Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 41, October 12, 2003:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


CANADIAN NUMISMATIC BIBLIOGRAPHY DEADLINE

  Darryl Atchison writes: "the deadline is rapidly approaching
  for people to order the new Canadian Numismatic Bibliography
  at pre-publication prices.

  If anyone needs ordering instructions again or any further
  information, they can contact either myself at atchisondf at hotmail.com

  or Ron Greene at ragreene at telus.net.  Thank you."


JOHN KRALJEVICH INTERVIEW

  NBS Board member John Kraljevich was featured in a
  Washington Post article last Sunday, October 5th.
  "I've always had an interest in history, and I've always
  liked money. When I was 7 years old I went to Europe,
  and instead of buying souvenirs, I collected coins from
  each country and put them in a little album."

  "There's not a coin that passes through my hands that
  I don't look at. I do collect the state quarters. I put
  away the first I find -- not the nicest or the prettiest, just
  the first."

  To read the full article, see:
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33979-2003Oct2.html


NEW 20'S SPOTTED YET?

  The new U.S. $20 notes were to be released into circulation
  this week, but your editor has yet to see any.  I asked at a
  local bank only to be told they would have them "sometime
  in November."  Have any of our E-Sylum subscribers seen
  a new $20 in circulation yet?


MINT BUILDING INFO SOUGHT

  Mark Borckardt of Bowers and Merena writes: "I am
  working on preparations for an ANA Summer Seminar
  class on the history of the second United States Mint and
  branch mints. As part of this class, I want to discuss the
  physical building, construction thereof, and a floor plan.
  Do you or any E-sylum members have such information
  or know where the same is located? I have found a few
  clues and may need to recreate the actual floor plan as
  close as possible. AM Smith?s history of the Mint has a
  ?tour? of the mint, letting us know that the entry hall is
  round, the coining department encompassed nearly all
  of the east side of the first floor, etc. Another article
  appeared in an issue of Harper?s Monthly with a similar
  guided tour of the mint building, telling us for instance
  that the coining department was separated in the middle
  by a walkway with iron fences.  This is illustrated in
  Harper?s.  I have seen floor plans of the first Mint
  building, but not the second. I am also planning a trip to
  the old New Orleans Mint building to sketch a floor plan.
  My understanding is that the physical New Orleans Mint
  building is virtually unchanged from the days of coinage
  production, and that it is known what each room in the
  building was used for!"

  [See The E-Sylum, v6n32 (August 10, 2003) for mention
  of "A History of the United States Mint, New Orleans,
  Louisiana" by Charles J. Collins Jr.  -Editor]


1986 JOHN J. FORD VAULT ARTICLE

  One interesting side aspect of the John J. Ford
  collection being auctioned by Stack's is the way in
  which it was housed for many years.  In 1986
  Coin World published an article titled "Ford has
  special shelter for sale" which described Ford's
  fallout shelter turned numismatic vault/workroom.
  Since he was moving from the New York area to
  Arizona, Ford's old house and shelter were up
  for sale.

  The 187-ton nuclear blast shelter, designed to survive
  a 10 megaton five-mile surface blast, was later converted
  by Ford into "a quiet, comfortable place to sort and
  list coins and things."

  The August 6th article was followed up by an
  article by Ford himself on October 8th (from which
  the above quote was taken).


U.S. COLONIAL COIN FOUND IN BRITAIN

  Gar Travis sent an Associated Press article dated October
  8th about an "exceptionally rare American coin found in
  Britain."

  "The rare New England silver sixpence turned up when
  relatives of a deceased British man were rummaging through
  his belongings. They sent it to an expert for identification.

  ''It just came through the post in an unregistered envelope
  but when I opened it I recognized the sixpence straight away
  and my heart leapt. It is exceedingly rare and a very exciting
  find,'' said Rick Coleman, the senior valuer at Bonhams
  auctioneers."


CATALOGUING FUN

  Reading auction lot descriptions can be enlightening and
  amusing.  We note a couple items from the September 26,
  2003 sale by Heritage's Currency Auctions of America.

  Lot 1046 is a 25 cent New York, NY scrip note which
  "bears one of the great all time vignettes used on any
  scrip note, depicting a crowd of thin, almost stick figures,
  rushing to enter the establishment, while from the other
  door pours a group of obviously well fed and corpulent
  individuals, no doubt sated after dining at this eatery."
  (Pettit & Crook, Harris 872)

  The cataloguer describes lot 1082, a 25 cent notes from
  Archibald & John C. Blue as "an interesting notes from
  the Blue's brothers, printed, quite appropriately, in blue."


WALDO C. MOORE HALLOWEEN SCRIP

  Appropriately for the season, the October 6, 2003 issue
  of The Numismatic Perspective (Issue #4) by American
  Numismatic Galleries features an article by Frank Van
  Valen about "Halloween Carnival Currency" produced
  by Ohio numismatist Waldo C. Moore from about 1912
  through 1933.


CALICO, CALICO & TRIGO BOOK SOUGHT

  Granvyl Hulse, Numismatics International librarian
  writes: "In reply to my query regarding  Ferran Calico,
  Xavier Calico, and Joaquin Trigo's  "Monedas Espanolas
  desde Felipe IV a Isabel II 1621 a 1868" someone
  mentioned that it was still in print in a later edition. We
  have been asked to find out where this later edition could
  be purchased. Does anyone in the E-Sylum group know
  who is selling current copies?  Thanks."


MORE HAITIAN NUMISMATIC SALES

  Mike Knight writes: "I just stumbled across your website
  and noticed the recent correspondence on Haitian coinage.
  I have a copy of a Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge sale 18 Feb
  1907, that contains the TW Kitt of Woodbridge Road,
  Guildford collection of Haitian material.  Lot 182 contained
  201 coins plus 15 medals in gold. silver and copper.  The
  following lot contained his collection of paper currency, a
  letter from Henri Cristophe, postage stamps, and a book of
  postcards (124 items in all)."


WORLD COLLECTORS ORGANIZATION?

  Granvyl Hulse writes: "Is there any such organization known
  as the "World Collectors Association?" It supposedly has
  branches around the world."


SO THIS BUFFALO WALKS INTO A BAR...

  Submitted by Dick Johnson:

  A buffalo with only three legs walks into a coin shop. He sees
  a 3-Legged Buffalo Nickel in the dealer's case of coins for
  sale. "I posed for that," boasted the buffalo.

  "No you didn't," said the coin dealer, "it was created by
  sculptor Fraser. The missing leg was due to a filled die in
  the press at the Denver Mint."

  "Denver has a Mint?" asks the buffalo.

  "Ever since 1906!" exclaimed the coin dealer.

  "Where is it?" asked the buffalo, and the dealer gives the
  address to the buffalo.

  A month later the buffalo shows up at what he thinks is the
  Denver Mint having walked all the way on his three legs.
  But he didn't remember the exact address and had showed
  up instead at a saloon down the street.

  "I lost a leg here in 1937," the buffalo told the saloon keeper,
  "I want it back."  The buffalo raises the stump of his front leg.

  The saloon keeper paused for a minute, then walked away.
  He came back with a platter of deep fried meat.

  "Here," said the saloon keeper, "we don't have your leg, but
  I see you lost your wings as well!"


QUIZ: THREE-LEGGED BUFFALO DISCOVERER

  We haven't had a quiz question in some time, so here
  goes:  Who is credited with the discovery of the
  3-legged buffalo nickel variety, and when did this occur?
  -Editor


LIVING AT THE POST OFFICE

  Gar Travis saw the following exchange on the Moneta-L
  mailing list "and thought the "chuckle" was worthy to share...."

  "Does anyone have a phone number or another email (other
  than the email provided by "customer service") for Elibron
  book co.? I ordered a book." - Rob

  Thank you John,  I just received an email from them that
  the book was returned from my PO box address because
  "nobody lived there." What the ----?

  "I responded that indeed, nobody lives there; it's too small."
  -Rob


FEATURED WEB PAGE

  This week's featured web page is about an early contemporary
  reference to the chopmarking of coins in China.

http://www.sycee-on-line.com/Chopmark_publication.htm



  Wayne Homren
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society