Welcome to the Numismatic Bibliomania Society
mailing Volume 2, Number 5: February 1, 1999.
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
As proof positive that the latest issue of The Asylum is
on the streets, we have two new subscribers this week:
Steven Abromowitz and A.N.A. Chief Judge Joe Boling.
Welcome aboard! This brings our number of subscribers
to 123.
NEW EDITORS
As announced in The Asylum, NBS cofounder George
Kolbe has stepped down as Editor of The Asylum,
taking a well-deserved break from what is always an
over-taxing and under-appreciated job. Three cheers
for George and his great work over the past three years!
Stepping into those sasquatch-sized shoes are our ninth
Editors: Marilyn Reback and Bob Metzger. Marilyn
will serve as publication editor; she is currently the
Assistant Editor of The Numismatist for the A.N.A,
and Editor of the journal Paper Money for the Society
of Paper Money Collectors. Bob Metzger is a longtime
member of NBS, and he assumes the role of
Editor-In-Chief, becoming the conduit between NBS
and Ms. Reback, helping to solicit articles and provide
feedback.
INFO ON ENAMELED COINS?
Subscriber Michael Rae of Bedford, Texas "would
be interested to know if anyone has any info on
enameled coins or has any for sale or knows where
some are for sale. I am thinking about writing a
reference on such. It seems a great many were made
during the Victorian era in Great Britain and France.
These were done with quality workmanship. Any
books or papers would be a help. Thanks."
Write to MRae7@aol.com
BIBLIOGRAPHIES WANTED
Scott Semans (SSemens@aol.com) writes:
I'm trying to find out if a new edition of the
work: American Numismatic Auction Catalogs
by Martin Gengerke has ever been done, or
if anyone has any edition of any work
comprehensively listing auctions by US and/or
foreign firms - to sell or lend.
RIDDELL RIDES AGAIN
Questioner Brad Karoleff wrote to "thank all
the people that responded to my inquiry about
J.L. Riddell. I had the information Pete Smith
wrote in his book on my shelf (and thank Pete
for the expanded information). The attached
note was the last piece of information that I was
looking for in my research. It all goes to show
that if you ask the right question in the right forum
you will get the right answer!"
Well Brad, we're not done yet. A few more
folks chimed in, and I finally found a moment to
retrieve a key reference from my own library.
Subscriber John Tidwell writes: "The final piece
of information that I can add to Pete's answer is
that Riddell served as the postmaster of the city
of New Orleans from 1860 - 1863. Prior to that
he had also served the city as a member of it's
Sanitary Commission during the study of the causes
of Yellow Fever."
William T. Gibbs, Coin World News Editor, writes:
"It was nice to see the reference to John Leonard
Riddell. I hope to write an article about him in an
upcoming issue of Coin World. I've not completed
my research just yet (a reprint of his "Monograph of
the Silver Dollar" is on my desk even as I type this),
but hope that article appears by mid-year. I'd
appreciate any help anyone can give me."
Write to bgibbs@coinworld.com
A final note from your newsletter editor - the single
best source of information I've ever found on
Riddell is a monograph by Karlem Riess of Tulane
University, first published in the Tulane Studies in
Geology and Paleontology (Vol 13, Nos 1-2,
September 1, 1977). The 110-page study was
also produced as an offprint by the Louisiana
Heritage Press. The study reveals Riddell as a
very colorful character, with achievements in the
fields of medicine, botany, chemistry, geology,
and physics. While Director of the New Orleans
Mint, charges were brought against him by a
former mint workman, and Riddell was convicted
of assault and battery.
As an avid reader of footnotes, I discovered
two tantalizing gems for bibliophiles: one is
a reference to a treatise that may never have
been published - "Short Historical Account of
the United States Branch Mint in New Orleans,
Louisiana, and its Operations, Together with the
Coining Process".
The other item is a note that Riddell's diaries
were used in researching the study, and that
they are on deposit at the Howard-Tilton
Memorial Library at Tulane University in
New Orleans. Wow!
One last note - in the current issue of The Asylum,
Mike Hodder discusses the pedigrees of the
known original Confederate Half Dollars. One of
these four coins was presented to a "Dr. Biddle".
Hodder, myself, and Mark Borchart (in his 1994
monograph on "Coinage of the Confederacy")
believe this actually refers to none other than
our hero Professor John Leonard Riddell.
FEATURED WEB SITE
A few issues ago I noted that a great-great grandson
of 19th-century coin dealer W. Elliott Woodward had
found the NBS web site while researching his ancestor.
Well, a draft of his efforts are available at the following
address:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/2594/woodward/wewoodwardbiography.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.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)
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