The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 21, May 27, 2007, Article 9

BOB LEONARD ON THE BROTHER JONATHAN BARS

On the topic of another recovered shipwreck, the Brother Jonathan,
Bob Leonard responds to my earlier review of the book "Treasure Ship"
by Dennis Powers.  He writes: "I feel well qualified to comment on
the so-called 'Brother Jonathan' bars, as I have made a study of
Western gold bars and coins and I too was in the audience, as Dennis
Powers can verify by watching his videotape once more (both speakers,
I believe, acknowledged my presence there).

"Powers should have relied less on the numismatically uninformed
Supreme Court decision of 1998 and more on the irrefutable arguments
of Prof. Buttrey regarding the authenticity of these bars.  As Buttrey
pointed out, the inscription on them is anachronistic!  The faker
carelessly used a Mint designation that did not exist at the time.

"And he should look also at p. 139 of his copy of Bowers' 'The Treasure
Ship S.S. Brother Jonathan', where an 1859 "gold brick" of the U.S.
Assay Office in New York is shown.  Another gold bar, correctly labeled
'US Branch Mint Denver 1865' is illustrated on p. 10 of The Pioneer
Western Bank: First of Denver 1860-1960 (Denver, 1984).

For that matter, ANY U.S. silver or gold bar made at any time at any
Mint or Assay Office will do, including the common San Francisco small
silver bars.  These bars all have one thing in common: an eagle is
depicted as part of the stamp.  This is because the dies for these bars
were all made in the die shop of the Philadelphia Mint.  The only
exception is the 1865-dated 'Brother Jonathan' bars, on which the
eagle is missing!

"Even more to the point is why should anyone want gold bars anyway on
a trip within the United States, or even to the west coast of Canada?
Gold bars were ordered by depositors intending to ship their dust to
Europe, where it would be reminted anyway, to minimize loss.  Within
the United States and Canada, U.S. coins were in circulation and
gigantic gold bars liable to be refused.  There was no mint in Portland
or Victoria where bars could be recoined.

"If Powers supposes that there is any chance that these 'Brother
Jonathan' bars are genuine, then he must think that everything is
what it purports to be, provided the accompanying story is sufficiently
entertaining.  I recommend that he select the subject of fakes --
documents, art, even coins -- for his next book."

[As I noted in my review, Powers did not profess to make a conclusion
on the authenticity of the disputed bars.  But the book does add to
the mix of facts and opinion on the topic, and proves that serious
numismatics can be anything but boring.  The book is a good read
for numismatists and laymen alike, and provides the best blow-by-blow
description of the "Great Debate" event short of viewing the
videotape itself.  -Editor]

 BOOK REVIEW: TREASURE SHIP BY DENNIS M. POWERS
 esylum_v10n18a05.html

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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