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About UsThe 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 SubscriptionsThose wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link MembershipThere 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 AsylumFor Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Chuck at this email address: treasurer@coinbooks.org SubmissionsTo submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com BUY THE BOOK BEFORE THE COINSale Calendar |
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.
New subscribers this week include: Malcolm Mathias and Elizabeth Mackenzie. Welcome aboard!
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 NBS and Whitman events at the ANA, two numismatic literature sales, one new book, a book review, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.
Other topics this week include Canadian coins, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, Clifford Mishler, J.S.G. Boggs, Mark Collet, the Cleveland Fed money museum, auction previews, the Harriet Tubman commemoratives, and sculptures made out of coins.
To learn more about 1794 Large Cents, Chapman catalogues, Mason's Coin and Stamp Collectors' Magazine, the Iowa Numismatic Association, the 2022 NLG Awards Luncheon, a Union Soldier's 1857 gold dollar, President Coin Company coin albums, Mike Kolman, the American Auction Association, the Bombardment of Fort Sumter medal and the coin restoration machine, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
The American Numismatic Association's annual World's Fair of Money convention is upon us. Here's a final reminder of the upcoming NBS events compiled from recent articles. -Editor
Here are a few highlights of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society's events at the upcoming ANA Convention in Rosemont the week of August 16th to 20th. Tuesday through Friday the NBS will host our club table (#730). We hope you will stop by to view a few highlights from Friday's charity auction, purchase a NBS commemorative coffee mug to support the NBS and, most of all, share your enthusiasm for the numismatic literature hobby.
The NBS Board Meeting will be held on Thursday from 11:30 to 1:00 in room 11. Our Symposium will Immediately follow the Board Meeting at 1:00 also in room 11. We are delighted to have NBS Treasurer and early American coppers authority, Chuck Heck, speaking about his marvelous new book Die States of 1794 United States Large Cents.
Here are some more highlights from the Kolbe & Fanning 2022 Summer Americana sale of numismatic literature. -Editor
Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers will be holding our Summer Americana sale on Saturday, August 27, 2022. Including highlights from the Bourne Library of U.S. numismatic periodicals, the Jim Neiswinter Library of works on U.S. large cents, the Cardinal Collection Library of American numismatic auction catalogues, and other properties, the sale promises to be one of the most important of the year. The sale also features American items featuring ancient and foreign coins, making for a sale that includes something for everybody.
Some highlights of the sale include:
In a blog article earlier today, Kenny Sammut notes that he's added a number of numismatic literature lots to his eBay store, with more on the way. Be sure to have a look. -Editor
Right after finishing up my sophomore year at Seton Hall in May, I flew down to Sarasota to begin my second summer internship at NGC. Finished up last week and once again, I had a great time while increasing my numismatic knowledge. Mr. Rick Montgomery, President of NGC, and the entire staff made me feel welcomed. I hope to go back during my Christmas vacation.
During the internship, I had an opportunity to attend one week of the ANA's Summer Seminars. It was my sixth Summer Seminar and I highly recommend all numismatists make it a point to add it to your bucket list of things to do.
Here's the announcement for Whitman's new book on Canadian coins and tokens. Sounds great! -Editor
Whitman Publishing announces the United States release of 100 Greatest Canadian Coins and Tokens, by Dr. Harvey B. Richer, at the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in Chicago, August 16, 2022.
The 160-page hardcover coffee-table book debuted in July at the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association convention in Ottawa. In conjunction with the RCNA show, the Bank of Canada held a reception at its Money Museum with a display of many of the 100 Greatest
coins from Richer's book. The exhibit included, for the first time in history, all three of the existing 1911 Canadian pattern silver dollars on public display.
In 100 Greatest Canadian Coins and Tokens, Richer explores Canadian money that has captured the imagination of collectors for generations. He includes such factors as historical significance, rarity, value, popularity, beauty, and innovation.
Doug Nyholm published this review of Peter Jones' Treasure! in the August 2022 issue of The Mint Master, which he edits for the Utah Numismatic Society. With permission, we're republishing it here. -Editor
I recently ordered the book Treasure
by Peter Jones. This is a different type
of book than I normally acquire but the
initial information about the subject
intrigued me. Sometimes it is difficult
to order a book without seeing even a
single page. I often wonder about not
only the content but the quality of
publishing and printing.
When the book arrived I showed it to
my wife and said This book is a
gem!
It truly was great and I have
barely set it down since opening the
package. Most importantly is the content which I said is different from your typical coin or numismatic book. As
the book states It is a collectors numismatic journey into maritime history.
Discussed are 75 maritime shipwrecks from the 1500's to early 1900. Also covered is the history of shipping
and shipwreck salvage.
Newman Numismatic Portal Summer intern Kellen Hoard submitted these thoughts on one of NNP's recent additions - newsletters of the Iowa Numismatic Association. Thanks.
I take great personal pleasure in learning about the history of American numismatics, the (often quite unusual) people who shaped it, and the organizations which were integral to forming the hobby as we know it today. It was therefore with great curiosity that I examined a recent addition to the Newman Numismatic Portal: the Iowa Numismatic Association newsletters from 1942-1946.
I hoped when first reading through that it might provide some slice of insight into the state of the hobby as it was in the 1940s, and it did. But what I found more exciting were the lessons, of sorts, which modern numismatists might glean from its pages. The following is a list of some such enlightenment I received from these newsletters.
Newman Numismatic Portal Summer intern Kellen Hoard also notes NNP resources relating to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). -Editor
As a spot on the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) opens up to the general public, you may be considering applying for the position. But as we—all readers of The E-Sylum, but particularly the bibliomaniacs among us—are well aware, it pays dividends to do your research (buy the book before…
). In this instance, if you plan to apply, it is worthwhile to utilize the diverse offerings on the Newman Numismatic Portal in order to conduct that research and subsequently strengthen your application.
These are selections from the David Lisot Video Library that feature news and personalities from the world of coin collecting. David has been attending coin conventions since 1972 and began videotaping in 1985. The Newman Numismatic Portal now lists all David's videos on their website at:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/522852
Here's one of Clifford Mishler speaking at the May 2022 PAN Show banquet. -Editor
Cliff Mishler: Thoughts About Numismatics
Clifford Mishler, Governor, American Numismatic Association
David Lisot, Video Producer, CoinTelevision.com
May 20, 2022.
Clifford Mishler, former President, Krause Publications, speaks to Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists Coin Show Banquet 2022 and shares his thoughts about the coin hobby.
25:53
David adds:
"The PAN Convention prides itself on having important people to the hobby of numismatics speak at their gatherings. Clifford Mishler brings years of understanding to his audience as he shares what he thinks numismatics is all about."
An excerpt of the video is available for viewing on the Coin Television YouTube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtLwRLNOfqY
This press release from Whitman Publishing announces a book signing event at this month's ANA show. Great opportunity to meet some of today's top authors! -Editor
Coin collectors have a chance to meet hobby legends Kenneth Bressett and Jeff Garrett, and the newest Whitman Publishing author, Harvey B. Richer, at the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money, held August 16–20, 2022. Whitman authors will visit with collectors and sign copies of their books at the Whitman booth at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago (Rosemont), Illinois.
Ken Bressett is editor emeritus of the Guide Book of United States Coins (popularly known as the Red Book
), which celebrates its 76th edition this year; the Handbook of United States Coins (the wholesale-pricing Blue Book); and Mega Red (the 1,504-page expanded version of the Red Book). More than 25 million copies of the Red Book have been sold since it debuted in 1946. Many hobbyists collect the Red Book itself, including varieties, special editions, and autographed volumes.
On Indian Peace Medal Recipients
Nathan Markowitz writes:
"Paul Horner asks a question to which all interested in Indian Peace Medals would like an answer! Simply put, I have traced a number of IPMs and the information regarding issuance is limited as is subsequent provenance information. For example, the journals of Lewis and Clark enumerate specific awards but the recipients are hard if not impossible to trace historically. They clearly documented award events but accurate names and tracing the medals longitudinally is tough; I know of only two from the Lewis and Clark expedition traced from recipient to recent times.
"Other sources might include any records from the official offices of the Indian departments but I have not reviewed them. I am also interested not only in who received the medals but how they felt about the "awards". I welcome any further insight beyond the standard texts and the excellent auction research done in Ford and subsequent auctions."
Alan V Weinberg writes:
"As to there possibly being one or even several sources for the names and dates of recipients of silver Indian Peace medals, there is no such thing. There were as many as three different sizes of silver presentation medals and the smaller ones were given to less prominent chieftains and even warriors whose names and dates of presentation were totally inconsequential at the time. Not only that , but in many cases they were given in remote geographic locations where writing instruments / paper were not available.
"Any documentation
of a name of an Indian Peace medal recipient, with a very few exceptions, would have to come from the proud Native American recipient himself or his immediate descendants and , in some cases , those identifications were primitively carved or engraved on the silver medals themselves"
Thanks, everyone. This is unfortunate, but makes sense given the situation and times. -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: AUGUST 7, 2022 : Indian Peace Medal Recipient List Sought
(https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n32a16.html)
Other topics this week include the Joseph Reakirt Collection, the 2022 NLG Awards Luncheon, Counterstamped Chinese Cash Coins, and a Union Soldier's 1857 Gold Dollar. -Editor
Researcher and author Dave Lange submitted these notes and images about coin albums of the President Coin Company (not to be confused with Joe Levine's later Presidential Coin and Antique Company). Thank you! -Editor
Pete Smith's piece on Burton Hobson made mention of his being the sales manager for President Coin Company in 1961. This immediately rang a bell, as that company produced a line of coin albums bearing a 1961 copyright date. There was a volume for each denomination, but these did not list dates and mints at the openings, as was the custom for most lines. Instead, the albums were more like stock books, with a pair of horizontal lines under each opening for the user to write the "Date" and "Value" of his coins. The page backings were of clear cellophane, permitting the user to see both sides of each coin, and the albums were comb bound to lie flat when open. Also included in this line was the President "GIANT" album, which assembled all of the various pages of the individual albums under one cover.
Dave Lange also submitted information on Dafran House coin checklists. Would anyone have more information on the firm? -Editor
I bought a group of mostly undistinguished coin books to get the item in these scans. It's a USA coin check list and grading guide of the sort intended for the non-numismatic market. These items once were commonplace at supermarket check-out counters but are seldom seen today.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) is seeking two new members. The call seeks applicants for seats to represent interests of the general public, and for experience in the medallic arts or sculpture. Here are the announcements published August 10th in the Federal Register. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. (EDT), September 2, 2022. -Editor
Pursuant to United States Code, Title 31, section 5135(b), the United States Mint is accepting applications for appointment to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) as the member specially qualified to serve on the CCAC by virtue of their experience in the medallic arts or sculpture. The CCAC was established to:
Advise the Secretary of the Treasury on any theme or design proposals relating to circulating coinage, bullion coinage, Congressional Gold Medals, and national and other medals produced by the United States Mint.
Craig Whitford works with the estate of J.S.G. Boggs, our mutual money artist friend. The estate had a table at the recent Summer FUN show. I was unable to attend, but Craig kindly sent these photos. Thanks! -Editor
Here's another entry from Dick Johnson's Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology. -Editor
Limited Edition. A controlled quantity of an object whose production and sale to the public will not exceed the number stated when the object is first offered on the market. The size of the edition is sometimes stated on the object – on medallic items if may be a part of the edge lettering – and often has a serial number which should not exceed that edition size. No one, however, has the insight to know for certain exactly how many of any collectible item will sell, least of all the publisher who must set the edition limit.
American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith submitted this interesting article on numismatic personalities behind two coin-measuring methods, developed a century apart. Thanks! -Editor
Mark Wilks Collet (1826-1863) was a physician practicing in Camden, New Jersey. He was married to Rosalie Jane Donath and had three children.
Collet was one of eight men to form The Numismatic Society of Philadelphia, holding their first meeting on January 1, 1858. It is credited as the first numismatic society in the United States. An earlier group in New York is also noted.
He joined members J. Ledyard Hodge and Alfred B Taylor as co-authors of Catalogue of American Store Cards, &c., With Space for Marking the Condition, Price, Rarity, &c. of Each Piece, Designed for the use and Convenience of Collectors, published in 1858. The book included more open space than text.
Attinelli (Numisgraphics) wrote, Though useful at that time, the above-named society would probably
find more honor than profit in issuing a revised copy. The above has, like an old city directory, become
useless.
Bowers wrote in American Numismatics Before the Civil War, Apparently, Hodge and his co-authors ventured into a territory beyond their collective expertise.
A Stack's Bowers article discusses the first Bowers and Ruddy public auction, which took place fifty years ago this past May. -Editor
In 1972, our predecessor firm Bowers and Ruddy presented their first public auction, which featured The Armand Champa Collection and other important properties. The catalog bore the company name as American Auction Association. This name would also be used on the next four auction catalogs produced by Dave Bowers and Jim Ruddy before they began to use Bowers and Ruddy Galleries
on the Austin Collection catalog in May 1974.
Back in June we discussed the museums at the St. Louis and Chicago Federal Reserve Branches. Michael Kodysz passed along an article about the museum at the Cleveland Fed, but his note was misplaced for a while - sorry! -Editor
Mike writes:
"I don't think most people know that there's a Money Museum in the heart of downtown Cleveland. And it's free!
"I visited several years ago and found it worthwhile, even though many of the displays are geared toward schoolchildren visiting for field trips. One interesting aspect of the museum is that some exhibits show how the money is protected.
Here are some tokens and medals that caught my eye in the August 15, 2022 Heritage sale. -Editor
Lot 91098: 1861 Bombardment of Fort Sumter Medal
Here's an announcement with some highlights from the upcoming token sale from Duane Feisel, closing on August 28, 2022. He can be reached at dhfeisel@frontier.com . -Editor
The color on-line version of the auction listing has been posted on the website of the National Token Collectors Association (NTCA) and can be viewed on-line if you are a NTCA member. The printed version of the listing in "Talkin' Tokens" (the monthly publication of NTCA should soon. be delivered by the USPS. If you are not yet a member of NTCA, please let me know and I'll provide you with membership information.
Lot 20 PALACE SALOON / E. STOCKER / PROP. / FOSTERIA, CAL. / (sm: L.A. RUB. STP. CO.) // Good For / 10 / (on label across: Cent) / Drink, br rd 23mm. Listed 2F-1 $750/1,500. G3-MB$750
Frank Robinson's next sale is coming up in September. Here's the press release. -Editor
Dealer Frank S. Robinson will conduct his 119th mail and internet auction of Ancient and Early Coins with a closing date of September 6. The sale will include 602 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.
Featured in this sale is the first segment of a major collection of Judaean and Judaic related material, including some rare and important items. Highlights include a VF Yehud
coinage Gerah with large ear (of God?); a First Revolt Year One Shekel in VF; an AEF Bar Kokhba Zuz with grapes/trumpets; and a Choice VF+ Judea Capta denarius of Vespasian.
Here's a selection of interesting or unusual items I came across in the marketplace this week. Tell us what you think of some of these. -Editor
Antonius Pius 138-161 Ausreus gold 6.9g rare condition very fine to extremely fine
From the Münzen & Raritätenshop Weekly Auction No. 118. -Editor
To read the complete lot description, see:
COME ON. NUMBER 1 Anthony Pius 138-161
(https://muenzenonline-auktion.ch/catalog-archiv-detail/detail/weekly-auktion-118-1658146076/antonius-pius-138161-69121)
Other topics this week include an Ayrshire Half Penny Token, a Danish West Indies 3 Cent Mex Token, and a 1927-D Double Eagle. -Editor
In an email to clients earlier today, dealer Allan Davisson examined a particularly fascinating lot in the upcoming Davisson's sale. -Editor
The Roman Senate issued this bronze follis long after the Rome that ruled so much of the known world had disappeared, sometime in the AD 512-522 period, during the reign of Anastasius in the East. The coin with its image of Roma on the obverse and the she-wolf suckling the twins Romulus and Remus was a distinctive use of symbols that were reminiscent of coins of the long-gone Roman Republic.
A recent CoinWeek article by Tyler Rossi discusses import restrictions affecting collectors of ancient coins. Here's an excerpt - see the complete article online. -Editor
Ask a collector of ancient coins if they have ever bought a coin from an overseas vendor, and you will more likely than not receive a positive response.
And while many collectors will have never experienced a problem with Customs, everyone will have heard at least a few horror stories of coins being delayed or even seized. While these collectors are not smugglers–and the vendors have almost definitely filled out the paperwork as accurately as possible–they have still fallen victim to an overly complex and ill-defined system of enforcement that represents what has been called by my CoinWeek colleague Mike Markowitz a global war against collectors
of ancient coins.
A recent CoinWeek article describes Craig Krueger's interesting research on the "Upright 5" Gold Dollars and traces the evolution of the slanted 5 on U.S. coin types from 1850 to 1855. Here's an excerpt - see the complete article online. -Editor
In 1856, the United States Mint struck gold dollars with two distinctly different date logotypes. The Slanted 5
variety, which is the much more frequently encountered version, features an italicized 5. This had been the style employed by the Mint through the first six years of the 1850s. The other style, Upright 5
, cut a more up-and-down figure.
This article on the Harriet Tubman commemorative coins comes from a local newspaper in the area of the Tubman home in upstate New York. -Editor
Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., has two years to prepare for what could be a sizable windfall.
The passage of the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act would be reason enough for the Auburn landmark's leaders to celebrate. The legislation gives them one more: Half of the surcharges paid for the coins will be given to the Harriet Tubman Home.
The MPC Gram is an email newsletter for collectors of Military Payment Certificates and other military numismatica. An article by Larry Smulczenski in the MPCGram Series 23 No. 2535 13 Aug 2022 issue illustrates an interesting progressive proof set showing how the different colors come together to create the complete note. It's republished here with permission. -Editor
A Progressive Proof Set of the Series 641 50 cents
by Larry Smulczenski
It has always been a thrill for me to see a progressive proof set of any note and observe how the various individual colors and engraved lines meld together to form a beautiful banknote. The Comprehensive Catalog of Military Payment Certificates by Fred Schwan says that there were only two complete Progressive Proof Sets of Series 641 known in private collections. One set of the seven denominations remains in a collection while the other set has been broken up and individual denominations reside in the homes of several lucky collectors.
An old signed banknote helped identify the liberator of a Holocaust survivor. Can any of our sharp-eyed numismatists identify the note? -Editor
In 1945, Lily Ebert, now 90, was liberated from a German munitions factory where she worked as slave labor after being transferred from the Auschwitz death camp.
A few weeks after being liberated, an American soldier shared some words of positivity with her, "The start to a new life. Good luck and happiness," he wrote on a German banknote.
R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book,also tells the history of Whitman Publishing as well as his own unique life story in and out of numismatics. Enjoy more than 100 years of fascinating numismatic history in 352 richly illustrated pages, 8.5 x 11 inches, hardcover. Order your copy online at Whitman.com , or call 1-800-546-2995.
Dick Hanscom passed along this story of a dumpster find that turned out to be ... well, read on to find out. -Editor
You wouldn't expect your life to change from dumpster diving, but for one Alaskan, that's exactly what she thought happened.
Here are some additional items in the media this week that may be of interest. -Editor
The American Numismatic Society published an episode of their podcast The Planchet which focuses on taking photos of coins with a Smartphone. -Editor
ANS photographer Alan Roche has been making coin images for the American Numismatic Society for 20 years. He brings his collected wisdom, creativity, and humor to The Planchet to offer listeners tips and tricks for creating great pictures with mobile devices of any numismatic material.
Total Time: 32 minutes
The Planchet is available wherever you get your podcasts or listen below:
To listen the complete podcast, see:
S3, Ep. 4. Tips for Photographing Coins with a Smartphone (with ANS Photographer Alan Roche)
(https://numismatics.org/pocketchange/03-04/)
Other topics this week include Lafayette Medals and Zimbabwe's gold coins. -Editor
This week I'll leave you with a YouTube video of sculptures made out of coins by a Finnish artist. The narrator pronounces "numismatist" as "num-is-MAT-ist", but whatever. Cool sculptures. -Editor