The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 49, December 2, 2007, Article 20

WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY:  DECEMBER 2, 2007

My son Christopher surprised me again this week.  For the
speech he has to give to his third grade class at school,
he picked the subject of coin collecting.  He wants to talk
about filling his Whitman folder of Roosevelt dimes.  Twice
this week we had the folders and piles of dimes spread on
the living room floor.

Friday evening all three kids and I worked on the project.
Christopher and Tyler checked for date/mintmark combinations
we needed, and so did I when Hannah wasn't hogging my magnifier.
We were down to just a few empty holes before bedtime.   First
thing Saturday morning, Christopher dragged out the folders
and coins again and Tyler and Hannah helped as before.  When
we'd filled all but one I announced that whoever found the
final coin would get a dollar as a reward.  It was the 1978-D
we needed, and wouldn't you know Christopher managed to find
one.  He ran upstairs to tell my wife, whom I'm sure would
have rather continued sleeping in.

My only other numismatic adventure this week was receiving
my Uncirculated Dolley Madison gold coin from the U.S. Mint.
That was fast service!  Coin World said the issue did not
sell out and that fewer than 8,000 sold on the first day of
availability.  Over 10,000 Proofs were sold.

I showed the coin to Christopher and explained that the reverse
was designed by the same artist who'd done the beautiful print
of elephants that now hangs in a frame in our front hallway
(Joel Iskowitz).  The print is from a stamp design Iskowitz
created.  He gave me a copy of the print for my wife after
learning that she collected elephants.  I had it framed and
gave it to her the night of the PAN Banquet in October, where
Joel gave a presentation.

I checked with Joel see if he was able to obtain an example
of his work.  He said he was able to order a proof example,
but the coin was backordered.  So I was able to get my coin
before the designer did, making the Mint look like a complete
skinflint.  For heaven's sake, there ought to be some acceptable
way to ensure designers obtain examples of their own work.

Joel added: "I thought it was a bit odd that there was no
ceremony for the debut of the James Madison (Father of our
Constitution) Presidential dollar coin. All the other three
had first day of issue debuts."  Joel makes a good point -
is the Mint petering out on publicity for the series?

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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