Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 39, September 24, 2000:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2000, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATES
We have two new subscribers this week: Gregg Silvis and
NBS member Jess Patrick. Welcome aboard! This brings
our subscriber count to 341.
REGIONAL NBS MEETINGS
David Fanning asked about regional NBS meetings. We do
have them on occasion when members are able to run them
at a regional coin show. We typically have a meeting at the
Florida United Numismatists show in January, and sometimes
also have meetings at the A.N.A. midyear show and elsewhere.
If you would like to have an NBS meeting at an upcoming
coin show, please let me know via email at this address:
whomren@coinlibrary.com.
As for the upcoming FUN show, Fred Lake reports: "I've
already reserved the time and the room. It will be at 11:00
AM on Saturday, January 6, 2001." If you'll be at the show
and would care to make a short presentation to the group,
please contact Fred at this address: FredLake@aol.com.
DANISH BOOK PUBLISHED
Jørgen Sømod has published a new book: "Drawings of
all Danish Coins, known up to this time, from the period
1241-1377" 128 pages, 469 coins, 268 tokens, soft cover.
134 Danish kroner = US $ 17,- + postage + bank costs=
US$ 25,-. ISBN 87-87832-61-5
He writes: "Because of extremely high postage rates from
Denmark and similar bank costs, the publisher invites book
sellers to distribute the book to collectors, museums, libraries
and minor dealers." For more information:
Email: numis@vip.cybercity.dk
Web site: http://www.cam.org/~anfc/p_somod.htm
SPANISH COLONIAL COIN BOOK PUBLISHED
As noted by Dave Bowers in the September-October
2000 issue of Rare Coin Review (p39), "Spanish Colonial
Silver Coins in the Florida Collection" by Alan K. Craig
has recently been published by the University Press of
Florida.
The publisher provides this description, as found at
the Barnes & Noble web site (http://www.bn.com):
"Alan K. Craig describes the minting and transporting of
these unique hand-made coins, a difficult process
complicated by intrigue and royal regulations. When new
gold and silver coins left the Spanish colonial viceroyalties
of Peru and Mexico aboard fleets of galleons headed to
Spain, a number of ships sank off the coast of Florida.
Counterfeiting was rife at the time, and Craig discusses a
variety of mint scandals, especially those perpetrated by
the notorious Francisco Gomez da la Rocha. As both an
economic history and a numismatic study, this work will be
a resource for historians, archaeologists, coin collectors,
and general readers interested in maritime treasure."
For more information on the book, see the University of
Florida Press web site: http://www.upf.com/fall2000/craig.html
NUMISMATIC RELATED BOOK
Howard A. Daniel III writes: "My wife was given a copy of
a book; "Dictionary of Financial Risk Management", by Gary L.
Gastineau and Mark P. Kritzman, a few years ago during a
visit to the American Stock Exchange. After I read it, I
recommended it to CNBC as an item for a show, because
I thought it was better than anything else I had read on the
subject. Gary thanked me in a nice letter at that time and
later sent me the updated second edition in 1999.
There are some really technically formulas and definitions in
it, but it also has very much in our numismatic realm. I highly
recommend that NBS members buy it for their libraries, IF
they can find a copy of this nicely done hardbound book.
The primary author's email is ggastine@amex.com and the
book's ISBN is 1-883249-57-0."
ROBERT HILT
Julian Leidman writes: "I read David Lange's piece about
Bob Hilt's book. Bob passed away in a plane crash
sometime during the 1990's. He was an avid collector of
early US silver and gold coins by die varieties. He came up
with some theories on populations of die varieties based on
deliveries of dies, etc. He was very dedicated to his studies
on these and I remember him having discussions with Harry
Bass about his theories. Harry did not dismiss his thoughts
and enjoyed his reflections and theories.
I believe that he has been unjustly maligned by other numismatic
scholars. Bob was a businessman from Omaha and would have
undertaken the next series of coinage, if there had been enough
interest in his work. There was not and he chose not to share
his thoughts any further. I represented him many times at
auctions and always enjoyed our relationship. The last time that
I saw Bob was at the COAC when Harry's coins were
displayed. His collection has never surfaced since his death. I
hope that this may shed some new light on Robert Hilt."
POWELL'S BOOKS
Carl Honore writes: "The Strand is good for east coast
bibliophiles but out here on the west coast there is Powell's
City of Books in Portland Oregon ... one city block filled
with books, many on numismatics ... chanced thru there
during the Portland ANA and found some auction
catalogs." [Editor's note: The web address for Powell's
is http://www.powells.com/ ]
GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
Paul Schultz writes: "If anyone would like more information
on Andrew Elliot, they might want to check on the following
if they have not seen it already: "The Colonial Clergy and
Colonial Churches of New England" by Frederick Lewis Weis.
I do not have access to a copy to see if he is listed, but it is a
well known reference in the genealogy field and might contain
useful information.
As a general rule, anyone trying to find information on early
coin collectors and dealers should become familiar with the
techniques and tools for genealogy research. Finding personal
details on obscure individuals who lived 100 to 350 years ago
can be challenging, but the same approaches are necessary
regardless of whether the person was a coin collector or an
ancestor (or perhaps both!). In reading about early collectors
and dealers, I have frequently noticed that genealogical
techniques and resources would either be useful, or have
already been used."
FROSSARD
David Fanning reports that Tom Sheehan sent him copies of
Frossard's 1892 biography in The Numismatist as well as the
AJN obituary. With the Numismatist obituary your editor sent
him, he's fulfilled his original request. Good luck with your
research!
EARLY NATURE PRINTING REFERENCES
In response to last week's question, George Kolbe, who
always seems to know everything about anything in numismatic
literature, sent the following note in response to the question
about references on nature printing:
"Lot 447 in Bass 3 provides, I think, some interesting information.
Incidentally, it sold for $2100. The lot description follows:
Bradbury, Henry. NATURE-PRINTING: ITS ORIGINS
AND OBJECTS. A LECTURE AS DELIVERED AT THE
ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN, ALBEMARLE
STREET, ON FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 11, 1855. SIR
CHARLES FELLOWS, VICE-PRESIDENT, IN THE
CHAIR. London: Printed by Bradbury and Evans, Whitefriars,
1856. 28 pages.
(bound with) Bradbury, Henry. NATUR-SELBST-DRUCK:
SEINEN URSPRUNG UND ZWECKEN. EIN VORTRAG
VOR DER ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN,
ALBEMARLE STREET AN DEM ABENDE VON FREITAG
DEN 11TEN MAI, 1855, VORGELESEN. SIR CHARLES
FELLOWS, VICE-PRÄSIDENT, VORSITZENDER. London:
Verlag von Bradbury und Evans, Whitefriars, 1856. 20 pages.
(bound with) Bradbury, Henry. ON THE SECURITY AND
MANUFACTURE OF BANK NOTES. A LECTURE AS
DELIVERED AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT
BRITAIN, ALBEMARLE STREET, FRIDAY EVENING,
MAY 9, 1856. HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF
NORTHUMBERLAND, PRESIDENT, IN THE CHAIR.
London: Printed by Bradbury and Evans, Whitefriars, Printers
and Bank Note Engravers, 1856. (6), 30 pages, 3 superbly-
engraved bank note facsimile plates, one printed in two colors.
Quarto: 28 x 21.5 cm. Original dark maroon-brown full
morocco, sides intricately paneled in gilt and blind, flat spine
lettered in gilt, board edges decorated in gilt, gilt inner
dentelles, recased at some time, with new endsheets,
extremities a trifle worn. Fine. (1,500.00)
The author was the son of William Bradbury, of the firm of
Bradbury & Evans, who were the proprietors of Punch,
founder of the Daily News and other major periodicals, and
publishers for Dickens and Thackeray. Born in 1831, he entered
as a pupil in the Imperial Printing Office of Vienna in 1850, where
he became acquainted with the art of nature printing. He
subsequently employed the process in London. He also paid
great attention to bank notes and the security of paper money.
Bradbury wrote several works of considerable merit,
culminating in 1860 with his magnum opus, Specimens of Bank
Note Engraving . The above works are prominently cited in the
complete title of that volume.
Tragically, as noted in the Dictionary of National Biography,
"He died by his own hand 2 Sept. 1860, aged 29, leaving a
business he had founded which was carried on under the name
of Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co." Up to the present time, the
Bradbury firm continues as a major banknote printer.
The first title is dedicated by Bradbury to Alois Auer, Director
of the Imperial Court and Government Printing-Office at Vienna,
"in memory of his sojourn at Vienna, and studies in the
establishment over which he resides." Nonetheless, Bradbury
boldly chastises Auer in the text for improperly claiming to have
discovered the process of nature-printing, though he credits the
Imperial Printing-Office at Vienna for bringing it to "a practical
state of perfection." Bradbury cites a 1572 work as containing
"the first recorded hint as to taking impressions of plants" and
mentions that instructions are given in de Moncoy's 1650 Journal
des Voyages. He also notes that "Linnaeus, in his Philosophia
Botanica, relates that in America, in 1707, impressions of plants
were made by Hessel."
The dénouement comes on pages 26 et sequentia, where
Bradbury excoriates the dedicatee of the work, Alois Auer,
and accords high praise to this volume's recipient, Paul Pretsch:
"First, it is evident, that, in more circumstances than one,
Councillor Auer, who has arrogated to himself the sole discovery
of Nature-Printing, has given proof of a selfish and unfair desire
to aggrandise himself at the expense of others: his passion for
fame has led him even beyond the warrantable bounds of
propriety "
And, of working manager Pretsch, Bradbury writes that Auer
owes to him "much of his present high position by reason of
energetical and practical and even scientific capability."
The German translation, "Natur-Selbst-Druck," appears to
confirm the success of his linguistic studies in Vienna as well.
The final title present here is of special interest to numismatists.
It is a very detailed account of the technology at the time and
the author's recommendations to curb the counterfeiting of
bank notes.
Though "beautiful as their execution is," he is critical of
American bank notes and also relates the following: "Whilst
making reference to the American Notes, I will allude to a
circumstance that would most puzzle the ingenuity, in
reference to the prevention of forgery. The fact of America
being divided into so many States, and each State being
represented by a different note, the forgers did not think it
worth their while to imitate any one, and therefore concocted
a note of their own."
All three of these publications appear to be extremely rare -
it is the first time we have handled any of them. The author's
presentation inscription coupled with the patently inappropriate
dedication in the first two titles makes this volume all the more
desirable as the combination may provide insight into the
mental instability leading to their brilliant author's regrettable
early demise."
[Editor's note: the lot description has been edited for inclusion
in The E-Sylum; refer to the catalog for full details.
That "Bradbury wrote several works of considerable merit"
before his death at age 29 is quite an accomplishment, and
enough to make the rest of us feel like slackers. As the
satirical songwriter Tom Lehrer once said, "When Mozart
was my age, he'd been dead for two years..."]
FEATURED WEB SITE
This week's featured web page is in keeping with the theme
of bank note engraving in the 1850's. A description of the
Francis W. Edmonds Papers in the William L. Clements
Library at The University of Michigan, it describes the
fascinating life of Edmonds (1806-1863) who "divided
his life between the art and banking worlds and came to be
well-known and respected in both.... Edmonds did
professional engraving for bank note companies while
working as a banker....At the behest of publishers, he also
wrote for newspapers and periodicals on art and art
exhibitions, and at some point in his life produced an
autobiography (unpublished) with many details of the early
New York art scene.... Amid all this activity, and with a
growing family, Edmonds continued producing 2 to 3
paintings a year....
After a brief withdrawal from professional life, Edmonds
took up an old activity which had combined his business
and artistic talents, the engraving of bank notes. With Alfred
Jones and James Smillie he formed the Bank Note Engraving
Company in 1857. The next year the American Bank Note
Company began to absorb most of its competition, and the
three men sold out under favorable terms. Edmonds became
director and secretary of the larger company and contributed
original drawings for engravings."
The bibliography lists two books with more information on
Edmonds:
Clark, Henry Nichols Blake. Francis W. Edmonds. American
Master in the Dutch Tradition (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian
Institution Press, 1988)
Mann, Maybelle. Francis William Edmonds. Mammon and Art
(N.Y.: Garland Publishing Co., 1977)
http://www.clements.umich.edu/Webguides/EF/Edmonds.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.coinbooks.org/
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 21704
(To be removed from this mailing list
write to me at whomren@coinlibrary.com)
|
