Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 5, Number 28, July 7, 2002:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2002, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


SUBSCRIBER UPDATES

  We have four new subscribers this week:  Leonard
  Augsburger, James S. Dehling, Jim & Helen Kirchner,
  and John Lorenzo.  Welcome aboard!   Our subscriber
  count is now 476.


KRAUSE PUBLICATIONS ACQUIRED

  Dick Johnson, John and Nancy Wilson, and Dave Bowers
  all sent links to newspaper articles discussing last week's
  sale of Krause Publications.

  "Cincinnati's F&W Publications will buy employee-owned
  Krause Publications, the Wisconsin-based company said
  this week.

  Krause will become a subsidiary of F&W Publications,
  which publishes Writer's Digest and other how-to magazines
  and books.   The pairing will complement Krause's focus on
  collectibles and hobbies, the company said.

  Roger Case, president of Krause Publications, said
  Wednesday the sale will result in few changes, and he
  expects Krause's employment will increase over time due to
  growth opportunities.  The transaction will create a publishing
  firm with about $200 million in annual revenues, about double
  the size of the individual companies, he said."

  http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/06/28/fin_f_w_to_purchase.html
  http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2002/06/24/daily45.html
  http://www.jsonline.com/bym/News/jun02/55118.asp

  Dick Johnson adds: "I once visited the editorial offices of
  Writer's Digest in the 1950s.  It was in a big loft building in
  Cincinnati. I had written ahead for an appointment but hadn't
  received an answer.  I got in to see the editor and asked if he
  had received my letter.

 "No" he said, "we only open our mail one day a week!"


NEW ORLEANS PAMPHLET SOUGHT

  ANA Museum Curator Larry Lee writes: "Greg Lambousy,
  the curator of the New Orleans Mint collection, is looking
  for a copy of a small pamphlet entitled "History of the Mint."
  The pamphlet is mentioned in an article by Farran Zerbe in
  the June, 1905 issue of the Numismatist as being published
  in 1895. Anyone who could provide the Mint Museum
  with a copy of this article should contact Mr. Lambousy at
  glambousy@crt.state.la.us


CURRENCY MOTTO UNDER FIRE AGAIN

  A June 27th article in the New York Times discussed the
  next moves of Mike Newdow, the iconoclast who argued
  that the phrase "one nation, under God" in the Pledge of
  Allegiance violated the separation of church and state ?
  and won, at least with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,
  in San Francisco.

  "Despite the outpouring of outrage from politicians and pundits
  over the pledge ruling ? not to mention the death threats on
  his answering machine ? Mr. Newdow still plans to challenge
  the use of "In God We Trust" on currency."

  http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/01/national/01PLED.html


LAKE BOOKS SALE 65 CLOSING

  Fred Lake writes: "This is a reminder that our mail-bid sale of
  numismatic literature #65 closes Tuesday, July 9, 2002,   at
  5:00 PM EDT.

  The sale features selections from the libraries of Bill Weber
  and David Lange and can be viewed on our web site at:
  http://www.lakebooks.com/current.html

  Please note that lots A 53 and C 41 have been withdrawn at
  the request of the consignor."


WWI GERMAN MEDALS BOOK PUBLISHED

  Steve Pellegrini writes: "Most of us have wished that some
  obscure portion of our collection were better documented in
  the existing literature.  For me the hope has been that some
  talented and well organized author would take on the great
  task of documenting the hundreds of German medals &
  Gedankentalers produced during the First World War and
  post war Revolutionary years of 1919-1933.

  That wish is answered (at least in part) with a new book by
  German numismatic author Georg Zetzmann, 'German Silver
  Medals of WW.1, 1914-1919'. The book is very well laid out,
  easily accessible and useful to those of us who don't read
  German.  The medals are photo illustrated throughout the
  350pp, and very importantly, each medal has a rarity
  assessment and is priced with a current market value derived
  from 2000-2002 auction prices realized; which in my opinion
  is the only pricing  method of any veracity or use. I got my
  copy through Harald Moeller's Hamburg auction firm
  Munzenhandlung Harald Moller GmbH for 35 Euros plus
  shipping. Try emailing moeller@muenzen-moeller.de


1849 $16 MOFFAT INGOT FOLLOW-UP

  Karl Moulton writes: Here is a brief follow-up to Denis
  Loring's inquiry.  The 1849 Moffat $16.00 ingot, which was
  offered as lot #355 in the Farouk sale, most likely came from
  the Russell Renz collection which was sold by Max Mehl on
  March 23, 1948.   In the Royal Sale catalogue, lot #3932
  offered a similar bar in the identical grade of Extremely Fine.
  Interestingly, King Farouk was a consignor to this sale and
  may have arranged to purchase other items.   He most likely
  paid for any new purchases through the sale of items already
  consigned.

  Denis Loring writes: "Thanks to E-Sylum subscribers who have
  helped me with researching my Moffat $16 ingot.  I just found
  it in the Zabriskie catalog, lot 345, 'ex Humbert collection.'
  The plate is a perfect match.  So, the questions continue:

  1. Does anyone have a named Zabriskie?  If so, who bought
      lot 345?

 2. Does anyone have a Chapman catalog from May, 1902,
     which Gergerke says contains a consignment from Augustus
     Humbert?  If so, please look through the catalog: is there a
     $16 Moffat ingot?  Lot number?  Price?  Buyer?"

  "Thanks!  My email address is:" dwloring@aol.com


AUCTION INDEX WANTED

  Karl Moulton adds: "As far as I'm aware, there is no
  topical listing or index of Territorial Gold pieces that have
  appeared at public auction.

  Presently, there are no topical index lists for anything else
  regarding American numismatics, either by denomination,
  date, major variety, or series.  This is something I have long
  felt would be beneficial to all numismatists, however the time
  and resources needed for accurate compilation, without realistic
  financial compensation, have prevented this, and many other
  worthy numismatic research projects from ever seeing fruition.

  John Ford, Jr. once addressed this idea at an NBS meeting
  in 1980 (Asylum Vol 1, No 4, p.55).  "It's unfortunate that
  we can't have some kind of a surtax in the industry on all of
  this wheeling, dealing, these million dollar deals, these
  hundred-thousand dollar coins that would draw off some of
  this money, and use it for basic research."

  Will there ever be such a concept implemented by some
  group or organization to create financial support (either
  from the commercial or private sector) for a multi-purpose,
  computer friendly "topical index list" of American coinage,
  or will this forever remain just wishful thinking and a complete
  waste of time?"


METALLURGICAL REFERENCES

  In writing to John Lorenzo after reprinting his list of metallurgical

  reference works, I said: "I hope you didn't mind my picking up
  your item from the C4 list.   A little cross-pollenation can help
  both sides sometimes."

  John replied: "We are going to need a lot of flowers among the
  current weeds to try to introduce metallurgical analysis in the
  field of US Colonials."


NUMISMATIC SPELLING BEE

  Your editor participated in an interesting program hosted by
  Sam Deep at the June meeting of the Pittsburgh Numismatic
  Society - a numismatic spelling bee.   A tough list of 25 words
  (including Antoninianus, Brachteate, Disme, Exergue and
  Scyphate) whittled down the field.  I managed to come in tied
  for first place with 21 of 25.   A tense spell-off followed, and
  I held on to win by correctly spelling kreuzer, fleur de lis, and
  spielmarke.  Whew!  Stu Strickland was the 2nd place finisher.
  But if anything is misspelled in The E-Sylum, I'll blame it on
  the spell-check program...


MORE SHERLOCKIANA

  Dave Bowers notes: "Quite a few years ago I owned the
  original manuscript. for "The Three Garridebs," in the hand
  of  A. Conan Doyle. I would visit it occasionally in my safe
  deposit vault room at the bank. Later I sold it."

  Bob Fritsch writes: "I know of no detailed references about
  Holmes and Numismatics, although Ed Rochette has had a
  project on this subject pending for several years.  In 1999,
  I won Second Place for my exhibit "Numismatica
  Sherlockiana".  It contained items I had discovered over the
  years. Here is what was shown:

  -- The 1994 8-coin set from Gibraltar, KM285-KM292.
      1 Crown, CuNi.  Also issued in sterling

  -- One Baker Street Shilling in wood, issued by "Porlock"
      (yours truly) of the Hounds of the Internet, dated 1995.

  -- Seven Elongated Coins, four of them by Frank Brazzell
      (cent, nickel, dime, quarter) with the caption THE GAMES'
      AFOOT.  Two Elongateds featuring Holmes with a pipe,
      and one without the pipe.  Roller unknown.

  -- Three Mardi Gras Doubloons with Holmes worked into
      a complicated design, by Blaine Kern Artists.  The Krewes
      issuing the doubloons were Endymion (1982), Alla (1983),
      and Caesar (1993).

  -- An commemorative struck on a cent-sized planchet
      celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first Holmes story,
      'A Study in Scarlet'.   I  know nothing about this piece except
      that I have one, but who did it and where is a mystery."

  Christopher Eimer writes: "The ongoing correspondence in
  The E-Sylum relating to Sherlock Holmes, and in particular
  Alan Luedeking's request for numismatic references in today's
  issue, reminds me of a medal that I purchased many years ago,
  which is said to illustrate a scene from a SH mystery.

  The medal is silver, uniface, and measures 95 mm. (3.75 inches)
  in diameter, and can be dated to c.1890-1900. It shows a
  landscape in which a policeman, accompanied by two other
  men (detectives?) run towards a lake, in the foreground, in
  which can be seen two men.

  The manner of dress and the atmosphere conjured by the
  scene is certainly redolent of a Sherlock Holmes mystery,
  and I have never had reason to doubt the attribution.  I had
  hoped that after all these years, I would by chance come
  across a print or book illustration relating to this medallic
  image, but that has not been the case.

  However, the current correspondence in The Asylum raises
  the chance that this image may well come to be identified.
  I will e-mail an image of the medal to any subscriber who is
  interested in seeing it."

  [Those wishing a copy of the image can reach Mr. Eimer
   at  art@christophereimer.co.uk. -Editor]


BINGLES

  David Gladfelter writes: "In 1980 the Alaska Rural
  Rehabilitation Corporation, then still in existence, published a
  collection of photographs of the Matanuska Valley colony of
  1935, taken by the official A.R.R.C. photographer, Willis T.
  Geisman.   I obtained this book at a visit to Palmer on a family
  vacation in 1982, when we actually saw the legendary
  18-pound turnips and 70-pound cabbages grown there.
  Included is a photo of Arville Schaleben, a Milwaukee
  Journal reporter, on assignment.

  Schaleben, whom I knew, was sent to Palmer for several
  months to report on the activities of the Wisconsin colonists
  and was respected for the accuracy and thoroughness of his
  coverage.  He later became an editor of the Journal.  The
  stories told by Geisman'sphotographs bring to life my
  otherwise plain-jane set of A.R.R.C. bingles.

  (Reverend Bingle, incidentally, is mentioned in the book as
  a civic leader who started the 4-H club and led fishing
  expeditions during the salmon season, both for recreation
  and for home canning of winter provisions. Nothing is said
  about connecting Rev. Bingle to the tokens.)"


PNG DAY INVITATIONS

  Julian M. Leidman and the Professional Numismatists
  Guild invite E-Sylum subscribers attend PNG DAY
  July 30, 2002,  9:00 AM-3:00 PM,  Marriott Marquis
  Hotel, NYC just prior to the annual convention of the
  American Numismatic Association  7/31-8/4, 2002.
  For an invitation, email Julian at julian@juliancoin.com


NBS BOAR OF TRUSTEES

  NBS publications are not immune from typos.  The latest
  appears on the voting ballot inserted in the latest issue
  of our print journal, The Asylum, regarding a proposal for
  a two-thirds vote of the Board of Trustees to name an
  Honorary member.

  Dick Johnson writes: "I received today the latest Asylum
  and the ballot.  Who is the Boar of Trustees? Who gets
  named to this piscine position? The picture that came to
  mind immediately was the trustees sitting around a dinner
  table with a fully cooked boar ready to be carved into
  thirds and they had to eat two-thirds of it."

  [It's not the "Boar of Trustees".  The actual word is, of
  course, "Boor".  The Boor of Trustees, chosen by
  acclamation, is a sweaty, rude, insensitive, loud-talking
  bibliophile of questionable personal hygiene who
  invariably sits next to YOU for the duration of the NBS
  general meeting at the ANA convention each summer.
  -Editor]


FEATURED WEB SITE

  This week's featured web site is the Currency Museum of the
  Bank of Canada.   "The National Currency Collection contains
  some 100,000 items consisting of coins, tokens and paper
  money in the custody of, or owned by, the Bank of Canada.
  It includes a relatively complete collection of the coins, tokens
  and of paper money that have been used or are now being
  used in Canada.  The purpose of the collection is to portray
  the development of money through the ages with particular
  emphasis on the history of Canada's currency. "

     http://collections.ic.gc.ca/bank/english/



Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society