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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: Jeff Dickerson, Treasurer Numismatic Bibliomania Society P. O. Box 578, Weatherford, TX 76086 Asylum For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Jeff 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 November 11, 2023, Workman's Books

 

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 OCTOBER 15, 2023

New subscribers this week include: Charlie Baxter. Welcome aboard!

Are we getting too big for our britches? Several readers have reported difficulty receiving their emailed issues. AOL, Yahoo and other email services haven't always been delivering our emails. While I understand why these companies don't reveal the details of their spam policies (they don't want to tell spammers what to avoid), it's greatly frustrating for legit senders like us - they reject you but never tell you why. So we have to guess. I hate to brag, but are we too ... BIG?

This week we'll experiment by sending everyone TWO issues - one the normal E-Sylum, chock full with 33 articles, the other a minimal version with just these Wayne's Words and links to the issue online. Perhaps this smaller version will arrive. If it does and you hadn't been receiving these for a bit, please let me know. Contact me at whomren@gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content.

This week we open with five new books, two obituaries, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, new podcasts and more.

Other topics this week include telephone tokens, banknotes of Canada and Congo, Barber coinage, coin dies, edges and collars, the Pobjoy Mint, Ron Gillio, Don Everhart, auction previews, coin and paper money hoards, the Capture of Andre medal, architectural medals, and coin tossing.

To learn more about German emergency coins, Ken Rendell, Burton Hobson, Tim LaPointe, the Numismatic Proof Scale, Comitia Americana medals, the Muddy Hoard, new coins for King Charles III, numismatic small talk and the Herbstman Collection of American Finance, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

NEW BOOK: SATAVAHANA COINS FROM PEDDABONKUR

One of the most illustrious dynasties of ancient India, the Satavahanas ruled over Dakshinapatha and central India and they left behind such great works of art as the famous Sanchi and Amaravathi stupas and rock cut temples in western India. During their long rule Satavahana dynasty provided peace, prosperity through foreign trade and they patronized a kind of art which flourished for many centuries. Hence it was no surprise that Satavahana period and Indus valley period are listed as the two times of peace and prosperity in 5000 year history of our country. The discovery of Kotalingala coins in 1978 conclusively proved that the birth place of Satavahanas was Telangana and Kotalingala was their first capital.

There are very many Satavahana sites in Telangana besides Kotalingala such as Kondapur, Nagarjunakonda, Peddabonkur, Dhulikatta, Phanigiri etc. Now where in the country that many thousands of Satavahana coins were found on the surface and also in excavations conducted at Peddabonkur. This monograph is an effort to study the Satavahana coins found at Peddabonkur and what could be learned from the study of coins and antiquities found at this site and nearby Dhulikatta. It may be of interest to know that coins of early rulers of Satavahana including its founder were found at Kotalingala and coins of later Satavahana rulers including their last ruler were found at Peddabonkur.

Read more here

NEW BOOK: TELEPHONE TOKENS OF NORTH AMERICA

Telephone Tokens of North America
Robert Gilbert

Telephone tokens from 7 North American countries

• 270 pages - 94 issuers of tokens
• 485 tokens plus die varieties
• Full token descriptions (size, thickness, weight, die orientation, etc.) with color photos

$55.00 thru Dec 1, 2023 + $5.00 shipping to USA
Email for shipping to other countries

Shipping in Dec.
After that, available on Amazon at higher price

Mail check to:
Robert Gilbert, P.O. Box 299
Liberty Corner, NJ 07938
parlayguy@gmail.com

Read more here

 

NEW BOOK: GERMAN EMERGENCY COINS 9TH ED.

Die deutschen Notmünzen
(The German emergency coins)
Walter Funck | Ralf Müller

All official editions and their variants of cities, municipalities, districts, states, etc.

ISBN: 978-3-86646-233-5
Edition: 9th edition 2024, newly edited and expanded by Ralf Müller
Dimensions: 14.8 x 21 cm
Type of figures: illustrated in black and white
Type of cover: Hardcover
Number of pages: 768
Price: 79.00 euros

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NEW BOOK: CANADIAN BANK NOTES 10TH EDITION

Canadian Bank Notes 10th Edition
Editor: R. J. Graham

Format : 8.5" x 11"
Pages : 588
Binding : Perfect
$129.95

In the four years since the previous edition was published, the COVID pandemic has been with us for much of the time. It has had a positive impact on all kinds of collector entertainment, as people have been forced to spend less time in theaters, sports venues and other crowded places. The demand for entry-level bills, including small-format banknotes, continues and ensures the future of the hobby.

Read more here

 

NEW BOOK: PAPER MONEY OF CONGO

Paper Money of Congo
by Jean-Claude Martiny

Hardback, PPC, with full colour illustrations throughout
300 x 290mm portrait
672pp
£100.00

This book describes the history of all the treasury notes issued by the Congo Free State in 1896 and all the banknotes issued by the Bank of Belgian Congo from 1912 to 1952 and by the Bank of Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi until Congo's independence in 1960.

Read more here

PODCASTS: KEN RENDELL IN CONVERSATION

In this episode of the CoinWeek Podcast, Charles Morgan sits down with rare document dealer Kenneth Rendell to discuss his life as detailed in his new book Safeguarding History: Trailblazing Adventures Inside the Worlds of Collecting and Forging History.

The book is a remarkable achievement in autobiography. In it, Ken pulls back the curtain to a life fully-lived and reveals the inner workings of a fascinating niche of the collecting industry.

Read more here

BURTON H. HOBSON (1933-2023)

HOBSON--Burton Harold. 1933-2023. Burton Harold Hobson passed away on October 3, 2023, at the age of 90. He was born in 1933 in Galesburg, Illinois, and met his wife Maxine Meyer when they were both freshmen at the University of Chicago. After graduation he worked at Marshall Field & Company in Chicago, where he became manager of the coin and stamp department. While in that position, he wrote the first of his numerous books on coins, many of which have been translated into foreign languages. He won the Robert Friedberg Award for Numismatic Literature in 1972.

From there he became the Sales Manager for Sterling Publishing Company in New York. He worked his way up in the company, eventually becoming President and then Chairman of the Board. Under Burton's leadership, Sterling Publishing became best known for launching the Guinness Book of World Records as an international authority.

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TIMOTHY HAROLD LAPOINTE (1947-2023)

The April death of Timothy LaPointe has gone mostly unnoticed in the numismatic media. Although he was involved in what may have been the greatest scandal in numismatic history, his contribution is little noted and not long remembered.

Timothy LaPointe was born in Chicago on January 3, 1947. He was the son of Kenneth P. LaPointe and Edith C. LaPointe. In the 1950 census, Kenneth was listed working in an aircraft assembly plant in San Diego.

Timothy LaPointe graduated from Pierce College in Los Angeles with a degree in business.

He married Nancy M. Corbett in Los Angeles on September 13. 1969. The marriage lasted less than four years and ended in divorce in April 1973. He played semi-pro baseball and signed a contract with the California Angels.

Read more here

NNP ADDS COINAGE OF EL PERÚ SLIDE SET

Coinage of El Perú Slide Set Digitized by Newman Portal

In 1988, the ANS Coinage of Americas Conference focused on Peruvian coinage, and a slide set produced in conjunction with this conference has recently been digitized. This particular set, loaned by Wayne Homren, seems none the worse for wear, and the color images exhibit strong clarity despite the passage of time. The slides are keyed to a booklet authored by Freeman Craig, Coinage of El Perú, which has also been scanned. Illustrated here is a Lima 1-real (1568-1570).

Read more here

 

VIDEO: COLLECTING BARBER COINAGE

Read more here

POBJOY MINT TO CLOSE

It is with great sadness that Managing Director Taya Pobjoy has announced her official retirement and the closure of Pobjoy Mint after 58 years of manufacturing official currency and commemorative coins. The Mint closure will take place at the end of 2023, so customers will have a chance to complete their collections for the full year, with some releases being brought forward to allow plenty of time for collectors to buy them.

Since its establishment in 1965, the private mint in Kingswood, Surrey, England, some twenty miles outside of London, has produced coins for forty-two nations and territories. Since the mint first entered the market in 1965 with medals commemorating Winston Churchill's passing, it has produced a variety of circulation coins, medals, and commemorative coins. Approximately 40 employees will be affected.

Read more here

 

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: OCTOBER 15, 2023

We Shall Persevere

Pete Smith writes:

My limbs still carry memories of my former life, the one snatched from me, the one that suddenly turned nightmarish with screams and cries and regret for our little girls.

But what choice do I — really all of us — have but to persevere? To take the call knowing it might be news of a death or a voice from Stockholm.

To read the complete article, see:
Our lives had been shattered. Now something extraordinary was happening (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/10/14/grief-healing-families-joy/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: OCTOBER 8, 2023: Query: We Shall Persevere (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n41a14.html)

Read more here

HEARTLAND CSNA EDUCATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

The California State Numismatic Association is delighted to host three distinguished guest speakers. The presentations will be held in the Small Hall, which is located next to Cunnane Hall. These talks are complementary and open to everyone.

12:00-p.m.
Richard Dowis: Collecting NASA and Apollo Memorabilia and Coins Dick, of the Hemet Coin Club, will be doing a presentation on his outstanding collection of NASA/Apollo related memorabilia. Dick has amassed a large number of collectible items and commemorative coins related to the space program and its achievements and will have a number of items on display!

Read more here

VOCABULARY TERM: OPEN FACE DIE

Open Face Die. A striking die used without collar or restraining ring. Open face dies are suitable for multiple striking and are shaped like the diestock from which they are cut, their image being engraved into the smoothed flat top of the diestock cut to proper size; the image occupies the central portion of the die's top surface with a wide margin surrounding the design.

Extremely versatile, open face dies can easily be used in most medal presses, and are adequate for all size struck medals one-half inch and larger; they are particularly advantageous for all medals too large to be coined – over 2 ? inches in diameter – up to struck medallions six inches in diameter. They cannot be used for coins.

Read more here

 

EDGE COLLARS

All United States coins have three sides. Collectors pay most of their attention to the obverse (the front or portrait side), and the reverse (the back or denomination side). Those are where the meat of a coin – its design, date, denomination, mintmark, and so forth – are found. But the edge also includes interesting information, and in some cases, what's on the edge can make a huge difference in desirability.

An edge collar or edge die is a steel disc about five to 10 millimeters thick, 100 mm in diameter, with a circular hole cut in the center. For plain edge coins, or those with incuse ornaments, this hole is the exact diameter of the finished coin. If a coin has a reeded edge, then the hole's diameter is that of a finished coin less the depth of the reeds. In this way the completed coin has its correct diameter when measured over the reeds. A similar approach is used when a design has raised ornaments on the edge.

Read more here

 

RON GILLIO INTERVIEW, PART TWO

GREG BENNICK: For sure. Now, when did you open your first shop? Did you open a first shop around that time? I mean, how old were you at this point?

RON GILLIO: Well, I was 1963-64, I was 17-18 years old. I just advertised in the Scrapbook and the Numismatist at the time. Didn't really have a shop. When I graduated from high school, I opened a shop in Van Nuys, California. I opened the shop in 1966. So, it was two years after I graduated from high school. The thing that I did get involved in 1967, I got involved in the silver certificates.

GREG BENNICK: Tell me more about that. Yeah, I'd like to hear about that.

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NGC INTERVIEW: DON EVERHART

Everhart was employed by the US Mint from 2004 to July 2017, when he retired as lead sculptor. Everhart has been involved in the creation of hundreds of coins, including some of the most memorable US Mint issues of the last decade including the distinctive eagle design that he engraved for the reverse of the 2015-W American Liberty High Relief $100 and the 2016 American Liberty Silver Medals.

Did you ever think you would become a coin designer and sculptor?
Not once. I thought I would be an illustrator of album covers in New York. This was totally serendipitous when I took off from work and went down there. My whole career path changed completely. It was a crossroads in my career, and I didn't really realize it at the time until I looked back at it and recognized that's where I branched off and really got into coins.

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WBNA US CURRENCY SALE FOUR

Lot 4002: New Jersey March 25, 1776 Fr. NJ-183 PMG About UNC 53 EPQ 6 Pounds

This is the highest denomination of the March 25, 1776 issue of New Jersey that had an issuance of just 3,125 notes. Printed in three colors and one of the better produced Colonial notes, with a nicely contrasting design. We see a single centerfold but no heavy signs of circulation with clear signatures and strong originality. A scarce issue from the Colonial War period.

To read the complete lot description, see:
New Jersey March 25, 1776 Fr. NJ-183 PMG About UNC 53 EPQ 6 Pounds (https://bid.worldbanknoteauctions.com/lots/view/4-BBLWP9/new-jersey-march-25-1776-fr-nj-183-pmg-about-unc-53-epq-6-pounds)

Read more here

SEDWICK TREASURE AUCTION 34 ANNOUNCED

This catalog is packed with numerous rarities, unique pieces, and beautiful coinage designs that could possibly find a new home in your collection!

We'll begin our 34th Treasure Auction with some truly impressive rarities in Gold Cobs. To highlight a few 1715 Fleet treasure coins: a boldy struck Mexico City, Mexico, 1714 J cob 8 escudos graded NGC MS 62 (lot 23); a Royal-like Lima, Peru, 1699 R cob 8 escudos with excellent strike and original as-found surfaces (lot 32); and a Lima, Peru, 1710 H cob 8 escudos graded NGC MS 63 linked to the very first offering of 1715 Fleet coins from the Real Eight Company (lot 36).

The treasure in Shipwreck Ingots is led by a cut gold tumbaga bar weighing 307 grams from the Tumbaga Wreck (lot 59) as well as a large, Class Factor 1.0 silver ingot weighing over 79 troy pounds from the Atocha (lot 65). U.S. shipwreck enthusiasts should watch for the large PCGS slab containing 5 troy ounces of gold nuggets and dust recovered from the SS Central America shipwreck (lot 60).

Read more here

 

TCNC 2023 EXTRAVAGANZA II SALE

Welcome to The 2023 Extravaganza II auction Sale of the Toronto Collection , the Little Collection Part V and a selection of the Brown Family Collection. This auction of more than 1,900 numismatic & Militaria lots features several collections joined by selections from 91 other consignors across North America.

The first and second Sessions are highlighted by three attractive coin, medal and banknote collections. A great selection from the Brown Family Collection of Canadian banknotes, the Little Collection Part V of Canadian coins, the Toronto Collection of Canadian coins and banknotes. Also featuring in this auction: an elusive 1921 50 cents PCGS choice Mint State-63; three Indian Chief Medals treaty No. 2, No. 3 and a Victorian copper. An ultra rare Pattern from New Brunswick dated 1862 graded PCGS Choice Specimen-62; a 1936 25¢ with the Bar variety in PCGS Superb Gem Mint State-66 with great eye appeal; a magnificent 1944 Specimen set; a beautiful 1935 $100 French issue in UNC-62; a stunning 1935 $100 English issue in Gem UNC-66PPQ. An amazing and excessively rare 1918 $50,000 Bank Legal Front & Back Proofs; the rarest Canadian Gold sovereign 1916-C in PCGS MS64; a choice 1913 Broad Leaves 10 cents in Choice MS63; the finest 1871 25 cents Obverse 1 PCGS MS62.

Read more here

KUENKER AUCTIONS 395-397, PART 1

Ancient Roman coins for connoisseurs with a deep interest in Roman history, a cross-section of coins from the ancient world including numerous gold issues as well as spectacular orders and decorations with magnificent provenances – this is the focus of Künker's public auctions in November.

Orders and medals from the estate of the Silesian line of the House of Württemberg as well as a spectacular private collection of Prussian orders and decorations – this is the offer that awaits phaleristic enthusiasts at Künker's order auction on 13 November 2023. Lovers of ancient issues can, among other things, look forward to 1st-century Roman Republican coinage as well as early imperial issues from the Dr. W. R. Collection. Part 7 and 8 focus on great rarities of the Roman imperators and provincial Roman coinage. Next is auction 397 with a wide scope of ancient coins, including pieces from the Dr. Kurt Conzen Collection and gold coins from the collection of the Luxembourg notary Maître Robert Schuman.

Read more here

 

NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: OCTOBER 15, 2023

Square Drachm of Apollodotos I

BACTRIA: Apollodotos I, ca. 180-160 BC, AR square drachm (2.33g), Bop-4G, elephant right, monogram below // humped bull right, monogram below, lightly wavy flan, VF.

To read the complete lot description, see:
BACTRIA: Apollodotos I, ca. 180-160 BC, AR square drachm (2.33g), VF (https://www.sarc.auction/BACTRIA-Apollodotos-I-ca-180-160-BC-AR-square-drachm-2-33g-VF_i50550246)

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NORRIS MUSEUM DISPLAYS THE MUDDY HOARD

Rare Roman coins discovered by a metal detectorist in Huntingdonshire have gone on display in St Ives.

The Norris Museum has set up a temporary exhibition called The Muddy Hoard to display the hoard which contains some 9.2k coins, across the reign of 14 emperors and one empress.

Given the quantity, composition, and quality of some of the coins, the museum says the hoard could be counted as one of the 10 most significant Roman coin hoards found in the UK, and it includes a previously unrecorded coin – a denarius of Emperor Tetricus I.

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HAN DYNASTY COIN HOARD FOUND

Archaeologists excavated the playground of an elementary school in the eastern coastal city of Ningbo ahead of planned construction, the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in an Oct. 10 news release.

The excavations uncovered 65 pits, eight wells and several other structures all over 1,400 years old, the release said. Archaeologists identified the ruins as part of a settlement.

In one storage pit, archaeologists found 796 copper coins in tied-up stacks. A photo shows the stash of muddy coins with square holes in the center. In one of the wells, they unearthed 1,682 more coins.

Read more here

COIN HOARD LINKED TO 1692 GLENCOE MASSACRE

Coins found under a fireplace may have been hidden there by a victim of the infamous Massacre of Glencoe, according to archaeologists.

Almost 40 members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed in February 1692 after soldiers were ordered to attack them.

A student discovered the money at the site of a house linked to the clan's chief.

Read more here

 

NEW KING CHARLES III COINS ANNOUNCED

Large numbers on an entirely redesigned set of UK coins will help children to identify figures and learn to count, The Royal Mint has said.

The coins will enter circulation by the end of the year, marking the new reign of King Charles III and celebrating his love of the natural world.

The tails side of every coin from the 1p to the £2 will feature the country's flora and fauna.

Old coins can still be used, with the new set struck in response to demand.

The BBC was given an advance viewing of the new coins, the size and shape of which remain unchanged.

Although there have been commemorative coins circulating featuring King Charles, these new designs - officially known as definitives - mark the final chapter of the King's transition onto coinage.

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WYATT COPY OF MAJOR ANDRE MEDAL OFFERED

(Ca. 1848) cast copy of the Capture of Andre Medal. As Betts-576. Copper over lead, 60.0 x 42.2 mm. Extremely Fine.

A 19th century copy, produced by Thomas Wyatt as part of the series of copy medals produced to accompany his 1848 book Memoirs of the Generals, Commodores, And Other Commanders: Who Distinguished Themselves in the American Army and Navy during the Wars of the Revolution and 1812, And Who Were Presented with Medals by Congress, For Their Gallant Services. While the best known made-from-whole-cloth copy from Wyatt's project was the "mystery dies" Henry Lee medal, the set also included this replica of the first medal ordered by Congress to have actually been created and presented: the Capture of Andre or "Fidelity" medal awarded to John Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wart.

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HERITAGE OFFERS ARCHITECTURAL MEDALS

As our upcoming November 13th Spotlight Auction approaches, The Medals and Tokens World Coins Showcase #61328, we are thrilled to present a selection from Jacques Wiener, the renowned 19th-century Belgian medalist. A virtuoso in his field, Wiener's profound style has ensured a lasting numismatic legacy as his medals continue to grace prestigious collections worldwide.

Born in Belgium in 1815, Jacques Wiener hails from a distinguished line of artisans. His body of work, monumental in its detail and precise architecture, shook up the continental medallion scene. Famously known for his acclaimed Cathedral Series, Wiener rendered a realistic snapshot of grand cathedrals across Europe. The obverse features the front of the cathedral (or building), while the reverse consists of an eye-level view of the interior. The remarkable use of linear perspective within his interior architecture adds an astute illusion of depth, dynamism, and distance to flat bronze.

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FORGOTTEN THAILAND BANKNOTE HOARD FOUND

A treasure trove of old banknotes, forgotten by their 90 year old owner, was discovered in a myriad of plastic bags during a house renovation. The elderly woman, Kang, had been living alone in her dilapidated home when her grandchildren began preparations to replace it with a sturdier three-storey structure, leading to this unprecedented banknote discovery.

Kang's 89 year old sister, Su, insisted on inspecting the contents of the plastic bags before they were discarded, despite their apparent disrepair. To their astonishment, nestled within the bundles of old clothing, were banknotes of varying denominations. The outdated currency, now of little practical use, held great value for collectors.

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COIN TOSS ODDS? NOT 50/50

A large team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions across Europe, has found evidence backing up work by Persi Diaconis in 2007 in which he suggested tossed coins are more likely to land on the same side they started on, rather than on the reverse. The team conducted experiments designed to test the randomness of coin flipping and posted their results on the arXiv preprint server.

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NUMISMATIC SMALL TALK

I want to share a horror story with you.

Many years ago, May 1999, my wife and I were invited to the home of her colleague. On arrival, the wives went off to make ooh and ahh noises about the stupidly expensive flowers we'd brought.

I was left with the husband, who I had never before met.

Read more here

FEATURED WEBSITE: THE HERBSTMAN COLLECTION

This week's Featured Web Site is the Joe I. Herbstman Memorial Collection of American Finance. I was reminded of this one by News & Notes from the Society of Paper Money Collectors (Volume IX, Number 17, October 10, 2023).

https://www.theherbstmancollection.com/