Welcome to the Numismatic Bibliomania Society 
mailing Volume 2, Number 4:  January 25, 1999.  

NEW SUBSCRIBERS  

    No new subscribers this week - you folks aren't trying 
    hard enough...  Who do you know who might like to 
    join in? 
   

ASYLUM COMING SOON  

   NBS Secretary-Treasurer Dave Hirt reports that the latest 
   issue of the Asylum is in his hands and mailing labels are 
   being prepared.  The issue should be in the mail by the 
   end of the week. 
   

ADAMS UPDATE UNDERWAY  

   George Kolbe is requesting corrections and other input 
   for an inexpensive, revised, new edition of John W. Adams' 
   "American Numismatic Literature-Volume I: Nineteenth 
   Century Auction Catalogs."   He can be reached at 
   numislit@compuserve.com 
   

COUNTERFEIT COIN SEMINAR  

    Tom Sheehan (twsheeh@ibm.net ) is helping to organize 
    a  Counterfeit Coin Seminar March 26, 27 and 28, 1999 
   on the University of Washington campus in Seattle.  

   "Art, the Art of Forgery and Coinage" is a three day 
   "hands on" seminar sponsored in part by: the American 
    Numismatic Society, the University of Washington, 
    the American Numismatic Association, and others. 
    Contact Tom for details. 
   

IRISH COPPERS INFO WANTED  

   Phil Mossman (  PLMossman@aol.com ) writes: 
   "Does anyone have any personal knowledge of any 
   Wood's Hibernia, St. Patrick's, Voce Populi, or other 
   Irish coppers (prior to 1783) found either in hoards or 
   recovered at archeological sites in British North America? 
   I'm making a census of all those reported (especially their 
   location) to determine if a circulation pattern exists." 
   

U.S. TREASURER INFO WANTED  

   Tom O'Mara writes: "I am doing some research on 
   US Treasurers.... and am having no luck finding 
   much information.. I am specifically looking for 
   biographies on most of the Treasurers from the late 
   1800s through the early 1900's   .... I can't believe 
   how little available info there is... there is a fair amount 
   on Secty's of Treasury, but none on Treasurers.... The 
   Treasury Historical Society claims they have nothing.... "  

   Tom can be reached at TFXILOM@aol.com. 
   I let him know that Pete Smith's book, "American 
   Numismatic Biographies" contains entries for U.S. 
   Treasurers. 
   

 RESEARCH QUESTION: J. L. RIDDELL  

   True to form, Pete Smith responded with a detailed reply in 
   response to Brad Karoleff's question about J.L. Riddell:  

      John Leonard Riddell was born in Leyden, Massachusetts, 
      on February 20, 1807.  He was an 1829 graduate of the 
      Rensselar School in Troy, New York.  Trained as a botanist, 
      he was a professor at Cincinnati Medical College and 
      received his M.D. there in 1836. Later he taught at the 
      Medical College of Louisiana which became Tulane University.  

       In 1838 he was appointed melter and refiner for the New 
      Orleans Mint and he continued in that position until 1849. He 
      wrote "A Monograph of the Silver Dollar Good and Bad" in 
      1845.  He is noted for developing an early version of a binocular 
      microscope in 1851. He spent the Civil War years in New Orleans 
      and died there October 7, 1865.   Riddell is not listed in the 
      "Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy" or several other Civil 
      War references I checked.  His biographies in general references 
      do not indicate service as postmaster.  

       John Henninger Reagan was born in Sevier County, Tennessee, on 
       October 8, 1818.  He was elected to the Texas State Legislature in 
       1847. He was educated as a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in 
       1848. After serving as a district court judge, he was elected to the 
       U.S. Congress and served March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1861. After 
       outbreak of the Civil War, he was elected to the Congress of the 
       Confederacy. In March of 1861, he was appointed by Jefferson Davis 
       as Postmaster General of the Confederacy.  He is credited with 
       maintaining regular mail service during the war and keeping costs  

       affordable.  Late in the war he served as Secretary of the Treasury 
       for the Confederacy.  Following the war, he returned to the practice of 
       law and was elected to the Congress from Texas in 1875. He was 
       elected to the Senate in 1887. He died in Palestine, Texas, on March 
       6, 1905.  

       Both men were married three times. Both men were important enough 
       to have biographies in standard American biographical references. 
       Although Riddell may have held a position as local postmaster, that was 
       not important enough to be included in his biographies. 
   

 FEATURED WEB SITE  

   Since we're on the subject of the U.S. Civil War,  today's featured 
   web site is the Civil War Token Society.  Over-animated, but 
   informative.   The address is:  

       http://home.att.net/~tc38thark/cwts/cwts.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.money.org/club_nbs.html 
  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 21701  

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