WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

Among our recent subscribers are Bruce Baryla, and Robert P Puddester. Welcome aboard! We now have 1,263 subscribers.

This week we open with some comments on our recent anniversary, and word of Charlie Davis' next numismatic literature sale. Other topics include the newly-created International Numismatic Libraries Network, Geology in Numismatics, and Salmon P. Chase and his portrait.

To learn about the lucky smokestack coin, Max the E-Sylum Wonder Dog and the library that doesn't have any damn books, read on.

Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society

COMMENTS ON THE E-SYLUM'S 11TH ANNIVERSARY

Ron Guth, President of PCGS CoinFacts writes:

Paul Petch writes:

Numismatic literature dealer Douglas Saville writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST E-SYLUM ISSUE ON SEPTEMBER 4, 1998 (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a02.html)

CHARLES DAVIS OCTOBER 17 2009 SALE CATALOG ONLINE

Numismatic literature dealer Charles Davis writes:

To access the catalog, see: www.vcoins.com/ancient/charlesdavis

ORIGINAL "RED BOOK" SHOP DUMMIES ON DISPLAY AT PHILADELPHIA EXPO

We thought your readers would like to know that the original Red Book shop dummy, original Blue Book shop dummy, and an antique Whitman Publishing printing plate will be on display at the upcoming Whitman Coin & Collectibles Philadelphia Expo, September 24-26 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Original Red Book Shop Dummy: Don't let its blue color fool you: this is the original "shop dummy" of the first edition of the Red Book (the Guide Book of United States Coins), which would be published in late 1946. Note the vellum hand-lettered cover sketch. . . the penciled-in text and notations. . . the red editorial markups. This is numismatic history in process-a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the hobby's best-selling guide book.

Original Blue Book Shop Dummy: Before the Red Book there was the Blue Book-A Hand Book of United States Coins, which debuted in 1942. This is the original shop dummy for the first edition, complete with penciled notes and pasted-in content-a rare, indeed unique, piece of numismatic history from the Whitman Publishing archives.

Antique Whitman Publishing Printing Plate: This old-fashioned printing plate, copyright 1940, was used to print one of Whitman's famous coin boards - in this case, "Barber or Liberty Head Half Dollar Collection No. 2."

Whitman Publishing started making its coin boards in the early 1930s, followed by coin folders in 1940. They took the hobby by storm - making it easy to collect and display coins from pocket change - and helped usher in the Great Depression era's popular craze for coin collecting.

In addition to these displays, there will be a currency exhibit featuring 10 of the most interesting U.S. notes, including the $1,000 "Grand Watermelon"; an exhibit featuring the Nova Constellatio pattern coins; and several other interesting, educational exhibits.

There will also be several free programs and meetings.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
2 p.m.
"Announcing the Red Book's New Professional Edition"
Room 305

A new, expanded "Red Book on Steroids" is coming to the hobby. The Guide Book of United States Coins, Professional Edition, is for intermediate to advanced collectors, professional coin dealers, and investors. Find out what makes this the one reference --- after the regular-edition Red Book, of course --- that you absolutely must have in your numismatic library. It debuts in October; get a sneak peek now, ahead of the crowd!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
1 p.m.
"Great Numismatists I've Met: From B. Max Mehl to Present Day"
Room 305

Among modern numismatists, few have reached the legendary stature of Q. David Bowers, a coin dealer, researcher, auctioneer, and award-winning author since the early 1950s. In this fascinating lecture and Q&A session, Bowers weaves tales of some of the personalities he's met and become friends with over the years. A fireside chat with a hobby legend, telling about other hobby legends --- you'll kick yourself if you miss this one!

2 p.m.
"Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness"
Room 305

Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker presents a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Fred Reed's monumental new book, Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness. Marvel at how our nation's greatest president has been portrayed in an impressive collection of coins, medals, tokens, paper currency, scrip, and other collectibles and mainstream media. Rumor has it that visitors are invited to have a free souvenir photo-portrait made with Mr. Lincoln at booth #461 this afternoon and Saturday morning on the bourse floor.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
2 p.m.
"History of the Red Book: 63 Years in the Hobby, and Going Strong"
Room 305

No other coin guide has influenced as many collectors as the Guide Book of United States Coins, known nationwide as the "Red Book." Now, hobby legend and longtime Red Book editor Kenneth Bressett recounts the marvelous history of this #1 best-seller. Meet the hobby giants who have touched this classic over the years --- and been touched by it, in turn.

Learn about fantastic error books, rare editions and one-of-a-kinds, and related collectibles. Hear about the year the Red Book beat John F. Kennedy and Dale Carnegie, why a special book was printed for Mint Director Eva Adams, how a blind collector finally got to read about his coins, and more. Bring your questions for the Q&A --- and your Red Book, for Ken to autograph.

For the complete show schedule, see: http://www.whitmanexpo.com/contentPages/Schedule_Philadelphia.aspx

PHILIPPINE NUMISMATIC LITERATURE SALES STRONG

In an earlier issue we announced Ray Czahor's recent Cookie Jar Collectibles mailbid sale which included Philippine numismatic literature. In a report in the September 9th, 2009 MPC Gram (an email newsletter for collectors of Military Payment certificates and other military money) writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: MAIL BID SALE OF PHILIPPINE NUMISMATIC LITERATURE (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n28a06.html)

C4 COLONIAL NUMISMATIC LITERATURE SURVEY

Ray Williams writes:

Jim Jones writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: WHY DO SO MANY COIN COLLECTORS REFUSE TO BUY THE BOOKS? (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a05.html)

INTERNATIONAL NUMISMATIC LIBRARIES' NETWORK CREATED

American Numismatic Society librarian Elizabeth Hahn writes:

A new international network of scientific numismatic libraries has been established -- the International Numismatic Libraries' Network (INLN). The aims will be to coordinate common efforts (for ex. in developing cataloguing standards) and quite generally to distribute and to exchange information, ideas, and publications.

At the beginning of 2009, all ICOMON members were contacted and a survey regarding their information and library situation was sent out. Several numismatic librarians and ‘information caretakers' responded and some 25 libraries world-wide were interested in becoming a member of the network. As a result, the INLN was formally founded at the International Numismatic Congress in Glasgow (2nd and 3rd September 2009).

A website that summarizes the mission and goals of the Network is currently being developed and will be announced shortly.

For more information, please contact Ans ter Woerds (Geldmuseum, Utrecht -- a.ter.woerds@geldmuseum.nl) or Elizabeth Hahn (American Numismatic Society, New York -- hahn@numismatics.org).

NUMISMATIC AUTHORS HIGHLIGHTED IN PAPER MONEY

Steve Whitfield with his Kansas book (Memphis Paper Money Show)
BOOK REVIEW: KANSAS PAPER MONEY: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, 1854-1935 (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n18a06.html)

Fred Reed with his Lincoln book (Memphis Paper Money Show)
BOOK REVIEW: ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE IMAGE OF HIS GREATNESS BY FRED REED (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n11a03.html)

Joe Boling at Gene Hessler book signing (Central States Numismatic Society show)
BOOK REVIEW: HEY! MISTER HORN BLOWER (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n20a03.html)

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REPRINT OF PRIME'S COINS, MEDALS AND SEALS

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AND AMAZON.COM PRINTING OUT-OF-COPYRIGHT BOOKS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a08.html)

MORE ON MARDI GRAS DOUBLOON LITERATURE

Bob Knepper writes:

Fred Reed writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: QUERY: INFORMATION ON MARDI GRAS DOUBLOONS SOUGHT (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a19.html)

VOCABULARY WORDS: COUNTERSTAMP AND COUNTERMARK

Last week Kavan Ratnatunga submitted a query on the terms CounterStamp and CounterMark. David Levy writes:

Chris Faulkner writes:

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASE OF THE FORMER ANA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Last week we quoted a Numismatic News article by David Ganz stating:

Well, the "fees and costs" are pretty hefty. Although my E-Sylum headline was "ARBITRATOR ORDERS FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO PAY ANA $53,500", ANA Governor Joe Boling writes:

Just when it seemed like it was over with an arbitrator's award, ousted American Numismatic Association executive director Christopher Cipoletti filed a motion in Colorado Springs, Colo., court seeking to overturn the arbitration award on the grounds that the arbitrator exceeded her authority. It is one of the few bases that, if correct, constitutes grounds to throw out the July decision made public recently.

In a related development, a routine request to postpone the December trial date of the former ANA trial counsel was given a decidedly non-routine denial; the court suggested that the parties prepare for trial and mediation. The combined events make for a renewed vitality to what seemed to be a closed case.

To read the complete article, see: Cipoletti Case Not Yet Closed (http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=7629)

But there is still more bubbling beneath the surface. In a September 3, 2009 filing, Cipoletti's attorneys make a motion to stay the proceedings. Their reasoning is likely to raise a few eyebrows. Here are some quotes from the public document.

GEOLOGY AND NUMISMATICS

Last week Chris Faulkner submitted a transcription of an account of monetary practices experienced by Sir Charles Lyell in Philadelphia in 1842, a perilous time indeed for holding paper money for any length of time. I am always interested in associations between numismatics and geology, no matter how obscure, since the two subjects are linked inextricably in my own life.

Lyell was one of the founders of the science of geology, being the principal early advocate of Uniformitarianism, the concept that holds that geological processes seen active in the present (slow erosion, deposition, dissolution, etc.) were also those that occurred in the past.

Although this idea may seem obvious today, it was not always so, and Lyell's arguments formed the foundation for other breakthrough realizations in the 19th century philosophy of science, concepts that required a great age for the earth, such as Darwin's observations on the transmutation of species.

In my library I have another 19th-century geology book that uses medieval coins to illustrate in part the principle of uniformitarianism: James Dwight Dana's Text-Book of Geology, 1863. In that book the author uses a coin conglomerate found ten feet beneath the bed of the River Dove at Tutbury, Staffordshire, England to illustrate geological processes continuing in the recent era, and to show the amount of deposition occurring in only a few centuries.

The illustration is presented alongside a depiction of an estimated 250-year-old human fossil preserved in a limestone deposit from the Caribbean. A similar illustration appears in Dana's much larger work, A Manual of Geology, also 1863, a later edition of which can be found in Google Books. To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: HOW PEOPLE IN 1842 USED COUNTERFEIT DETECTORS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a18.html)

THE 1959 HAWAII GOLD STATEHOOD MEDAL

Regarding Bob Rhue's query, Jan Monroe writes:

To read the previous E-Sylum article, see: QUERY: 1959 GOLD STATEHOOD MEDALS FOR ALASKA & HAWAII (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a20.html)

MORE ON ANNIVERSARY TERMINOLOGY

To read the complete article, see: MORE ON ANNIVERSARY TERMINOLOGY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a13.html)

U.S. LARGE CENT FETCHES RECORD PRICE OVER $1 MILLION

The finest known 1795 large cent with a reeded edge sold for a record $1,265,000 Sept. 6. It was a highlight of the Dan Holmes collection of early large cents. This collection was auctioned by Ira and Larry Goldberg in association with Chris McCawley and Bob Grellman at the Beverly Hills Crowne Plaza.

Although many coins in the collection sold for record prices, the spotlight here is on the Holmes 1795 reeded edge, as this is a bewildering price for a copper coin. Greg Hannigan was the successful bidder and was acting on behalf of a collector of large cents by die variety.

This 1795 large cent is of the die variety known as Sheldon-79. Though it is best known for having a reeded edge, it is truly a die variety, not just an edge variety. A particular die pair was used only to produce the coins that are now known as Sheldon-79.

The auction record for a copper coin has been broken a few times over the last five years. On Jan. 5, 2009, in Orlando, the finest known Strawberry Leaf cent was auctioned by Stack's for $862,500. It was NGC graded Fine-12 in 2004, and, after the Jan. 2009 auction, PCGS graded VG-10. It is curious that the finest known Strawberry Leaf cent and the finest known 1795 reeded edge cent are both PCGS graded VG-10.

Of the four known Strawberry Leaf cents, Holmes had two. Hannigan was the top bidder for both. One is PCGS graded Good-4 and it sold for $218,500. The other is of a unique variety. The placement of "ONE CENT" on the reverse is different. It is PCGS graded Fair-2 and it brought $264,500. I expected these two coins to bring more. Strawberry Leaf cents are rarer and much more famous than 1795 reeded edge cents or 1799 cents.

To read the complete article, see: Copper record: $1,265,000 price achieved by cent (http://numismaticnews.net/article/Copper%20record_1265000
_price_achieved_by_cent/)

To view the auction video, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLK6QFK9uQU

MORE ON SALMON P. CHASE AND HIS ONE DOLLAR GREENBACK

I came across your piece regarding Salmon Chase and the placement of his own portrait on the $1 bill, which references the pamphlet, "Going Home to Vote". Although it is likely that the pertinent passage from this pamphlet is likely already known to you by this time, I thought I would provide it just in case:

It seems to me that the speech passage certainly demonstrates Chase putting the fame generated by his portrait to advantageous political purpose, and his statement all but admits that he dictated the placement of his portrait on the $1 bill. I would think that internal government records would clarify the exact process by which the portrait/denomination decisions were arrived at, but think that even if these confirm that he dictated it there is not likely to be any clue that would constitute a smoking gun to confirm that he had more widespread distribution of his own portrait vs that of Lincoln's in mind.

There was a second quote in the "Going Home to Vote" pamphlet that records Chase mentioning his likeness on the $1 bill in another speech:

Chase and his daughter certainly actively promoted him by providing photographs and autographs to inquiries for such, as noted in this passage from a biography of Kate Chase:

I also recall reading of his leaving a torn $1 bill as a calling card for a woman he was pursuing, when she was not present at a hotel at the time he had hoped to meet her.

I recently discovered an autographed Chase calling card that features the National Bank Note Company engraving of the $1 bill vignette, trimmed to its oval border and mounted onto manila-weight card stock. The precision with which the vignette was trimmed strongly suggests that it was not a home-made production, but rather that it had been produced by a skilled Treasury Department worker.

Also of interest is that the date, February 11, 1864, lies at the precise watershed of Chase's presidential ambitions. The first of the two privately mailed anti-Lincoln pamphlets that destroyed his campaign first appeared in a newspaper the day before, and it would only be a few weeks before Chase was forced to withdraw from contention due to the firestorm the pamphlets had created.

You may see a picture of this item here:
ttp://web.newsguy.com/bruceb/chase/chasecallingcard.jpg

I am not sure how much use Chase made of this National Bank Note Company engraving for self-promotion but it would be interesting to find out. I would expect that Chase-signed examples of it are not particularly common.

I came across your e-zine in the course of researching the calling card with the NBNC proof vignette and would like being placed on your mailing list. Thank you.

Perhaps some of your readers will help me clarify the fine points of this proof, and Chase's "purloining" of it for his own use -- or was it official government business use? He was Secretary of the Treasury at the time.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: MORE ON SALMON P. CHASE AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n21a15.html)

IS A LIBRARY WITHOUT BOOKS STILL A LIBRARY?

Cushing Academy has all the hallmarks of a New England prep school, with one exception.

This year, after having amassed a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials at the pristine campus about 90 minutes west of Boston have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. The academy's administrators have decided to discard all their books and have given away half of what stocked their sprawling stacks - the classics, novels, poetry, biographies, tomes on every subject from the humanities to the sciences. The future, they believe, is digital.

"When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books," said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing and chief promoter of the bookless campus. "This isn't ‘Fahrenheit 451' [the 1953 Ray Bradbury novel in which books are banned]. We're not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology."

Instead of a library, the academy is spending nearly $500,000 to create a "learning center," though that is only one of the names in contention for the new space. In place of the stacks, they are spending $42,000 on three large flat-screen TVs that will project data from the Internet and $20,000 on special laptop-friendly study carrels. Where the reference desk was, they are building a $50,000 coffee shop that will include a $12,000 cappuccino machine.

And to replace those old pulpy devices that have transmitted information since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1400s, they have spent $10,000 to buy 18 electronic readers made by Amazon.com and Sony. Administrators plan to distribute the readers, which they're stocking with digital material, to students looking to spend more time with literature.

Those who don't have access to the electronic readers will be expected to do their research and peruse many assigned texts on their computers.

"Instead of a traditional library with 20,000 books, we're building a virtual library where students will have access to millions of books," said Tracy, whose office shelves remain lined with books. "We see this as a model for the 21st-century school."

Hmmm. What's missing here?

Not everyone on campus is sold on Tracy's vision.

They worry about an environment where students can no longer browse rows of voluptuous books, replete with glossy photographs, intricate maps, and pages dog-eared by generations of students. They worry students will be less likely to focus on long works when their devices are constantly interrupting them with e-mail and instant messages. They also worry about a world where sweat-stained literature is deemed as perishable as all the glib posts on Facebook or Twitter.

Liz Vezina, a librarian at Cushing for 17 years, said she never imagined working as the director of a library without any books.

"It makes me sad," said Vezina, who hosts a book club on campus dubbed the Off-line Readers and has made a career of introducing students to books. "I'm going to miss them. I love books. I've grown up with them, and there's something lost when they're virtual. There's a sensual side to them - the smell, the feel, the physicality of a book is something really special."

Alexander Coyle, chairman of the history department, is a self-described "gadget freak" who enjoys reading on Amazon's Kindle, but he has always seen libraries and their hallowed content as "secular cathedrals."

"I wouldn't want to ever get rid of any of my books at home," he said. "I like the feel of them too much. A lot us are wondering how this changes the dignity of the library, and why we can't move to increase digital resources while keeping the books."

Tia Alliy, a 16-year-old junior, said she visits the library nearly every day, but only once looked for a book in the stacks. She's not alone. School officials said when they checked library records one day last spring only 48 books had been checked out, and 30 of those were children's books.

"When you hear the word ‘library,' you think of books," Alliy said. "But very few students actually read them. And the more we use e-books, the fewer books we have to carry around.''

Jemmel Billingslea, an 18-year-old senior, thought about the prospect of a school without books. It didn't bother him.

"It's a little strange," he said. "But this is the future."

To read the complete article, see: Welcome to the library. Say goodbye to the books. (www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/
2009/09/04/a_library_without_the_books/)

MYSTERIOUS LEDGER SIX NINE FOUR: THE OLD COUNTERFEIT STAMPER

Even More from Mysterious Ledger Six Nine Four, a turn-of-the-twentieth century newspaper scrapbook of odd and curious tales, another story leads with an illustration of a man-sized tool revealing two hundred-pound cannonballs on a long horizontal bar that twists and drives a "C-shaped" stamping jaw, titled "OLD COUNTERFEIT STAMPER"

MYSTERIOUS LEDGER SIX NINE FOUR: THE ELLA QUINN HOARD

GOOD GUYS WIN IN COIN THEFT ATTEMPT

Dick Johnson writes:

Whoever coined the phrase take a penny leave a penny, doesn't know Bob Bruce. Owner of two of the biggest coin shops in the Gulf Coast area, this coin collector and previous law enforcement office knows how to catch thieves red handed.

Bruce was recently awarded the Sol Kaplan Award from the Professional Numismatists Guild for recovering more than $100,000 worth of valued coins. This led to a further investigation, which helped recover over $2 million worth of coins.

Bruce said the coin thief was in a ring with a group that had helped steal over $2 million worth of coins out of a dentist's safe in Ohio.

Unfortunately, the thieves didn't have enough brains to crack the safe code, so they did the next best thing—they pulled the safe through the wall.

"They hooked the safe up to a trailer and pulled it out of the house. It did a lot of damage to their house," said Bruce.

"The guy came in and tried to sell these expensive coins, and he didn't know how to handle them. That's when we knew they were stolen," said Sullivan.

Once a meeting was set up to sell the coins, FBI agents hid in the back room of his Pensacola store. "I had FBI agents in the back with machine guns," said Bruce.

"They had been looking for this guy for a year," said Bruce, "He had walked up behind some guy and shot him in the head."

Bruce had no problem dealing with the thief, and was the first to jump at the man when he reached for his gun.

After an all-out brawl, which was later posted on youtube.com, all of the people involved in taking down the armed man walked away with some kind of injury.

To read the complete article, see: Local coin shop owner awarded (http://www.srpressgazette.com/news/penny-8233-
whoever-local.html)

BILL FIVAZ AND THE U. S. FRIGATE CONSTELLATION MEDALS

Jim Wells writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: THE U. S. FRIGATE CONSTELLATION MEDALS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n36a22.html)

COMMEMORATIVE $150 BANKNOTE ISSUED IN HONG KONG

Standard Chartered today opens the floodgates for the great Hong Kong banknote stampede, offering a million banknotes that no one will ever spend, but everyone wants to own.

The first ever HK$150 banknotes, printed by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) to celebrate its 150-year presence in the city, are likely to spark a frenzy from collectors and speculators.

The commemorative banknotes will be legal tender here, but no one in his right mind would try to buy anything with them. One coin dealer predicts that anyone who gets his hands on a set of 35 uncut HK$150 notes will be able to rake in HK$100,000 for them - and their value will continue to soar.

"By design, we want the banknote to be unique and the only one of its kind. We want it to represent the spirit of the city," the bank's Hong Kong chief executive Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng said yesterday.

Standard Chartered has also selected 100 notes with special lucky serial numbers for public bidding and another 10,000 pieces for which the public can pick a serial number of their choice.

There are three categories of lucky number notes, with minimum bid prices of HK$10,000, HK$6,000 and HK$3,000. The "single self-selected serial number" notes will be offered at HK$888 each by lottery.

The front of the banknote, designed by Austrian graphic designer Henry Steiner, who has designed banknotes for Standard Chartered since 1975, features a satellite image of Victoria Harbour with the lender's corporate blue and green as the main color tones.

The back features eight Hong Kong people from different generations looking at the city's evolution.

To read the complete article, see: New $150 notes are real bang for the buck (http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp
?pp_cat=30&art_id=87578&sid=25296811&con_type=3)

BANK OF JAMAICA ELIMINATES UNUSUAL CIRCULATING COIN SHAPES

Bank of Jamaica wishes to advise that new-shaped One and Ten Dollar coins will go into general circulation on 8 September 2009.

The current seven-sided design (heptagonal) of the One Dollar will be replaced by a round coin with the heptagonal shape within the circle. The coin continues to bear the portrait of The Right Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, National Hero. All other technical specifications remain unchanged.

The current scalloped-shaped design of the Ten Dollar will be replaced by a round coin with the scalloped shape within the circle. The coin continues to bear the portrait of The Right Excellent George William Gordon, National Hero. All other technical specifications remain unchanged.

Coins bearing the old designs remain legal tender and will continue to circulate alongside the new-shaped coins until the stock of the old-shaped coins is exhausted. Bank of Jamaica

WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

On Tuesday I had some visitors here at the E-Sylum Central Office; members of my monthly northern Virginia numismatic social group Nummis Nova came to my house before dinner for a brief tour of my numismatic library.

At about 6pm Max the Wonder Dog started barking. I picked him up (he only weighs about nine pounds) and opened the door for Tom Kays, Jon Radel and David Schenkman. After Max got past his barking stage and met my guests he began to settle down. Before long he was laying on his back getting belly rubs from Tom.

My library is in my office, situated just to the left of our front hallway. Ten bookcases line the walls, holding about 3,000 volumes. I gave a quick overview - these two cases hold most of the rare and antiquarian books. Next, in order, are biographies of numismatic figures, general works (like Roger Burdette's Renaissance of American Coinage series, Breen's Encyclopedia and several Q. David Bowers works). After that I have a couple shelves of books on U.S. Colonial Coinage followed by a shelf of mint histories (The Philadelphia Mint, Charlotte, Dahlonega, Denver, etc.).

Then come books arranged by denomination - works on U.S. half cents, large cents, small cents, nickels, dimes, etc. through double eagles. Next are books on patterns, commemoratives, errors, counterfeits and grading.

The next section holds books on banking followed by a shelf and a half on U.S. colonial paper money. Following that are books on obsolete paper money, civil war paper money, National Bank Notes, depression scrip, and U.S. paper money.

(Whew!) After paper money are sections on counterfeiting and lottery tickets. Next up are tokens and medals, with sections for Hard Times Tokens, Civil War Tokens, Pioneer Gold, Counterstamps, etc. A big section is arranged alphabetically - Architectural Medals, Assay Medals, Bolen tokens, Bryan Money, etc... Indian Peace medals, Military Medals, Political items, So-Called Dollars, Transportation tokens, etc.

That's it for U.S. subjects, but another bookcase and a half holds works on Ancient coins, Canadian, Mexican and British numismatics, world paper, and more biographies of numismatic figures.

A glass-front barrister bookcase holds a partial leatherbound set of Numismatic Scrapbook, a complete set of Coin Collector's Journal, a long run of U.S. Mint Reports and other items. A couple two-shelf cases in front of my desk hold a set of Historical Magazine, runs of Bowers and Ruddy/Merena and George Kolbe hardbound auction catalogs, a complete hardbound set of Stack's John J. Ford sales, and a group of proceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia.

Spanning the top of five side-by-side bookcases is my bound set of The Numismatist and atop that are over fifty three-ring binders holding numismatic catalogs and ephemera in archival sleeves.

Tom Kays was curious about works on counterfeiting, so I pulled out for him a group of several Heath's Counterfeit Detectors and my binder of counterfeiting pamphlets and ephemera. Later he browsed my shelf of other books on counterfeiting.

I pulled out a few of my rare early books to show, including Barton's 1813 Life of Rittenhouse, Crosby's Early Coins of America, and Bushnell's Early New York Tokens, 1864. See below for images of some of the books.

Tom had brought a medal with him for attribution. Dave Scheckman recognized it as something in DeWitt. I pulled the DeWitt book off the shelf and we quickly located Tom's piece. A also took a look in Atwood's transportation token catalog.

Max the Wonder Dog barked some more as others arrived. He met Chris Neuzil and Roger Burdette and as with the others, he managed to calm down after a few minutes. I'd been afraid I'd have to lock him in his crate, but he was fine.

Roger bought me two DVDs holding parts of his latest research project - U.S. Assay Commission records (Vol II 1873-1892, Vol III, 1893-1911). There will be four disks in all.

I passed around my latest acquisition - a fortunate eBay purchase of a privately printed leatherbound history of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, issuer of the Carnegie Hero Medal.

We had a grand time and could have gone on for hours, but it was soon time for dinner. At about 7pm the group headed for their cars. By then my wife Dee and our three kids had returned to the house and were playing a pickup game of basketball in our cul-de-sac. I stuck around awhile to play and talk with Dee and our neighbors. When Dee took the kids in for their baths I hopped in the car and drove a couple miles to the Ashburn Bertucci's restaurant.

Tom, Jon, Dave, Chris and Roger were already there along with Howard Daniel and Wayne Herndon who were unable to meet early enough for the library visit. Others in our group (Traci Poole and Julian Liedman) were traveling to the Long Beach Coin Show and couldn't attend. So it was a small group, but just as enthusiastic as ever.

Tom passed around a box of coins asking everyone to evaluate which were real and which were fake. There were a number of contemporary circulating counterfeits. Most of us did pretty well on the quiz - I kinda flubbed it.

Dave Schenkman passed around a little buying guide from a Virginia coin dealer. I'd never seen this item before. Howard mentioned that the Army War College has asked him to write up his experiences in the Vietnam War, and he'd written over a hundred pages so far. Howard's the nicest guy around, but also the toughest. Let's just say that if Nummis Nova had a Sergeant-at-Arms, Howard would be our man, hands down.

Before dinner was over I passed around something of my own - my library guest book. Stephen Pradier had given it to me. He had it made by Longs-Roullet Bookbinders as an example of their work. When I had a bus tour of Numismatic Bibliomania Society members visit my library during the 2004 Pittsburgh American Numismatic Association convention, I had everyone sign the book and inscribe a message.

When I moved to Virginia my library and guest book came with me. Roger Burdette and Douglas Saville signed it next on separate occasions. Tonight Chris, Jon, Dave and Tom added their John Hancocks. Thanks, guys. What good is a numismatic library if you can't share it with friends? Below are some images so I can share a few items with all of my readers.

It was a great evening, and as always I was disappointed to see it end. But I'm already looking forward to next month.

Woodward's McCoy Sale

W. Elliot Woodward, Priced Catalogue of the Entire Collection of American Coins & medals, &c. Made By John F. McCoy, Esq., of New York City, and now owned by W. Elliott Woodward of Roxbury, Mass., together with a Few Fine Foreign Coins and Medals and the Whole of Mr. Woodward's Private Collection of Coin Catalogs, American and English, and Other Papers and Pamphlets, Relating to American Coins and Coinage, May 17th-21st, 1864. Priced and named copy.

Bushnell, Early New York Tokens, 1864

Bushnell, Charles L., Early New York Tokens, 1864. I bought this from the sale of Armand Champa's library. It's a small pamphlet housed in a beautiful 3/4 leather book box.

Chapman, S.H. & H, Bushnell sale, 1882

Chapman, S.H. & H, Catalogue of the Celebrated and Valuable Collection of American Coins and Medals of the Late Charles L. Bushnell, Esq., of New York, Philadelphia, 1882. This is a plated copy of the sale of Bushnell's collection, from the library of Donald M. Miller.

Dye's Coin Encyclopedia, 1883 Dye, Kohn S., Dye's Coin Encyclopedia, A Complete Illustrated History of the Coins of the World, Philadelphia, 1883.

DeWitt, American Campaign Buttons and Atwood's Transportation Tokens

DeWitt, J. Doyle, A Century of American Campaign Buttons 1789-1889, Hartford, CT, 1959

Atwood, Roland C., Atwood's Catalogue of United States and Canadian Transportation Tokens, Third Edition, Boston, MA, 1970

Arbuthnot, Heroes of Peace, 1935

Arbuthnot, Thomas S., Heroes of Peace, A History of The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Commemorating the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth, on November 25th, 1835, of Andrew Carnegie., 1935

CORRECTION: ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM'S HEBERDEN COIN ROOM NOT YET OPEN

Regarding last week's note that Ashmolean Museum's coin room was open, Howard Berlin writes:

NEW ZEALAND MEDAL THIEF PLEADS GUILTY

A man has pleaded guilty to the burglary of the Waiouru Army museum in 2007.

Another man still faces charges in connection with the incident when he appears in the Wanganui District Court for a depositions hearing on October 27.

An extensive manhunt and national outrage followed the theft of medals from a display case.

The Waiouru haul was huge. Among the 96 medals stolen were nine Victoria Crosses, including Charles Upham's VC and Bar - the only double VC decoration awarded to a combat soldier. Two rare George Crosses, an Albert Medal, a Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal were also taken.

Even on a world scale, the Waiouru raid was unprecedented - comparable to the theft of major international artworks.

Going by overseas auctions in recent years, the haul was estimated to be worth $10 million, easily making it the biggest robbery in New Zealand criminal history.

Australian War Memorial Museum curator Nick Fletcher said at the time: "I don't think there's ever been a bigger theft than this before. No larger group of significant medals has been stolen like this."

The recovery of the medals was also significant.

It is believed that only one of the 15 other Victoria Crosses known to have been stolen worldwide since the mid-1800s have been recovered - and that one, stolen from the Canadian War Memorial Museum in 1973, was missing for 31 years.

British billionaire Lord Ashcroft, who owns the largest VC collection in the world - more than 140 VCs, or one in 10 of all those awarded since 1856, rates the Upham VC and Bar as the "Holy Grail."

To read the complete article, see: Guilty plea over Waiouru medal theft (http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/2851874/Guilty-plea-over-Waiouru-medal-theft)

The guilty plea from one of the men accused of stealing rare war medals from the Waiouru Army Museum has been welcomed by the museum director, who says the robbery took a terrible toll on his staff.

Colonel Raymond Seymour said the guilty plea was "marvellous news ... It brings closure to a terrible crime."

A 39-year-old man pleaded guilty yesterday in the Auckland District Court to the museum burglary on December 2, 2007. He was remanded in custody until next month.

Colonel Seymour said staff were badly affected by the thefts. "I don't think people realise the impacts the thefts had on my staff. They were just absolutely devastated. They were custodians of national treasure."

After the thefts, it was "like someone stole the heart from the museum", he said.

Ninety-six medals, including nine Victoria Crosses, two George Crosses and an Albert Medal, were stolen from locked display cabinets that were supposed to be protected with reinforced glass. Security at the museum has been improved since the burglary.

The medals have been back on display since October and have been a major draw for visitors.

To read the complete article, see: Medal thief's guilty plea delights Army museum

LUCKY COIN PLACED ATOP JOHNSTON SMOKESTACK

Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Barbara Parkins and James Knox Polk shared something in common Thursday.

Parkins and the 11th president of the United States were more than 85 feet above the ground as part of a good luck ceremony at Johnstown Middle School.

"What we did was we climbed 85 feet to the top of the smokestack and placed a gold coin on the top for good luck," she said.

The dollar coin bearing the president's image, was placed there at the behest of RG Friday Masonry-Concrete of Pittsburgh, contractor for the $1 million restoration of the building.

"We know the gold coin signifies good luck," Parkins said. "It was something that was recommended by our construction company."

Parkins and job foreman Bob Boeltz rode the lift to the top of the smokestack.

"It was nice looking at the surrounding areas and the Pennsylvania hills," Parkins said.

More than 400 students peeked from classroom windows to witness the unusual ceremony.

To read the complete article, see: Schools chief places coin atop smokestack (www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_254005105.html)

THE CAT ATE MY HOMEWORK - AND MY LUNCH MONEY, TOO

Judges have refused to overturn a decision by German bank bosses who would not replace a 500 euro note after a customer claimed it had been eaten by his cat.

The court in Frankfurt ruled that to prove the claim Peter Neumann would have to rescue undigested scraps of the banknote from his pet's litter tray and present them as evidence for an appeal.

Judges said that they wanted to be completely sure that it was from a single note which had been eaten by a cat.

But Neumann said: "I have already searched through lots of cat litter and I probably threw out the evidence without realising.

"It's not that I don't want to go looking through pet excrement to get what's rightfully mine, it's just that the evidence really isn't around any more. I don't know what else I can do."

To read the complete article, see: 'Cat ate 500 euro note' (www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3473275.html)

FEATURED WEB SITE: WATERMARKS

This week's Featured Web site is suggested by John and Nancy Wilson, who write:

www.motherbedford.com/watermarks/
WatermarksMain.htm

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