Visit our NBS Sponsors

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 December 11, 2021 WORKMAN BOOKS Watch here for updates!

 

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 NOVEMBER 21, 2021

New subscribers this week include: NBS members Douglas Ward and Michael Fiori. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,726 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.

The Künker auction house has become a sponsor of NBS. Thank you for your support! Be sure to click on their ads and check out their great offerings.

This week we open with two numismatic literature sales, two new books, a new periodical, the reopening of the ANA Library, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include science in numismatics, numismatic biographies, the "Baby Cas" physical bitcoin, auction previews, the Liberty Seated cent, Zimbabwe dollar hustlers, and what happens when you put money in a microwave.

To learn more about Alain Poinsignon, Biblical coins, the Thanksgiving that wasn't, Randy'L Teton, Story Vaults, 3D coin images, electrotypes, coin dealer Robert Arthur Joslin, Sr., Watson and the Shark, the Allen F. Lovejoy Collection of dimes, Michigan National Bank Notes, the $1000 Montgomery Note, and Bob Hendershott's Wooden Nickel, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

KÜNKER OFFERS POINSIGNON LIBRARY PART 3

We are pleased to present you the third and last part of the numismatic library Alain Poinsignon, Strasbourg.

The Strasbourg coin dealer is known to many collectors around the world. He opened his first coin shop in 1974 in Mulhouse. In 1984, he moved to Strasbourg, where he managed a retail store called "Poinsignon Numismatique" for many decades. Alain Poinsignon is proud of the high standard of his coin determinations, for which he compiled an extensive library. With roughly 8,000 books, journals and 3,000 auction catalogs, his numismatic library is probably one of the most important specialized libraries in Europe in private hands.

Read more here

WORKMAN BOOKS DECEMBER 15, 2021 SALE

Workman's Books is conducting its fourth bid sale of rare, vintage, and out-of-print numismatic books, auction catalogs, dealer fixed price lists, and numismatic journals from the collection of long-time dealer, collector, and author, Holland Wallace. The sale will close at 10:00 AM on December 11, 2021 and will include 612 lots of rare, vintage, out-of-print, and rarely seen items on the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central & South America, Europe, Portugal, Spain, the Middle East, Asia, and Spanish colonial numismatics. Included in this sale are important works and sales by Barriga-Villalba, Bruns, Burzio, Calico, Cayon, Christie's, Christensen, Craig, Douglas, Elder, Gilboy, Glendining, Grove, Herrera, Lazaro, Low, Medina, Ponterio, Pradeau, Pridmore, Prober, Schulman, Sellschopp, Shuhart, Sotheby's, Stack's, Superior, Woodward, and many others.

Read more here

 

BOOK PREVIEW: GUIDE TO BIBLICAL COINS 6TH ED.

Many people are interested in ancient coins, but not too many stay with it for over half a century! After nearly 50 years of writing and revising, and on the eve of publication of my book Guide to Biblical Coins 6th Edition, I can assure readers that the process of creation and revision of a book like this is not a straightforward process. This is true even though texts on the topic have existed for nearly 200 years.

Take for example the problem of dating coins; despite the fact that some coins actually come with dates, it is not always clear what those dates refer to. For example, in his 1881 Coins of the Jews, numismatist Frederick Madden attributed the silver coins inscribed shekel of Israel, half a shekel, and the bronze shekel fractions dated year four to Simon Thassi (died 135 BCE) of the Hasmonean dynasty. Madden also attributed coins with the names Eleazar and Simon to the first year of the Jewish War against Rome (66-70 CE). Today Eleazar and Simon are known to be Bar Kokhba coins, issued by the Judean state during its final revolt against Rome from 132-135 CE.

Read more here

NEW BOOK: CATALOG OF BELGIAN NUMISMATICS 2022

This is the most complete catalogue of Belgium and Belgian congo. Used by every Belgian collector.

Contents: the coins, notes and sets of the Belgian franc as well as the euro. This also includes the Belgian ECU coins, tokens and sets, together with the commemorative medals, the local issues and notes of the Belgian army, the coins and notes of the Congo Free State, the Belgian Congo and the mandate areas. Also the tax plates of the Belgian Congo!

All this with updated prices and with new variants, in words and pictures!

Read more here

 

NEW PERIODICAL: HALF CRAZY

Half Crazy - The Newsletter of the Seated Half Society - Issue #1

The SHS is an association of dedicated Liberty Seated Half Dollar devotees and specialists. My experience at club tables around the country over the last thirteen years has taught me that of all the Liberty Seated denominations, half dollars are the most widely collected within the Liberty Seated series.

The SHS is built a bit differently than traditional clubs. Thanks to the LSCC leadership, the need for the infrastructure associated with most clubs is not required here. The LSCC has generously loaned space on their website and in this publication for the needs of the SHS. As such no dues will be required, and volunteer leadership will be at a minimum. Verne Pitman has volunteered to serve as our first Vice-President, and myself, Dennis

Fortier will serve as President In addition to membership in the LSCC, a significant collection of Liberty Seated Half Dollars is required for membership in the SHS. To be a bit more clear; high grade collections are not a narrow requirement for membership. What is required is a demonstrated passion for the series at whatever level your pocket book allows. A 100 point system has been established to hopefully encompass many of the ways Liberty Seated Half Dollars are collected. Please see the club webpage for more details on the point system for membership.

Read more here

ANA LIBRARY REOPENS FOR IN-PERSON SERVICES

American Numismatic Association Reopens Library for In-Person Services

The American Numismatic Association's Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library is again welcoming members to utilize its collection and services. The library is now open to in-person guests again after being closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The library will be open during museum hours, Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Read more here

A THANKSGIVING THAT WASN'T

A Thanksgiving That Wasn't

When is Thanksgiving not Thanksgiving? An 1872 UK National Thanksgiving medal by Wyon actually commemorated a March 1872 service in St. Paul's Cathedral, attended by Queen Victoria, that celebrated the recovery of the Prince of Wales from typhoid. This piece from the Goldberg's January 2014 sale, lot 3238, is described as Great Britain Medal, 1872 BHM-2928; Eimer-1618. Bronze. 77 mm. By J.S. & A.B. Wyon. Victoria. Prince of Wales, National Thanksgiving. Londonia inviting Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales to enter St. Paul's Cathedral, Britannia standing nght. Reverse. A view of the interior of St. Paul's with congregation, royal arms to left and those of the City of London to right. The medal realized $588 on a $200 to $250 estimate.

Link to Goldberg auction sale catalogs on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctioncompanydetail/7

VIDEO: RANDY'L TETON MODELS SACAGAWEA

Read more here

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: NOVEMBER 21, 2021

Stolen 1652 Commonwealth Unite

Regarding a coin shipped by a client, Bob Steinberg writes:

Read more here

NICKLE GALLERIES CREATES 3D COIN IMAGES

Cryptocurrencies are attracting a lot of attention these days, but Scott Coleman prefers to focus on money — the physical kind — from the distant past. Graduating with a master's degree in Greek and Roman Studies, he has a fascination with coins from the Roman and Byzantine Empires.

Numismatics can provide a link between the modern world and the past, explains Coleman. Money, specifically coins, are tangible and tactile material culture that all humankind can relate to and share as a common cultural heritage.

Read more here

X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY ROMAN COINS STUDY

A study of gold coins from different moments of the Roman Empire has revealed the thriving economy at the time of minting.

To reach this conclusion, researchers brought three Roman coins to the Science and Technology Facilities Council's ISIS Neutron and Muon Source for analysis.

Read more here

PHYSICIST WORKS TO FOIL COUNTERFEITERS

Most people associate nuclear physics with the atomic bomb or nuclear power plants, and those associations are often negative. Michael Wiescher, a nuclear physicist at the University of Notre Dame, wants to change that perception by applying his expertise—and some of his sophisticated imaging hardware—to research that bridges science, history, and culture. His work in this area has included collaborations to analyze a rare medieval manuscript and unearth currency fraud and forgery throughout history, most notably in ancient Rome and Colonial America. He recently described those efforts at a virtual meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Nuclear Physics.

Much of this work was conducted in conjunction with undergraduate students in physics, chemistry, art restoration, history, and anthropology as part of a course Wiescher teaches at Notre Dame on physics-based methods and techniques in art and archaeology. In the process, students can get certified as operators of a broad range of advanced physics-based instruments and techniques. These include Raman spectrometers, transmission electron microscopes (TEM), a 3MV tandem accelerator, handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanners, micro-XRF scanners, and X-ray diffractometers, among others.

Read more here

PRINCETON SEEKS BYZANTINE CATALOGUER

The Numismatic Collection of Firestone Library Collections, Princeton University, seeks a specialist to provide detailed description of over five thousand coins of the Byzantine Empire from the newly acquired Donald and Theodotou Collections. The work includes examination of coins, comparison with published descriptions, data entry in a specialized database, and digital photography. Sorting coins into trays and labelling them are included. If time permits, additional related duties may be assigned, including limited supervision of student cataloguers. The position reports to the Curator of Numismatics. The person hired will also be involved in the establishment of a federated database to catalogue and digitize Byzantine coin holdings in various collections worldwide. The position is for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second-year dependent on availability and performance of position holder and availability of funds

Read more here

 

VOCABULARY TERM: GALVANO MEDAL

Galvano Medal. A medallic item made of one or two galvanos; an electrotype. Galvano medals are all medallic items made by electrodeposition of one or two sides and smaller than eight inches (or 20 centimeters). Larger such items are galvano plaques (almost always one sided). No die is required for these objects as they are not struck. Instead they are formed from a pattern by electrogalvanic casting, and noted for their very high fidelity to that pattern. Thus galvano patterns are highly detailed, galvano medals are likewise.

Galvanos are formed in tanks and the limit to their size is bound only by the size of the tank (mostly up to 60 inches). Thus medals, medalets, medallions, plaques, plaquettes (and tablets) can be easily made as galvanos, and all of these – except galvano plaques and tablets – are known as galvano medals.

Read more here

 

ROBERT ARTHUR JOSLIN, SR. (1935-2005)

Each week I try to submit a brief article on some historical figure in numismatics. My subject this week may be important to no one but myself. He solved a mystery for me.

The story begins with (1) an advertising mirror from Eagle Coin Co. in Owatonna, MN. In January 2017, I acquired (2) another Eagle Coin Co. mirror from Fort Dodge, Iowa. I submitted an item for The E-Sylum asking for a connection between the two mirrors. No answer was provided. Then this past week I acquired (3) another Eagle Coin Co. mirror from Fort Dodge. A search on the internet turned up (4) another Eagle Coin Co mirror from Fort Dodge that I don't have. I believe all of them were produced for Robert A. Joslin.

Read more here

HARVEY STACK'S NUMISMATIC FAMILY, PART 109

As noted earlier, in 1990 Stack's presented 11 separate catalogs for their auction season, again offering a wide range of numismatic items to meet the needs of all kinds of collectors. January started off with items from the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, including an extensive and virtually complete set of United States dimes from 1796 to date, mostly in Proof and Mint State. Also included were Proof coins of the United States from 1858 through 1915, nearly complete from the cent to silver dollar. Among the 1,827 lots was the very rare 1894-S dime.

March brought two separate catalogs focused on different specialties. First was our offering of over 1,500 lots of United States gold and silver from a Prominent Numismatist, in this case someone who wished to remain anonymous. It was a wonderful array of popular and high-quality items, a sale that had something for everyone.

Read more here

SIR BROOK WATSON (1730-1807)

When you think of the Bank of England, you don't often think about shark attacks. But perhaps that's because we've yet to introduce you to Sir Brook Watson (1730-1807), merchant, politician, and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England.

Born in Plymouth, Devon in 1730, Watson worked on his uncle's merchant ship from the age of 14, trading between Massachusetts and the West Indies. While the ship was in Havana, Cuba, Watson went swimming in the harbour and was attacked by a shark. He was rescued by his crew-mates, but was so badly injured that his right leg had to be amputated.

Incredibly, Watson survived not only the shark-attack and nearly drowning, but also receiving emergency surgery on a ship in the 1700s! For the rest of his life, he walked with the aid of a wooden leg.

Read more here

BABY CAS PHYSICAL BITCOIN BRINGS $1.698M

The Baby Cas, a 25 BTC physical coin issued by Casascius in 2011 realized $1,698,750 at GreatCollections on Sunday, after over 100 bids were received. Total sales for the single day of auctions exceeded $5.25 million.

The physical Bitcoin, graded MS-67 by PCGS, attracted the attention of over 200 bidders who were actively tracking the auction, with over 10,000 page views. The final price represented a $49,700 premium over the price of Bitcoin at the time that bidding ended.

Read more here

CLASSICAL NUMISMATIC GROUP TRITON XXV SALE

Marking a quarter-century of numismatic excellence, Classical Numismatic Group LLC's Triton XXV Auction in New York City Jan. 11-12 and Jan. 25-26, 2022 will bring to the block nearly 3,000 masterpieces of Ancient Greek, Judean, Roman, World and British coinage, according to CNG Managing Director Michael Gasvoda.

We were hoping to assemble a great auction to mark Triton's twenty-fifth anniversary, Gasvoda said, and with this monumental offering, it's mission accomplished!

Read more here

DAN FREELAND MICHIGAN NATIONAL BANK NOTES

Dan Freeland, (born on Nov. 4, 1949) was a man of many interests. The oldest of three boys, Dan graduated from Mayville Community Schools in 1967, after attending country school for a number of years, then from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in mathematics in 1971. He began teaching in Millington in 1972, enjoying 30 years of mathematics education before he retired. He was the geometry teacher for most of those 30 years, and to this day, I have students who tell me that they had Mr. Freeland for geometry class! Even then, he had a keen interest in numismatics, starting to collect coins in 1961 when he was 12. His students used to say that if they wanted to get Mr. Freeland off the topic of math, all they had to do was bring up coin collecting and ask questions, and it worked every time.

Read more here

WORLD BANKNOTE AUCTIONS LIVE SALE 18

World Banknote Auctions presents new website and Live Sale 18.

World Banknote Auctions has launched a new homepage on its website. The new home page allows a number of different functions, including the opportunity to learn more about the company, a blog, and a direct download of the consignment form.

This updated website allows us to feature a lot more banknote relatable content, such as news items and blogs featuring specific lots and collections says Dennis Hengeveld, President of World Banknote Auctions. The company will use the new page to feature upcoming auctions, past sales results, and make it easier for its customers to learn more about consigning items to an upcoming sale. The bidding platform has remained the same and users that previously signed up for the website can continue to log in with their username and password.

Read more here

NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: NOVEMBER 21, 2021

Istros Silver Drachm

(18mm, 6.35g) Two male heads, side by side with one inverted. Rev: Sea-eagle standing left on dolphin. Sear-1669 variety; gVF/aVF, reverse off struck, harshly cleaned

To read the complete lot description, see:
MOESIA, Istros. 400-350 BC. AR Drachm (http://auctions.gbellauctions.com/MOESIA-Istros-400-350-BC-AR-Drachm_i43579734)

Read more here

WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: NOVEMBER 21, 2021

NUMMIS NOVA

On Tuesday November 16 I got moving early in the morning as usual, with a case of bedhead of Warholian proportions. Someday I'll take a selfie. But I pulled it all together, made myself presentable for work and headed to my office.

It was a productive day and afterwards I happily pointed my car toward McLean, VA where a meeting of my northern Virginia numismatic social group Nummis Nova awaited. Roger Burdette was our host and he'd made a dinner reservation at J. Gilbert's, a great steak & seafood house.

Read more here

THE LIBERTY SEATED CENT PATTERN

Pitter Patter About Patterns

Liberty Seated collectors tend to not discuss pattern coins, and it's understandable why. They are expensive, and no one is going to see cases full of pattern coins at a typical coin show. More typically you see a piece here and there in dealer offerings, perhaps a small group if a dealer specializes in patterns, but such dealers are few and far between. Even if pattern coins are generally available, no one is quite sure how to collect them. It's not like Whitman issues a coin folder with a list of the ones you are supposed to acquire.

Read more here

A TAEL OF EMERGENCY CHINESE MONEY

In our December Hong Kong Collectors Choice Auction? there are several 1943-44 Yunnan Taels minted in French Indochina for circulation in the Chinese province of Yunnan. Chief among these is lot 41618, an example graded AU-58 by PCGS.

In 1943 French Indochina was in a very unsettled political situation. In 1940 France fell to the invading German army, leaving the French colonial situation very much in doubt. The end of the Third Republic led to the creation of a divided France. In the north of France along the Atlantic coast, the German army occupied a large swath of territory as a militarized zone against any attempted allied landings. The south of France, though still with a German presence, established a provisional government at the spa town of Vichy that gave essentially dictatorial powers to Marshall Philippe Petain, hero of Verdun in the First World War. This Vichy government, though decried as a puppet of the Germans, continued to administer many functions without direct supervision, including running France's colonies. In the South Pacific, the colony of French Indochina was targeted by the ever-aggressive Japanese. The Vichy regime, in no position to negotiate, was forced to accept Japanese naval access in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Read more here

RARE WWI DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS MEDAL

Antiques Roadshow aired a classic World War One Special episode on Sunday evening to mark Remembrance Day. The BBC One programme featured several antiques that dated back to the First World War. However, there was one in particular that caught the eye of military museum curator Mark Smith. He was amazed when one guest brought in an extremely rare Royal Air Force medal.

In the episode, a guest brought in a collection of items that had once belonged to a First World War pilot.

Gesturing towards a picture of the pilot, the guest said: This is James Victor Gascoyne, a lovely man who sadly passed away in 1976.

Read more here

BANKNOTES OF NEW ULM, MINNESOTA

The Central Bank was organized in May 1859 by John W. North of Northfield, and Franklin Steele of Minneapolis. It is said that North and Steele were more interested in the bond markets, and were not actual bankers. They hired August H. Wagner, a well-known New Ulm citizen/merchant to serve as vice-president, and Albert H. Merrick (sp?), a bookkeeper in St. Paul, to serve as the cashier (see advertisement from New Ulm Pionier newspaper for the Central Bank). It is said that the remote location of New Ulm at that time was deliberately chosen for the ‘Central Bank' so as to reduce the likelihood that the banknotes would find their way to the home office for redemption … the home office being in New Ulm. The notes were redeemed by J. Jay Knox & Co. of St. Paul and by August H. Wagner of New Ulm. The Central Bank did not do a regular banking business but simply established a redeeming office, with no banking building.

Read more here

 

ZIMBABWE HUSTLERS TRADE TATTERED US NOTES

In time-honoured street hawker tradition, Kaitano Kasani is using charm and persuasion to get people to sell him their tattered US banknotes.

Kasani, 42, bellows through a megaphone as he walks through Glen Norah, a township in Harare, in the sweltering November heat.

Bring all your old and torn notes. I have a good rate today. There is no other better deal in town, Kasani shouts.

A woman brings a torn $20 note (£15) which Kasani inspects before handing her $15.

In Zimbabwe's beleaguered economy, buying and selling half-shredded banknotes has become the latest hustle.

Read more here

LOOSE CHANGE: NOVEMBER 21, 2021

Ancient Chinese Coins and the World's Oldest Mint

In early August 2021, Han Zhao and his team of Chinese archaeologists with the State University of Zhengzhou, announced that they had discovered the world's oldest coin mint. Located near the city of Xingyang in the Henan province in central China, the physical archaeological evidence and radiocarbon dating places the facility's minting operations to between 640 and 550 BCE. This was during China's Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BCE).

The facility began operations in 770 BCE, not with the production of coins but with the production of valuable bronze, ceramic, jade and bone artifacts, only shifting focus to striking coins around 640 BCE.

To read the complete article, see:
Ancient Chinese Coins and the World's Oldest Mint (https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/ancient-chinese-coins-and-the-worlds-oldest-mint/)

Read more here

JERUSALEM WOMAN MICROWAVES RENT MONEY

An elderly woman has microwaved over NIS 10,000 in rent money in an attempt to disinfect them from COVID-19, it emerged Thursday.

Read more here