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NEWMAN PORTAL ADDS ALASKAN ZNACHKI BULLETINThe latest addition to the Newman Numismatic Portal is The Alaskan Znachki Bulletin. What's that? Read on. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following
report. -Editor
“Znachki” is a word far outside the lexicon of most readers, but the Newman Portal user will find two useful entries on the subject. Dick Johnson’s Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology first offers a formal definition:
“Russian medallic pinbacks, issued like most medallic items, for awards, commemorating anniversaries, outstanding deeds, souvenir or membership in some organization. Mostly made of lightweight alloys, as anodized aluminum, znachki are often enameled for color. Lenin was a popular portrait on znachki when Russia was communist. Collectors of znachki are called falerists, and have their own societies, both in the Soviet and elsewhere; the International Federation of Falerists is headquartered in Canada. The closest item in America would be a lapel pin and a pin collectors' society.” I’m not sure if I’d rather be called a falerist or a philatelist (stamp collector), fortunately “numismatist,” in English at least, doesn’t sound nearly as creepy. Are there American collectors of znachki? Indeed there are, and Alaska dealer Dick Hanscom created a newsletter, The Alaskan Znachki Bulletin, in the late 1980s. Although not strictly numismatic, these are often collected in conjunction with tokens, and similar themes are illustrated on each. Political badges and related Americana are a staple of U.S. coin shows, and in Alaska you might also see “znachki.” Image: From the June 1987 issue of Alaskan Znacki Bulletin, a pin protesting President Carter’s Alaskan anti-development policy. Link to “Znachki” in Dick Johnson’s Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology: Link to Alaskan Znachki Bulletin on Newman Portal: See another article elsewhere in this issue for more information on Znacki. -Editor
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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