Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 19, May 11, 2003:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


NBS PUBLICATIONS

  Roger Siboni  writes "I would really like to start receiving
  hard copies. Is there a member fee?  Also, is there a way
  to acquire back issues?   I really enjoy getting the Sunday
  e-mail which comes in just after we conclude the Sunday
  Night Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C-4) online chat room."

  Glad you asked.  Since The E-Sylum is open to non-
  members, we should discuss our organization more often.
  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS) publishes two
  journals - the quarterly print journal The Asylum and the weekly
  online E-Sylum.  Only members receive the print journal.  Dues
  are $15 per year to North American addresses, $20 elsewhere.
  Back issues are available from our Secretary-Treasurer.

  Instructions on how to join NBS are at the end of each E-Sylum.
  There is a membership application available on our web site:
  http://www.coinbooks.org/.  To join, print the application and
  return it with your check to the address printed on the
  application.   We'd be very glad to have you join us.


E-SYLUM SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS

  Problem solved:  Our perplexed subscriber writes: "I
  purchased a new PC for home use only. I subscribed to
  The E-Sylum from there, and finally received an issue."

  A different subscriber may be experiencing the same
  problem.  Several of you wrote in with advice.  Having
  tried just about everything already, the best answer seems
  to be to get in touch with your Internet Service Provider
  (ISP) if you are having such trouble.


NUMISMATIC BOOKS FOR CHINA

  Remy Bourne forwarded the following request from the
  Chinese Numismatic Society.   Remy has helped the
  society with book donations, and perhaps some E-Sylum
  subscribers can assist as well.

  "I would like to say more words about the background of my
  request.

  1   The China Numismatic Society was founded only 20 years,
  after the open and reform policy of Deng Xiaoping. In the first
  decade and more, the China Numismatic Society only
  concerned about Chinese historical coins ( cash ) and gave
  very little attention to world coins. Following the increasing of
  international contacts, the China Numismatic Society began to
  be aware that the China Numismatic Society should not be
  only be a Society of Chinese Numismatics, but a Chinese
  Society of Numismatics home and abroad.  Since 1997, a
  Foreign Currency Committee was established, and I am a
  member in it.

  2   I am an engineering-educated person. Only after retiring,
  I indulged myself in world coins. Actually, owing to limited
  budget (my retiring pension about $200 per month ) and
  getting more and more white-grey hair, I am not a world
  coin collector in any sense, but rather to be a propagandist
  of Western Numismatic culture. After publishing the
  GREEK-ROMAN COINS, first in Chinese, finishing the
  writing of BYZANTINE COINS, I am trying to move
  along the Silkroad.

  3   The China Numismatic Society Library has very few
  Western numismatic books that worries me.  After I
  acquainted with you, I decided to ask you for help. Thanks
  for your generous donations. My aim is to help the Library
  building a basic collection of Western numismatics.  Though
  you have exited from the business, I am confident you could
  use your influence and relations to urge more US donators
  to help the CNS Library.

  4   What the China Numismatic Society Library needs at
  present I would suggest the following:

 	A  Numismatic bibliography, such as Clain-Stefanelli's work
     	    ( I myself only bought a selected one ).

 	B  Basic reference books. Such as Sear series, Seaby series,
          Mitchiner series, and Broom-Handbook of Islamic Coins,
          Breen-Encyclopedia of US Coins, Pridmore-Coins of British
          Commonwealth, Smith-American Numismatic Biographies,
          etc.

 	C  Chinese numismatics written by foreign numismatists, such
          as Kann,  Schjoth, Lockhardt.

  5    As for myself, I am moving along the Silkroad, ambitiously
  preparing to  introducing the Parthian, Sasanian, Bacterian and
  Kushan coins to the Chinese numismatic circle. So I am hoping
  to have: Gardner-Coins of Parthia, Sellwood-An Introduction
  to the Coinage of Parthia, Bopearachchi-Indo-Greek/Scythian/
  Parthian Coins ( I already got Sasan numismatic books ).
  Maybe more, Jones-A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins
  (I've already got the Greek one ), Mosher-Coin Mottos and
  Their Translations, etc.

  6    As for the Sayle's, Coincraft's, KP's, we could buy
  them in China.

  Please send all donated books to:
      Professor Li Tiesheng
      31-1-4 Gvnt. Res. Bldg., North Yingbin
      Hohhot 010050
      Peoples Republic of China"


NOTES ON MARGINALIA

  Gary Dunaier writes: "Regarding handwritten notes in the
  margins of books: I, personally, don't care for them.  But
  I don't think it's something that should be rejected on a
  wholesale basis.

  For example, I don't think any self-respecting numismatic
  student would turn down the opportunity to acquire a
  used coin book solely on the basis of writing in the margins
  --  if the notes were written by Q. David Bowers or
  someone of his caliber."

  Bill Spengler of Colorado Springs writes: "While in general
  I abhor the practice of underlining or writing in the margins
  of serious books, especially in irremovable ink, this once
  worked to my considerable advantage.  On a visit to my
  favorite Oriental bookseller in England in 1976, I was
  fortunate to acquire a 39-volume numismatic library of
  original editions of most of the museum catalogues and
  other standard references on ancient and medieval coins
  of South Asia -- my specialty -- published between 1866
  and 1941, including all the Numismatic Supplements to the
  "Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal" 1904-1937.  They
  were all beautifully bound in tan leather with gold lettering and
  decoration, and were in nice condition.

  Several of the volumes, particularly those covering gold coins
  of the Gupta Dynasty of ancient India, contained "marginalia"
  written in blue pencil -- routinely used by British colonial
  administrators in annotating documents and exchanging notes.
  What a great find, evidently the personal reference library of
  a British collector of Indian coins while stationed in the
  Subcontinent!

  I was eager to know who of the rather small group of such
  British numismatists had owned and used this important library
  long ago.  Sadly, however, these volumes did not contain a
  single bookplate, owner's signature or other overt indication
  of ownership, and the bookseller had had them in stock so
  long that he couldn't recall where, how or when he had acquired
  them!  I took this as a challenge in detection and eventually
  discovered the solution in the volume on "The Coinage of the
  Early or Imperial Gupta Dynasty of Northern India" by the
  famous British Indian numismatist Vincent A. Smith, bearing
  on its cover a faint inked note presenting the book to one
  H. Rivett-Carnac Esq. "with the author's kind regards".  This
  was the only such clue in the entire library.

  Confirmation came in a notation on one of the plates in this
  volume on which someone had written "to BM" in blue pencil
  alongside a gold stater of Kumara Gupta.  When I looked up
  this piece in the British Museum I found on the coin's little
  round ticket that it had been donated by none other than
  H. Rivett-Carnac.  This established ownership of this volume
  and, by association, all the others.

  I'll save other details of this interesting story, including the
  identity and numismatic background of  Rivett-Carnac, for
  an article I intend to do for The Asylum.  But for now let the
  story speak for the sometimes value of "marginalia".

  [Feel free to print out The E-Sylum and scribble all over it.
  -Editor]


LOTS MORE ON S. Q. LAPIUS

  Ron Haller-Williams writes: "Thought I'd check the on-line
  1901 census for England amp; Wales, for anybody with the
  surname "Lapius":   "No results found".  No surprise, really,
  I guess.

  At http://www.blackmask.com/olbooks/grftrdex.htm we get
  another listing of the O. Henry story referred to by one
  respondent: "The Gentle Grafter".  Relevant extract:

     'Doc,' says the Mayor, 'I'm awful sick. I'm about to die.
     Can't you do nothing for me?'

     'Mr. Mayor,' says I, 'I'm not a regular preordained disciple
     of S. Q. Lapius.  I never took a course in a medical college,'
     says I.   'I've just come as a fellow man to see if I could be of
     assistance.'

     At least this one has frequent financial if not numismatic
     references, including some "marked Bank bills".

   But a word of warning:  Don't blame me if, after reading the
   whole thing, you appear to be in as much distress as this Mayor!"

  Bill Daehn writes: "Regarding the discussion of S. Q. Lapius in
  the latest E-Sylum -- I don't know who he was, but the name is
  certainly a pseudonym taken from the Greek mythological
  character Asclepius, sometimes spelled Aesculapius (S Q Lapius,
  get it?).

  Asclepius appeared in Homer's Iliad as a physician. He was
  known as a great healer who could even raise men  from the
  dead. In ancient Greek times, a cult arose in honor of Asclepius,
  with numerous centers of worship established around the Greek
  world. He is often depicted on ancient Greek coins, and is usually
  accompanied by his symbol, the staff with a snake entwined
  around it."

  [Wow.  I guess I spent Greek Literature class looking out the
  window or at the pretty girl in front of me.  I had never heard of
  Aesculapius, but it sure makes sense.  Martin Purdy mentioned
  this connection as well.  This is why I encourage smart people to
  subscribe to The E-Sylum.  -Editor]

  Len Augsberger writes: "For some reason, it is more fun to work
  on other people's problems.  The 1930 census was recently
  indexed & released on ancestry.com.   There are some problems
  working with it (occasional misspellings, etc.) but the cost is well
  worth it.

  I have a Justin A. Garvin in the 1930 census living in Shaker
  Heights, OH. Age 43 (census taken April 9, so agrees with
  Kleeburg's 1886 birth date), owning his own home valued at
  $20000, and working as a doctor in a hospital.

  Now.......here's the interesting part......Garvin's birthplace is
  given as Chile, and his mother's birthplace is given as Turkey!
  The father is born in America.  Garvin has two children, John
  (possibly "Jack", age 13) and David (age 6).

  Justin is also listed in the 1920 census (age 33) as a physician
  in private practice in Cleveland Heights, OH.

  A WWI military record is at ancestry.com (subscription site):
     Name: Justin Allis Garvin
     Serial Number: First Lieutenant
     Race: W
     Residence: 3155 Sycamore Reserve Division, Cleveland
           Heights, O.
     Birth Place: Valparaiso, Chili.
     Birth Date / Age: 7 June 1886
     Assigns Comment: 1 Lieutenant MC 10 Aug 1918 from
           CL. General Hospital 9 to Discharge Lakewood NJ;
           Cp Dix NJ. Honorable discharge 28 June 1919.

  It also gives the reference:
  "Garvin, Justin Allis 1886-1946  Biography Index. A
   cumulative index to biographical material in books and
   magazines. Volume 1: January, 1946-July, 1949. New York:
   H.W. Wilson Co., 1949. (BioIn 1)

  I am not familiar with this source ("Biography Index") but
  probably any large library has it.

  So, Garvin is obviously a doctor, and obviously well traveled.
  And probably smart enough to publish something so young ....
  but is he the same as Mr. Lapius???

  You are totally right about the Internet -- it can only take you
  so far.  But what amazes me the most is how fast it grows -
  you can repeat searches after a few months and have a good
  chance of finding something new.   Anyway, the material I
  need to see these days is all in Maryland and I have no easy
  way to get at it except to go there.  Kinda frustrating!"


CC MINT FIGURES

  In response to the earlier query, Bob Julian writes: "The
  mintage figures of Carson City for 1870 through June 1873,
  by months, can be found in the May 1977 issue of Coins
  Magazine."


INTERNMENT CAMP TOKEN REFERENCE

  Howard A. Daniel III writes:  "I do not know of references
  about these tokens but I can write that if anyone wants to know
  about them, they can send an email to MPCGram at Yahoo.com
  and request a subscription to the MPC Gram, a free almost
  daily newsletter not only about Military Payment Certificates,
  but many, many other military financial instruments.  Anyone can
  submit a letter to the editor or write a small item about their
  question(s) and I am VERY sure he or she will receive at least
  one email with the answer(s).

  The editor of the MPC Gram, Fred Schwan, is one of the
  authors of "World War II Remembered" and can probably
  answer any question(s) about these tokens too.  But he will
  usually wait for a reader to take a stab at answering before
  he jumps in."

  The other author, Joe Boling writes: "Where did you find
  anything in Schwan-Boling about Japanese-American
  internment camp tokens?  I have never heard of any."

  [Well, I'm just plain lazy sometimes and didn't take the time
  to confirm the listing in Schwan-Boling before publishing last
  week's item.  After seeing Joe's note I recalled that the
  source of information was Lance Campbell's "Prisoner of
  War and Concentration Camp Money of the Twentieth
  Century"  Second Edition, 1993, also published by BNR
  Press.

  An entry on p87 lists fiber tokens of the Crystal City, Texas
  civilian internment camp.  "This camp was open from 1943-
  1948 and housed families of predominantly Japanese heritage."
  -Editor]


HERALDRY AND NUMISMATICS

  Steve Huber writes: "My collection consist of many world
  crowns and talers.  As you can imagine, lots of portraits,
  kings, monarch, reigns, etc., mostly European but more
  recently South America.   Many of the Royal families are
  related.  For example, I'm sure you are aware of Queen
  Victoria's long span as Queen and prolific family of other
  monarchs, Kings etc.

  I've been looking to purchase the reference "Lines of
  Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe."
  I can be reached via e-mail at shuber at mchutchison.com.

  This book is long out of print.  I'll find one but thought
  one of our readers might be aware of an extra copy.
  It's just for my own development of the lines of succession
  of these many monarch pictured on Crowns and talers and
  how they may oftentimes be related."


NEWTON'S AFFLICTION

  Regarding last week's note about minter Issac Newton and
  Asperger's Syndrome, Martin Purdy writes: "I've also seen
  articles suggesting that Newton had Asperger's Syndrome, a
  form of mild autism.  However, an item in the New Zealand
  Numismatic Journal, December 2000, by Dr. K.A. Rodgers
  (Correspondence, page 30), suggests that Newton was
  afflicted with heavy metal poisoning from having dealt at close
  range with mercury, antimony and arsenic, which ultimately
  resulted in his being "mad as a hatter" - perhaps we need
  look no further than this?

  Regarding Newton's lectures to an empty room, he adds:
  "If no one was there, how did anyone know?  Sounds a bit
  fanciful to me!

  If a lecturer delivers a talk to an empty room, does he make
  a sound?"


PHILIPPINE COUNTERSTAMP BOOK

  Ken Berger sends this information regarding last week's
  query:

  Title: Philippine Counterstamped Coins 1828-1839 with
      Original Archival Documents"
  Author: Quint Jose Ma. Oropilla y Fortich, M.D.
  Publisher: Noumisma-Economic History Research
  Publishing Company Quezon City, Philippines
  Copyright: 2001
  Pages: 193 + appendix
  Printer: Visual Color Inc., Quezon City
  Size: 9.25" x 12.25"

  According to the dust jacket, it can be ordered by phone.
  The number is 815-9911 Local 51.  Since it is in the
  Philippines, you'll need the appropriate country code.

  By the way, I asked a certain individual about this book at
  the Long Beach, CA show & he was not very forthcoming
  with respect to information regarding how I may obtain a
  copy.  It's almost as if he wanted to keep it a secret!  I
  received my copy from Bill Elwell of Bishop Coins, who
  very graciously, gave me his own personal copy.  Thanks
  again, Bill.   Hope this information helps."


THE LITTLEST COIN BOOKS

  Doug Andrews writes: "When we consider which is the
  "smallest" numismatic book, we can't judge it by its length,
  otherwise one sheet of paper folded once could qualify as
  a four-page "book."

  I submit a book from my collection as a candidate for the
  smallest modern numismatic tome. Although it has an
  astounding 146 pages, it measures only 8.5 cm x 10.5 cm
  and is hard-covered. It is entitled "Navigators" by S. Petrov,
  published in St. Petersburg, Russia (where I bought it) in
  1995. It deals exclusively with coins having nautical and
  maritime exploration themes."

  George Kolbe writes: "I recall handling a few copies of a
  miniature book on American colonial coins years ago, but
  do not recall specifics. I believe it was published by a small
  private press in the U. S., had a few illustrations (it took a
  full page to depict one side of a coin), and very little useful
  information. When I set up a bourse table in those days I
  would often place a copy atop a set of Loubat; it made
  for an eye-catching display."

  Joel Orosz writes: "The smallest numismatic book in my
  collection is:  Mark Hoff, American Coins. Kansas City:
  Ariel Books Andrews and McMeel, 1996. ISBN
  Number 0-8362-0990-7

  The book is gray cloth, with the image of the obverse of a
  Buffalo Nickel on the front cover, and the reverse of same
  on the back cover.  It has a pictorial dustjacket and
  endpapers, and is illustrated with color photos from the
  ANA Museum.  It contains 127 numbered pages. Cover
  dimensions are 4.5 cm wide by 5.8 cm tall.  The book is
  from the aptly-named "Tiny Tomes" series."

  Chris Hoelzle and Bob Leonard reported having this one
  in their libraries as well.

  Carl Honore describes a candidate for the "small and thin
  hardcover books category:  "It's about the size of a Redbook
  but its really thin.  It's called called "Pillars and Portraits".
I've
  lost it in my book shelves a few times because its so thin it's
  gotten hidden between larger volumes.   It's not as thick as the
  Redbook its maybe even smaller in size.  It has information
  about the Mexican 8 reale pieces.  It's actually about as thick
  as two Eisenhower dollars or other silver dollars."

  E-Sylum readers are well connected.   Our most authoritative
  response come from Julian I. Edison of St. Louis, MO, the
  editor of "Miniature Book News."

  My brother-in-law, Eric P. Newman asked me to respond.
  The 2 smallest numismatic books that I am aware of are:

  1) "Colonial Coins, Illustrated with numerous Photo Engravings,"
       published by the Hillside Press, 1974. Preface is by F. E. I.,
        but no author. Book measures 2 3/8 by 2 inches.

  2) Hoff, Mark; "American Coins," published by Andrews and
       McMeel (1996).  Book measures 2 1/4 by 1 7/8 inches.


BULGARIAN REFERENCE

  Regarding our previous request for a book on Bulgarian
  coinage, Larry Gaye writes: "I have a reference that might fit.
  It is "Coinage of the Balkans 820-1355, D.M. Metcalf, 1966,
  Argonaut Publishers.   The book is in English and has 16
  photographic plates.  I hope this is helpful. It might be worth
  a shot to see if the ANA has one in their library.  They do
  lend books out."


NUMISMATIC VISITORS

  On Saturday The Asylum's Dynamic Duo, David Fanning
  and Tom Fort, visited the E-Sylum War Room.  A bunker-
  buster bomb could have wiped out the entire NBS editorial
  staff, online and off.   David was in town for the Pennsylvania
  Association of Numismatists (PAN) show, and the three of
  us happily pawed through numismatic literature and ephemera
  for a couple of hours.    What fun!


FEATURED WEB SITE

  This week's featured web page is an article by Fred Reed
  on postage stamp envelopes which circulated as small change
  during the U.S. Civil War.

     http://www.psestamp.com/articles/article1099.chtml


  Wayne Homren
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society