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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 February 17, 2024 Kolbe & Fanning

 

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 21, 2024

New subscribers this week include: Denis Richard - Coin Photography Studio. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,471 subscribers.

Thank you for reading The E-Sylum. If you enjoy it, please send me the email addresses of friends you think may enjoy it as well and I'll send them a subscription. Contact me at whomren@gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content.

This week we open with a chance to revisit the Invasion of Champaign, a numismatic literature sale, an obituary, a great 1985 video, and more.

Other topics this week include ANACS, the CCAC, Playfair Ciphers, the New Jersey Numismatic Society, Dansco albums, the 1922 Denver Mint robbery, fixed price and auction previews, Ben Franklin's money, and strawberry scrip.

To learn more about the extraordinary BCD Library, Peter Mitchell, Adna Wilde, Ed Price, Mexican Numismatics, the 1913 Liberty nickel, the James II and the Seven Bishops medal, the Hyman Montagu Collection, the Nine Siliquae denomination, and money-themed tattoos, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

INVASION OF CHAMPAIGN (PART 2)

Invasion of Champaign (Part 2)

NBSers no doubt recall the Invasion of Champaign held August 20, 2019, in conjunction with the ANA convention in Rosemont, IL. This tour of the Dan Hamelberg library attracted about 15 visitors who trekked from the convention site to visit this unparalleled collection of American numismatic literature. The Fall 2019 Asylum included a full report of the event.

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KOLBE & FANNING BCD LIBRARY SALE

BCD Library Sale February 17

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers are pleased to announce that we will be offering for sale by auction the extraordinary BCD Library on numismatics of the ancient world, with the first sale to be held on Saturday, February 17. The BCD Library is famous for its extraordinary depth, particularly in works on ancient Greek coinage. Carefully formed over the course of half a century, the library has become a resource familiar to experts around the world through the generosity of the owner in making his library available for their use. This initial auction focuses most heavily on published collections, general works, periodicals, and landmark publications, with literally thousands of titles remaining for future offerings. The online catalogue can be accessed at bid.numislit.com.

Some highlights of this first sale include:

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PETER DAVID MITCHELL (1933-2024)

Peter Mitchell died at home in Surrey, England, on Sunday morning, 14th January 2024 aged 90, in the presence of his wife Jean. He had suffered ill health for a while.

Peter was the longtime managing director of well-known coin dealers A H Baldwin & Sons Ltd of The Adelphi, central London. He joined the family firm fresh out of school (Hampton Grammar) aged 15 in 1949 as the ‘office boy’. His father Douglas Mitchell worked there and Peter was a great grandson of founder Albert Henry Baldwin. His early years at Baldwin’s were interrupted by National Service in the army, but Peter had the good luck to be posted to Hong Kong. While there the famous collector of British colonial coins, Captain (later Major) Fred Pridmore, travelled up from Singapore (where he was stationed with the army) to visit him in 1952, the start of a long association between them. Peter only retired from Baldwin’s in 1997 (before joining auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb as a consultant). He was to become one of the great British numismatists of his time, including cataloguing many famous sales for auction at Glendining’s, Christie’s, Sotheby and Spink (for example O’Byrne, Fred Pridmore, Virgil Brand, Dick Ford, Ralph Gordon, John J Ford cut and countermarked West Indian, among many others).

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VIDEO: ANA AND ANACS IN 1985

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EDMOND JOHNSON’S PLAYFAIR CIPHERS

I’ve not been able to crack Edmond Johnson’s puzzle tokens, but I wanted to write in with some additional information. I decided to first approach Johnson by way of contemporary reports of the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, in the hope that there would be some mention of his tokens.

While I did not find any token references, I did find reports of Johnson’s exhibits of reproductions of ancient Irish jewelry and artifacts. Later, some of his replicas of Irish antiquities were sold to a Chicago museum and ended up in the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois. You can see Johnson’s magnificent copy of the Ardagh Chalice and other items on their website. The museum has also made available a copy of Johnson’s descriptive catalog via the HathiTrust site.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JANUARY 21, 2024

Photo Fix
Ken Spindler writes:

Tom writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
RECOGNIZING COINS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n02a11.html)

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NEW JERSEY NUMISMATIC SOCIETY ARCHIVES

I joined the New Jersey Numismatic Society (NJNS) in 2013 and took over as Society Secretary after Dave Ginsburg’s untimely passing in 2016. Ginsburg was a brilliant numismatist. I often marveled that he sometimes knew more about topics presented by distinguished guest speakers at our meetings than did the presenters.

Dave and I shared a passion for numismatic research, writing and publication. I miss having conversations with him about numismatic books and our latest research pursuits. On that note, I will turn to my current research project.

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DANSCO LIBRARY AND PRESERVATION UPDATE

I wanted to share an update with you and your readers on my Dansco library and preservation project. As mentioned in my previous E-Sylum update, I had around 200 albums and was aiming to collect one of every album Dansco has ever produced. Today I am happy to report that I have now collected one of every album that Dansco has ever listed for sale in their catalog since 1939.

My collection now stands at over 700 albums & folders. Including prototype albums, vintage editions, and all of the Continental Line series.

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VOCABULARY TERM: PANTOGRAPH, PART TWO

France's Contamin (again, no other name known, and his dates unknown) working in Paris created an improved machine with a rotating cutter, called a Tour de Médailles. This success led to widespread use of his machine. Probably developed prior to 1834, when Franklin Peale observed it that year. In 1836 Peale obtained the Contamin engraver for the United States Mint at Philadelphia. While not associated with the Paris Mint, Contamin was able to offer his machine to any buyer in any country, thus its influence was widespread.

A generation later, England's Charles John Hill first developed his machine in 1851 with further improvement in 1856. While he may have seen James Watt's improved diecutter at the Soho Mint, he most certainly had knowledge of the Contamin. Hill's die-engraving pantograph was patented in 1866 and at first he only wanted to do die-cutting reductions, preferring not to let the machine out of his control. It was only when William Wyon purchased Hill's machine, obtaining all rights to it that it could be sold to others. It was built and marketed by George Wailes & Company, a machinery manufacturing firm of Vauxhall.

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THE GREAT DENVER MINT ROBBERY

I apologize in advance. My story this week is not about numismatists or numismatics. It is based on a book I got through interlibrary loan that is not numismatic literature. The book is Robbing Banks Was My Business by J. Evetts Halley. It tells the story of J. Harvey Bailey. What interested me most was chapter iv on “The Great Denver Mint Robbery.”

The Mint did not lose a coin that day. What was taken was $200,000 in newly printed $5 bills stored in the Mint vaults for distribution through the Federal Reserve Bank.

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TOM CALDWELL INTERVIEW, PART FOUR

GREG BENNICK: So, we'll hold out hope for that. I was going to ask you, what advice would you give to somebody interested in becoming a coin dealer? What advice would you give to somebody who was just thinking of getting started in it or maybe just starting on any level? What advice would you give?

TOM CALDWELL: I would say a couple of things. I would say, go to shows, see things, see coins, see how things are graded, but most importantly, find a mentor. Find somebody that you can talk to that will guide you. I mean, most dealers would be open to that. We've mentored a few kids throughout the years. And I think those two things really. And of course, nowadays you can look online at coins to get a sense of how things look and all that. And also, I would say, if they're really serious, go to the grading seminar at the ANA. Try to get a, have them pay for it, which they do. Just go. And also, there's Seth Chandler to the coin university out in San Francisco, who's made some inroads in that department.

GREG BENNICK: For sure. He's been great with young numismatists.

TOM CALDWELL: He's paid all the tuition and everything and if they're younger, he's had to pay for the parents to go there. He's had good intentions and that's working out. And along those lines, we have seen, if you had asked me a couple of years ago about new people in the business, I would say it's not really seen. I would never come out and say that the coin business is going down the tubes because there aren't any people. But there's been a lot in the last couple of years that have come out. We've seen at the shows and basically, if the young person has the interest if they're smart, they know what, you can have a coin business online and so we think the future is promising for the coin business with many young people getting involved.

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DR. PETER VAN ALFEN TO CHAIR CCAC

The United States Mint announced today that the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury has appointed Dr. Peter van Alfen as the next Chairperson of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), effective January 30, 2024. By statute, the CCAC Chairperson is appointed from among the current members and serves a one-year term.

Dr. van Alfen was appointed to the CCAC in 2020 as the member specially qualified in numismatic curation.

Dr. van Alfen is Chief Curator at the American Numismatic Society (ANS), where he has served for more than 20 years. Dr. van Alfen was initially hired as curator of ancient Greek coinage, and his curatorial responsibilities were later expanded to include the medallic art section. For more than a decade, Dr. van Alfen has served on the J. Sanford Saltus Award committee, which bestows awards to living artists for achievement in medallic art. In recent years, he has been involved in the creation of several of the ANS’s online resources, including the Hellenistic Royal Coinages project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Art of Devastation, a site devoted to the medallic art of the First World War.

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WHY BANKNOTES LOOK AS THEY DO

Once upon a time, banknote iconography was a vitally important means of anti-counterfeiting security. Today, however, note issuers have much more sophisticated anti-counterfeiting technologies, so banknote iconography is no longer necessary for that purpose. According to neuroscientist David Eagleman, banknotes “are jam-packed with decorative features that have nothing to do with security—the trees, the patriots, the birds, the flags, the swirling colors. No one notices the security features because of all the distractions.” Eagleman argues that in order to maximize the efficiency of cash transactions, the ideal banknote would be “a blank white piece of paper with a single hologram in the middle.”

The fact that no monetary authority has ever followed Eagleman’s advice indicates that banknote iconography is not just for anti-counterfeiting. Eagleman himself suggests as much, lamenting that “currencies are supposed to impress the viewer with the regal power and artistic talents of a ruling body. Apparently, no government wants to appear un-regal and un-artistic when compared with another government.” In other words, Eagleman’s hypothesis is that political regimes are using banknote iconography to glorify themselves.

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NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: JANUARY 21, 2024

102703 | BOHEMIA. Czechoslovakian Folklore bronze Medal of Merit. Issued 1895 for the exhibition held in Prague, and awarded to the staff of the steward service (55mm, 72.83 g, 12h). By V. Šantrucek & I. B. Pichl. NÁRODOPISNÁ VÝSTAVA CESKOSLOVANSKÁ V PRAZE, female figure in traditional attire kneeling right, removing garment from chest; MDCCCXCV in exergue // Male figure kneeling right, holding linden branch overhead; ZÁSLUZE / O. N. V. C. in two lines to right. Edge: Plain. Hauser 3785. Choice Mint State. Rich red-brown surfaces, with a great glossy nature in the fields and charming relief. $195.

To read the complete item description, see:
102703 | BOHEMIA. Czechoslovakian Folklore bronze Medal of Merit. (https://www.numismagram.com/product-page/102703)

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LII COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL COINS AND MEDALS

On Monday, January 22, 2024, Heritage Auctions will offer The LII Collection of Historical Coins and Medals in an unreserved Showcase Sale. The 100 lots cataloged will be a fleeting moment compared to its 2,500 year span of history portrayed within. From Ancient Athens to Modern Tunisia, there are items to interest neophytes to advanced specialists. Significant pedigrees abound and often complement the historical events exemplified upon them. Many of these pieces are rarely seen except in named public sales or museums. Often, they are only obtainable generationally – if at all. Riveting imagery, superior condition, and attractive patinas broadly brush a sweeping canvas of numismatic iconography from “A” to “Zebra.” There should be something for all collecting tastes and budgets.

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NOONAN'S OFFERS SCOTTISH COIN COLLECTION

The first part of a large collection of Scottish coins dating from the period of William the Lion through to James V (c. 1180-1540) and amassed over the last 50 years will be offered at Noonans Mayfair in a single-owner sale titled A Collection of Scottish Coins, the Property of a Gentleman (Part I) on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 10am. The first sale will comprise 180 lots and is estimated at £60,000-80,000.

The collector, who wishes to remain anonymous concentrated on collecting silver coins (first pennies or sterlings, then in later reigns buying predominantly groats). It is a very commercial selection and with interest in Scottish coins still very strong, Noonans anticipate keen competition from dealers and collectors alike, both at home and abroad.

Highlights include an excessively rare and important sterling from the first coinage of Alexander III (1249-1286) from the Kinghorn mint in Fife, estimated at £1,200-1,500 [lot 13]. This is the place where Alexander is known to have died in a riding accident on a stormy night in March 1286.

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STACK’S BOWERS TO SELL JOHNSON COLLECTION

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is honored to be offering the D. Wayne Johnson (better known as Dick Johnson) Collection of art medals, coins, non-art medals, tokens, numismatic art, and assorted exonumia in a series of sales in 2024. Dick was a talented cataloger and numismatic historian who was a fixture in the world of art medals and the broader numismatic community for well over half a century. In addition, Dick cofounded the Rittenhouse Society in 1957 (a club of eminent numismatists that continues today) and was a founding editor of Coin World.

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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: JANUARY 21, 2024

1729 Bavaria Charles Albert Double Karolin

Bavaria.
Charles Albert, 1726-1745.
Double Karolin 1729, Munich.
Very rare. NGC MS63. Extremely fine to FDC.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Karl Albert, 1726-1745. Doppelter Karolin 1729, München. 19.40 g. Fb (https://www.kuenker.de/en/auktionen/stueck/379895)

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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY JANUARY 21, 2024

A snowstorm arrived in Northern Virginia on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, giving me a snow day off work. But by dinnertime most roads and parking lots were cleared and I headed to Not Your Average Joe's restaurant in Reston for the dinner meeting of my numismatic social group, Nummis Nova. Lorne Lavertu was our host.

Before I could even sit down I was having a great conversation with Jon Radel and Roger Burdette about Roger's current work with handwriting recognition. For years now Roger has been diligently mining U.S. Mint records at the National Archives and digitizing them for the Newman Numismatic Portal. Most of these old record books, documents and correspondence were created before the invention and adoption of the typewriter, and thus are handwritten. While the neat script of trained office clerks is generally human readable, machines can have a tough time making it out. Then there is the scrawl of Mint officials' signatures. But combining newer machine techniques with his years of experience, Roger is making great strides. With accurate machine-generated transcriptions of old handwritten documents, researchers will have a much easier time locating and using records relevant to their work. It's becoming a great time to be a numismatic author and researcher.

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7TH CENTURY BC COIN-WEIGHT FOUND

Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) Wednesday morning announced the discovery of a rare silver coin, roughly 2,500-years-old, which was found in the Judean Hill and considered one of the earliest evidences in Israel of the social transition to the use of coins.

In addition, the excavations also uncovered a building dating to the Kingdom of Judah period, in the 7th century BCE (2,700 years ago). Inside was a dome-shaped stone weight engraved to represent its value as one shekel.

“Through a tiny object like a coin, it becomes possible to trace human thought processes and observe that our economic habits have remained largely unchanged for thousands of years - only the technology has changed,” IAA Director, Eli Escusido, said in a press release statement.

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FRANCE MELTS NEW EU COINS

France has destroyed and reminted 27 million coins after failing to ask the EU for design approval and then being told they didn't conform.

The Monnaie de Paris, the country's mint, produced the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins with a new pattern in November but later discovered that the way the stars of the EU flag had been depicted was not compliant with the European Commission's very precise requirements.

Under EU law, countries can change the design of the "national" face of euro coins every 15 years, but they need the green light from the Commission as well as other eurozone governments, which have to be informed and have seven days to raise objections.

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SCIENCE BEHIND FRANKLIN'S MONEY PRINTING

Bucking the Counterfeiters: The Science Behind Franklin's Money Printing

Paper money in colonial America relied on the skill of its printers and reputation of its creditors for its value. Benjamin Franklin fought against money counterfeiting in pre-Federal America by inventing new printing methods and production measures. Khachatur Manukyan and his team at the Nuclear Science Laboratory in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Notre Dame have conducted a comprehensive scientific analysis of 600 paper money notes printed from 1709 to 1790 provide a unique perspective into Franklin’s ingenious ways for safeguarding bills, their materials, and historical instances of money manufacturing.

Dr. Manukyan will join us on Franklin's 318th birthday to discuss the methods his team used to analyze pre-Federal American paper money from the Rare Books and Special Collections of the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame. Their investigation of the chemical compositions of the paper fibers, the inks, and fillers made of special crystals in the bills revealed previously unknown ways that Franklin developed to safeguard printed money notes against counterfeiting. Franklin used natural graphite pigments to print money and developed durable “money paper” with colored fibers and translucent muscovite fillers, along with his own unique designs of “nature-printed” patterns and paper watermarks.

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STRAWBERRY SCRIP

To many collectors, terms like Silver Certificate and Gold Certificate are instantly recognizable and conjure an array of iconic notes each bearing a range of denominations and vignettes.

However, prior to the emergence and nationwide acceptance of federal currency, a variety of local and state issues filled the void. Known to collectors today as Obsolete Bank Notes, these came in a variety of denominations and bore a cacophony of vignettes that were often tied to local industry.

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LOOSE CHANGE: JANUARY 21, 2024

How People Come to the Hobby Today

Back in the 1960s, it was easy to become a young coin collector. You could start by sorting through your pocket change to fill in the holes in the inexpensive blue folders. There were also a number of newspaper carriers who became collectors then (and later several of them became dealers) because they collected the subscription money from the customers on their routes. Coin clubs galore sprang up across America from the 1950s through the 1960s.

The reasons that children today become numismatists are different from those in the 1960s. Fewer than 10% of today’s transactions in everyday commerce in America are settled with the use of coins or currency. Further, today’s coinage no longer has a metal value close to the face value of the coins.

The company where I work has several teenage- and under-thirty employees. Primarily, they became coin collectors because they appreciate history—and coins are a tangible way they can hold history in their hands. A couple just like looking at all the different coin designs, shapes, and metal contents. Even though these younger collectors may not constantly carry loose change in their pockets, they have still found their way to numismatics.

To read the complete article, see:
Young Collectors: 1960s Versus Today (https://www.numismaticnews.net/collecting-101/young-collectors-1960s-versus-today)

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