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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 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 JULY 7, 2024

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.

Many thanks to Garrett Ziss for finalizing this issue while I'm away on vacation! It's helpful to have his assistance, and all of us are glad to have a backup trained and ready if ever needed.

So where am I going, I hear you ask? When I told NBS President Len Augsburger one day, he said "That's literally the last thing I thought I would ever hear coming out of your mouth." Me, too. I told him I was flying to Zurich for a Taylor Swift concert.

Our daughter and her best friend are Swifties and had trouble getting concert tickets. She asked if she could go to a show in Switzerland if they could get the tickets. Figuring that's unlikely, I said yes. Guess what - they scored floor seats and now we're touring Switzerland. It's a great opportunity to bond with my daughter while she's home from college for the summer. There are actually seven of us going on this trip, which includes visits to both Geneva and Zurich with hiking and other sightseeing between.

See the earlier articles for Taylor Swift numismatic connections, including the below National Bank Note signed by her banker great-grandfather Archie Swift. Who knows, maybe she'll be the next billionaire collector...

This week we open with three new books, two book reviews, a periodical, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include Tyrants of the Nile, Mint engraver Christian Gobrecht, and ransom payment banknotes.

To learn more about rare coin die varieties, signers and printers of Confederate Bonds, collectors Mack and Brent Pogue, and the Judd-9 1792 Silver Disme study, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: NOVEMBER 12, 2023, PART 2 : Taylor Swift (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n46a24.html)
TAYLOR SWIFT AND NUMISMATICS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n47a12.html)

 

NEW BOOK: CHERRYPICKERS' GUIDE, 6TH EDITION, VOLUME III

Whitman® announces the upcoming release of the all-new third volume of the sixth edition of Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins. The popular and award-winning series has long been revered as an essential tool for identifying and understanding rare coin die varieties—valuable coins potentially hidden in pocket change and dealers’ inventories—and this new edition continues that tradition of excellence, packed with updated information for 310 unique varieties, more than 1,000 high-quality images, and detailed descriptions that provide enthusiasts the knowledge needed to make smart decisions in their numismatic pursuits.

The Sixth edition, Volume 3 examines die varieties for Liberty Seated, Barber, Walking Liberty, Franklin, and Kennedy half dollars; Liberty Seated, trade, Morgan, Peace, and modern dollars; gold dollars through double eagles; classic commemoratives; bullion coinage; and the Philippines. The layout is organized and easy-to- navigate, making it accessible for both novice and experienced collectors, and features an expanded introductory narrative, detailed photo enlargements, market values in multiple grades, and for the first time ever Greysheet-based pricing and GSID numbers that identify and link a coin across the entire family of Whitman Brands products, such as the Greysheet online pricing tool, CDN Exchange, and the Greysheet mobile app.

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BANKNOTE BOOK CEYLON CHAPTER PUBLISHED

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NEW BOOK: SIGNERS AND ISSUERS OF CONFEDERATE BONDS

The Confederate Treasury made a consequential decision in its early days, contrary to that of the U.S. Treasury: to have Treasury officials hand-sign each and every Treasury note and bond. This decision seemed reasonable if the war were short, but after four years of conflict the Confederacy eventually printed over $1.5 billion in notes and over $700 million in bonds. This meant that 80 million notes needed to be hand-signed by the Register and Treasurer, and nearly 1 million bonds needed to be hand-signed by the Register, initialed by two clerks as Recorder and Enterer, and its coupons signed by another clerk. Clearly too immense of a job for the Register and Treasurer themselves, the Treasury hired clerks to do the signing. In the end, 371 Treasury employees hand-signed Treasury notes and nearly 100 employees signed and initialed bonds and their coupons.

In our 2022 book Confederate Treasury Notes: The Signers and Their Stories, we told the story of the signers and origins of the Treasury notes. Though initially all Treasury employees were men, by the end of the war all signers of Treasury notes were women. Overall, two-thirds of the note signers were women. Many of these women were young and most were of high social standing, privileged, and educated, not to mention with good penmanship. This decision to employ women as Treasury clerks had enormous and long-lasting social consequences: their experiences, responsibilities, and opportunities opened the door for post-war work opportunities and choices that women never had before, forever changing the societies in which they lived.

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BOOK REVIEW: INTEREST PAID ON CONFEDERATE TREASURY NOTES

Interest Paid on Type 39, 40, and 41 Confederate Treasury Notes, with an Appendix on the Type 41 Tint Plate, by Roger Adamek, 74 pages, published by CC&A, 2024.

Roger Adamek has compiled a new catalog of the varieties of methods used to denote the interest paid on Confederate treasury notes. This new soft-cover book in an 8.5” by 11” format, is listed in eBay’s Confederate note section for $21.95 with free shipping. It is the culmination of an intense effort spanning two decades. In this book you will find images of all known varieties of Interest-Paid stamps and manuscripts on Type 39, 40, and 41 notes.

Treasury notes financed the war effort for the Confederacy. The first treasury notes were printed from high quality steel plate engravings by New York firms. President Lincoln shut down this production in early 1861 and C. G. Memminger, the Secretary of the Treasury for the Confederacy, was forced to turn to Richmond printers. On May 5th, 1862 the Treasury Note Division in Richmond began issuing large quantities of $100 notes designed and initially printed by the Richmond firm of Hoyer & Ludwig; 498,400 of these notes were issued up to January 16th, 1863, most of them printed by J. T. Paterson in Columbia, South Carolina. Hoyer & Ludwig’s design included a train vignette borrowed from northern engravers. The notes were printed as lithographs and are today known as Type 39 and Type 40 “train” notes. The Columbia, South Carolina firm of Keatinge & Ball produced a design from high quality engraved steel plates featuring slaves hoeing cotton. Known as Type 41 “hoer” notes, production commenced on August 26th, 1862, with a total of 670,400 notes issued by January 8th, 1863.

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BOOK REVIEW: CONFEDERATE ENGRAVERS AND PRINTERS

Engravers and Printers of Confederate Paper Money, by Mark Coughlan, 535 pages, ISBN 9798865899242, 8.5” by 11” format, soft cover with perfect binding. Available on Amazon for $55.00.

Numismatic books take the form of prized references and catalogs, but rarely do they delve into the historical context to place numismatics in the realm of human triumphs and foibles. Mark Coughlan is a master of such writing in his new book, Engravers and Printers of Confederate Paper Money. This is a heavily researched book of more than 500 pages, representing years of effort. The fluid prose and depth of knowledge would suggest that Mr. Coughlan had deep roots in the American South, but he is, in fact, a resident of London whose family has deep roots in the British Isles. Coughlan’s uncle rescued many Confederate bonds and treasury notes that had resided in the vaults of a London banker since the Civil War, and eventually gave them to Coughlan, knowing his “enthusiasm for that period in history.”

The struggles of the Confederacy in its effort to create a money supply are palpable in the historical context provided by Coughlan, and this is what makes the book such compelling reading.

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PERIODICAL: NUMISMATIQUE ASIATIQUE NO. 50

EDITORIAL
Cinquante
Fifty

CENTRAL ASIA
Western Liao charms with the legends in the Khitan large script
by V. A. Belyaev and S. V. Sidorovich

RUSSIAN FAR EAST
About the finds of Vietnamese cast coins in the Russian Far East
by Andrey Y. Ivlev

EXTRÊME-ORIENT
Le voyage d'une monnaie espagnole vers l'Extrême-Orient
par José Antonio de la Fuente Freyre

CHINE
Aux origines de la numismatique chinoise en France: Les errements du Père Du Halde et leur influence
par François Joyaux

Archives / INDOCHINE
Un kim-boi décerné par l'empereur Khai Dinh en 1922

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AL BECK (1935-2024)

Dr. Albert (“Al”) J. Beck passed on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 in Willows, California of natural causes. He was born August 13, 1935. He is survived by his wife Nancy Beck, sister Madeline Beck, one niece and one nephew, and cousins.

Al was known for his witty personality and passion for environmental and ecological studies. He served in the US Army and later earned a PhD in zoology from UC Davis. He spent time working in Malaysia soon after, was a former instructor at Chico State University, and most recently was an independent environmental impact consultant.

He served on the Butte County Mosquito & Vector Control District Board of Trustees for many years through December 2023.

Al was a coin enthusiast and traveled widely to local, state and national shows around the country. He started a local coin shop, The Coin Lode, in the seventies and continued business under that name until shortly before his death. In later years, he focused on coins depicting animals, melding his zoology pursuits with the coin hobby. He had a loyal group of clients and was a mentor to many young people in numismatics.

Al served as the bourse chairman of the local Chico Coin Club show for many years. He belonged to many numismatic organizations, including the ANA, NCNA, CSNA, and others.

He will be sorely missed by family, friends, and colleagues.

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JULIUS GUTTAG LATIN AMERICAN CATALOG

Julius Guttag Latin American Catalog

The 1929 publication of Catalogue of the Collection of Juilus Guttag: Comprising the Coinage of Mexico, Central America, South America and the West Indies described nearly 5,000 types of Latin American coins and effectively served as a forerunner of the well-known Standard Catalog of World Coins. Although serving as a catalog of the Guttag collection, the work is properly credited to Edgar H. Adams, of whom Guttag writes “Mr. Adams has done all the work of preparing the catalogue…I cannot thank [him] sufficiently….”

Among the many treasures of the American Numismatic Society Library is a five-volume set containing the individual pages of the Guttag Catalogue along with the pasteups of the original photographs. The quality of these images is generally much better than the halftone reproductions in the published version. This five-volume set has recently been scanned and is now accessible via Newman Portal.

The Guttag Latin American collection was sold in parts, with the first installment appearing in Kosoff’s December 10, 1941 sale. Part X, apparently the last, was featured in the Kosoff October 24, 1942 sale. Kosoff references individual coins by the Guttag number, allowing for comparison with the published reference. Kosoff further sold the Guttag library (August 6, 1940), but these five manuscript volumes do not appear in that auction sale catalog.

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VIDEO: NATIONAL BANK NOTE CURRENCY

"The Civil War, the Comptroller's Office and 73 Years of Bank Notes"

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STAN KESSELMAN INTERVIEW, PART THREE

GREG BENNICK: Would you say that that's your favorite coin you've ever handled? Or are there other coins?

STANLEY KESSELMAN: Well, I didn't really handle it. I mean, I had it in my hand. My favorite coin I ever handled. There was a collector called Mack Pogue and his son. Do you know them? He owned the Lincoln property. And I met Pogue in Dallas. And the first time we met him, we had a bunch of coins on the table. He never bought a coin in his life. And we had a set of Stellas. We had an 1857 ten in Proof, which came from Garrett. I haven't seen one since. There's supposedly two known. But I guess maybe the government has the other one.

GREG BENNICK: Yeah, maybe.

STANLEY KESSELMAN: And he looks around what we have and said, you know, I never bought a coin before. What should I buy? And I said, you should buy everything. And he started to laugh. He says, you're some salesman. He said, buy everything. He ended up buying the 1857 Ten. Maybe $60,000 for it.

GREG BENNICK: Wow.

STANLEY KESSELMAN: You know, again, I have not seen an 1857 ten in Proof since then.

GREG BENNICK: Yeah.

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MORE ON THE JUDD-9 SILVER DISME STUDY

I read with interest the monograph, History Recovered: Saga of the 1792 Silver Disme by Robert L. Rodriguez and Anthony J. Lopez that was published on the Newman Numismatic Portal. As a long-time professional scientist and amateur numismatist, it was very interesting to me to see modern and very high technologies applied to coin analysis. Rodriguez and Lopez applied highly advanced and expensive non-destructive technologies to the analysis of the three known 1792 silver dismes, which Rodriguez had purchased. They concluded that one of the three coins “is THE design work surface for one of the first two coins of the United States, a 1793 half cent.”

There are a number of places where I believe they go wrong, some trivial and some important. As an example of the former, they note the obverse inscription, LIBERTY PARENT OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY, and go from there to the conclusion that the inscription “captures what would become the driving forces in the development of the United States which were science and industry.” It is nice to think that the 1792 Mint personnel were so prescient, but I think we have to put the motto back into its place in the late 18th century. At that time science generally meant wisdom and knowledge; industry meant diligence and attention to business. What we think of today as science and industry did not exist in 1792. It is a coincidence that the lab scientists appreciated the motto in the sense in which they knew it.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JULY 7, 2024

Some Possible W. L. Shaws
Ted Banning writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WHO WAS W. L. SHAW? (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n26a12.html)

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THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF BARGELLO

As numismatists I suspect all of us visit museums when we travel, with the not-so-secret hope of stumbling across an exhibit of the stuff that interests us. Most of the time we are disappointed in that quest – and even when a museum does have some coins or medals on display, they are usually poorly lit, placed at angles that make it difficult to view, and have little in the way of descriptive text to accompany. There are, of course, major exceptions to this, including such well-known institutions as the Smithsonian, the British Museum, the Paris Money Museum, and others which clearly understand the importance of numismatics and, quite often, do an exceptional job of integrating their numismatic treasures with their other collections (the British Museum perhaps doing this better than any other, as not only do they have a large room devoted to numismatics, when wandering through the many other rooms you will often find coins and medals displayed in contexts that add to our understanding of a particular era or region).

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THE MISSING BOOK

One measure of a true numismatist is a serious research library, for by our very nature we collectors like to gather, classify, and arrange our holdings. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, American collectors have relied on books. Nor did the internet replace books about coins; rather it made older reference volumes easier to source. Even if we do not always pay strict attention to Aaron Feldman’s admonition “Buy the book before you buy the coin,” intuitively we know that we might get more enjoyment out of the hobby if only we knew more about what we were collecting.

Consider the experience of early collectors of U.S. copper. Until the 1859 release of Montroville Wilson Dickeson’s The American Numismatical Manual, scant reference material existed. A second seminal work, Sylvester Crosby’s Early Coins of America, debuted in 1875. State-specific guides came a little later. Is there a specialist in New Jersey copper without a copy of Dr. Edward Maris’s 1881 A Historic Sketch of the Coins of New Jersey on the bookshelf? How does one even speak “New Jersey” with dealers or other collectors without Maris?

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STEVENS-SOLLMAN REJOINS CCAC

The United States Mint announced today that the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury has appointed Jeanne Stevens-Sollman to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) as the member specially qualified by virtue of her experience in the medallic arts and sculpture, effective May 23, 2024. She previously served on the CCAC from 2012 through 2022 as a member representing the interest of the general public. She replaces Darla Jackson, who briefly served on the CCAC in 2023. Jeanne will serve a statutory four-year term.

Jeanne Stevens-Sollman is a full-time studio artist living in Centre County, Pennsylvania with her artist/craftsman husband, Phil Sollman. Jeanne is internationally recognized for her bronze medallions and relief work as well as her long-time series of rabbits. Her work is found in many private collections, in addition to the permanent collections of the State Museum in Harrisburg, PA; the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA; the British Museum, London, England; the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; and the National Museum of Medallic Art, Warsaw, Poland. Before embarking on her medallic career, Jeanne taught at Penn State University, Juniata College, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

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COIN COLLECTING WITH CUB SCOUTS

A while back a friend asked if I would give a presentation on coin collecting for his Cub Scout den. I figured it would be a cakewalk. His children and my daughter are about the same age, and I’ve talked to seven- and eight-year-olds about coins before. On top of that, I was a kid once—and a Scout, and a collector.

Well, it was fun, and it was educational (for everyone, including me), but at times it was like herding cats! The group was about a dozen first- to third-graders, mostly boys, with a couple girls. Energy level: Off the charts. My friend, their den leader, was very helpful in keeping the kids focused and on task. He provided some printouts. I brought line-art diagrams of the parts of a coin, a box of Red Books and coin folders, a few other coin books, and some show-and-tell pieces.

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TYRANTS OF THE NILE EXHIBIT AT 2024 ANA

Historic rare coins of Egypt from the unparalleled Tyrant Collection (www.TheTyrantCollection.com) will be publicly displayed together for the first time at the American Numismatic Association Chicago World’s Fair of Money® (www.WorldsFairofMoney.com), August 6-10, 2024. The exhibit entitled Tyrants of the Nile includes coins of the ancient world’s most famous queen, the legendary Cleopatra VII.

Tyrants of the Nile will be the latest multi-million-dollar exhibition in a multi-year series of different educational displays revealing portions of the extensive and unprecedented Tyrant Collection. Owned by Southern California collector Dan O’Dowd, it is described as the world’s most valuable rare coin collection in private hands.

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ANA AWARDS DISTINGUISHED NUMISMATISTS

Every year, the American Numismatic Association (ANA) recognizes members who go above and beyond with their service and dedication to numismatics. The following awards, which are presented at the World's Fair of Money®, will be awarded during the Member Awards & Donor Celebration, Thursday, Aug. 8 from 3-4:30 p.m. in room 25/26 of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.

The ANA's Medal of Merit honors individuals who have dedicated years of service to the Association and have worked hard to promote the hobby. This year's recipients are David Crenshaw, Steve Roach, and Dennis Tucker.

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VOCABULARY TERM: POROSITY

Porosity. A surface full of tiny pores. Sand casting is notorious for creating porous surfaces from the contours of multiple grains of sand forming the wall of the mold. Other porous surfaces are formed by minute voids, tiny blowholes (from escaping gas) and sometimes from shrinkage during cooling. When intended as part of the design such a surface is called stippled and is a form of texture. When unintended the porosity can be so uneven or unsightly the cast piece would be rejected. Actually surface porosity is multiple concavity of thousands of micro cups.

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ROBERT STEPHEN LIPKA (1945-2013)

Occasionally I may mention my book, Numismatic Rogues Gallery, published on the Newman Numismatic Portal. This story will require a new chapter.

Robert Lipka was born in Niagara Falls, New York, on June 16, 1945, the son of Gust and Stephanie Lipka (1922-2000). They were married on June 30, 1941, and divorced in 1963. Robert graduated from Cumberland Valley High School in 1963 and enlisted in the United States Army.

He must have scored high in his Army intelligence tests. In 1964 he was assigned to the National Security Agency as an intelligence analyst at Fort Meade in Maryland. Part of his job was to shred highly classified documents.

In September of 1965, he walked into the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C. and betrayed his country. He volunteered to be a spy and was provided with a camera to photograph documents. He played chess with his Russian handler and left rolls of film at secret locations. For two years he turned over classified documents and received payments of $27,000. He was motivated more by the money than ideology.

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NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: JULY 7, 2024

102533 | UNITED STATES & GERMANY. Colonial America and Preußen (Prussia) silver Medal. Issued 1763. The Treaty of Hubertusburg and the end of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War in America) (44mm, 21.70 g, 12h). By J. L. Oexlein for D. F. Loos in Leipzig. IAM REDIRE AVDET (now she dares to return...), Germania standing facing, head right, holding scepter and grain ear; mountains and plowman in background; in two lines in exergue, GERMANIA / PACATA (...with Germany being at peace) // NVNCIA PACIS (the messenger of Peace), view of the Hubertusburg Palace; above, Fama (Rumor) flying right, blowing in one trumpet and holding another; D 15 FEBR MDCCLXIII in exergue. Edge: Plain. Betts 446; Pax in Nummis 595; Olding 931; Henckel 1658. PCGS MS-61. Highly brilliant and lustrous, with some colorful toning around the devices. Compare to an NGC AU-58 that realized a total of $504 in Heritage's March 2023 World Medals and Tokens Showcase Auction #61312, lot 22180 (and for which its current owner now wants at least $756), and a PCGS SP-61 (severely hairlined) that realized a total of $1,320 in the Stack's Bowers February 2022 CCO Auction, lot 73771. $795.

To read the complete item description, see:
102533 | UNITED STATES & GERMANY. Colonial America and Prussia silver Medal. (https://www.numismagram.com/product-page/102533)

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CHRISTIAN GOBRECHT GRAVE MARKER UNVEILING

Christian Gobrecht Grave Marker Unveiling

Christian Gobrecht, third Engraver of the United States Mint, died in office on July 23, 1844, and was succeeded by James Barton Longacre. Gobrecht was interred at Philadelphia's Monument Cemetery, at Broad and Berks Streets in North Central Philadelphia. By 1955, the burial grounds were dilapidated. With Temple University and the Philadelphia Board of Education wishing to acquire the land, the courts were petitioned for relocation of the cemetery. The following year, Gobrecht and family members were reinterred at Lawnview Cemetery in Rockledge, PA, a northeast suburb of Philadelphia.

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THE GEORGE WEYERHAEUSER KIDNAPPING

It was back in 1935 when little 9-year-old George Weyerhaeuser – whose great-grandfather founded the company – was snatched by kidnappers on his way home from school in Tacoma one May afternoon.

George’s great-grandfather is Frederick Weyerhaeuser. He started the Weyerhaeuser forest products dynasty in 1900, and Bryan Johnston says the elder Weyerhaeuser is still considered the 12th richest man in American history, as in ever. For comparison, says Johnston, another local guy – Bill Gates – is on the same list at number 11.

Thus, little George Weyerhaeuser was a natural target for a kidnap and ransom scheme in the middle of the Great Depression.

Around 6:30 p.m., a special delivery letter – mailed anonymously and containing a ransom note – arrived at the Weyerhaeuser home. In an old newsreel, the narrator describes what happened next.

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STACKS BOWERS: CANADIAN METIS SCRIP

While cataloging the upcoming world paper money section in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries August Global Showcase auction I came across an interesting item with which I was unfamiliar. It is a Dominion Land Bond from Canada dated June 13, 1876, issued by the Dominion Lands Branch of the Department of the Interior. Printed by the British American Bank Note Co. in Montreal, the bond – for 20 dollars payable to bearer – is graded About Uncirculated 53 by PMG and has been cancelled. It is hand-signed by the Surveyor General and the Minister of the Interior. Unfamiliar with this type of bond, I soon found it played a role in a dark chapter of Canadian history.

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PIG MONEY: GENUINE OR COUNTERFEIT?

As Collections Manager at the American Numismatic Society, I have been fortunate enough to poke my head into practically every nook and cranny of the vault at the behest of academics, researchers, and members, usually to locate an object for photography, confirm an object’s weight or other details, and so on. Consequently, I often come across trays of objects that I have never seen or even heard of before, and occasionally I stumble upon something that causes me to furrow my brow and (quietly) exclaim, “What the heck are these things?”

One such occasion happened well over a year ago, when I found a single tray in the Medals and Decorations department simply labeled “Pig Money.” I turned several of the objects over (some of which were as thick and heavy as Roman aes grave; others as small and thin as a medieval denier or penny) and examined them. Some of the objects indeed had pigs (or, at the very least, pig-like animals) depicted on them—some featured lone animals, others had several pigs, and still others portrayed a sow and multiple piglets—and yet some had no pigs (or pig-like animals) at all. Most of the objects looked vaguely ‘ancient’ however they differed in that some objects seemed to have legitimate, old patinas coupled with an archaistic style, whereas others were almost cartoonish in nature, as if someone had asked a child to design an ancient coin. I resolved to figure out what these objects were but did not think to look into them again until I was notified that I had committed to writing this week’s Pocket Change blog post—a perfect opportunity to dive into the strange world of pigs.

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A NEW 1715 TREASURE FLEET FIND

Mike Penninger thought his treasure-hunting days might be over. After 30 years of exploring wrecks off the Atlantic coast, surfacing with coins, rings and other artifacts, the 71-year-old Florida diver and boat captain was about ready to hang up the scuba suit.

Then, he and his crew came upon something extraordinary off the coast of Sebastian, Fla.: scores of Spanish coins from an infamous 18th-century shipwreck.

“It’s a lot of work,” Penninger said of searching for treasure. “I’m too old. I’m almost 72 and so I’m thinking, ‘I’m done with this.’ The very next day, bam, we get the first 100 coins.”

The crew would ultimately find more than 200 coins during dives between May 30 and June 16. Their discovery dates back more than 300 years to what’s known as the Spanish Treasure Fleet of 1715, the divers said.

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COINS DEFACED FOR POLITICS

A George III silver shilling that was probably modified in 1784 by London publican Sam House (picture courtesy of Timothy Millett).

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LOOSE CHANGE: JULY 7, 2024

Civil War Soldiers Receive the Medal of Honor

Two members of the legendary Andrews' Raiders, Philip "Perry" Gephart Shadrach and George Davenport Wilson, were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor at a ceremony on July 3rd.

Nineteen (19) of the 22 of the soldiers who were part of Andrews' Raiders were awarded the Medal of Honor between 1863 and 1883. One soldier who was stopped by Confederates near Jasper and never made it to Georgia for the raid was offered the Medal, but he declined.

Now the final 2 soldiers who were a part of the Great Locomotive Chase will be honored at the White House more than 162 years after the raid.

To read the complete article, see:
2 Civil War soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in & near Chattanooga (https://www.newschannel9.com/features/price-of-freedom/2-civil-war-soldiers-will-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-actions-in-near-chattanooga-shadrach-wilson-andrews-raiders-great-locomotive-chase)

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