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About Us The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit association devoted to the study and enjoyment of numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at coinbooks.org Subscriptions Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link Membership There is a membership application available on the web site Membership Application To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. Print/Digital membership is $40 to addresses in the U.S., and $60 elsewhere. A digital-only membership is available for $25. For those without web access, write to: Charles Heck, Treasurer Numismatic Bibliomania Society P. O. Box 2058, Bluffton, SC 29910-2058 Asylum For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Chuck at this email address: treasurer@coinbooks.org Submissions To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com BUY THE BOOK BEFORE THE COIN Sale Calendar March 6, 2021 KOLBE-FANNING

Content presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.

WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM FEBRUARY 21, 2021

New subscribers this week include: Anca Untu, courtesy Chester Sullivan; Ed Fuhrman, Keith Poole, and Dan Tumolo. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,615 subscribers.

Thank you for reading The E-Sylum. If you enjoy it, please send me the email addresses of friends you think may enjoy it as well and I'll send them a subscription. Contact me at whomren@gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content.

This week we open with updates from NBS, a dealer fixed price list, four new books, a periodical, two obituaries, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include Thomas Jefferson's coin collection, modern commemeratives, numismatic thefts, collecting cents and half cents, copies and replicas, auction previews, numismatics in Black History, CIA medals, and Tenino's wooden money.

To learn more about coins minted by the Knights in Malta, Ars Classica sales, Swedish coins, Gene Hynds, Pietro Giampaoli, Paul S. Szego, the U.S. Branch Mint in Manila, Mardi Gras doubloons, Alexander tetradrachms, world banknotes, playing card money, and Big Freedia, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

ASYLUM SPRING 2021 ISSUE PUBLISHED

Message from the NBS President Tom Harrison
Welcome to the spring 2021 issue of The Asylum. I was saddened to hear of the passing of our friend Syd Martin who served on the NBS Board since 2009. Syd was a staunch supporter of the NBS and will be missed by the many people he touched throughout the numismatic community.

The NBS Constitution requires a call for nominations for officers and board members during the first quarter of odd numbered years. If you have a desire to serve, please send a brief bio and portrait photo via email to Maria Fanning at nbsasylum@gmail.com by May 1st so you can be placed on the ballot to be mailed with the summer issue of The Asylum. You may contact me at president@coinbooks.org with any questions about serving on the board.

The most recent NBS Bibliotalk, "Special Collections and Art Books," features Cassie Brand, Curator of Rare Books at Olin Library, Washington University in St. Louis. This is another entertaining and informative discussion reflecting the passion of a true book enthusiast. It and all of the previous podcasts can be accessed at the NBS website at coinbooks.org. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of Bibliotalk!

May your numismatic library provide investigation, discovery and, most of all, enjoyment.

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MORE KOLBE & FANNING MARGOLIS HIGHLIGHTS

MARCH 6 KOLBE & FANNING SALE HIGHLIGHTS

On March 6, Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers will be offering at auction highlights from the Richard E. Margolis International Numismatic Library. The Margolis Library is comprehensive in its coverage of coins, medals and paper money from all times and places, and includes an impressive number of 19th-centruy auction catalogues, many of them from the libraries of Rollin & Feuardent, Leonard Forrier, and others. The 539-lot sale also features significant periodicals, numismatic art and archival materials.

Some highlights of the sale include:

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BRYCE BROWN CATALOG INVENTORY UPDATED

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DELUXE ANCIENT COINS IN AMERICAN AUCTIONS

Deluxe editions of David F. Fanning's bibliography and analysis of American auction catalogues that feature photographically printed illustrations of ancient coins, Ancient Coins in Early American Auctions, 1869–1939, are now available for purchase.

The deluxe edition features blue quarter morocco with gray Japanese cloth sides; spine with five raised bands, ruled, lettered and decorated in gilt and hand-marbled endpapers.

A beautiful addition to any numismatic library.

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NEW BOOK: THE HALF CENT HANDBOOK

The Half Cent Handbook (Draped Busts Varieties 1800-1808) is the first in a series of four books I am writing on U.S. Half Cents.

The second book is about Classic Head and Braided Hair Varieties and will be released later in 2021. Book three is on the Liberty Cap Varieties. And finally the fourth book will be about Half Cent Mint Errors.

I've been collecting coins for 47 years and have been specializing in Half Cents for the past 25 years. It's been well over 20 years since a book comparable to this has been released. Many new things have been discovered in the past couple of decades. New die states have been discovered. New finest known examples have come to light. The book contains updated information on die varieties, die states, & rarity ratings. It is designed to be the most user-friendly attribution, grading, and cherry picking guide ever produced for Draped Bust Half Cents.

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NEW BOOK: COINS FROM SWEDEN 995-2022

SWEDEN COIN BOOK - Coins minted 995-2022

For the first time in numismatic history, the book is published over all Swedish silver and copper coins with valuation prices. The title is printed in color for a total of about 1400 pages (two volumes), invitations, A4 in color, 6 kg numismatic explosive. The books catalog all Swedish coins from the Viking Age, the Middle Ages and up to the present day, coins minted and issued in Sweden's possessions (Germany &l Baltics) and Hessen-Kassel during Fredrik I's time (1730-1751), as well as a selection of royal as well as personal medals. By combining four collection areas in one and the same catalog, the picture of Swedish numismatics becomes clear.

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NEW BOOK: MAKING CHANGE

On a grey, drizzly Monday, 15 February 1971, Britain went decimal. Ten years in the planning, 'D-Day' upended a currency system that had been unchanged for more than a millennium.

Celebrating the publication of a new book, Making Change: the decimalisation of Britain's currency, here are a selection of little-known facts about how it happened.

Early advocates of decimalisation included Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) and the influential economist Sir William Petty (1623–87) who, in 1682, proposed a system to ‘keep all Accompts in a way of Decimal Arithmetick'.

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PERIODICAL: THE CHOPMARK NEWS DECEMBER 2020

I hope everyone is well and surviving the pandemic. It's hard to believe it has been a year already. Hopefully this new edition of The Chopmark News will lift your spirits.

In this issue we meet member Norm Cochrane. Norm is member 116—one of the originals and the second oldest active member.

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JAMES C. RUEHRMUND (1926-2021)

Tom Kays writes:

Jim Ruehrmund has a long history of fascination for the Civil War.

"When I was a little boy, I had a collection of coins and various kinds of paper currency, which had come down through the family," he said, pulling out an 1874 25-cent note that belonged to his grandfather, James R Sheppard.

"He walked to Richmond from Glen Allen. He came to Richmond to seek his fortune." Reuhrmund explained the origin of the note called a shin plaster.

Ever since this small piece of rag paper was passed on to him, he has been hooked on Virginia History and Confederate money.

A Richmond native, Reuhrmund's Virginia roots go back to the early 17th century on his mother's side and 1882 on his father's side, all having settled within 50 miles of Richmond.

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GENE HYNDS (1931-2021)

In Memorial to Gene Hynds
12/25/31 - 02/16/21

We were informed recently that our good friend Gene Hynds had passed away. Though he has been in an assisted living place near Daytona Beach, FL for many months it was still a shock to all of us. All of us have known Gene for many decades going back to the Florida United Numismatist and American Numismatic Association Conventions along with a few others – like Georgia Numismatic Association and Blue Ridge Conventions that were held in Dalton, Georgia. It was always fun getting together with Gene, Pat and Bill at these events and we will always remember going out to dinner and doing other things with them. In our minds he is irreplaceable and will always have a place in our hearts for his love of family and friends, numismatics and his generosity of time and talents for many numismatic organizations. As another hobby he loved his 1965 Mustang convertible which he took care of with loving hands.

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THOMAS JEFFERSON'S COIN COLLECTION

Thomas Jefferson Coin Collection

E-Sylum readers are likely familiar with the George Washington numismatic collection, which notably contained an 11-piece silver Comitia America medal set (now at the Massachusetts Historical Society), in addition to the massive gold example of the Washington Before Boston medal, today at the Boston Public Library. Thomas Jefferson also collected coins, and in 1994 Beth Deisher of Coin World investigated the situation.

Later, she shared the material with Eric P. Newman, and today this is digitized on Newman Portal. Jefferson made a donation to the American Philosophical Society (APS) of "coins and medals," c. 1806, apparently gathered from travels in Europe. The APS collection was loaned in the 19th century to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and returned much later, with pieces missing. APS ultimately sold its numismatic holdings in 1967. The historic record keeping and museum cataloging was not sufficient to specifically identify the Jefferson pieces, and today these are lost to the winds.

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VIDEO: ELLSWORTH AT 2021 HOUSTON MONEY SHOW

American Numismatic Association President Ellsworth Confronts COVID Pandemic for Business & Coin Hobby at Houston Money Show 2021.
VIDEO: 5:27.

Col.Steven Ellsworth, Ret., President, American Numismatic Association,
David Lisot, Interviewer, CoinTelevision.com. January 23, 2021.

Steven Ellsworth is committed to numismatics both as a business and a hobby. He supports coin clubs by his membership and setting up at the conventions. He talks about dealing with the COVID Pandemic and the reaction of the collecting public. He shares the latest news about the American Numismatic Association.

An excerpt of the video is available for viewing on the Coin Television YouTube Channel at:
https://youtu.be/dRUbakysvsE

RED BOOK MODERN COMMEMORATIVE COVERAGE

Gary Dunaier writes:

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GREAT NUMISMATIC THEFTS

Pete Smith writes:

25 Large Numismatic Thefts

This report does not include the theft of current coins, currency or bullion and does not include looting during time of war. It also does not include robberies where the owner was murdered.

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TREASURY OFFICIAL COURTESY AUTOGRAPH NOTES

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Conder Token Collector's Club Website Updated

Eric Holcomb writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEWMAN PORTAL ADDS CONDER TOKEN JOURNALS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n07a10.html)

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QUERY: DEALER PAUL S. SZEGO

In a recent Kolbe & Fanning sale I purchased an auction catalog of NYC dealer Paul S. Szego's sale of 06/19/1937. This was his only auction sale, so I was trying to find some information on him, but, with little luck. Szego's address was 812 Broadway. I checked both The Numismatist and The Numismatic Scrapbook magazines of that year for his ads, but nothing. He may have some connection with Stack's, as the catalog cover looks much like the Stack sale catalogs of that period.

I seem to remember reading that Stack's sold his coins at a later date. However, looking at the Gengerke list of sale consignors, I came up empty again. So perhaps our readers may have some information on this dealer.

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COLLECTING CENTS AND HALF CENTS IN 1874

Gerry Tebben writes:

SMALL COINAGE OF THE UNITED STATES.

To the Editors of The Dispatch:

Thinking a short item would be of interest to many of your readers, I have undertaken to give a description of the cents and half cents of our American coinage to a limited extent. Although the tables are not exactly perfect, they are as correct as I have been able to obtain from any of the late works on numismatics. I obtain my authority for saying not correct from the works themselves. Although not perfect, they are in all probability so near it that but very few numismaticians will be able to find mistakes that will amount in the aggregate to a very great number.

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WHITMAN JUNE 2021 BALTIMORE EXPO CANCELLED

The June 3–5, 2021, Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo will not be held as the State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore continue to mitigate and recover from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The show's management plans an expanded "Mega Bourse" for the November Expo, one of the largest numismatic events of the year. It will be held at its regular venue, the Baltimore Convention Center.

Whitman Expo manager Lori Kraft said, "Our hearts go out to the front-line workers who continue to battle the pandemic, and to everyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19. We're relieved to see progress on many fronts, but the City of Baltimore has indicated that it's not as ready as they'd hoped it would be to realistically plan for a June Expo. We understand and respect the City's decision to cancel large gatherings. Transportation remains a challenge, some hotels and restaurants are closed, and some venues that are open are operating with smaller workforces. These challenges will change as vaccinations move forward. While Baltimore remains as friendly and welcoming as ever, the city needs more time to gear back up and get ready to host large events and welcome thousands of Expo visitors again."

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VOCABULARY TERM: COPIES AND REPLICAS

Copies and Replicas. Not the original medallic or numismatic item, but a similar specimen. A wide variety of copies and replicas exist, both authorized and surreptitious, for which a large terminology has developed, including those terms listed here. Copy is a broad term that includes all items not the original; replica, likewise broad, includes all similar items to the original. The terms differ in that copy implies a closer resemblance to the original, replica may be more liberal in its exact replication.

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WILLIAM STEPHEN DISBROW, MD, PH. G. (1861-1922)

William Stephen Disbrow, MD, Ph. G. (1861-1922), was born on March 18, 1861 in Newark, NJ, the son of Henry Griffin Disbrow (1832-) and Catherine Cline Clickener (1834-).

He attended Newark public schools.

In 1878, he was a licensed pharmacist in New Jersey.

In 1880, he graduated New York University, College of Pharmacy.

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GIVING BACK TO THE HOBBY WE LOVE

For decades, the hobby of numismatics has provided me with more benefits than anyone could ever hope for, from years of enjoyment to a pretty good living. Since assembling my first Lincoln Cent album in the 1960s, my enthusiasm has never waned. Many of my non-numismatic friends envy that I look forward to going to work every day. I sincerely hope that the hobby remains relevant so that future generations can enjoy the same pleasures numismatics has given me.

The future of numismatics, however, cannot be taken for granted. The hobby has been facing a serious problem of aging demographics. The average member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) is now about 63 years old. Young people in our society today have become very distracted with technology and social media. Getting their attention is difficult, but not an impossible task. The ANA is committed to attracting and retaining young collectors. Considerable sums have been invested in the ANA website (Money.org) and other social media platforms trying to reach younger collectors.

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THE ANS IS SEEKING A DEPUTY DIRECTOR

General job description
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is seeking to hire a Deputy Director. The Deputy Director is a senior member of the management team of the American Numismatic Society. S/he directly reports to the Executive Director and attends all meetings of the Board of Trustees as well as meetings of the Executive Committee. S/he represents the Society in the absence of the Executive Director. S/he is responsible for directly supervising the financial, administrative, technology, library, and publication matters of the American Numismatic Society.

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ALEXANDER TETRADRACHMS: DAVISSON AUCTION 40

Alexander tetradrachms are familiar to all collectors of ancient coins, but in a series so large that covers such a vast swath of history (and geography) what sets one above another? Artistry, rarity, and historical significance all play into the seven choice pieces we have selected for this auction.

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DNW WORLD BANKNOTE SALE FEBRUARY 2021

An Irish £10 Banknote from the iconic ploughman series is expected to fetch £22,000-26,000 at Dix Noonan Webb in their live/ online auction of British, Irish and World Banknotes on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 10am on their website www.dnw.co.uk.

The very fine and extremely rare Northern Bank Ltd note dates from May 6, 1929 and is being offered by a private collector. The only known example of a £50 note from the Belfast Banking Company Limited, dating from December 7, 1917 is also offered and is estimated at £8,000-10,000. An even older Irish note on sale is a very attractive £20 printed in blue, from the Provincial Bank of Ireland Ltd, dating from October 20 1904, which is expected to fetch £5,000-6,000.

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ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL AUCTION 65

ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL AUCTIONS OFFERS HISTORIC ZANZIBAR, 1916, 10 RUPEES BANKNOTE RARITY ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF RARE BANKNOTES, BONDS AND SHARES AT ITS MARCH 10TH , 2021 PUBLIC AUCTION IN RIVER EDGE, NEW JERSEY

The auction will be held by Archives International Auctions at their offices in River Edge, N.J.

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SELECTIONS FROM KAGIN'S MARCH 2021 SALE

Lot 3030: California Gold 1854 Defiant eagle, BG-220

1854 Defiant eagle, BG-220, PCGS AU55. Rarity 7. Defiant eagle left on torse, date below; 25 CENTS in wreath.

With the Arms of California half and the round dollar with G.G. and eagle, this is one of the three most highly coveted Period One coins; extremely rare, there are 10 or fewer known. For Doering, "the king of fractional gold." However, its distinctive design, late appearance, and heavy weight (it contains close to full value of native California gold) have caused its authenticity to be questioned. California gold scholar Mike Locke has expressed doubts because of its late appearance, high weight and purity, and extreme rarity.

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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Calabria Didrachm

Calabria. Tarent.

Didrachm or Nomos (silver). Approx. 240-228 BC Chr.

Vs: Naked youth on horseback riding to the right with his arm raised; between the legs of the Magistrate of Philocles; two monograms in the fields.

Rs: Naked Taras with trident on dolphin riding to the left, holding a rhyton in his right; in the field on the right two Loutrophoroi side by side.

20 mm. 6.61 g.

HN Italy 1057; Vlasto 950 Coll. Excellent.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 27. Kalabrien. Tarent. (https://www.sixbid.com/en/solidus-numismatik/8238/griechische-mnzen/6798610/kalabrien-tarent)

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THE LIBERIAN EXODUS

Liberia declared its independence in 1847, but it traces its history back decades more, to the founding of the American Colonization Society in 1816. As American-born Blacks decided to leave the United States for Africa — often under less than voluntary conditions — they gathered along the Atlantic coast in Liberia, adjacent to Sierra Leone, where former British subjects of African descent had created a similar new nation. Poor relationships with the indigenous Africans who already lived there made the first years of the Liberian experiments especially challenging, a fact not lost on those who sought to move there in the 1870s. The violence and uncertainty they faced in South Carolina made the risks seem worth it.

On April 21, 1878, the ship Azor, owned by the Liberian Exodus Joint Stock Steamship Company, left from Charleston with 206 Americans on board who planned to never return. Twenty-three of them died on the month-long journey. The Azor arrived in Sierra Leone on May 19, resupplied, and pulled into port in Liberia on June 3. Though the promise of Liberian life and the ease of prosperity there was exaggerated to those who emigrated, 173 of the original 183 emigrants were still in Liberia after two years. The families who arrived on the Azor evolved into some of the leading families of Liberia, almost a caste unto themselves, identifying as Americo-Liberians as time went on. They would become African-American Africans.

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NEGRO COMMEMORATIVE SOCIETY MEDALS

NCS Henry Ossian Flipper medal

George A. Beach, a 32-year-old advertising designer based in Pennsylvania founded the Society in collaboration with the Franklin Mint for the purpose of highlighting Black American historical figures. With the ANCS, Beach sought to educate Americans, especially Black Americans, on influential Black figures who were often left out of "traditional," whitewashed narratives of American history. The subjects featured on the medals lived as early as the Revolutionary era, illustrating how ingrained Black people are in the nation's history. In fact, many of those featured were pioneers in their field, such as W. C. Handy, self-proclaimed "Father of the Blues," and George Washington Carver, who made significant contributions to the study of agriculture in the early twentieth century.

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CIA MEDALS HIDDEN IN PICTURE FRAME

The secret medals of a CIA spy who managed to smuggle a Soviet MiG fighter jet into the US during the Cold War have been put up for action after they were hidden in a picture frame for decades.

CIA officer Jim Fees masterminded the covert acquisition of the MiG-23MS Flogger fighter jet in September 1977 when he was the Cairo station chief.

The Russian fighter jet was loaded onto a US cargo plane in the dead of night and flown to the US after Fees negotiated the deal with President Anwar Sadat's Egyptian government.

Because of the classified nature of his role in the Cold War, his awards could not be publicly acknowledged and so Fees hid them in special picture frames in his home in Hasselt, Belgium. The medals have now been sold in Britain for £22,000.

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FAIRFAX COIN CLUB MEDAL

The Fairfax Coin Club, founded in 2017, has been finding ways to deepen its roots into the numismatic ecosystem, even though they are a relatively recently founded organization. One of their most recent projects was creating an official club medal.

Fairfax Coin Club Medal. Images courtesy Daryl Haynor

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THE HISTORY OF REDESIGNING AMERICA'S MONEY

Less than a week after taking office, the Biden administration announced it would restart Obama-era plans to redesign the $20 bill, replacing the portrait of President Andrew Jackson with that of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, after more than four years of uncertainty about the note's future. The decision has revived a fervent debate about who belongs on our currency, and whether the change is just another example of so-called cancel culture at its worst.

It's not hard to understand why some Americans might see the redesign as a radical break from tradition. For the past century, U.S. banknotes have featured a static set of Founding Fathers and presidents, government buildings and national memorials. This 20th-century consistency created the illusion that significant design alterations would sever our currency's ties to its past.

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SMITHSONIAN TO EXHIBIT TENINO'S WOODEN MONEY

Tenino's response to the pandemic — widely-publicized wooden scrip similar to money that was distributed to residents — may soon be enshrined in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Earlier this month, a curator of the museum reached out to the small town asking to display some of the wooden currency, which was aimed at helping keep the local economy afloat during a global emergency.

"It's still kind of surreal," Mayor Wayne Fournier said Friday, noting that other museums have also been reaching out regarding the unique scrip program. "But nothing to the level of the Smithsonian, you know? The Smithsonian, that's America's museum."

The Smithsonian has already chronicled Tenino's wooden scrip program from nine decades ago. As far as Fournier knows, 2020 was the first time a local government had spearheaded a scrip program. But during the Great Depression, Tenino's chamber of commerce ignited a similar program. So when the pandemic hit, Fournier said, Tenino simply had to "dust that idea off."

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READERS LOVE THE LIBBY APP

On the surface, there couldn't be a more wholesome story than the meteoric rise of the Libby app. A user-friendly reading app becomes popular during the pandemic, making books cool again for young readers, multiplying e-book circulation and saving public libraries from sudden obsolescence.

But the Libby story is also a parable for how the best-intentioned people can build a beloved technological tool and accidentally create a financial crisis for those who need the tech most. Public librarians depend on Libby, but they also worry that its newfound popularity could seriously strain their budgets.

Before 2017, e-books were still pretty niche, and checking out library e-books was torture. In 2016, just over a quarter of Americans had read an e-book within the previous year, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Not many people even knew their libraries offered digital books. Overdrive — the digital marketplace for publishers and libraries, and the creator of Libby — was (and still is) clunky, slow and unintuitive. Overdrive hit just under 200 million checkouts in 2016; in 2020, that number more than doubled, surpassing 430 million.

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LOOSE CHANGE: FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Harriet Tubman Note History

To read the complete article, see:
A Former Slave Instead of a Slave Owner? - News in the Case of the 20 Dollar Banknote (https://coinsweekly.com/a-former-slave-instead-of-a-slave-owner-news-in-the-case-of-the-20-dollar-banknote/)

See also:
https://tubman20.com/

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