WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

New subscribers this week include Bob Wess, courtesy of Russ Sears, Garrett Ziss, Steve Watson Sr., Fred Michaelson and Frank J. Pedersen. Welcome aboard! We have 1,597 email subscribers, plus 190 followers on Facebook.

This week we open with a reminder from David Sklow about his upcoming literature sale, and news of three new numismatic books. Other topics include the Portugalöser, numismatic art, crooks selling faked gold bars and coin rolls, the Congressional Gold Medal, and dragons, vampires and devils in numismatics.

To learn more about topics unlikely to be viewed as violent, sexually provocative, offensive, obscene, in violation of hate crime laws, or otherwise likely to shock or offend the community, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

SKLOW MAIL BID SALE NO. 17 CLOSES OCTOBER 6, 2012

MAIL BID SALE NO. 17 CLOSES OCTOBER 6, 2012

SELECTIONS FROM CRAIG WHITFORD, CHARLES MOORE, WILLIAM STONE, JOE FOSTER, LARRY JOHNSON, DR. PHIL, BILL FIVAZ AND MYRON XENOS WORKS ON U. S. AND WORLD NUMISMATICS

CATALOGS HAVE BEEN SENT TO ALL THOSE ON OUR MAILING LIST

Featuring selections from Craig Whitford to include many unique and never before offered collectibles & ephemera from the ANA, Frank H. Stewart, Francis E. Spinner and J.S.G. Boggs. The Charles Moore Library continues with works on Canadian banking and world references. Two magnificent one lot consignments feature the rare three piece medal set of the ANA Centennial struck in Gold, Silver & Bronze, and a Coin Gold example of the original ANA Membership Medal. The ANA Convention Badges of the late Art Kagin. Rare and unusual items from the shelves of the Myron Xenos Library, and many reference works of great importance, both U. S. and World.

Bidders may enter bids by mail, telephone, email or fax. The sale closes at 8pm mountain time, October 6, 2012. Note, any bids left on our answering machine or sent by email or fax on or before midnight will be accepted.

View our catalog on-line: www.finenumismaticbooks.com or request a hard copy at no charge

DAVID SKLOW – FINE NUMISMATIC BOOKS
P.O. BOX 6321
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80934

TEL: (719) 302-5686
FAX: (719) 302-4933
numismaticbooks@aol.com
www.finenumismaticbooks.com

We are seeking numismatic literature consignments for future auctions. Please contact us for terms.

NEW BOOK: AMERICAN SILVER EAGLES: A GUIDE TO THE U.S. BULLION COIN PROGRAM

Whitman Publishing announces the release of American Silver Eagles: A Guide to the U.S. Bullion Coin Program, by John M. Mercanti, retired chief engraver of the United States Mint, and Michael “Miles” Standish, senior grader at PCGS. The 168-page hardcover book will be available November 20, 2012, online and from bookstores and hobby retailers nationwide. It can be pre-ordered at www.Whitman.com. The retail price is $29.95.

The hugely popular .999 fine one-ounce American Silver Eagle coin is collected by numismatists, stockpiled by investors, and treasured by silver buyers throughout the United States and around the world.

Now, no less an expert than John M. Mercanti—the designer of the coin’s reverse—shares his unique insight and perspective on these beautiful pieces of Americana.

To create this book, Mercanti has drawn on nearly 40 years of experience working in the U.S. Mint, starting in 1974 as a sculptor-engraver and culminating with his 2006 appointment as the Mint’s 12th chief engraver (supervisor of design and master tooling development specialist). Mercanti is joined by Miles Standish, vice president and senior grader of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), who has studied and graded the finest, rarest, and most valuable coins in the world.

These two experts bring together diverse elements—technical and artistic, historical and current, market-driven and hobbyist—to make American Silver Eagles a valuable addition to any numismatic bookshelf.

“Collectors and investors have purchased more than 300 million American Silver Eagles since 1986,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “This is the first book-length study of these popular coins.”

Contents include:

• A foreword by Michael Reagan, whose father, President Ronald Reagan, signed the legislation that authorized the American Silver Eagle.
• Chapter 1: The United States’ entrance into the modern bullion market.
• Chapter 2: Mercanti’s behind-the-scenes history of the American Silver Eagle, its design development, the minting process, and other elements of the coinage series.
• Chapter 3: A detailed date-by-date study, plus varieties and sets, with high-resolution photographs, rarity information, values, certified-coin populations, surface and strike characteristics, market details, packaging information, issue prices, and more.
• Chapter 4: An illustrated overview of other coins in our nation’s bullion program.
• Plus: Compiled charts for easy coin-by-coin comparisons; a glossary of numismatic terms; and an index for looking up information.
• And: A richly illustrated eight-page gallery and catalog of John Mercanti’s coinage and medal designs.

American Silver Eagles: A Guide to the U.S. Bullion Coin Program By John M. Mercanti and Michael “Miles” Standish Foreword by Michael Reagan 168 pages, hardcover, 8.5 x 11 inches Fully illustrated in color ISBN 0794838049 Retail $29.95

NEW BOOK: OPHTHALMOLOGIA OPTICA ET VISIO IN NUMMIS

Ophthalmologia Optica et Visio in Nummis (Ophthalmology, Optics and Vision in Numismatics)

Hirschberg History of Ophthalmology Supplement Series 13

by Jay M. Galst and Peter G. van Alfen (2013)

Hardcover, 574 pp. full color illustrations throughout ISBN-13: 978 089722 323 2 List Price: US $285.00 Pre-publication Price: US $180.00 no other discounts available.

This is a pre-order publication that is expected to ship in March 2013.

Published jointly by J.-P. Wayenborgh Verlag and the ANS, Ophthalmologia, Optica et Viso in Nummis catalogues roughly 1,700 objects in 14 chapters each of which focuses on a discrete topic, e.g., ophthalmologists, ophthalmological congresses, the blind (and their rehabilitation), optical instruments (including spectacles), and the eye as a symbol. Appearing as volume 13 in the supplemental series to Julius Hirschberg’s History of Ophthalmology, the book also serves to situate the objects within the larger historical context of the ophthalmological and optical disciplines.

To order, see: numismatics.org/Store/Ophthal

Inspired in part by Frederick C. Blodi’s (1986) volume in the Hirschberg history of ophthalmology series dealing with postage stamps depicting ophthalmologists, related scientists, medical researchers, and the eye in general, we have sought to create a work that will be of use not only to those with interest in the medical and optical fields, but also to numismatists. In general, we have followed Blodi’s arrangement and topics, so that users of both volumes will be able to readily compare similar subjects across the two media.

Like Blodi, we have been broad in our selection of topics, hoping to incorporate as much of the wide range of material relating to ophthalmology, its history, organizations and practitioners, including scientists whose impact on ophthalmology and optics was significant; optical firms and opticians; those who have lost total or partial sight and their rehabilitation; and, of course, the eye in its many symbolic and mythical uses. Casting the net wide in this way, we have captured a sizeable body of numismatic material. Generally, we have tried to be as inclusive and complete as possible, so that, for example, our first chapter I on ophthalmologists includes every object on this subject that we are aware of having searched private and public collections, and a range of publications. This same level of inclusiveness holds true for chapters III, V, VIII, IX, X, XI and XII as well.

Where the subject matter itself is vast, such as in the case of celebrity scientists, like Benjamin Franklin (inventor of the bifocal lens) as in chapter IV, or in objects pertaining to the eye as a symbol as in chapter XIII, we have exercised judicial exclusion, selecting items that best represent the subject or that are numismatically important. Likewise in chapters II, VI, VII, and XIV.

Within each chapter the subjects are arranged chronologically, unless otherwise noted. Each subject has a brief biography or description, followed by a catalogue of items. The catalogue information includes the issuer and/or mint, physical features, and detailed descriptions of what appears on the obverse and reverse of the object. With only a few exceptions (as noted), all the catalogued items are illustrated at or approximately 1:1 scale. Because a number of the individuals and organizations discussed here appear on multiple items appearing in different chapters, we have adopted a numbering system for each item that allows for easy (cross-) referencing.

Because of this general abundance of medicina in nummis (i.e., numismatic items pertaining broadly to medicine), there have been a number of important collections put together by physicians or surgeons that have sought out all medical related numismatic items or portions thereof. The most notable of these are the collections of Dr. Horatio Robinson Storer, now held at Harvard University, Dr. Josef Brettauer, now held at the University of Vienna, and Dr. Henry Barton Jacobs now held at the Evergreen House (Johns Hopkins University).

As part of his numismatic pursuits, Storer produced a catalogue of his collections, which was edited and published by his son Malcom (1931). Brettauer’s collection was catalogued by E. Holzmair (1937), while the Jacobs’ collections, along with that of several other medically related numismatic items donated to Johns Hopkins, was catalogued by S.E. Freeman (1964). However, due to the costs of photography and printing comprehensive reproductions of numismatic items was prohibitive until relatively recently. For this reason, these important catalogues illustrated only a small fraction of the items listed or discussed, which sometimes has led to confusion. Since the ability to see the object is often as important as a description of what appears on it, we have, with only a few exceptions, illustrated all items we list, including many not illustrated in the catalogues of the Storer, Brettauer, and Jacobs collections.

Regardless of illustrations, together these catalogues represent the core of important references for medicina in nummis, which has been greatly augmented by other catalogues and studies to the point that a comprehensive bibliography for the subject, compiled by Hubert Emmerig (University of Vienna, Institut für Numismatik und Geldgeschichte), runs over 60 pages.

To view all of the images on Flickr, see: www.flickr.com/photos/coinbooks/sets/72157631602221961/show/

NEW BOOK: A HISTORY OF THE CANADIAN DOLLAR

The history of Canada’s money provides a unique perspective from which to view the growth and development of the Canadian economy and Canada as a nation. Building on an earlier edition, this expanded History of the Canadian Dollar, traces the evolution of Canadian money from its pre-colonial origins to the present day. Highlighted on this journey are the currency chaos of the early French and British colonial period, the sweeping changes ushered in by Confederation in 1867, as well as the effects of two world wars and the Great Depression.

The book chronicles the ups and downs of the Canadian dollar through almost 150 years and describes our dollar’s relationship with its U.S. counterpart. It also examines the forces that led to the adoption of the dollar as our currency during the nineteenth century, instead of the pound, as well as the factors that led Canada to move from the gold standard in the 1920s, to the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates in the 1940s and, ultimately, to a flexible exchange rate regime in 1970.

Finally, on the seventieth anniversary of the establishment of the Bank of Canada in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, this book examines the formation of Canada’s central bank and its ensuing quest for a monetary order that best promotes the economic and financial welfare of Canada. While its tactics have changed over the years, the Bank’s enduring goal has been the preservation of confidence in the value of money through achieving and maintaining price stability.

You can download the complete publication.

Print copies are available at Can$8 each (plus 5% GST for Canadian residents and provincial tax where applicable) from:

Publications Distribution
Bank of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G9

For more information, see: A History of the Canadian Dollar - by James Powell (www.bankofcanada.ca/publications-research/books-and-monographs/history-canadian-dollar/)

Dan adds:

REPUBLISHED : GNECCHI'S I MEDAGLIONE ROMANI

Rasiel "Ras" Suarez writes:

To visit the CoinVac site, see: www.coinvac.com

THE LATE LEN HARSEL'S NUMISMATIC LIBRARY

I have been assisting Len Harsel's widow, Sue, with cleaning out his basement office. It was almost as bad as my "black hole" but not quite there. Daryl Spelbring has also assisted Sue by selling his inventory. The major part of Len's numismatic library is still in the basement. Daryl and I have sold some of it but there are still at least one hundred references on the shelves.

I am leaving on October 3 for Viet Nam and will return in late February of next year. Sue is planning to sell the house and move into a condo sometime before March 1 of next year. Len's library will be put in storage once the house is sold. There are many references not on the 10+ pages listing of his library and many of them would surprise most of you. I was going through it a few days ago and picking out references Joe Boling wants and I kept coming across many more not on the list that I KNOW he would want in his library.

Please contact Sue at SueHarsel@aol.com to arrange for a time where you can go through Len's library and make offers to her. Many have the purchase price in them but many do not. Whatever references are left when I return next year, I will likely ship to the ANA Library for a donation, so see if you can add them to your library.

Sue is going to be in California for the first half of September and when she returns, I will have only a couple of weeks before Phung and I depart for Viet Nam for five plus months. You can contact me at Howard@SEAsianTreasury.com (this is a new email address to contact me) and I can email you the library list.

VOCABULARY WORDS: PORTUGALÖSER AND PORTUGUEZ

Last week Tom Wetter asked:

First to respond was Ron Guth, who writes:

Tom DeLorey writes:

Ken Spindler of San Diego, CA writes:

Eric Vanhove writes:

To access the Google Books item, see:

Jim Duncan quotes Ewald Junge from his "World Coin Dictionary" (p203):

Henry Goodman writes:

Ursula Kampmann writes:

Emmanuel I (1495-1521). Português of 10 Cruzados n. d., Lisbon.

At the end of the 15th / beginning of the 16th century, today’s capital of Portugal, Lisbon, acquired a favoured position in the gold trade as a popular interstation. Italian merchants from Genoa or Venice bought gold in the Arab Maghreb that had been transported from the Sudan via the Sahara desert to the Mediterranean coastal towns. They paid with silver, only six times the gold weight. In the North, however, the gold was counterbalanced ten times the value of silver. What was easier than to travel the Atlantic route to the big commercial towns at the North Sea to sell the gold for plenty of money?

The most important reloading point became Portugal where the Arab money was recoined into Portuguese coins. These imposing gold coins worth 10 Cruzados were called Português. Their predecessors go back to 1340. In those days, tradesmen claimed that these Portuguese gold coins weighed as much as “100 Moroccan Doubloons”.

Under John II of Castile (1406-1454), these pieces grew to an enormous size; they were produced in weights up to 235 grams. Coins that big were of course never intended to serve as currency in everyday transactions. Basically, they were ingots in the shape of coins whose weight and purity were guaranteed by the national die and hence were easier to trade on the market. In the Northern cities these coin ingots were recoined into local currency or saved as an investment of stable value and hoarded for the case of need. Portuguese large gold coins were very popular in the rich commercial cities in Northern Europe.

To read the complete article, see: Gold for Portugal (www.coinsweekly.com/en/Gold-for-Portugal/8?&id=69&type=a)

Dave Alexander writes:

Bruce W. Smith explains the different spellings. He writes:

Bruce also found this entry on the "Portugaleser", yet another spelling variant:

To read the complete article, see: Portugaleser (www.moneymuseum.com/moneymuseum/library/pictures/image.jsp?lang=en&ix=19&i=23)

Ralf Böpple writes:

Ron Haller-Williams writes:

Henk Groenendijk writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: QUERY: WHAT IS A PORTUGALOZER? (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a20.html)

MORE ON THE THIRD PHILADELPHIA MINT BUILDING

Regarding the image I slapped onto Pete Smith's item last week on the Third Philadelphia Mint building, Tom DeLorey writes:

Dave Lange writes:

Devoted and careful reader Kay Olson Freeman writes:

Dave Hirt writes:

Heath MacAlpine writes:

To read the complete article, see: A VISIT TO THE THIRD PHILADELPHIA MINT BUILDING (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a11.html)

BEARDED MYSTERY MAN REVEALED: PETER LAMPINEN

P. Scott Rubin, Martin Gengerke, Peter Lampinen, Vincent Alones
1988 Grand Central show

Kerry Wetterstrom writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see: E-SYLUM READERS REMEMBER VINCENT ALONES (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n35a12.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 2, 2012: The Un-Named Bearded Wonder (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n37a13.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 9, 2012: Unknown Bearded Numismatist Mystery Continues (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n38a11.html)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

The Mint's 1906 Janvier Reducing Lathe
John Dannreuther writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: ON THE PHILADELPHIA MINT'S JANVIER LATHES (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a13.html)

Canada's Ancient Arabic Coin Connection
Dave Alexander writes:

By God, you're right! Goes to show you - never trust an editor to put a picture with an article... -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: COIN SMUGGLING ATTEMPTS THWARTED IN EGYPT AND ABU DHABI (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a25.html)

More On Sotheby's 1999 S.S. Central America Sale
Bob Evans writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: SEPTEMBER 16, 2012 (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a18.html)

Charges Filed In Lava Hoard Case
Georges Depeyrot writes:

Michel Amandry, current director of the Paris Cabinet of Medals, former president of the International Numismatic Commission was charged on May 30 in the case of the Lava hoard. Lava hoard consists of gold coins of third century. Police found last year a gold patera, part of the treasure. According to French procedures, he is considered innocent until the final judgment.

Three amateur divers in 1985 stole a dish of Roman coins and gold from the "treasure of Lava." After 25 years of investigation, the Department of underwater archaeological research and submarine (DRASSM) of the Ministry of Culture and Communication have laid hands on a dish and Roman gold coins from the "treasure of Lava ".

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: 25-YEAR-OLD FRENCH UNDERWATER GOLD THEFT RESOLVED (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n44a22.html)

Video Tributes to David W. Akers
David Lisot passed along this press release:

To read an earlier E-Sylum article on Akers, see: DAVID W. AKERS, 1941-2012 (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n31a13.html)

The Roper Sale and the Roper-Brown 1793 Cent
Dave Hirt writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: FIRST U.S. COIN AUCTION CATALOG: THE 1851 LEWIS ROPER SALE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a10.html)

President Nominates Mint Director

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Bibiana Boerio for director of the United States Mint.

Boerio served as special adviser to the President and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce from March 2011 to February 2012.

From2008 to 2010, Boerio was the Chief of Staff for Congressman Joe Sestak.

Previously, Boerio worked at Ford Motor Company for over 30 years, including as managing director for Jaguar Cars, Ltd. from 2004 to 2007, director of Finance and Strategy for Ford International Operations from 2003 to 2004, and executive vice president and chief financial officer for Ford Motor Credit Company from 2000 to 2003.

To read the complete article, see: Obama Nominates New Mint Director (www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?
ad=article&ArticleId=25775&et_mid=580977&rid=233685723)

MORE ON ROYAL CANADIAN MINT COPYRIGHT ISSUES

Another great issue of The E-Sylum last week! You excerpted an article forwarded by Tom Kays --- “Musician vs Royal Canadian Mint” --- that immediately brought back memories of working on Jim Haxby’s Guide Book of Canadian Coins and Tokens, the first edition of which was published this year (and which won the Numismatic Literary Guild’s 2012 award for Best Specialized Book, World Coins).

Back when we started the project, I spent some quality time with the RCM’s Compliance and Intellectual Property officers, making sure that Whitman’s i’s were dotted and our t’s were crossed. Our Canadian cousins take a different approach than the U.S. Mint when it comes to images of their coins (historical designs as well as modern). Permission to publish the images has to be licensed --- even, interestingly, if the publisher uses its own photographs.

There’s plenty of precedent in Canadian law for this kind of protection of the Royal Canadian Mint’s intellectual property. In other words, the musician, Mr. Gunning, isn’t jumping through any hoops that other publishers haven’t had to jump through over the years. For the Guide Book of Canadian Coins and Tokens, Whitman’s compliance is established on the copyright page, where we note Canadian coin images © 2012 Royal Canadian Mint—All Rights Reserved / Images de pièce © 2012 Monnaie royale canadienne—Touts droits réservés.

The closest United States equivalent that immediately comes to mind: the U.S. Postal Service similarly protects its stamp designs as intellectual property, and requires licensing for publication (whether the USPS provides the image itself or the publisher uses its own). The Postal Service, of course, is a bit different from the U.S. Mint; it executes its licensing agreements as “an Independent Establishment of the Executive Branch of the Government of the United States,” rather than as part of a federal department (as the Mint is part of the Treasury Department). The USPS’s contracts are almost amusingly thorough—for example, in Whitman’s 100 Greatest American Stamps, we had to agree not to use any stamp images “in a manner that is likely to be viewed as violent, sexually provocative, offensive, obscene, in violation of hate crime laws, or otherwise likely to shock or offend the community.”

Who knew our hobbies could be so controversial and outrageous!

Joe Boling adds:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 16, 2012: Musician vs Royal Canadian Mint (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a12.html)

MORE ON THE SIOUX CITY CORN PALACE FESTIVAL MEDALS

Tom Casper writes:

1887 Sioux City Corn Palace Medal

1891 Corn Palace Medal

Bob Jesinger writes:

To read the complete article, see: SIOUX CITY CORN PALACE FESTIVAL MEDALS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a26.html)

MORE ON THE ALBANY FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH'S PENNY

Richard Gascoyne, an elder of the First Presbyterian Church, Albany, sent us an image of the church's Church Penny (see below). He writes:

As part of the 250th Anniversary Celebration (1763-2013) our congregation, by order of the Session, will present a penny to the Albany Institute of History and Art. Not just any penny, it is the Albany Church Penny, minted in 1790 for the First Presbyterian Church. It is “one of the great coinage curiosities of the American colonies and the early federal period” according to a description on a numismatics auction site.

How much was a penny worth in 1790? What was an acceptable offering for the collection plate at that time? Not easy questions.

Prior to 1792 everyday business was conducted using a hodge-podge of tokens, coins, medals, foreign currency, and counterfeits issued by private individuals and private mints inside and outside of America. Imagine reaching into your pocket and retrieving this mess. Which ones go into the collection plate? You guess! Imagine the expression on the Church Treasurer’s face when he tallies the collection. How do you run a church with this “money?”

In 1792 the US Treasury started minting coins. Alexander Hamilton, a frequent attendee of our church and good friend of Eliphalet Nott (pastor of FPC, 1798-1804) became the first Secretary of the US Treasury and was instrumental in the founding of a national bank. Did he have input into FPC’s decision to mint a coin?

The British Pound Sterling was the most universal exchange. The Albany Church Penny, twelve to a shilling, was in 1790 worth roughly the same as, or a little less than, the British penny.

We are assuming that members of the congregation bought these pennies to put in the collection plate weekly, and that the purpose was to get money from congregants up-front whether or not they came to church and put them in the plate, and to recycle and resell the coins that were returned and put in the collection plate. And also, perhaps more important, to get a reliable and readily accepted currency (British sterling) in the hands of the Church Treasurer, who, in turn, gave the contributor Church Pennies to drop into the collection plate.

On January 27, 2013 at a ceremony at Albany Institute of History and Art, our penny will be presented to the Institute. It is an artifact that speaks of the history of our local congregation, our city, our state, and our nation. Reserve the date!

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see: QUERY: ALBANY CHURCH PENNY INFORMATION SOUGHT (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n38a12.html)
NOTES ON THE ALBANY CHURCH PENNY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a19.html)

WESLEY SMITH'S TRAVELING FRACTIONAL CURRENCY EXHIBIT

For some coin collectors, it’s the peace silver dollar. For others, it may be the wheat penny or the buffalo nickel. But for Conway numismatist Wesley Smith, it’s the fractional currency of the Civil War era that sparks his interest.

Smith wants to share his U.S. Fractional Currency Series collection with the public and has set up an exhibit at the Faulkner County Library, 1900 Tyler St. in Conway. The exhibit will continue through Saturday.

Smith said the U.S. Treasury first issued fractional-currency notes in 1862 as a way to alleviate a coin shortage caused by Americans hoarding everyday staples and supplies, including coins, during the Civil War. These paper notes, which were printed in denominations of 3, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 cents, were used to make small change in the absence of coins until 1876.

Smith, who is self-employed, said his current collection, which also includes some early coins from 1792, took three years to assemble. The piece de resistance in his collection is a 15-cent note that bears the images of Civil War Gens. Grant and Sherman.

Smith said 9,000 of the Grant-Sherman notes were printed but never circulated. However, in his exhibit, he tells “The Story of the Midnight Ride,” in which a select few of these notes were taken and circulated. Smith believes he has a note that was circulated.

“This exhibit is for the people,” Smith said.

In his exhibit, Smith asks those viewing the panels of currency to take a survey. He also has printed materials available to help the viewers as they move from panel to panel.

From the Faulkner County Library, Smith hopes to take his exhibit on tour, eventually ending at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. He hopes to include several stops along the way, including the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, the Lincoln Museum in Hodgenville, Ky., and the Lincoln Memorial University and Museum in Harrogate, Tenn. He said he pays respect to Lincoln since he was president during the time the Fractional Currency Series was put in place.

To read the complete article, see: Coin collector displays fractional-currency exhibit at library (www.arkansasonline.com/news/2012/sep/23/coin-collector-displays
-fractional-currency-exhibi/)

PARANORMAL IMAGES ON COINS AND CURRENCY

Paul Hybert writes:

Walter started the presentation by asking us, “What does paranormal mean?” The general concensus was anything not in our physical reality, which can be simply stated as out-of-body. The program focused on examples from the more modern world; the mythological figures of the Greek, Roman, and other ancient civilizations is for another speaker, place, and time. The first topic was dragons.

Although dragons appear in both eastern and western cultures, they are viewed quite differently: good and benevolent in the east, and mostly as fire-breathing evil in the west. The Chinese dragon is the highest ranking creature in the Chinese animal heirarchy, and it is the only mythological creature of the twelve represented in the Chinese calendar. At one time, the dragon was strongly associated with the emperor, and hence power and majesty; tradition holds that children born in a year of the dragon will have luck, success, and power.

A number of pieces were shown, starting with an undated 10 tiao note from a warlord in China’s Jilin Province; it has serpentine dragons within the outer frame. A copy of a $1 sight banknote has a smiling dragon flying over ships at sea, protecting them and providing good weather; it has no wings, as is typical for eastern dragons, but it still flies — magic! The same general design also appeared on a 1938 1 yuannote from the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. Examples of dragons on Japanese coins and notes from the 1890s concluded the examples of eastern dragons.

A 1922 10 pfennig notgeld from Braunschweig includes a winged dragon, with smoke wisps from its mouth, among a group of creatures around a walking ex-soldier. The alligator type of mouth adds to its sinister appearance. The dragon on a 50 pfennig notgeld is multiheaded but smaller; a soldier clad in only a loin cloth and carrying only a sword is fighting it, quite successfully too, as some of the heads have been cut off!

Not all German dragons were references to its defeat in World War I; a 1904 5 mark imperial treasury banknote (Reichskassenschein) has a winged dragon with the obligatory wisp of smoke from its mouth. Probably the best known of the western dragon stories is that of Saint George slaying the dragon. Walter recounted one of the folklore tellings of the brave horseman, armed with a lance, defeating the dragon, saving a princess, and converting the kingdom to Christianity. In the middle ages, the action took place in places with various names, situated in modern Libya, Syria, and Georgia among others. Examples on coins include the 1857 half penny token from the Bank of Upper Canada, to the 1892 crown from Great Britain; both based upon Pistrucci’s famous rendition. So much for dragons — on to vampires and devils!

To read the complete newsletter, see: http://www.chicagocoinclub.org/chatter/2012/May/ (www.chicagocoinclub.org/chatter/2012/May/)

THE NUMISMATIC ART OF SHELLEE GRAHAM

Joe Boling writes:

For more information, see: www.shelleegraham.com./bigmoney.html

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: FEATURED WEB PAGE: PAINTINGS ON PENNIES (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a31.html)

ARTICLE PROFILES AUTHOR ROBERT W. JULIAN

As a cash-strapped student at Purdue University, Robert W. Julian decided to write his first magazine article about collectible coins to earn money to buy $100 worth of books on U.S. coins.

The books weren’t even for himself. He intended to mail them to coin museum curators in Leningrad, Russia, in exchange for microfilm documenting the history of certain Russian coins.

Now 73, Julian has written more than 1,300 articles for coin magazines and journals and published one book on rare coins in 1977. The American Numismatic Association named him its Numismatist of the Year at its annual convention in Philadelphia last month.

Julian is the 17th recipient of the award, which was established in 1995.

During the nomination period, Julian received a phone call from a coin-collecting friend, he said, asking permission to nominate him for the award.

“He has spent hundreds of hours at the National Archives, extracting information that he then passes to the collecting community,” wrote Joseph E. Boling in his nomination, quoted in the Aug. 28 issue of Numismatic News. “His carefully researched treatises, most based on primary sources, have changed our common knowledge.”

Although Julian thought he had “zero” likelihood of being chosen, he gave Boling the go-ahead and thought little more about it.

“And I got it,” said Julian. “I was very surprised.”

Julian has received more literary awards from the association than any other author, including induction into the association’s Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1998 and a joint award from three prominent numismatic associations in 2002, according to an article published in Numismatic News, a publication to which Julian contributes. He also writes for The Numismatist.

To read the complete article, see: Logansport coin researcher honored for lifetime of magazine articles (pharostribune.com/local/x1023286356/Logansport-coin-researcher
-honored-for-lifetime-of-magazine-articles)

THE POLITICAL SATIRE MEDALS OF R.W. JULIAN 1977-1981

Recently I obtained R.W. Julian's 5 bronze satirical medals. There is so little information on the internet about them. I was very surprised. The main article I saw was by Steve Pelligrini. His medals are the silver ones though while mine are the bronze versions.

In photographing everything some unique aspects of the medals came to my attention.

• On the backs of all the coins are the initials R.W.J. D and C.W.W. F .
• All the medals are bronze, however, besides the obvious the medals have side inscriptions which make them stand apart.

The 1977 Media medal has the following inscription on the side "Medallic Art Co. Danbury, CT. - Bronze" (Before that text is the copyright symbol). The 1978 Medal, the Panama Canal Treaty Medal simply has the word "Bronze" on its side (No copyright symbol). The 1979 Medal, the Energy Medal, has the words "1979 Maco - Bronze" (following copyright symbol). The Defense Medal of 1980 has the words "1981 Maco - Bronze" (yes, 1981 following copyright symbol). The final medal, the Justice Medal has the words "1981 Maco Bronze" (following copyright symbol).

Every medal has information with it save the Defense Medal with General Macarthur. I assume that came with information, but I do not have it.

To view all of Travis's images, see: www.thatchristianwebsite.com/julian/

TUNGSTEN-FILLED GOLD BARS

In jewelry stores on 47th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the important trust between merchants has been violated. A 10-ounce gold bar costing nearly $18,000 turned out to be a counterfeit.

The bar was filled with tungsten, which weighs nearly the same as gold but costs just over a dollar an ounce.

Ibrahim Fadl bought the bar from a merchant who has sold him real gold before. But he heard counterfeit gold bars were going around, so he drilled into several of his gold bars worth $100,000 and saw gray tungsten -- not gold.

What makes it so devious is a real gold bar is purchased with the serial numbers and papers, then it is hollowed out, the gold is sold, the tungsten is put in, then the bar is closed up. That is a sophisticated operation.

MTB, the Swiss manufacturer of the gold bars, said customers should only buy from a reputable merchant. The problem, he admits, is Ibrahim Fadl is a very reputable merchant.

Raymond Nessim, CEO Manfra, Tordell & Brookes, said he has reported the situation to the FBI and Secret Service.

To read the complete article, see: Fake gold bars turn up in Manhattan (www.myfoxny.com/story/19578206/fake-gold-bars-turn-up-in-manhattan)

A gold dealer in Manhattan's Diamond District on 47th Street discovered last week that an evidently certified gold bar was in fact more than 75 percent Tungsten. Today we decided to follow up.

Ibrahim Fadl came to New York from Egypt in the mid-70s to earn a Masters in chemical engineering from Columbia University. He's almost certainly the only guy on 47th Street with the periodic table of elements hanging in his office:

Recently, he said, a fellow merchant on 20th street drilled into a 10-oz. bar he'd been sold to check its quality — and learned it was salted with tungsten. He warned Fadl to do the same. Here's what Fadl found:

Ten ounce bars are thicker, making them harder to detect if counterfeited — the standard X-rays used by dealers don't penetrate deep enough.

Plus, the bars had been sealed and numbered. So whoever did this must be running an extremely sophisticated operation, Fadl said.

"It's a shame. This business is built on trust."

The FBI and Secret Service are investigating the incident, but Fadl wonders whether it's within their power to curb the practice, given the incentives involved.

To read the complete article, see: How A Manhattan Jeweler Wound Up With Gold Bars Filled With Tungsten (www.businessinsider.com/tungsten-filled-gold-bars-found-in-new-york-2012-9)

COIN ROLLS IN "ORIGINAL BANK WRAPS"

The hoarding of Uncirculated rolls became a new obsession in the marketplace. Many thought that holding quantities would eventually yield big profits. Promoters and scam artists touted the value of holding rolls, using arguments that were as foolish as their recommendations. Their goal was to create pyramid schemes to loot the buyers.

I remember at a trade show when an “investor-collector” walked by my display bourse table and looked it over. He asked: “Mr. Stack, where are your rolls?” I said, “We do not deal with rolls,” to which he responded, “Don’t you know what is rare?” He then tried to explain the logic that led him to that reply. He explained: “Take the 1950-D nickel. Only 2.6 million were struck! That means that there are only 65,000 rolls, and that means there are only 650 bags, and “you know Mr. Stack, that anything that there are only 650 of is RARE!” I was shocked! I stopped our conversation there rather than pursue that foolish logic!

One of the great scams that occurred in the roll investment era was the sale of “sealed rolls” in “original bank wraps.” One could look at the ends of a roll and often determine the date and the mintmark. But the scam artist preached: “If you open it or break the seal, the value of the roll will drop immediately.”

What had occurred was one of the greatest frauds perpetrated on the coin collecting public. Advertised “sealed rolls” didn’t always mean an original mint sealed roll. The machinery to repackage coins in a bank type roll and seal it was readily available and as long as they remained sealed, no one could tell what was in the roll. We found, as many others did, that rarer coins would be placed at the ends of the roll, but the center would be stuffed with commoner dates, worth only face value. Sometimes the scam artists went one step further in their greed and replaced the center coins with “slugs” or “washers” and resealed the rolls with their own machines.

To read the complete article, see: Remember When: Rolls Of U.S. Coins, A Phenomenon In The 1950s (stacksbowers.com/Blogs/remember-when-rolls-of-us-coins.html)

AUNG SAN SUU KYI COLLECTS 2008 CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL

Lawmakers united by their respect of Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday presented her with Congress’ highest civilian honor in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, ahead of a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Suu Kyi described it as “one of the most moving days of my life.”

She was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008 while under a 15-year house arrest for her peaceful struggle against military rule.

Her long-awaited visit to America finally provided an opportunity for her to receive the honor in person in Congress’ most majestic setting, beneath the dome of the Capitol and ringed by marble statues of former presidents.

The 67-year-old Nobel laureate said it was worth the years of waiting, being honored “in a house undivided, a house joined together to welcome a stranger from a distant land.”

Previous recipients of the medal include George Washington, Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II.

To read the complete article, see: Myanmar’s Suu Kyi receives Congress’ highest honor, meets Obama on landmark US visit (www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/lawmakers-set-aside-differences
-to-honor-myanmars-suu-kyi-with-congressional-medal/2012/09/19/c648eeb8-0227
-11e2-bbf0-e33b4ee2f0e8_story.html)

NEW ZEALAND EARTHQUAKE BRAVERY MEDAL AWARDED

A rare bravery award has been put on public display to give Christchurch residents a permanent reminder of their heroism after the city's earthquakes.

The Royal Humane Society of New Zealand's gold medal was unveiled at the Christchurch City Council's offices yesterday.

The gold medal was the first to be awarded by the society since the Wahine disaster in 1968 and was given to recognise the "many acts of conspicuous bravery and humanity" in the city after the February 2011 quake.

The medal was presented to Mayor Bob Parker at the earthquake memorial service this year.

Parker said he was honoured to accept the medal on behalf of the city's residents.

"This is the people's medal. It's to every single citizen of Christchurch," he said.

"No matter what you were doing or where you were, everyone in this city on February 22, 2011, displayed great bravery and great courage."

To read the complete article, see: Bravery award is 'people's medal' (www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/7698479/
Bravery-award-is-peoples-medal)

NEVADA MAN DIES WITH GARAGE FULL OF GOLD

An unusual discovery inside the home of a deceased Nevada recluse could result in a life-changing fortune for a San Rafael woman.

While preparing the Carson City home of Walter Samazko Jr. for sale, neighbor Joe Baxter went to help clean up the place as a favor to a friend, the realtor. What they discovered were crates of gold coins.

“We thought it was ammunition, opened it up and it was rolls of $20 gold pieces. I’ve never seen that much gold in my life,” said Baxter.

The realtor immediately called the Carson City Clerk and Recorder, Alan Glover. Glover said the gold is worth at least $7 million in weight alone.

“The amount of it was what was overwhelming,” said Glover.

A wheelbarrow was used to move the boxes of gold from the house. Now it’s all being kept in a secure location.

The gold coins had been minted as early as the 1840s in such countries as Mexico, England, Austria and South Africa, he said. Coin experts have said the age and rarity of the coins could make them much more valuable than their weight alone.

Golver and Baxter said he was an apparent hoarder who had cases of tuna and salmon, as well as guns, ammo and conspiracy theory books.

The 69-year-old Samaszko was found dead in his home in late June after neighbors called authorities. He had been dead of heart problems for at least a month, according to the coroner.

Despite all of his assets, Samaszko did not have a will. Baxter used funeral records to locate a first cousin in San Rafael.

That woman has yet to be identified, but according to Glover, she stands to inherit everything that the IRS doesn’t claim.

To read the complete article, see: (sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/09/18/san-rafael-woman-to-inherit-millions-from-gold-coin-discovery/)

WALMART CLERK RIPS UP WOMAN'S $100 BILLS

A mother who says Walmart employees intentionally humiliated her after wrongfully ripping up two of her $100 bills while believing they were fake is taking legal action against the store.

It was in the early hours of December 18, 2010 while doing some Christmas shopping for her children that Ms Garcia claims she presented the first $100 bill as payment before it was taken with suspicion from her

'The cashier proceeded to rip the $100 bill in half without performing any counterfeit detection tests. The metallic strip in the $100 bill was clearly visible.'

After marking the bill with the detection pen, revealing a yellowish colour across it, Ms Garcia said she explained to the cashier of that colour meaning it was legitimate, having previously worked in retail herself.

The employee proceeded to call a manager over who identified himself as Russell. At this time Ms Garcia said she took out a second $100 bill, which according to her, was immediately taken and ripped up as well by the man.

Police arrived around 4.15am and proceeded to inspect the bills in question. Following a series of tests the first responding officer, identified as Officer Edwards, returned to Ms Garcia telling her that what the Walmart employee and manager had done was a 'terrible mistake.’

Officer Edwards instructed Manager Russell to replace the bills he had wrongfully taken and destroyed.'

To read the complete article, see: Walmart employees 'ripped up woman's $100 bills because they thought they were fake' (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204067/Julia-Garcia-
WalMart-employees-ripped-womans-100-bills-thought-fake.html)

MORE ON THE PENNY PAINTINGS OF JACQUELINE LOU SKAGGS

Regarding the artwork of Jacqueline Lou Skaggs, Dick Johnson writes:

Skaggs, the 48-year-old Queens, N.Y. resident, is the artist responsible for the 12 miniature works of art, each carefully hand-painted on discarded pennies she had found and used as her painting canvas.

But Skaggs’ penny art collection titled “Tondi observations” is one of kind. She said these paintings were done in the early 1990s, and isn’t sure she’d be able to do them now.

“I don’t know that I could paint them again. I’m not a miniature artist, or generally a painter. I’m a conceptualist. Things are invented however is necessary for the idea,” Skaggs told ABC News. “I was just on a mission with those works, and I was so interested in the discourse between the images and the coins. I was compelled to create them.”

Skaggs often gets asked how long the miniature pieces of art took to create, but she explained there is no simple answer.

“I’d work on several at a time. So it’s hard to say. Some images went a lot more quickly than others. The portraits took a while. The slightest touch of the brush was too much, or not enough. You could turn an eye or a mouth into a blob of something,” Skaggs said.

The idea to paint on the pennies came very naturally to Skaggs, but she was concerned the novelty of the pennies would transcend the conceptual ideas she was trying to impose on the coin.

“I was an avid penny picker-upper. I never let one go. I loved the idea that these very sentimental, thoughtful images were going to be applied to this discarded coin,” said Skaggs. “There are layers of curiosity, philosophical and social, in the discarded coin- let alone the act of picking one up. I knew the novelty would just become another language of seduction. ”

After Skaggs cleaned the pennies with denatured alcohol to remove any surface dirt, she used a triple zero sized sable brush to achieve the minuscule details of each painting. Skaggs also cleverly chose to incorporate the year the penny was manufactured into the title of each artwork, effectively merging the two different identities into one.

“I decided the works were conceived when the coin was manufactured, when the coin was pressed. I included the year because to me it really married the concept to the coin,” Skaggs explained. “I wasn’t just merely using at it as a surface. Without that coin, they would just have been miniature paintings. It was a way to make that sort of a unified idea, the date of each penny.”

Originally, the artist planned to spend the coins once she had completed the paintings to put them back into circulation.

“Initially these coins were going to be spent- nestled with other coins in an exchange of goods. Or tossed back to the sidewalks from whence they came. Nice thoughts,” Skaggs wrote on her website’s description of the coin collection.

However, over time, each piece became too meaningful for Skaggs to part with. “I loved the idea this coin would have this sort of magical treasure attached to it if someone found it. But I just became too fond of them. A lot of the images are very personal, and very meaningful to me. They describe my religious and social perspective. My ego got involved. So I hung on to them,” she said.

The penny paintings have been featured in galleries across the country, and have even been on display in certain banks, but they’re currently with Skaggs in her home in Queens.

To read the complete article, see: Artist Uses Pennies As Her Canvas (abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/09/artist-uses-pennies-as-her-canvas/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: FEATURED WEB PAGE: PAINTINGS ON PENNIES (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a31.html)

HASEGAWA YOSUKE'S ORIGAMI CURRENCY CAPS

To read the complete article, see: Currency Caps (12 total) (www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/currency-caps-12-total)

FEATURED WEB PAGE: MEDIEVAL AND MODERN COIN SEARCH ENGINE

www.mcsearch.info