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 CalendarWatch 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.
New subscribers this week include: Dan Runze, courtesy of Pete Smith; and Pablo Luna Herrera. 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 a new podcast, three new books, two reviews, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, the ANA, ANS, IAPN and more.
Other topics this week include Mexican patterns, Luxenbourg paper money, Chinese currency, the New Orleans Mint, the China Mint, the Chicago Coin Club, fixed price and auction offerings, my numismatic diary, coin finds, and the Medal of Honor museum.
To learn more about the ANA Library, CoinSnap, Laura Gardin Fraser's medals, the Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics, Seigfried Otto, the Waitangi Crown, the New Yorke in America token, the Albany Church Penny, British Malayan banknotes, Codfish notes, dies and stolen relics, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
The latest episode of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society podcast is now available for listening. It's on the NBS web site but also available elsewhere. Vice-President/Secretary Len Augsburger provided this report. -Editor
NBS Podcast Interviews ANA Library Manager Akio Lis
The latest episode of the NBS Bibliotalk podcast, The ANA Library, with Akio Lis
is now available on the NBS website and other popular podcasting platforms such as Buzzsprout. In this episode, Akio Lis, ANA Library Manager, speaks about the ANA library and his numismatic journey.
Although a lifelong collector, Akio comes from a musical background, such as other numismatists including Gene Hessler, Roger Burdette, and Shanna Schmidt. After graduating with a performance degree in oboe, Akio worked in the ANA library as an intern and volunteer and eventually joined full time as library manager in October 2021. In this episode, Akio covers all aspects of the ANA library operation, including the ever-popular Summer Seminar book sale. The NBS podcast is produced every other month by Lianna Spurrier of Numismatic Marketing.
Pablo Luna Herrera published a new book on the Mexican Pattern Coin "Cuartillas" from the Soho Mint. It's available in both English and Spanish. -Editor
Title: The Mexican Pattern Coin "Cuartillas" from the Soho Mint (Las Monedas Prueba Anglomexicanas de la Casa de Moneda de Soho, Reino Unido)
Author: Pablo Luna Herrera
Another new book by Pablo Luna Herrera catalogs Mexican coin patterns of the 20th century. Unfortunately, it's already out of print. Would any of our readers care to contribute a review? -Editor
Title: Las Pruebas de la Moneda Mexicana del Siglo XX (The Mexican Coin Patterns of the XXth Century)
Author: Pablo Luna Herrera
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 in.
Pages: 408
Cover: Hardcover
Year: 2019
A new book on the paper money of Luxembourg has been published. Here's a Google-translated article from the Geldscheine online newsletter. -Editor
Guy Rosseljong | Romain Thielen:
Le Papier-Monnaie Luxembourgeois
Catalog illustré 1856–2023 &
Evaluations 1856-2023
Catalog:
520 pages, format 14.8 cm x 21 cm,
completely in colour, numerous illustrations,
Paperback, 2023
30 pages, format 14.8 cm x 21 cm,
Completely in color, stapled
ISBN: 978-99959-0-827-0
Price: 50.00 euros
Yawei Zhang submitted this review of The History of Chinese Currency. Thank you! -Editor
Review: Zhongguo Huobi Tongshi [The History of Chinese Currency] (4 Volumes)
by Yao Shuomin.
Changsha: Hunan People's Publishing House, 2018.
ISBN: 9787556118984; 9787556118991; 9787556119004; 9787556119011
姚朔民:中国货币通史(4卷),长沙:湖南人民出版社2018年
Austin Purvis published a review of the CoinSnap app on CoinWeek. Here's an excerpt - see the complete article online for more. I'd seen the app promoted online but hadn't tried it. Has anyone else given it a shot? -Editor
The company Next Vision Limited is an AI technology group that developed the mobile app CoinSnap. CoinSnap is described on the app store as a tool that utilizes AI-driven image recognition technology to accurately identify any coin
and has a coin grading feature and gives a reference price for each coin.
At the time of writing, the app has over one million downloads on the Google Play store and is the #2 reference app on Apple.
How accurate is this tool? We were able to use the app for an afternoon, and here is what we found.
The latest addition to the Newman Numismatic Portal is a brochure detailing the 1970s reconstruction of the New Orleans Mint building. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report. -Editor
Bowers Serieswas written by award-winning author Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez, who presents these silver coins to both collectors and investors. 384 pages. Order your copy online at Whitman.com , or call 1-800-546-2995.
The David Lisot Video Library on the Newman Numismatic Portal can be found at:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/522852
We highlight one of his videos each week in The E-Sylum. Here's one from 1987 about the China Mint and their fast-selling commemorative made for the Long Beach show. Do these sell at any premium over melt value today? -Editor
Alexander Krapf, the creator and maintainer of the Medallic Art Collector website, has been working hard on the first eBook in what he hopes will be a long series about 20th Century American Medallic Art. -Editor
"The first volume will be titled The Medallic Art of Laura Gardin Fraser
and it is slated to come out this year. Next up in the series are her husband, James Earle Fraser, Rene Paul Chambellan, and Paul Manship. I will happily accept material about any 20th Century artist as I hope to work my way through all of them over the years. I am asking for the help of collectors in sourcing images of the artists' rarer medals, bas-relief plaques, as well as any research, variant data, photos, etc. that specialist collectors might be able to contribute. You can reach me at
pianola_duet_0a@icloud.com. I will give full credit in the books. Contributors of content that ends up in the book will also receive a free copy of the eBook."
The ANA is accepting submissions for the 2022 Barbara J. Gregory Outstanding Club Publications competition. Here's the announcement. There are many great club publications being produced these days - good luck to all! -Editor
Submissions Accepted for ANA's Club Publications Competition
The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is currently accepting submissions for the 2023 Barbara J. Gregory Outstanding Club Publications competition. Awards will be presented in four categories: local, regional, specialty and electronic. The contest is open to member clubs that are current with their ANA dues, and do not have an elected or salaried ANA officer as editor or assistant editor. Each publication may enter in only one category. If a publication qualifies for more than one category, such as local and electronic, the submitter may choose under which category to enter.
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is accepting applications for the 2023 Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics. -Editor
The American Numismatic Society Invites Applications for the 2023 Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics
The American Numismatic Society is pleased to invite applications for the 2023 Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics, to be awarded to the best single or multi-authored book, catalog, or online digital work related to ancient numismatics (650 BCE to 300 CE).
This distinguished prize seeks to reward innovative research in the field and is one of the most substantial monetary prizes to support scholarship in ancient numismatics. The winner(s) of the biennial prize will receive $20,000, to be split equally in the event of a multi-authored work. The prize was previously awarded to Richard Abdy's Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) Vol.II: From AD 117 to AD 138 – Hadrian (Spink, 2020).
The Collier Prize was established in 2020 with the generous support of ANS Trustee Carole Anne Menzi Collier to honor the life of her late husband Professor James M. Collier. Professor Collier earned his Ph.D. in Art History at the University of Michigan with his dissertation on the Italian Renaissance and Early Netherlandish perspective, and served as a tenured professor and department chair in the Department of Art at Auburn University. Ancient coins served as a foundation for his fascination with art, history, and culture, and Professor Collier was inspired by his collection of almost 1,000 Greek and Roman coins depicting famous monuments and portraits of Hellenistic and Roman rulers.
The IAPN has issued a statement regarding false provenances and the criminal complaints regarding dealers Richard Beale and Italo Vecchi. -Editor
Statement of the International Association of Professional Numismatists Regarding Criminal Complaint Brought by the Manhattan District Attorney Against Richard Beale, the Proprietor of Roma Numismatics
The International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) has become aware that the New York District Attorney's Office has brought a criminal complaint against Richard Beale, the managing director of Roma Numismatics Limited, a London-based auction house. That criminal complaint alleges that Beale unlawfully purchased valuable coins from Italy, Greece, and Gaza in violation of local national patrimony laws and created false provenances to hide their illicit origins. The criminal complaint also alleges that Italo Vecchi, an Italian dealer based in London, aided this effort for a Roman Republican gold coin of Brutus and another silver coin from Naxos, an ancient Greek colony in Sicily.
Ken Berger writes:
"Regarding the overprinted mint bag shown in The E-Sylum, it looks more like a 1948 to me rather than a 1918."
Readers agree! -Editor
Julia Casey writes:
"Regarding David Pickup's question about "Prof. Jackson." I don't know if I located the correct individual, but I feel he is a distinct possibility.
"I focused my search on Yorkshire in the mid-19th century and found newspaper articles from 1872-3 in Hull mentioning the arrest of a "Quack Doctor" who is described as "Professor Jackson and his Indian Remedy." Professor Jackson was identified as "Henry Jackson, 35, well known in York" an "imperfectly educated" "herbalist," "formerly a drum-major of the Hull Rifle Volunteers" and "late of the Indian army R.C.A.R." These "mysterious initials were rendered in court into 'Railway crossing Albany-road,' near where the prisoner lived." Most of Professor Jackson's medicines were found to be composed "only of coloured water."
"Here is an advertisement for Professor Jackson in Hull from before his arrest (Hull Daily News 7/27/1872)."
1920 Royal Canadian Mint Video
Regarding the mystery minting film discussed last week,
B.J. Herbison writes:
"I contacted someone related to the University of Rare Coins which produced the video. URC is closed, but I confirmed the video was from the Royal Canadian Mint back in 1920."
Thank you! B.J. got a link to the original video as well. It's a processed version of a public domain film from the Library of Congress Prelinger Archives. Check it out! -Editor
To watch the video, see:
How Money Is Made 1920 Royal Canadian Mint (Royal Mint of Canada); Coinage at the Ottawa Mint
(https://vimeo.com/376390922)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MARCH 12, 2023 : Vintage 1920's Minting Film
(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n11a14.html)
Other topics this week include a 1933 Mississippi Spanish Gold Find, and the West Chester Centennial Medal. -Editor
PCGS has decided to label a series of early American Colonial coins on its slabs as "halfpennies." -Editor
Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) is officially redefining a series of early American Colonial coins widely categorized by their state names and copper composition with numismatically correct references to their original denominations. The move recategorizes confederation-period New Jersey, Vermont, and Connecticut coins as well as other pieces, such as Immune Columbia and Nova Constellatios, colloquially dubbed coppers
by their correct halfpenny
denominations.
We periodically make these changes based on strong document-based evidence and extensive research consulting original mint records, historic legislative documents, and other archival references that are thoroughly vetted,
explained PCGS President Stephanie Sabin. In the case of redefining New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, and other confederation-era ‘coppers' as halfpennies, the PCGS numismatic and grading teams as well as many trusted consultants and external experts spent many hours researching legal government documents and numismatic references contemporary to the confederation era to determine that the technical definition of these coins is of the era to determine that they are correctly known as halfpennies and not merely ‘coppers.'
On Tuesday Rob Rodriguez passed along this update on continuing research into the Morris 1792 Silver Center Cent. Thank you. -Editor
This morning the Newman Numismatic Portal published my latest analysis of the 1792 Morris Silver Center Cent:
Follow-Up 1792 Silver and Non-Silver Center Cents: Further Studies of the Silver Plug Contained in the Morris So-Called Silver Center Cent
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/624495.
On March 21 the 1792 Morris Silver Center Cent Judd-1 will be put up for auction in Stack's Bowers Galleries Session 3 Rarities Night, Lot 3063. In my opinion, Stack's Bowers lot description presents a balanced viewpoint by referencing my April 2020 NNP Symposium presentation and its primary conclusion that this is a genuine Judd-2 which was altered by the addition of a silver plug, after the coin was struck, to convert it into a Judd-1.
Here's another entry from Dick Johnson's Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology. -Editor
Model. The product of the artist after he completes creating the relief. The model can be exact size, or oversize for pantographic reduction. Models for coins and medals have been made in a variety of materials – wax, clay, plasteline, plaster, wood, plastic, metal, stone, marble. Most often the artist works in a soft pliable material, such as clay, then prepares a hard cast of his model in plaster, or in very recent times, in epoxy. This cast can then be used by mints or medalmakers to prepare the dies by mechanical means.
Archer M. Huntington was a major benefactor of the American Numismatic Society in New York, and served as its President from 1905 to 1910. E-Sylum Feature Writer and American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith submitted another background article illustrating Huntington's family and wealth. Interesting - thanks. -Editor
Our story last week was about Arabella Huntington, mother of Archer Milton Huntington. This week we jump forward one generation to Helen Manchester Gates, the first wife of Huntington. Before we get to her, we go back a generation to William Huntington (1782-1860).
William Huntington was born on April 12, 1782, in Harwinton, Connecticut. He was married to Elisabeth Vincent (1791-1871). William was a farmer and ran a shingle mill. William and Elizabeth had nine children including Collis Potter Huntington (1821-1900) and Ellen Marie Huntington Gates (1836-1920). The family was poor, living in a place called Poverty Hollow, and in 1834 county authorities removed Collis from the family and placed him with another farm family. As mentioned last week, Collis was the adoptive father of Archer Milton Huntington.
This press release from the Chicago Coin Club describes their recent anniversary meeting and commemorative items. Congratulations! -Editor
Wednesday March 8, 2023 the Chicago Coin Club celebrated the occasion of their 1250th meeting as a Numismatic club.
It was just a little over four years ago that the Chicago Coin Club celebrated their 100th anniversary, 1200th
meeting, with a year of celebratory events in 2019. While the club motto Docendo Discimus translates to we
learn by teaching
referring to the club's educational mission, the club also enjoys the celebration of milestone
events which many times includes a banquet and commemoratives.
To celebrate the 1250th meeting the club held a reception and banquet on their regular club meeting night.
Attendees enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and beverages followed by a family style dinner and deserts.
Atlas Numismatics has updated their website with 133 new coins, medals, and tokens at fixed prices. Selections include the following items. Some great coins! -Editor
Numismagram's Jeremy Bostwick sent along these rather macabre and haunting tokens and medals from his recent upload of new material to his website. In keeping with a tradition of spooky exonumia on the Ides of March, there is an abundance of skulls and skeletons in the world of numismatics, along with a few other designs that are simply chilling. For all of the new items, please visit https://www.numismagram.com/inventory. -Editor
Here are more highlights from the upcoming Stack's Bowers sale of the Syd Martin Collection, Part III. Great collector, great collection. -Editor
Here's the announcement for the March 2023 internet auction from Stephen Album Rare Coins. -Editor
Stephen Album Rare Coins will hold its Internet Auction 19 at its offices in Santa Rosa, California on March 20-21, 2023. Internet pre-bidding has already begun and can be accessed through the auction house's website. The Auction is made up of 2100 lots of coins from all categories and time periods.
There is a wide range of value in the sale including items from $50 all the way up to $1500. The first day of the auction includes ancient, Islamic and Indian coins. The second day begins with nearly 300 Chinese lots and finishes with a large selection of world coins. The world coins are divided by continent and include more than 100 lots from the Joe Sedillot Collection, a collection which has featured prominently in the firm's past few auctions.
Some highlights of the sale follow:
Noonans first auction in Singapore will feature the Frank Goon Reference Collection of British Malayan Banknotes. Here's the press release. -Editor
London's specialist auctioneers' Noonans will be holding their first auction in Singapore on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 6pm local time (10am GMT). The sale of the legendary Frank Goon Reference Collection of British Malayan Banknotes – one of the greatest collections of all time - will take place at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956. The Goon Collection covers banknotes of Malaya, The Straits Settlements, Sarawak, British North Borneo, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. A third of the collection, comprising some 250 lots, will form the inaugural Noonans Singapore auction and is expected to fetch in the region of S$2,200,000 to S$3,000,000 (£1,400,000 – 1,900,000).
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
Frederick II Double Ducat
ITALY
Mantua, Frederick II Gonzaga (1519-1540). Double ducat ND, Mantua.NGC MS 62 (6388816-001).
Av. FEDERICVS. II. M. MANTVAE. Head left.
Rev. FIDES. Mount Olympus surmounted by an altar.
MIR.442 - Fr.526; Gold - 6.83 g - 25 mm - 9 h
Top Pop: this is the only graded copy!
NGC MS 62 (6388816-001). Very rare type and of exceptional quality, with good centering and having barely circulated. Fine traces of breakage of the reverse corner visible. Superb at Fleur de Coin.
Above is a Google-translated description. From the MDC Monaco Auction 11 in April 2023. -Editor
To read the complete lot description, see:
https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=3376&l=3871109
Other topics this week include U.S. Communion Tokens, a Chiang Kai-shek medal, and the 1778 Massachusetts Codfish Note. -Editor
Thursday March 16, 2023 was a special day - after some morning meetings at my office I climbed back into my car and headed north to Baltimore for the Whitman Baltimore Expo. After parking and hiking over to the convention center I met up with Jim Haas for lunch. We walked over to the Pratt Street Ale House and were quickly seated.
Howard Berlin passed along this article from The Times of Israel about the display of a coin with the oldest-known depiction of the Temple menorah. Thank you. -Editor
An ancient coin bearing the oldest-known depiction of the Temple menorah will go on display to the public for the first time on Monday with the opening of the recently renovated Davidson Center in Jerusalem's Old City.
The coin dates to around 40 BCE, during the Roman times and the reign of the last Hasmonean king. This is the oldest known artistic depiction of the menorah, created 107 years before the destruction of the Second Temple,
says Dr. Yuval Baruch, head of archaeology and administration at the Israel Antiquities Authority, who was one of the excavators of the site and led the archaeological curation of the Davidson Center. The coin was donated to Israel sometime during the 1940s, during the British Mandate period, and it's unclear where or when it was found.
The Vindelev hoard includes a bracteate with the oldest reference to the Norse god Odin. -Editor
A centuries-old gold disc found in Denmark has revealed the earliest known mention of the Norse god Odin at least 150 years earlier than any previous inscription.
The disc, known as a bracteate, was unearthed in a treasure trove in Vindelev, central Denmark, in 2020, alongside Roman coins that had been reworked into jewelry.
Paul Horner passed along this story of a coin find in the Netherlands. Thanks. -Editor
A treasure trove of medieval artifacts lay buried beneath the ground in a small city in the Netherlands for centuries.
Then a man equipped with a metal detector and a sense of curiosity discovered it.
Historian Lorenzo Ruijter, 27, unearthed a cache of 1,000-year-old gold pendants and silver coins in the Dutch city of Hoogwoud in 2021, according to Reuters.
The Medal of Honor Museum near Charleston, SC recieved a donation to enable it to expand. -Editor
The Medal of Honor Museum recently received a $3.5 million donation to expand the museum by 25,000 square feet, allowing for more stories to be shared.
"To our heroes who are here today and those who couldn't join us, Mount Pleasant is honored to be your home, the home of the Medal of Honor," Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie said. "Our dedication to honoring your gallantry and your selflessness will never falter or never fail.
Here are some additional items in the media this week that may be of interest. -Editor
Arthur Shippee passed along this Artnet story of a Byzantine coin find in Germany. -Editor
The hoard consisted of two very high quality gold earrings set with semi-precious stones, a gilded pseudo-coin brooch, two gilded stone-studded finger rings, a ring fragment, a small formerly gilded perforated disc, a ring brooch, and about 30 silver coins, some of them heavily fragmented,
Ulf Ickerodt, the director of ALSH, told Live Science.
The team has dated the two earrings, surprisingly well-preserved, to around 1100 due to their apparent Byzantine style and craftsmanship. One of the brooches is also an imitation of an Islamic gold dinar, dating it to the Almohad caliphate between the 12th and 13th centuries.
The 30 coins are linked to the reign of Valdemar II, the Danish king who ruled from 1170 to 1241. Fragments of fabric found with the coins suggest that they were once buried in a bag.
To read the complete article, see:
A German Man Just Learning How to Use a Metal Detector Uncovered a Hoard of Buried Byzantine Jewelry and Silver Coins
(https://news.artnet.com/art-world/trainee-metal-detectorist-gold-silver-hoard-germany-alsh-2267848)
Other topics this week include Recovering Stolen Relics. -Editor
Another good read for the collectors in all of us is this Washington Post piece published today about the strange medical artifacts a man inherited long ago from his aged godmother. -Editor
In decades of covering campaigns, I've seen plenty of historical relics: collections of rare buttons and bumper stickers, boxes full of yellowing convention passes. But none of that prepared me for the morning last fall when my dog was running around with her pack of neighborhood playmates, and my friend Ledge turned to me and asked a question so bizarre that for a moment I was sure I'd misheard him.
Hey,
he said, did I tell you I have John Marshall's gallstones?
This week's Featured Web Site is the Token Corresponding Society.
The word ‘token' in this context means a coin or similar object which is issued for use in place of regular or official coinage. Members' interests include the classical series of 17th, 18th and 19th century tokens along with a whole range of coin-like objects which are collectively known as ‘Paranumismatica' i.e. outside the scope of formal Numismatics consisting of Tokens, Tickets, Passes, Jetons, Historical Medals and Medallions.
The Token Corresponding Society is the Society for collectors and enthusiasts of tokens and associated paranumismatica. Dedicated to researching and cataloguing all things tokens, both historic and recent.
The Society publish a quarterly Bulletin and organise an annual Congress as well as offering a unique network of likeminded token collectors, researches and dealers.
For non-members we welcome requests for help in identifying tokens. Please contact us if you feel we can help.