The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 23, June 2, 2002, Article 11

GLEANINGS  FROM ALL OVER

  In the last few weeks a number of interesting items
  have been published in the numismatic press; there's
  not enough time or space to cover them all in detail,
  but I'll summarize a number of them - please comment
  if you have something you'd like to add to the discussion.

  BRASHER BULLETIN INDEX
  Robert D. Leonard, Jr. has compiled an index to The
  Brasher Bulletin, the newsletter of the Society of Private
  and Pioneer Numismatics (SPPN).  The 13-year index
  was published in the spring 2002 issue.

  [Perhaps now that it has been compiled, the society will
  make it more accessible to the research community by
  arranging to make it available on NIP, Harry Bass'
  Numismatic Index of Periodicals:
+/9-  http://www.harrybassfoundation.org/search_numlit.asp

  EMPEROR NORTON NOTE CENSUS
  Donald H. Kagin, Ph.D. has published the first
  comprehensive listing of all known notes issued by
  San Francisco's "fascinating and romantic Emperor
  Norton I"  (Brasher Bulletin, Spring 2002)

  NORRIS, GREGG & NORRIS RESEARCH
  George Hull has a nice article (also in the Spring  2002
  Brasher Bulletin) about his discovery of the final resting
  place of the makers of the Norris, Gregg and Norris
  coins, in Brooklyn, NY.  He notes that "a book on the
  history of the Norris, Gregg, & Norris coin will be
  published in late spring, 2002."
  [If anyone has more information on this project, please
   let us know. -Editor]

  UNPUBLISHED 1794 DOLLAR MANUSCRIPT
  An article in the June 10, 2002 issue of Coin World,
  discussing a previously unrecorded 1794 dollar offered
  by Bowers and Merena Galleries, mentions an unpublished,
  book-length manuscript on the coins by the late Jack
  Collins, co-founder of the NBS.

  "The unpublished work listed every 1794 dollar known to
  Collins after exhaustive research, with photographs of most
  specimens listed."

  [Having discussed the manuscript with Jack a couple years
  before his death, I've always wondered what became of it.
  What would it take to get it published?  Is it tied up in an
  estate, or simply waiting for a motivated researcher to pick
  up where Jack left off and complete the task?   I believe
  Jack was considering a first edition print run of just 125, the
  reported mintage of 1794 dollars.  -Editor]

  SIAM SET RESTORED?
  Advertisements for Superior Galleries' display of "The World's
  Most Valuable Proof Set", the famous King of Siam set
  containing an 1804 dollar, would lead the viewer to believe
  that the coins have been rescued from their plastic tombs and
  returned to their rightful place in the original presentation case.
  The set will be on display at the upcoming June 5-8 Long
  Beach coin show, and at this summer's American Numismatic
  Association convention in New York City.  It would be nice to
  see the set in its original state as pictured in the ads
  (but don't count on it....).

  FLORIDA PAPER MONEY LITERATURE
  Mark Rabinowitz discussed "Building a Florida Paper Money
  Library" in the Summer 2002 issue of FUN Topics, the
  official publication of the Florida United Numismatists.
  By the way, the FUN web site has a great recent picture of
  "Mr. FUN" himself, Bob Hendershott, still going strong at
  103.   http://www.funtopics.com/coinshow_pictures.html
  Way to go, Bob!

  TEACHING AN OLD CATALOG NEW TRICKS
  From the minutes of the 2002 Early American Coppers
  annual meeting in Las Vegas, NV, published in the May
  2002 issue of the club's journal Penny-Wise:

  "Denis Loring presented a new form of auction catalog
  being developed by Heritage Rare Coin Galleries.
  Collections of specialized coins (such as early copper) would
  appear both as part of a traditional large catalog, described in
  the usual way, and as a separately published specialty catalog.
  The latter would consist of descriptions and grades by an
  expert in the field under specific contract, using (for example)
  EAC grading and more extensive information on die states and
  pedigrees.  The specialty catalogs would be made available to
  all specialists in that particular series.  The concept is still being
  developed; comments and suggestions are solicited."

  GIORI TEST CURRENCY BOOK
  In their ad in the June 2002 issue of Bank Note Reporter,
  Emporium Coin & Currency of Moorhead, MN write:
  "Our new book on GIORIS (tentatively titled "Giori Test
  Currency: The Last Frontier" is not our yet, but it's in
  progress now, and hopefully should be completed next
  year."

  1933 GOLD RECALL ANNOUNCEMENT
  An article by Mark Van Winkle in the June 3, 2002
  Coin World on "The Last Double Eagle" pictures a
  great piece of numismatic ephemera - a printing of the
  executive order recalling "all gold coin, gold bullion,
  and gold certificates."   It's not clear if the illustration
  came from a newspaper advertisement or a separately
  printed broadside.  Is anyone aware of a separate
  printing?

  ANS MAGAZINE
  Volume 1, Number 1 of American Numismatic Society
  Magazine has appeared.  To be published three times a
  year, the new glossy publication replaces the former
  newsletter.  We wish the organization success in their
  new publication effort, and hope that advertisers continue
  their support in the years to come.
  [My only peeve is the jumbo-size address label glued to
  the otherwise beautiful illustrated color cover.  It's a shame
  to deface such a nice publication.  For those who ask,
  the ANA mails its journal, The Numismatist, in a plastic
  wrapper with the mailing address printed on a sheet inside.
  -Editor]

  BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE CIVIL WAR
  The May/June 2002 issue of Rare Coin Review by Bowers
  and Merena Galleries has an interesting article with excerpts
  from the writings of Albert D. Richardson, a New York
  Tribune writer working incognito in the South during the
  Civil War.   Richardson provides a few interesting
  contemporary anecdotes relating to numismatics, including
  a description of a one-hour visit to the New Orleans mint
  following its capture by the rebels.  Such first-hand reports
  are a numismatic researchers dream.   Thanks for publishing
  them, Dave!    Do we smell a book on Civil War numismatics
  in the works?

  NUMISMATIC ART
  A Viewpoint article by sculptor Alex Shagin in the May 28th
  2002 Numismatic News laments the poor artistic quality of
  U.S. Mint products in recent years.  This has been a common
  refrain over the years whenever new designs appear, but we
  wholeheartedly agree with Shagin that "It's about time to admit
  that it takes much more than cut-and-paste photographic
  images encircled by some lengthy verbal messages to create
  truly meaningful numismatic designs that will be destined not
  only to serve our people's needs today, but also impress and
  inspire the generations to come."

  AUGUSTUS HEATON BIOGRAPHY
  NBS President Pete Smith's regular column in the ANA's
  Numismatist is titled "Names in Numismatics".  The June
  2002 article features Augustus G. Heaton (1844-1930),
  author of the classic, "Treatise on the Coinage of the United
  States Branch Mints" (1893).

  NEW HAMPSHIRE BANK NOTE BOOK
  Q. David Bowers' column in the same issue, "Coins &
  Collectors", features a New Hampshire bank fiasco,
  "excerpted from a work-in-progress, "New Hampshire
  Provincial, State and National Currency", that I am working
  on with David M. Sundman of Littleton Coin Company."

  INDIAN PEACE MEDAL CLASSIFICATION
  A short item on p624-625 of the June 2002 Numismatist
  describes a forthcoming book by Rita Laws on Indian
  Peace Medals.  See her web page with more information:
  http://personalpages.tds.net/~rlaws/IPMbookexcerpt.html
  "Rita Laws, Ph.D., is a third generation coin and medal
  collector and is a member of the Choctaw tribe."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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