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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 April 30, 2022 KOLBE & FANNING 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 FEBRUARY 27, 2022

We have no new subscribers this week. We now have 6,967 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 one fixed price list, one new book, three book reviews, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include Civil War tokens, numismatic literature dealer David Edmunds, Emery May (Holden) Norweb, Dennis the Menace, notes from E-Sylum readers, coin artist Micah Adams, James Fraser's coin designs, former U.S. Mint Director David Ryder, auction previews, coin finds, the Dickin medal, and Ukrainian currency.

To learn more about Hetrich & Guttag, Bible coins, Civil War numismatics, the 2022 Newman Grants, the Tyrant Collection, thousands of Confederate Half Dollars, the Case of the Wooden Nickels, the Spingarn medal, researching engraved coins, the 1909 ANA election, Hot Shortness, Friendship Rings, Animals in War and Peace medals, the Belleza Chalice, and Laban Heath's Improved Adjustable Compound Microscope, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

CIVIL WAR TOKEN REFERENCES OFFERED

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NEW BOOK: GUIDE BOOK OF U.S. COINS, 76TH EDITION

Visitors to the March 31–April 2, 2022, Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo in Baltimore will have early access to the 2023 (76th) edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins (known to collectors as the Red Book). After its Expo debut this newest edition of the hobby's best-selling reference will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide. In the meantime, it can be preordered, including at Whitman.com and other online bookstores.

The 76th edition has been expanded to 472 pages. It prices nearly 8,000 entries in up to 9 grades each, with more than 32,000 retail valuations in total. It includes many new features and updated research, plus additions to the book's 1,900-plus color photographs.

Senior Editor Jeff Garrett said, Today's rare-coin market is dominated by collectors, with an emphasis on quality. Auction records continue to be set for outstanding coins and ultra-rarities. Renewed interest in collectibles, financially flush consumers, and fear of inflation have all combined to spark demand across the board for most United States coinage. The 76th edition of the Red Book has more price increases than any in recent years.

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KEN BRESSETT AT 2022 NATIONAL MONEY SHOW

Kenneth Bressett, Editor Emeritus of the Guide Book of United States Coins (the hobby's popular Red Book), will meet and greet collectors and sign books at the American Numismatic Association's National Money Show in Colorado Springs, March 10–12, 2022. The annual convention will be held at the historic Broadmoor Hotel.

Bressett will be the featured guest at the booth of official show supplier CollecTons, Thursday morning, Friday afternoon, and Saturday. Exact times will be announced at the show.

In addition to editing the Red Book and Blue Book for more than sixty years, Bressett is the writer of many articles and author or editor of more than two dozen numismatic books on diverse topics such as ancient coins, paper money, grading standards, and English and American coins.

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HENDIN ON BIBLE LORE AND THE ETERNAL FLAME

Whitman Publishing's new book by Kenneth Bressett, Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame, will debut in March 2022. The 224-page hardcover volume will be available from bookstores and hobby shops and online (including at Whitman.com), and in the meantime is available for preorder. Here, David Hendin, first vice president of the American Numismatic Society and a noted author in the field of ancient coinage, gives his impression of the book.

Ken Bressett is one of the grandmasters of numismatics. He has thrilled oh-so-many people with his passion for telling stories that help us understand our own histories through the study of coins. I have had the pleasure of knowing Ken for around 40 years, and his fascination with coins and their stories is clearly infectious to all of his many readers and friends.

In Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame, Ken narrates the Greatest Story Ever Told by taking readers on a journey of facts and artifacts going back several millennia, to trace the origins of our Judeo-Christian traditions.

As usual, he fills a gaping need by presenting a narrative for beginners in the study of coins or other small remnants from ancient civilizations. At the same time, if the reader is more experienced, Ken provides plenty of rewards. He is a teacher, a motivator, and a preacher of the numerous positive aspects of the study of coins and other artifacts that link the modern reader to history.

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FULJENZ ON GUIDE BOOK OF QUARTER EAGLE GOLD

Q. David Bowers's Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins will debut in March 2022. The 448-page volume will be available from bookstores and hobby shops and online (including at Whitman.com), and in the meantime is available for preorder. Here, professional numismatist Mike Fuljenz discusses the book, its subject matter, and its famous author.

Whenever Q. David Bowers releases a new book, numismatists everywhere smile. His literary contributions are legendary. More than 30 years ago Bowers's importance was recognized by the Numismatic Literary Guild when he was awarded the Clemy, the group's top award for long-term literary excellence.

What is less known, perhaps, is David's wonderful leadership qualities, which were on display when he served as president of the American Numismatic Association in the early 1980s.

When I first met Dave, I was a young (27) grader/authenticator for the American Numismatic Association Certification Service (ANACS), joining a ANA board meeting in Colorado Springs. At the time, the board of ANA luminaries was debating whether to change the way our grading service described coins, from numbers to adjectival grading. We graders pointed out that the hobby and our customers preferred numerical grading. Many of the board's elder statesmen (and stateswomen) preferred adjectives like Choice Uncirculated to a numerical grade like MS-63. With 20/20 hindsight, I think we graders not only had a better crystal ball for the future, but we also understood what the majority of our members wanted.

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O'BRIEN ON MONEY, MAYHEM & MIGHT SERIES

When I was young (64 or 65 years ago), I had an uncle who came to visit.  He was a long-haul truck driver and he stayed with us for close to a week (people used to do that back then - come to visit and stay more than a couple of hours), during which time I showed him my coin "collection" (a couple of mercury dimes and a few buffalo nickels) which I had pulled from "circulation" (my Dad's trouser pockets while he was asleep). 

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DAVID R. DRURY EDMUNDS (1939-2022)

David Edmunds died tragically in a car accident in Essex on 14th February, 2022, he was driving to view lots in an upcoming auction. He was 82.

David was a long-standing friend of mine- since 1970.

John Drury Rare Books was founded by David Edmunds in 1971. His specialization from the beginning was numismatic books.

In September 1969, I joined Spink's in London as assistant to Howard Linecar, the Manager of the Book Department. Howard had been with the company since the mid-1930s, and he had always focussed on publishing standard works of reference on Numismatics - coins, medals, tokens, orders and decorations and paper money, and Spink's maintained a very large and important stock of in-print books on those subjects. Howard was also the long-standing Editor of Spink's Numismatic Circular.

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NORWEB PAPERS ON NEWMAN PORTAL

Norweb Papers on Newman Portal

The Norweb pedigree is well known to collectors, with many no doubt aware of the Bowers & Merena sales of this important American collection in 1987-1988. Recently scanned at the American Numismatic Society are the archival papers of the Norweb family collection, including the collection ledgers and a book of coin rubbings created by Emery May (Holden) Norweb in her youth. The collection ledgers form the main part of this group, numbering five volumes, covering catalog nos. 1-16,999, and representing collection purchases through 1957. These ledgers were extensively referenced during the preparation of the Norweb collection sale catalogs.

Illustrated here are rubbings of a group of 1794 large cents, catalogued by Hays numbers. Note how Norweb carefully positioned the coins in order to capture the die rotation. Thanks to ANS Librarian David Hill for his assistance with this project.

Link to Norweb archives on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/545088

Link to William Hayes' Varieties of United States Cents of the Year 1794 on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/booksbyauthor/939

Link to Bowers & Merena auction sale catalogs on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctioncompanydetail/4

2022 NEWMAN GRANT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society Invites Applications for Newman Grants

The Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (EPNNES) announces the opening of the application period for the 2022 Newman Grant program. Newman Grants are designed to financially assist numismatic authors and organizations pursuing original research in American numismatics. This program was launched in 2019 and supports research projects related to colonial numismatics, U.S. federal coinage, counterfeit detection, and other areas.

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FOURTH NNP SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCED

Newman Numismatic Portal Announces Fourth NNP Symposium, April 8-10, 2022

Launched in August 2020, the Newman Numismatic Portal (NNP) Symposium brings together a diverse selection of numismatic presentations into a concentrated, three-day, Zoom-based format. Previous Symposia featured talks on a variety of topics including U.S. federal coinage, tokens and medals, paper money, and ancient and world numismatics. The complete set of nearly a hundred presentations from previous events, produced by Lianna Spurrier of Numismatic Marketing, are available for viewing at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/539070.

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VIDEO: THE TYRANT COLLECTION

Coolest Coins of the United States Ever Put Together in One Collection: Highlights of The Tyrant Collection of US Type Coins.
VIDEO: 18:50.

John JD Dannreuther, Numismatic Consultant, The Tyrant Collection,
David Lisot, Video Producer, CoinTelevision.com. August 10-14, 2021.

The Tyrant Collection is comprised of the most rare and most beautiful coins in existence. Money was no object in the selection of these numismatic masterpieces. John Dannreuther has been a consultant for The Tyrant Collection for more then 15 years. He tells stories and describes the rarity of highlights in the collection.

An excerpt of the video is available for viewing on the Coin Television YouTube Channel at:
https://youtu.be/_pu6W-uMIkA

MORE ON THE MINNEHAHA FALLS VIGNETTES

I have several items in response to the article by John Ferreri on the Minnehaha Falls vignettes.

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DENNIS THE MENACE NUMISMATICS

To Howard Berlin's list of TV episodes with coin plots, I would like to add three episodes of Dennis the Menace. However, it would be more accurate to call these episodes numismatic," because two are about coins and one is about paper money. Spoiler alert: in all three episodes Dennis's neighbor, the hapless Mr. Wilson, gets arrested.

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MORE TELEVISION AND MOVIE NUMISMATICS

Regarding television episodes with coins in the plotline, Bob Fritsch writes:

Bob adds:

Veering from television to movies, Rick Lank writes:

To read the complete article, see:
Confederate $20 gold coin sparks treasure hunt in Africa (http://www.brianrxm.com/comdir/cnsmovie_sahara.htm)

Continuing with the movie theme Ted Puls writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 20, 2022 : TV Episodes with Coins in the Plot (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n08a09.html)

Brian Healy writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE CASE OF THE WOODEN NICKELS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n30a16.html)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 27, 2022

More on Cataloguing Those 2021 Dollars
Dave Lange writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WHERE TO CATALOG THOSE 2021 DOLLARS? (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n08a11.html)

Read more here

RESEARCHING THE FRED RAUCH ENGRAVED HALF

Engraved Draped Bust Half Dollar
Dave Lange writes:

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MORE ON THE DEUTSCHLAND BALLAST RELIC MEDAL

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THE 1909 ANA ELECTION BLANK PROXY BALLOTS

The recent removal of Farran Zerbe's name from the ANA's service award was based on a number of accusations. One of these, that he committed fraud during the 1909 ANA election, has made the rounds in various forms, including his intended use of blank proxies. Although no evidence for any of the allegations has ever been provided, it's possible that a misconstrued term used in subsequent backbiting could explain the ‘blank proxies' charge.

In February of 1908, ANA Local Secretary Mr. Frank G. Duffield's article Shall Our Proxy System Be Abolished? was published in The Numismatist[1]. His question is more provocative than accurate, possibly to elicit a more energetic response from ANA membership. He actually questioned the proxy system, rather than the use of proxies. Specifically, he argues against the use of blank proxies, or those where votes for officers were left blank.

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HOWARD R. NEWCOMB

My last article about the 1817 N-16 cent reminded me of Howard Rounds Newcomb, a Renaissance man in our hobby.

Born on December 21 1877, Howard R. Newcomb became involved in numismatics as a teenager—the time that many if not most of the "greats" of our hobby got started. In August 1894 Newcomb attended the American Numismatic Association annual convention held that year in his hometown of Detroit, where he signed up to become member #227. He must have forgotten to pay his dues, for in The Numismatist in December 1906 he is listed as new member #92. It was the policy then, soon discontinued, to fill in any open numbers vacated by dropouts with new names given old numbers. On November 12, 1910, he joined the American Numismatic Society, which at the time had been in its magnificent new headquarters on Audubon Terrace, New York City, since 1908.

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COIN ARTIST MICAH ADAMS

Chris Fuccione writes:

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JAMES FRASER'S 1952 LINCOLN COIN DESIGNS

After 113 years of the same Victor D. Brenner design of Lincoln on the one cent coin-it is time for a change. Here is a nice 1952 design by James Fraser.

Fraser also had another design that is more common but less attractive.

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VOCABULARY TERMS: HOT, HOT, HOT!

Hot Shortness. Cracks around edges of cast blanks (or cast objects) caused by different melting points of impurities. Ancient coins often display evidence of such hot shortness – they were often made of impure metal and the blanks were heated before striking. Low melting point metals, such as lead, were squeezed out during striking leaving the fissures around the edge.

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DON EVERHART'S CAREER IN COINS, PART 5

During my employment at the Mint I had many designs picked to be coins and medals; in fact, a few of the coins I worked on went on to be chosen as Coin Of The Year (COTY).

Two in particular stand out. The Baseball Hall of Fame curved coin (the first curved coin to be struck by The United States Mint), and the March of Dimes Commemorative Silver Dollar coin.

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RYDER MOVES FROM U.S. MINT TO GOVMINT.COM

Asset Marketing Services, LLC (AMS), one of the largest direct-to-consumer retailers of collectible coins, announces that David J. Ryder, the former Director of the United States Mint, will advise the company on an exclusive basis.

Ryder served as the 34th director of the Mint from 1992 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush and returned to the Mint as its 39th director from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald J. Trump. Ryder is the only two-time director of the Mint in over a century, and in 2021, he was named one of Coin World's Most Influential People in Numismatics (1960-2020).

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STEPHEN ALBUM INTERNET AUCTION 14

Stephen Album Rare Coins (SARC) will hold its Internet Auction 14 at its offices in Santa Rosa, California across two days from March 7 to 8, 2022. Internet pre-bidding has begun and can be accessed through their website. The Auction is made up of an even 2,000 lots of coins from all categories. (Ancient, Islamic, India, China, World Coins A to Z). There are high expectations for the sale coming on the heels of the firm's premier Auction 42 which broke many sales records and saw a sell-through rate of over 98%.

There are many affordable coins in the sale, and a few notable sections include:

Read more here

 

DAVISSONS AUCTION 41 GREEK, JUDAIC SELECTIONS

As we inch towards spring here in Minnesota, winter has chosen to strike back. High winds, heavy snow, and delays by the printing company came together these last few weeks to hold up our print catalog, but it is now on its way! If you are already on our list look for it today or early next week (for our international recipients it will be a little longer). In the meantime take a look below at a few notable pieces from the Greek and Judaic sections of our March 16th sale.

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FRANK ROBINSON ANCIENT COIN AUCTION 118

Dealer Frank S. Robinson will conduct his 118th mail and internet auction of Ancient and Early Coins with a closing date of April 5. The sale will include 552 lots, low minimum bids, and bids to be reduced as competition permits. Robinson notes that reductions have averaged 15-20% in his recent sales. There is no buyer fee.

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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: FEBRUARY 27, 2022

Kingdom of Macedon, Philip III Arrhidaios Stater

Kingdom of Macedon, Philip III Arrhidaios (323-317 BC) AV Stater, mint of Kolophon, c. 322-319 BC, 8.58g. Laureate head of Apollo, with the facial features of Alexander the Great, facing right. Rev. FI?I??OY,, charioteer, holding reins and kentron, driving Biga right, tripod below horses. (Le Rider, pl. 90, 16; Thompson 12; Jameson 798). Good Extremely fine. Lustrous. A superb piece of fine style, and a marvel of Hellenistic die engraving. Ex. Spink, original ticket included.

Gold staters of this type were originally struck during the reign of Philip II of Macedon (359-336 BC). Featuring a portrait of Apollo on the obverse and a biga of horses on the reverse, they were a symbol of the king's power and success. The trusted type continued to be struck during the reign of Alexander the Great, in the name of his deceased father, and many more were issued into Philip III's reign. This coin, however, stands out from the rest. The dies used to strike this particular gold stater have been engraved with exceptional skill, resulting in a familiar-looking portrait.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Kingdom of Macedon, Philip III Arrhidaios (323-317 BC) AV Stater

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THE QUINARIUS

ANCIENT ROME ISSUED coins for almost eight centuries. Among the bewildering variety of denominations that circulated during this long span of time, the quinarius stands out as one of the most obscure. Struck in both gold and silver, the type is so scarce that many experienced collectors have never even seen one. No book-length study of the quinarius appeared in English until 2007!

The origin of the silver quinarius is closely linked to Rome's urgent need to pay troops with high-quality silver money in the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE), which also gave rise to its big brother, the denarius, and its diminutive, short-lived companion, the silver sestertius.

The superb collection of the American Numismatic Society in New York contains 355 silver quinarii, but just 11 examples in gold. Many of these coins came from the bequest of Edward T. Newell (1886-1941). Another large group came from the collection of Charles Hersh (1923-1999) a banker, and numismatic scholar.

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HENRY III SHORTCROSS PENNY FOUND

Matthew Hepworth unearthed a Henry III Shortcross penny, estimated to have been minted between 1222-1236 in Canterbury by a Moneyer named Simon, in the Carnforth area.

"It's only my second every discovery of this type, and strangely, it doesn't come under treasure as it was a single coin," he said.

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SILVER COIN STASH FOUND IN CZECH REPUBLIC

A mother and her 13-year-old son discovered a trove of historical silver coins when they were out walking in the woods in Moravia, the eastern half of the Czech Republic.

They were walking near Loucka, a small village in the Zlín region, when they came across a broken clay pot that contained 818 silver coins. Once coins are analyzed, they will be put on public display by the Wallachian Regional Museum.

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FRIENDSHIP RINGS

In a past issue of the Love Letter there was an article on love token rings. Pictured to the right is an ad from an 1892 wholesale catalog from said article. Besides being identified as coin silver rings, they were also termed as Friendship Rings. Below the ad are some pictures of actual Friendship Rings. Generally the bands are made from the outer perimeters of coins. The coin centers are cut out and made into charms, also known as bangles. On occasion the ring band is made from wire rather than the reeded edge of a coin.

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GOLD MORGAN COMITIA AMERICANA SURFACES

Did you know that the one-of-a-kind Daniel Morgan gold medal from the Comitia Americana series has finally surfaced? To begin, let's recap the creation of the medal and what led to its century and a half disappearance.?

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ELECTRONICS SNIFFER DOG AWARDED DICKIN MEDAL

A retired military working dog named Hertz has been awarded a medal known as the animals' Victoria Cross for his service in Afghanistan.

The German shorthaired pointer is the first dog in British military history to detect electronic communications equipment such as mobile phones, voice recorders, sim cards and GPS devices.

Hertz, who serviced with the Royal Air Force police, has been awarded the PDSA Dickin medal, the 74th recipient of the honour since it was first awarded in 1943.

Throughout his time in Afghanistan, Hertz was responsible for finding more than 100 items of contraband, including drugs and personal electronic devices (PEDs), described as a significant threat to the lives of service personnel and civilians.

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2022 ANIMALS IN WAR AND PEACE MEDALS

The United States House of Representatives recognized the roles and contributions of our country's service animals in a House of Representative resolution introduced on Friday, February 18, 2022, in Washington, DC. The resolution acknowledges the importance of our animals and their valiant human handlers for bravery in war and creating a new process for honoring our U.S. animals' valor and meritorious achievements.

Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) introduced the resolution along with 11 bipartisan original cosponsors. The Congresswoman attended the 2019 Inaugural Animals in War and Peace Medal of Bravery Ceremony and recognized the need to honor our United States animals who have made significant contributions to the peace and protection of our country that were officially recognized by the Quartermaster Corps on March 13, 1942.

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HISTORY OF UKRAINIAN CURRENCY

The history of the Ukrainian national currency

The hryvnia is Ukraine's official national currency. The name is derived from the word hryvnia, which in Kyiv Rus times meant a decoration worn at the nape of the neck. As early as the 8th and 9th centuries, the hryvnia was used as a unit of weight and counting when trading and paying tributes. Later, in various historical periods, the word hryvnia acquired different meanings more than once.

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LOOSE CHANGE: FEBRUARY 27, 2022

New Book: Secrets of the Rare Coin & Bullion Business

"Secrets of the Rare Coin and Bullion Business from a Longtime Trader" by Michael Garofalo is one of those rare books that actually teaches you about how the industry works behind the curtain. Garofalo covers the industry from the insider's perspective and devotes chapters to everything from retail marketplaces like eBay, to pricing sources, trade publications, grading services, major retailers, and even CAC.

To read the complete article, see:
SUBSCRIBE TO Secrets of the Rare Coin & Bullion Business (https://www.greysheet.com/publications/secrets-rare-coin-bullion-business-from-lifelong-trader-michael-garofalo)

Read more here