Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 51, December 10, 2000: an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. Copyright (c) 2000, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society. SUBSCRIBER UPDATES We have one new subscriber this week: NBS member Ferdinando Bassoli of Torino, Italy. Welcome aboard! This brings our subscriber count to 353. NBS LIFE MEMBERSHIP As noted in my President's Message in the recent 2000 No. 3 issue of The Asylum, a number of NBS members have inquired about Life Membership in our society. We do have a Life Membership category, although few have taken advantage of it yet. The category was created just recently, with the adoption of our current constitution and bylaws. The cost of life membership is set at 20 times the annuals dues, which currently amounts to $300 in North America, $400 elsewhere. To convert your membership to life status, simply send a check made out to NBS for the proper amount to our Secretary-Treasurer, Dave Hirt. His address appears at the end of this newsletter. LAKE BOOKS PRICES REALIZED Fred Lake writes: "The prices realized list for our sale #55 which closed on December 5, 2000, is now posted to our web site. You may view the PDF format list by going to our web site (see link below) and going to the "Past Sales" page and scrolling down to sale #55: http://www.lakebooks.com/ NEW BOOK: NUMISMATIC LEGACY OF THE JEWS From a recent press release: "Stack's is pleased to announce the publication of an important new numismatic reference entitled THE NUMISMATIC LEGACY OF THE JEWS AS DEPICTED BY A DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN COLLECTION The book is a masterful interweaving of Jewish history and religious traditions, illustrated by one of the world’s foremost collections of ancient Jewish coins. It is a collaborative work by Claudia Wallack Samuels, Paul Rynearson and Ya’akov Meshorer, with a foreword by Leo Mildenberg. It studies Jewish history from the Persian Period to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, interweaving the events of the period with their religious and cultural context, all illustrated by the wonderful collection of Alan I. Casden, whose eye for quality and rarity is evident throughout. The book concludes with a detailed numismatic catalogue of the 228 coins of the Casden Collection which serve as its anchor. Included are the small silver coins of the Persian and Ptolemaic periods, the bronzes of the Jewish rulers and Roman governors, the silver issues of the two Revolts, the city coins and the Roman issues relating to Judaea. Each coin is fully described with regard to identification of city or ruler, metal, weight, die axis, inscription (in the original language and translation), obverse and reverse types and major numismatic references. The book is a must for the beginning or advanced student of Jewish history, religion and numismatics. Published in hardcover and available exclusively from Stack’s for $125, the book is 212 pages long with an extensive index, bibliography and glossary, 4 maps, 11 black and white plates, and over 200 illustrations throughout the text, most enlarged to reveal fine detail." [Editor's note: Stack's has just published a new holiday numismatic booklist, offering "20% off on all orders received by December 29, 2000." Their web address is http://www.stacks.com/. KARL MOULTON CATALOG Karl Moulton of Congress, AZ has released his December 2000 catalog of American Numismatic Literature. He can be reached at numiscats@aol.com BRITISH TOKEN LITERATURE RESEARCH Harold Welch writes: "I would like to put out an appeal to E-Sylum readers. I am working on a book that I call The Virtuoso's Arrangement. It deals with the classic literature of the 18th and 19th century token coinage of Great Britain. The work covers three basic areas: 1. A description and review of each work. 2. A biography of the authors and past owners of the works. 3. An inventory of individually identifiable copies of the various titles. It is in this third area that I seek help. If you own any of the classic token references such as Atkins, Birchall, Boyne, Conder, Cotton, Dalton, Davis, Denton, Golding, Hammond, Kent, Longman, Perkins, Pye, Sharp, Spence, or Waters, that have prior ownership markings, bookplates, annotations, letters or other materials laid-in, special bindings, etc. or anything else that makes your copy unique, I would be very grateful to hear from you. I also want to know about all copies of numbered editions (such as Davis' 19th Century Tokens or Water's Middlesex Notes). You will be given credit in the book, or if you prefer, I will maintain your privacy. Either way, PLEASE contact me. It is my desire to make this work as complete as possible, but that is impossible without the help of fellow collectors. My thanks to all of those who have already helped out. Harold Welch, 655 Parkwood Circle, Vadnais Heights, MN 55127. (651) 429-0997 tokenmann@aol.com LANGE BUFFALO NICKEL BOOK UPDATE David Lange writes: "Alan Grace informs me that the deluxe edition of my Buffalo Nickel book has been delayed by his supplier of marbled paper. It's possible that the books won't be ready in time for those hoping to give them as holiday gifts, and for that I apologize. I will ship them as soon as they are received by me. In the meantime, the regular edition is in stock and available from me at $30 plus $4.50 shipping. My mailing address is POB 288, Morris Plains, NJ 07950-0288. AOL has been giving me fits, so please address any email inquiries to DLange@NGCcoin.com. On another subject, I recently became engaged to Alba Acosta, with our wedding planned for August of next year (after the ANA Convention, of course). Though Alba has no interest whatsoever in things numismatic, she has already entered the realm of NBS trivia by being named in the dedication of my new book. Marriage brings with it instant fatherhood, as Alba has an eight-year-old daughter named Amanda. As may be imagined, this new adventure has prompted a number of changes. My overgrown collection of coin boards, folders and albums is gradually finding its way to the basement until such time that we can upgrade our digs, and some of my less often used books may soon join them in the darkness. I suspended my collecting of "nice" coins over a year ago, though having so many old albums around has compelled me to begin filling them with coins purchased at or near their silver value. Thus, my old childhood sets, most of which were disposed of years ago, are gradually being replaced. Ironically, when one adjusts for inflation, silver coins are now worth less at their bullion value than they were when I was taking them from circulation at face value. As they say in this part of the country, go figure!" PERKINS IMAGES AVAILABLE AT ANA WEBSITE ANA Museum Curator Robert Hoge writes: "Some of your readers may be interested to know that there is an example of the Perkins Bank Bill Test in the collection of the Museum of the American Numismatic Association, in Colorado Springs. In fact, it can be viewed, nearly in its entirety, on the ANA's website if one goes to the ANA's home page (at www.money.org), then selects LIBRARY from the menu, and then clicks on IMAGING PROJECT. This beautifully preserved rarity was donated to the ANA Money Museum by our prominent and generous benefactor J. Roy Pennell, Jr. It is now obviously the only example available on exhibit to the public. So many numismatists seem to take the ANA for granted. It exists solely for their benefit, yet a surprising number do not really support it and many even seem to be essentially unaware of its existence. However, increasing numbers of researchers do appear to be taking cognizance of the ANA's resources, and it is hoped that the renovation plans presently under way will enable larger numbers to take greater advantage of the still little-known treasures here." [Editor's note: the ANA's Perkins images were a Featured Web Site in the January 23, 2000 E-Sylum (Volume 3, Number 4). Here's the direct link: http://www.money.org/library/perkins/main.html ] THE CASE OF THE SWEDISH BLOB In response to Paul Hybert's request, Bill Bird sends this interesting piece of detective work: "My 1886 Mint Report also has the same blob on page 72. Obviously an error at the printer's. However, I converted the Swedish currency to the US value at that time and came up with the missing number. The answer is $78,281." 1804 DOLLARS Russ Logan writes: "...and then there is this Type IV 1804 Dollar that has a reeded edge!" Dave Bowers writes: "After selling the Walter Childs 1804 $1 for over $4 million the press and television coverage was worldwide -- I remember getting a comment from Raratonga (which is about as far away from New Hampshire as possible, probably). Anyway, then came the deluge of "1804 dollars" offered from Singapore, India, and related places in that section of the globe. I recall one exchange by fax that went something like this: OWNER of "1804 dollar": I have a rare 1804 dollar that has been in a private family since, etc., etc., etc, [editing here] and is very valuable. How do I sell it to you? BOWERS AND MERENA: "Does your 1804 dollar have a reeded edge--with vertical ribs all around the outer border? OWNER: Yes it does! (End of scenario) " [Editor's note: Raratonga is in the Cook Islands, South Pacific. Their official currency is 1804 dollars....] LOTTERY TICKETS ON THE WEB From NEWSSCAN DAILY (www.NewsScan.com): "Lottery players in Maryland will soon be able to buy their tickets online, making Maryland the first in the U.S. to offer online ticket sales. The new service is "just the beginning in gaining access to this large and demographically desirable market niche," said the Maryland Lottery director. "The Internet will be a big factor in the future of lotteries." Maryland players will need to file an online application, and can then choose their games, numbers and the number of weeks to participate. Charges for the tickets will still have to be paid by check or money order because it's illegal in Maryland to pay for lottery subscriptions by credit or debit cards. (Wall Street Journal 6 Dec 2000)" What do lottery tickets have to do with numismatics? Well, although lottery tickets didn't circulate as money, many early American and British lottery tickets were designed, engraved, and printed by some of the same people who made paper money. Many collectors of colonial currency collect lottery tickets as interesting companion pieces. Some historic lottery tickets may be found on the web at the Coin and Currency Collections at the University of Notre Dame Libraries: http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCurrency/CurrencyText/CLT.html BOWERS DUBIOUS ON DUBOIS Dave Bowers writes: "It is interesting to learn of all of the cover variations of the 1850 Eckfeldt-Dubois work. In case anyone is interested, it is my somewhat studied opinion that W.E. Dubois, a highly competent and literate man, turned "sour" in the spring of 1859--the time when the openness of restriking, making patterns to order, etc., so visible (cf. Taxay's "U.S. Mint and Coinage," Joel Orosz' memorable study of Gilmor, etc., etc.) up to that time, went "underground." This caused many of the later statements of Dubois to be discredited. The problem with Dubois is that, probably, 95% of what he said was truthful, but we are all left to figure out exactly where the other 5% is." NBS AMERICAN NUMISMATIC BIBLIOGRAPHY? Dave Bowers writes: "The interest in the 1850 Eckfeldt-Dubois work prompts me to suggest a "forum" for the NBS: How about compiling an American Numismatic Bibliography for the pre-Civil War (or even pre-1876 centennial)? The listing could include extensive articles in periodicals (e.g., the still-not-seen-by-me Jeremiah Colburn series in the Boston Evening Transcript in the late 1857s, the numerous entries in Historical Magazine, the several detailed articles in Harper's Monthly Magazine, the handful of books published, etc. All of this could be accompanied by comments from NBS members about their experiences in getting copies (ala the Newman situation with the Streeter sale), modern editorial opinions and reviews, etc." [This would certainly be a worthwhile project for the NBS membership. Attinelli, Part III and The Historical Magazine are good starting points, and since I have a run of the early volumes, I could contribute if others are willing to help. -Editor] YALE COLLECTION THEFT Bill Burd writes: "When considering interesting numismatic robberies, the Yale University coin collection stolen on May 29, 1965 and valued at $1,000,000 must be added to the list. The robbery was eventually tied to organized crime in Chicago. A coin dealer in Chicago was arrested on possession of stolen property and interstate transportation of stolen property. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison. I have the trial transcripts and a copy of the inventory of the coins stolen. Through the Freedom of Information Act I was also able to obtain a copy of the FBI investigation. Unfortunately they blacked out a great deal of information they considered 'sensitive'. The recovery of Yale's stolen Brasher Doubloon in 1967 is an interesting part of this story. In 1987 a $10.00 Mormon identified as part of the Yale collection surfaced in Chicago and then quickly disappeared again. I hope to someday put all my information together and have it published." COGAN COIN THEFT BROADSIDE George Kolbe writes: "Hanging on my office wall is a small broadside, 22 x 14.5 cm. (8.75 x 5.75 inches), framed, entitled: "STOLEN/From the Store of Edward Cogan, No. 48/North Tenth Street." I bought this at, I believe, an ANA Convention years ago and have never done any research on it. A "Pattern Cent, 1859" and several "Edward Cogan, Washington Medal, and Store Cards" dies are among the items listed. The prior owner wrote on the back of the frame: "Cogan Burglary took place ? between Oct 28 1859 and May 21, 1860" and also cites an article in the April 1867 AJN." FEATURED WEB SITE This week's featured web site is recommended by NBS Board member Larry Mitchell: "The Library of Congress has updated 'An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera.' First released in 1998, the collection has had more than seven thousand additional items added to it. It's available at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/rbpehtml/ A keyword search on coin* will produce 16 rarely seen broadsides on the subject!" [Editor's note: One interesting item is Ed Cogan's "Circular letter regarding sale of coins in the Randall sale", February 2, 1869. It begins: "In Mason & Co's Magazine for last month, I find a very gassy reply to a letter of mine, commenting upon the sale of coins held in Philadelphia in October last. As I could not with propriety ask to be allowed to refer again to this subject, in our New-York Journal, I have taken this means of replying to it, to put myself right with the Collectors, by showing that I was perfectly justified in what I have said in regard to the misrepresentations of the Coins in the Randall Sale. If the Editor had taken my advice, and held his tongue about the remarks in my first letter, he would have taken a much wiser course than the one he has thought proper to adopt; and if he has been driven to this course by outside pressure, I am sorry for him; but he must not blame me for it." Another interesting item is a printing of an April 14, 1790 letter by Thomas Jefferson "certain proposals, for supplying the United States with copper coinage" "The Secretary of State, to whom was referred by the House of Representatives the letter of John H. Mitchell, reciting certain proposals, for supplying the United States with Copper Coinage, has had the same under consideration, according to instructions, and begs leave to report thereon as follows. THE person who wishes to undertake the supply of a Copper Coinage, sets forth, that the superiority of his apparatus and process for coining, enables him to furnish a coinage, better and cheaper than can be done by any country or person whatever: that his dies are engraved by the first artist in that line in Europe: that his apparatus for striking the edge, at the same blow with the faces, is new and singularly ingenious: that he coins by a press on a new principle, and worked by a fire engine more regularly than can be done by hand; that he will deliver any quantity of coin, of any size and device, of pure and unalloyed copper, wrapped in paper, and packed in casks ready for shipping, for fourteen pence sterling the pound." ] 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)
