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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 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 JANUARY 29, 2023

New subscribers this week include: Caitlin Smith of the American Numismatic Society. 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 two numismatic literature sales, lots of new books, two reviews, another obituary, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include lettered-edge bust half dollars, coin hoards, engraver Allen Leonard, mint errors, Junior Coin Clubs, the Celina Coin Co. fixed price and auction offerings, South Korea's rocket coins, trillion-dollar coins, the Holland Society of New York, a new Dickin Medal, two-dollar bills, and the money art of Victor Dubreuil.

To learn more about freaks and fidos, the Rodney Dangerfield of engravers, the Delos hoard, Syracusan medallions, Bryce Doxzon, Robert W. Julian, Ted and Carl Brandts, the Webster Vase, the Madagascar Dollar the Defense of Finland medal, the Walt Disney $100 bill and the Money Dream Pillow's wealth energy, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

KOLBE & FANNING BUY OR BID SALE 20 CLOSING

Buy or Bid #20 Closes Tomorrow

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers have announced our latest Buy or Bid Sale, which will close tomorrow, Monday, January 30, 2023. With hundreds of new additions, the sale focuses on modestly priced books, giving collectors an opportunity to add to their libraries at minimal cost.

The sale includes over 1400 works on ancient, medieval and modern coins, as well as general works, periodicals and sale catalogues. Buy prices have been kept low to promote sales. To further encourage participation, the firm is offering free domestic shipping to bidders spending at least $300; there is also no packing and processing fee for this sale. Again, please read the Terms of Sale before participating.

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MÜNZEN GUT-LYNT LITERATURE AUCTION 9

Lot 9 DE BIE, J. La France metallique, contenant les actions celebres tant publiques que privees des rois et des reines remarquees en leurs medailles d'or, d'argent et de bronze. Paris 1636. 396 S., 131 Tfn. Ganzledereinband der Zeit, Buchrücken bestoßen. III-II Ex libris "Bibliotheca Magnia. Rothomagensis 1837".

To read the complete lot description, see:
https://auktionen.gut-lynt.de/de-de/lot?$page=1&$maxpagesize=20&$sortby=lot_number&$sortdir=asc&$goto=14385&cat_id=9

Lot 21 VAILLANT, J. Numismata Imperatorum Romanorum Praestantiora. A Julio Caesare ad Postumum usque. Tomus primus. De Romanis Aereis... Paris 1696. Engraving, 256 pages with numerous engravings. Half leather, bumped and content just trimmed. IV-III

To read the complete lot description, see:
https://auktionen.gut-lynt.de/de-de/lot?$page=1&$maxpagesize=100&$sortby=lot_number&$sortdir=asc&$goto=14396&cat_id=9

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NEW BOOK: NUMISMATIC HISTORY OF CANADA AND U.S.

Numismatic History of Canada and the United States Vol 1 and Vol 2

Authored By: Raymond Gregory, Carol Gregory
Self-Published: Raymond & Carol Gregory
Price: $189.95 CAD
8.5 x 11 inches glossy softcover)
Pages: Vol 1 448; Vol 2 510
ISBN: 978-1-7782230-0-6
Print Run: 100
Targeted Audience: Numismatist and History Buffs

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NEW BOOKS: BUST HALF DOLLAR VARIETY GUIDE

U.S. Capped Bust Half Dollars 1807 - 1826 Variety Identification Guide (Volume I)

U.S. Capped Bust Half Dollars 1827 - 1836 Variety Identification Guide (Volume II)

The primary purpose of this guide is rapid variety identification – while other publications are excellent for inviting in depth home study, this guide is perfect for portability, heavy on-the-go usage, and quick attribution. The author of this book has had a strong interest in Early U.S. coins for over 30 years. He set out to write this series of books because he has wanted to read them for many years, and finally gave up on waiting for someone else to write them. Inside, you will find a comprehensive collection of the highest quality, full color, high resolution modern photos available anywhere, which will make attributing your Capped Bust Half Dollars easier than ever before. Careful attention to detail was considered in the selection of these photos for only those which show the greatest of useful detail in helping with your attribution and die stage recognition.

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NEW SIATRAS BOOKS PUBLICATIONS

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BOOK REVIEW: WHEN MONEY TALKS

When Money Talks: A History of Coins and Numismatics
by Frank L. Holt.
Oxford, 336 pp., £25.99, October 2021, 978 0 19 751765 9

A great deal? remains to be learned, particularly where the technical study of coinage intersects with larger social and economic questions, but the work is hampered by the lowly status of numismatics in contemporary academia. Among the so-called auxiliary sciences of history, only heraldry and genealogy are taken less seriously, still carrying the stigma of antiquarianism from which epigraphy and archaeology long ago liberated themselves. All of these fields stemmed from the curiosity of Renaissance humanists and the collecting mania of noblemen with their Kunstkammern. The first serious studies of ancient coinage, on the Romans by the French humanist Guillaume Budé at the beginning of the 16th century, and on the Greeks by the Austrian Wolfgang Lazius fifty years later, were analytical and remain worth reading. But they were outshone and far outnumbered by essentially compilatory works, the long lists and catalogues that culminated in the work of Joseph Eckhel, another Austrian and curator of the imperial coin cabinet in Vienna. His Doctrina numorum veterum invented some of the classificatory principles with which we still work, for instance the sequence in which Greek coinages are presented in catalogues, clockwise from Spain to India and then back around to North Africa. Although Eckhel's work was a masterpiece, the abiding image of the numismatist was that of the antiquarian worker ant, hoarding details but not very interested in what they meant. Not even Theodor Mommsen could rescue the field, although he managed to place epigraphy at the centre of ancient historical studies.

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BOOK REVIEW: COIN HOARDS AND HOARDING

Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman World
edited by Jerome Mairat, Andrew Wilson and Chris Howgego.
Oxford, 368 pp., £90, May 2022, 978 0 19 886638 1

However valuable the information ancient coins provide as individual artefacts, even more valuable is what they teach us in the aggregate. A hoard can be defined as two or more coins deposited together, usually but not always intentionally, and not subsequently recovered. Since a hoard's owner usually intended to retrieve it, the non-recovery acts as proxy evidence for its historical circumstances. Broadly speaking, there are four categories of hoard, each defined by the way it was created: accidental loss, sudden response to an emergency, storage of savings, or deliberate abandonment. Each tells us different things. Accidental hoards are things like dropped purses, or the basket of coins discovered on the docks of Herculaneum, now a fused mass of bronze and silver bearing the imprint of the container that was incinerated along with its owner in the pyroclastic surge of Vesuvius. Emergency hoards are what they sound like: collections secreted to prevent discovery in a moment of crisis, often war or the threat of it. Savings hoards are surplus wealth kept in hidden reserve by their owner. Finally, there are deliberately abandoned hoards, such as grave deposits, sacrifices and votive offerings. Each type reveals different things. Accidental and emergency hoards can be dated, usually closely, by the youngest coin they contain, and offer a snapshot of the currency circulating in a particular place at a particular time. Savings hoards represent deliberate selection over time. This generally means higher rather than lower value coins, and better quality specimens, whether measured by weight, level of wear, or precious metal content. These hoards are harder to date, because their youngest coin may come from long before the time of deposition. For that reason, they don't provide a snapshot of monetary history, but they do reveal social choices about relative monetary values and economic decision-making. Finally, abandoned deposits represent another kind of deliberate selection, and were more likely to contain demonetised pieces which were no longer usable as currency.

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BRYCE FRANKLIN DOXZON (1960-2023)

Born March 16, 1960, Bryce Franklin Doxzon passed away on New Year's morn as a result of a 3-year battle with ALS. He was a most brave & courageous fighter.

He is survived by: brother Kent, sister-in-law Debbie, niece Emily, nephew Sam; sister, Claire Simpson; brother Glenn. He is pre-deceased by his parents, Rita Mueller Doxzon & Roland Franklin Doxzon, of Catonsville.

While outwardly characterized as rather quiet & subdued, Bryce was a very loving & devoted person passionately involved in many organizations & groups as well as his family.

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NNP STORIES FROM WORLD WAR II EXHIBIT

Stories from World War II Exhibit Images on Newman Portal

In June, 2022 we mounted a World War II exhibit at Washington University's Olin Library, Stories from World War II, focusing on the letters of Walter M. Goldschmidt, a German-born American who served under the Allies. Included in the exhibit was a selection of World War II concentration and internment camp money, loaned by Steve & Ray Feller, and a number of war bonds from the collection of Joe Boling. This material is now imaged and viewable on Newman Portal. Newman Portal acknowledges Steve & Ray Feller and Joe Boling for their contributions to this exhibit.

Image: Josei shingun poster (6x8.75") of Japanese female war worker, from the Joseph Boling collection

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VIDEO: ROBERT W. JULIAN

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JANUARY 29, 2023

Another Anti-King Engraved Coin
Jeff Rock writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: JANUARY 1, 2023 : Altered 1789 Coin: Joseph II on the Gallows (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n01a21.html)

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ENGRAVER ALLEN LEONARD'S WEBSTER VASE

I started researching Allen Leonard a few weeks ago because two of the dies in my collection were engraved by him. One of the articles I found that mentioned him was in Longacre's Ledger (found on NNP) and it was an excerpt from a book titled, "1849: The Mint Strikes Gold."

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VOCABULARY TERM: MINT ERROR

Mint Error. A malformed piece produced at a mint. Mint error coins are those that are not perfect but which have been issued along with perfect, production run pieces. Any struck item which is an anomaly – and the number of things that can go wrong in coin and medal production is great – can be classed as a mint error. The term was formerly called freaks or fidos (for Freaks, Irregulars, Defects and Oddities); currently numismatic writers prefer mint error, error coins or even numismatic errors.

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WHAT WAS THE FIRST JUNIOR COIN CLUB?

This week I worked on revising the history for my local coin club, the Northwest Coin Club. I came across a clipping that claimed credit for formation of the first junior coin club. I wonder if that claim is correct.

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THE CELINA COIN COMPANY

One of the rarest and most famous U.S. gold coins ever made was once in the hands of two Celina businessmen.

John Sacher, a Celina attorney and coin expert, during the Western Ohio Civil War Roundtable on Thursday spoke about the $10 million 1870-S $3 gold coin, the coin's connection to Celina Coin Co. and its temporary owners Ted and Carl Brandts.

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ATLAS NUMISMATICS JANUARY 2023 UPDATE

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LONGACRE HARD WAX MODELS OFFERED

Original Wax Engravings on Copper Disks. This renowned, framed set of original James B. Longacre wax models is both aesthetically pleasing and numismatically important. Intricately rendered by Longacre's hand, the wax models represent an early step in the mid-1850s die making process, where they were critical to both the creative design and the successful completion of satisfactory steel hubs. Longacre was a deliberate engraver and always meticulous in his work. The wax models allowed him to finalize his initial sketches, creating three-dimensional wax motifs that were several inches in diameter -- much larger than their final size, and an essential requirement for ease in workmanship.

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WORLD BANKNOTE AUCTIONS US SALE 1

World Banknote Auctions is excited to announce its upcoming US Currency Sale 1, featuring a wide range of rare and collectible banknotes from the United States. The auction will take place on February 24 on the firm's website and will feature notes from the colonial era to modern times, including scarce large-size notes, fractional currency, and error notes.

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NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS SALE 67 WORLD HIGHLIGHTS

Lot 565: Albania. Prova 5 Franga Ari, 1927-V. As KM-Pr22 yet a 22.8g collector copy/restrike. Beautiful violet, blue and golden toned mirror Proof. An affordable and stunning high grade space filler and study piece to help educate the collector of this series from mistaking one like this as an original. ($100+)

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DAVISSONS AUCTION 42 ANNOUNCED

Auction 42, closing Wednesday, March 1st 2023, is online now! Print copies are being sent next week, if you are not on our mailing list and would like a copy please let us know.

The fifty-five Anglo-Saxon lots in this sale represent a major offering in this series, and are the heart of the collection formed by Patrick Zabel, a committed and scholarly collector who was active in the latter part of the 20th century. That was a time when metal detectors were bringing finds to the market helping to make this historic series accessible to a broader range of collectors than had been possible a few decades earlier. The pieces offered here include three gold thrymsas, an impressive run of high grade and rare sceats, as well as pennies representing twenty-four different rulers or issuers of Anglo-Saxon pennies.

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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: JANUARY 29, 2023

Karim Khan Gold Mohur

Iran. Zand. Karim Khan (AH 1166-1193/ 1753-1779 AD). Gold Mohur, Dar al-Sultana Isfahan AH 1169. 10.8 gm. Zand couplet, rev. Mint, epithet and date within fancy cartouche with four outer fleurs. The superb strike and rarity of this type suggests that it was intended mainly for donative purposes. A.2787. Extremely rare, especially as most of the known examples of this type are from the mint of Shiraz. Choice Extremely Fine.

To read the complete lot description, see:
IRAN. ZAND. KARIM KHAN (AH 1166-1193/ 1753-1779 AD). GOLD MOHUR, DAR AL-SULTANA ISFAHAN AH 116... (https://live.spink.com/lots/view/4-8LJRU9/iran-zand-karim-khan-ah-1166-1193-1753-1779-ad-gold-mohur-dar-al-sultana-isfahan-ah-116)

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SOUTH KOREA'S NEW ROCKET COINS

South Korea has issued new coins to commemorate the successful launch of the country's first domestically built space rocket on June 21, 2022.

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THE MYTHICAL TRILLION-DOLLAR COIN

As the debt ceiling debate takes over the headlines in the U.S., so is the idea of minting a $1 trillion platinum coin, which is a surprising option available to the Treasury Department to raise the debt ceiling without bipartisan support.

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OKLAHOMA SENATOR PROMOTES BULLION IDEA

A bill filed in the Oklahoma Senate would establish a state bullion depository. This would not only create a safe place to store precious metals; it also has the potential to facilitate the everyday use of gold and silver in financial transactions in Oklahoma and set the stage to undermine the Federal Reserve's monopoly on money.

Sen. Nathan Dahm (R) filed Senate Bill 816 (SB816). The legislation would create the Oklahoma Bullion Depository in the Office of the State Treasurer. The depository would serve as the custodian, guardian and administrator of gold, silver and other precious metals transferred or acquired by the state, or an agency, political subdivision or other instrumentality of the state. The depository would also accept deposits of gold and silver by private individuals.

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HOLLAND SOCIETY OF NEW YORK SOUVENIRS

The men who made up the Holland Society of New York would have liked it better had it been called the Holland Society of New Amsterdam. The Holland Society of New York (HSNY) was organized in 1885. On April 30th a constitution was adopted, and the next day the Society was incorporated in the State of New York. The purpose of the Society was to collect and preserve information respecting the early history and settlement of New Netherland by the Dutch, and to discover, collect, and preserve all existing documents, etc., relating to their genealogy and history.

Membership was limited to 1,000 men, all direct descendants through the male line of a Dutchman who was a native or resident of New York or of the American colonies prior to 1675. It was 2016 before women were admitted to full membership in the Society.

On March 30, 1887, a special committee presented a badge design to the trustees. The design was based on ancient geuzenpen-ningen (Beggars' Medal) derived from plasters procured from originals in the Museum of Antiquities of Amsterdam, Holland.

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DICKIN MEDAL FOR BOMB-SNIFFING DOG BASS

A brave sniffer dog who saved multiple lives from Taliban bombs has been awarded the animal version of the Victoria Cross.

Bass, a Belgian Shepherd, served in the US Marine Corps.

He has now become the 75th animal to win the PDSA's Dickin Medal – the highest accolade any animal can receive while serving in the military.

Bass spent six years in the US Marine Special Operation Command and conducted more than 350 explosive sweeps in 46 missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

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ARGENTINA, BRAZIL COMMON CURRENCY?

Pablo Hoffman writes:

Argentina and Brazil will begin preparations to create a common currency, Argentina's economy minister has said. Sergio Massa said that the two countries would soon decide to start studying the parameters needed for a common currency. Massa said the currency would initially be a joint Argentine-Brazilian endeavour, which other Latin American countries could later adopt.

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ARGENTINE BANKS RUNNING OUT OF ROOM FOR NOTES

Boasting to be the second largest economy in South America behind Brazil, Argentina currently owes US$40 billion to the IMF, with inflation close to 100%, almost 40% of its population living under the poverty line and 60% of minors hungry or undernourished.

Besides the hard times for the people, this also has practical issues for the financial system, Argentina's largest denomination banknote – 1,000 pesos – is currently worth about US$ 5.40 on official exchanges, but barely reached US$ 2.65 when valued at real-world exchange rates currently.

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LEAVING $2 BILLS INSIDE HOTEL BIBLES

Check out this Instagram hashtag: #2dollarbible. You'll find photos of $2 bills next to hotel room bibles.

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THE WALT DISNEY $100 BILL

The $100 bill is by far the most popular currency denomination in America. It's not the most commonly used bill, however it consistently ranks as America's favorite bill. Oftentimes people call them Benjamins or Bennys after Benjamin Franklin, who is featured on the $100 bill. However, in 2023, there will be a new face on the front of the $100 bill and a new back to it as well.

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LOOSE CHANGE: JANUARY 29, 2023

The Unique 1870-S Half Dime

On January 11, the unique 1870-S half dime realized $3,120,000. Incredibly, the only three privately owned, unique U.S. coins were all in the same FUN auction extravaganza, from three different consignors.

A coin is unique if only one is known in the present. The discovery of the unique 1870-S half dime during the late 1970s was a shock to the coin community. Research by Nancy Oliver and Richard Kelly has since demonstrated that San Francisco Mint officials made preparations and filed paperwork for coins of all then current denominations to be struck and placed in a cornerstone of the San Francisco Mint in 1870. In 1978, however, few coin collectors thought that an 1870-S half dime existed. An 1870-S quarter has never emerged.

To read the complete article, see:
Tom Bender's Collection, Review Part 3: Unique 1870-S Half Dime (https://www.greysheet.com/news/story/tom-bender-s-collection-review-part-3-unique-1870-s-half-dime)

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THE MONEY ART OF VICTOR DUBREUIL

After supposedly stealing 500,000 francs from his bank, the mysterious Victor Dubreuil (b. 1842) turned up penniless in the United States and began to paint dazzling trompe l'oeil images of dollar bills. Once associated with counterfeiting and subject to seizures by the Treasury Department, these artworks are evaluated anew by Dorinda Evans, who considers Dubreuil's unique anti-capitalist visions among the most daring and socially critical of his time.

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