the flood of comments, 
   illustrations, coin listings, etc., that are generated hourly or even 

   by the second or minute.  In contrast, by way of illustration, I 
   imagine that the coins offered in the Bowers and Merena 
   Galleries catalogue of the Lucien LaRiviere Collection, or 
   Stack’s catalogue of the Marvin Taichert Collection, or Joe 
   Levine’s “Hard Times” Sale, or Ira and Larry Goldberg’s 
   Orlando Sale will be remembered a century hence by 
   numismatic scholars.  On the other hand, I suspect that 
   hardly any of the coins — including many rarities — offered 
   and/or sold on eBay during the entire year of 2000 will be 
   remembered at all." 

   [Editor's note:  many thanks to Dave for mentioning NBS 
   and The E-Sylum in his column; thanks also to the writers 
   and editors at Coin World and Numismatic News for their 
   regular mentions of E-Sylum issues in recent months.] 

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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