Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 6, February 9, 2003:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


SUBSCRIBER UPDATE

  Among recent new subscribers is Robert Laviana, a former
  subscriber returning to the fold.  Welcome back!  We now
  have 527 subscribers.


DAVIS SALE CLOSING FEBRUARY 15

  Charles Davis writes: "Our sale of numismatic literature
  consigned by the American Numismatic Society and others
  closes next Saturday, February 15.  An on-line version may
  be seen at
  http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/adimg/davis.htm
  while photographs are available at
  http://members.aol.com/numislit."


ANA LIBRARY ADDITIONS

  Nancy Green, Librarian of the American Numismatic
  Association, writes: "Thanks for sending the E-sylum. I
  enjoy reading it but don't always have time to respond to
  items. I thought readers would like to know that books
  recently added to the ANA Library are listed on our
  website at http://www.money.org.  Click on "What's new"
  for a list of the titles added in January.  This will be updated
  each month. The books are recently added, not necessarily
  recently published."


CENTRAL AMERICAN NUMISMATIC CONFERENCE

  Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr .writes: "The Central American
  Numismatic Association has posted all of the papers given
  at their last conference on the following web site.

  http://www.museosdelbancocentral.org/numismatica/ponencias.html


MISATTRIBUTION OF TIOLIER SALE

  Ted Buttrey of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge writes:
  "In the last issue of The E-Sylum  Richard Margolis asked
  about the Tiolier collection catalogue, which is unfindable.
  I wonder if there has been some confusion in the reference.

  There was a Tiolier sale in Paris, 18+ Jan 1836, held by
  Wateau & Chaumont auctioneers (Frits Lugt, Répertoire
  des Catalogues de Ventes Publiques, vol.2 1826-1860
  [The Hague, 1953] No.14188).  The catalogue ran to 22pp.
  and 1000 lots, largely books but also 14 lots of "Monn. Méd",
  which of course could have included a number of pieces per lot.

  Richard Margolis replies: "I am very familiar with the catalogue
  of Tiolier material that you cite from Lugt.  Indeed I located a
  copy of this in one of the Paris libraries, using as I recall,
  information in Lugt as to its location.  This was of course the
  catalogue of an auction sale, whereas the 1840 catalogue which
  was the subject of my inquiry was not. The latter was a listing
  of the  heart of the Tiolier holdings prepared the year before
  the collection was sold to Rousseau, and is completely different
  from the catalogue you refer to. But I thank you for your efforts
  on my behalf."


FRENCH LIBRARY LINKS

  Alan Luedeking writes: "In response to Mr. Margolis' plea
  regarding the Tiolier collection catalogue, I have little to offer
  except the following interesting link to a list of all French
  libraries that are on-line. Perhaps Mr. Margolis will find what
  he desires by searching through all of them, with no further
  loss of body parts than some skin on his mouse-clicking
  finger.     http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/France.html"


FROSTPROOF SALE

  Fred Lake's current sale is named "The Frostproof Sale".
  Wondering  if perhaps Fred ran out of room and was
  storing books in a freezer, I contacted him.  Fred writes:
  "I have named sales that do not have a "key" consignor
  after names of cities here in Florida.  Frostproof is
  actually the name of a town in Central Florida."


FRENCH PUBLICATION IDENTIFICATION SOUGHT

  Gar Travis writes: "I have a French ancient coin text in my
  library, titled NUMISMATIQUE ANCIENNE.

  I have a JPG image file that I can send to anyone wishing to
  assist, who may happen to know the year of issue of the text
  and by what person or organization. The size of the card cover
  / hand sewn booklet is 10" x 6 1/4". The covers are not intact
  or attached and some internal pages are loose. The plates, of
  which there are twelve (12), are all intact and each are as if
  center pages 20" x 6 1/4".    My email address is
  oldmoney@coastalnet.com"


LAMASURE MINT PAINTING WHEREABOUTS

  David Lange writes: "I'd like to thank those persons who
  furnished information about the Lamasure painting of the first
  U. S. Mint buildings. Ron Guth was quite helpful in providing
  some facts, and he has given permission to publish his
  response:

  "You might try contacting Craig Whitford about the Lamasure
  painting. I know that he made reproductions of the image on
  postcards and that, at one time, he was interested in re-creating,
  in miniature, the early U.S. Mint and its machinery, so he may
  know where the painting is currently located.

  By way of coincidence, I just purchased a Frank Stewart
  publication that contains information about the Mint, printed
  closer to the time of the actual demolition than his book was.
  If you are interested, I'll let you know if there is any different
  or new information contained therein, when the book arrives.

  At the Philadelphia ANA, I visited Congress Hall, hoping to
  see the Stewart collection on display. Unfortunately, the
  collection has been put in storage and, except for a few
  pieces on display at the Philadelphia Mint, is essentially
  inaccessible. Stewart must be rolling over in his grave!"

  Craig Whitford was indeed helpful, as he provided the
  following: "In regards to the whereabouts of the Lamasure
  painting of the first mint....its last known location was in the
  Independence Hall Collection.

  In the May 1977 issue of Coinage magazine in an article
  titled "Home of Our First Mint" by Thomas W. Becker,
  he notes the following:

  "In 1967, I was elated to find the Lamasure painting
  stacked away in the basement of the First National Bank
  Building in downtown Philadelphia. I had gone with Charles
  Hoskins on the recommendations of Eva Adams, then Director
  of the Bureau of the Mint. ..Together, Hoskins and I set up the
  cameras and lights, took careful meter readings, and closely
  inspected the painting....Looking over my research notes
  dictated after the work in Philadelphia that November of 1967,
  I find this notation: "The Lamasure painting is a pastel (water
  color) measuring 34 7/8 inches across the top and 24 inches
  up and down both sides. The painting is on thin cardboard, one
  solid sheet, and the entire piece of material is now in a very bad
  state of repair..."

  I have nice copies of the postcards in color of the Lamasure
  painting which Frank Stewart produced if you would like one
  for use as an image. I also, during 1986, commissioned a local
  artist to "recreate" the Lamasure image with a few changes. The
  commissioned oil painting is 24 x 36 and I have images of it
  available for reproduction as well."

  Dave Bowers writes: "The Lamasure painting was hanging in
  the foyer of the 4th Philadelphia Mint when I was there on
  April 2, 1992 (100th anniversary of the 1792 Mint Act),
  when a special ceremony was held. Possibly it is still there.

  The "other" well-known 20th century painting, a fanciful scene
  of the striking of the 1792 half dismes, was commissioned by
  Jim Kelly, Dayton (later Englewood), Ohio, dealer, active
  from the 1940s through the 1970s."

  NBS President Pete Smith writes: "The Philadelphia Mint has
  a small Interpretive Center above the Gift Shop. I believe I
  saw the original Lamazure painting there when I visited the
  Mint in 2000.

  Stewart reproduced the painting in color in two sizes for
  calendars he distributed. If David Lange cannot get permission
  to copy the original painting, he may wish to contact me to
  reproduce one of the Stewart calendars. The calendar is an
  item I exhibited in Philadelphia in 2000."


Q, DAVID BOWERS: IRON MAN

  George M. Vanca of Santa Clarita,  CA writes: "Regarding
  Dave Bowers and his sudden termination by Michael Haynes
  of Collectors Universe, I will sum it up succinctly:

  Dave Bowers is the IRON MAN of Numismatics.  He has
  touched the lives of countless men, women and children.  He
  will rise above this temporary setback and come back better
  than ever!"


THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIST

  David Crenshaw writes: "In the last E-Sylum, Ken Lane asked,
  "Who wrote the 1888 4-page pamphlet "The American
  Numismatist?" Well, Ken, Dr. George F. Heath issued the
  pamphlet. The word ?American? was dropped from its title in
  subsequent issues.  This publication eventually became the
  official journal of the American Numismatic Association. "The
  Numismatist" saw minimal change over the years until its recent
  makeover including a change in name to "Numismatist."

  Jess Gaylor submitted this reference: "The American
  Numismatist, Vol. I, No. 1.  Paterson, NJ, September, 1886"

  NBS Board member Joel Orosz sets us straight about both
  publications:  "If Mr. Lane is referring to the first magazine by
  that name, it was published only from September, 1886 to
  December 1887, when its name changed to The Collector's
  Magazine.  Its publisher was Charles E. Leal, of Paterson,
  New Jersey.  I wrote a detailed article on this periodical in my
  "Printer's Devil" column in The Asylum, for Winter of 1997.
  In it, I question the conventional wisdom that Leal's periodical
  prompted Dr. George Heath, of Monroe, Michigan, to drop
  the "American" from his initial title for "The Numismatist", which
  was "The American Numismatist".


WAR CENTS: AN 1886 PERSPECTIVE

  Jess Gaylor added: "In the same issue ("The American
  Numismatist", Vol. I, No. 1.  Paterson, NJ, September,
  1886) is the following article, written by its editor C. E. Leal:

  War Cents

  Small change became so scarce in 1862 that store-keepers
  and other persons began to issue this private currency to supply
  the deficiency; and they continued to coin them in immense
  quantities  until 1864, when the Government, to protect itself,
  was compelled to prohibit their further coinage or circulation.
  The first coinage of War Cents, or Tokens, or Store Cards, as
  they were sometimes called, took place in Cincinnati where
  nearly 900 varieties were issued, fully three times as many
  varieties as any other city issued except New York.  A number
  of other Western cities soon followed the example of Cincinnati,
  but it was not until the early part of 1863 that New York began
  to issue the famous Lindenmuller cents, of which there were
  more than a million coined; these were followed by the
  Knickerbocker tokens, consisting of many varieties.  Altogether
  there were between 600 and 700 varieties issued from New
  York City.  Ohio issued about 1300 varieties from 100 different
  cities and towns, more than any other state issued; New York
  State comes next after Ohio, with over 900 varieties.

  When the Government stopped the coinage of these tokens
  there were upward of 20,000,000 of them in circulation, but
  there are in all probability not more than 1,000,000 in existence
  at the present time.  In my estimation War Cents comprise one
  of the principal branches in Numismatics, and should occupy
  a prominent place in the cabinet of every American collector.
  It is impossible now to obtain a complete collection for any
  sum of money; but $25 or $30 should buy a very good
  collection for an amateur.

  (An so dear readers, even if the Hetrichs and the Guttags and
  the Fulds had not come upon the scene, just look at the wealth
  of information we would still have concerning Civil War
  Tokens)"


WORD DEFINITION: CHIT

  Chick Ambrass writes: "I was reading a paper money auction
  catalogue, and the heading was Military Payments and Chits.
  I went through the entire section, and saw nothing that was
  labeled a "Chit". Any idea what a "chit" is?"   I later came
  across one reference saying a "chit" is a signed paper voucher.

  [Word definitions are a perennial subject in The E-Sylum,
  so let's hear what our readers say.  I always thought a "chit"
  was a paper or cardboard token having some redemption
  value - like a token, but not made of metal.  I didn't think it
  had to be signed.  What say you, E-Sylum readers?
  -Editor]


NASA SPACE FLIGHT MEDAL

  Gar Travis and David Klinger both recommended this page
  for more information on the NASA Space Flight Medal:
  http://www.wwmeinc.com/products/american/usm402_a12.htm


OTHER SPACE MEDALS

  Martin Purdy writes: "Here's another one, unrelated, from a
  quite different source: the paper insert with the "Apollo 8
  Space Medal" produced by the Historical Medal Society of
  Australia and New Zealand in 1968 states that

  "Sterling silver medals were presented to each of the three
  American Astronauts.
  "Colonel Frank Borman, of the U.S. Air Force, commander.
  "Captain James Lovell, of the U.S. Navy.
  "Major William Anders, of the U.S. Air Force.
  "In addition, nine scientists and technicians who were directly
  responsible for the flight were each presented with a sterling
  silver medal."

  I am currently researching the Historical Medal Society of
  Australia and NZ, and wonder whether these twelve silver
  medals were indeed presented, how the presentation was
  made and whether it was ever documented.  The silver
  versions of all of the HMSANZ medals were supposed to
  be for presentation only, with only the bronze and, later,
  aluminum and gilt medals being made available to the public,
  though I suspect that this restriction was relaxed at some stage."


1909 MONTREAL ANA CONVENTION

  Regarding last week's query about the 1909 ANA
  Convention in Montreal, Tom DeLorey writes: "Please pass
  along to Mr. Atchison that David T. Alexander of Stack's has
  written about the acrimonious 1909 ANA presidential election
  campaign, which culminated at the Montreal convention, and
  may have some original source material of interest.

  Please tell him also that the Thomas Elder tokens sometimes
  attributed to the 1909 Montreal convention, which I listed on
  pp. 1620-22 of the July, 1980 The Numismatist as more likely
  dating to 1914, have still not been shown to have been issued
  before 1914 despite my request for such evidence."


HARRIS & CO AND MARKETING

  Regarding the sale of the "Red Book" to H. E. Harris & Co,
  David Lange writes: "This is very good news. As an avid
  collector of coin boards, folders and albums, both old and
  new, I've watched the Whitman titles lose ground over the
  past three or four years, due to lackluster marketing and
  product development. Harris has been very aggressive in
  both areas, and it will be fun to acquire yet another series
  of Whitman folders with the Harris imprint.

  In the few years since the introduction of statehood quarters
  there's been quite a boom in coin folder/album production.
  It's unlike anything seen since the early 1960s. Assembling a
  complete reference collection of all makes, titles and editions
  is a relatively inexpensive, yet challenging hobby. So far, I
  haven't encountered anyone else attempting to do this, though
  there are a handful of people seeking complete sets of the
  Raymond/National and Library of Coins albums."


FEATURED WEB SITE

  This week's featured web site is Scottish Banking,
  recommended by Andy Lustig.  "This site has been created
  by the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers.  The
  Committee is the representative body of the four Scottish
  clearing banks."   The section on the history of Scottish
  Banknotes should be of particular interest.

     http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/




  Wayne Homren
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society