MORSE CODE ON MONEY

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V16 2013 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 16, Number 19, May 12, 2013, Article 18

I guess we stumped our readers with last week's question on Morse Code on money. Well, the cat's out of the bag now. Tom Uram's article Morse Code on Money appears in the May 2013 issue of The Numismatist from the American Numismatic Association. Here are a few excerpts. -Editor

Numerous coins over the years have featured Morse Code, most notably from the US, Canada and Great Britain. And not surprisingly, given its strategic importance in military conflict, Morse code is often seen on war coin commemoratives.

The United States World War II 50th Anniversary commemorative gold $5 dollar dated 1991-1995 and struck at the West Point mint, features “dot-dot-dot-dash” super-imposed over a capital “V”. The “V”, a signal often used by the indomitable Winston Churchill during World War II, became a symbol of hope to the beleaguered nations fighting the Nazi regime. The Morse Code, spelling the letter V, reinforces the symbolism. Many older Americans well remember newsreel footage of the portly figure, hand raised in the gesture, that was flashed over thousands of movie screens. Even today, it reminds us of his oft-quoted maxim to “never, never, never quit.”

Canadian Victory Nickel (1943-1945), celebrating the success of the Allied Powers in World War II, was designed by Thomas Shingles. The phrase “We win when we work willingly” is engraved around the edge of the coin in Morse Code. In 2005, a commemorative of the “V” nickel was issued with the dates 1945-2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.

Other coins incorporating Morse Code include a 2010 Canadian Silver Dollar for the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy and a 2001 British Two Pound coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first wireless transatlantic telegraph.

The issue's theme is "Build & Exhibit". The featured articles are written by people who've built exhibits on their topic, and each has a sidebar with the author's comments on the exhibiting experience.

It's not too early for bibliophiles to start planning to exhibit at the ANA's World's Fair of Money convention in Chicago in August. NBS raised donations totaling $3,000 to fund the numismatic literature exhibit class (Class 17 - Aaron Feldman Award). Let's have a wealth of exhibits on display! The application deadline is June 21, 2013. For more information, see: http://worldsfairofmoney.com/collector-exhibits.aspx . -Editor