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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: Jeff Dickerson, Treasurer AsylumFor Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Jeff 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 
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- WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
- THE E-SYLUM TURNS TWENTY-SIX
- GARDNER COLLECTION PHOTO BOOKS AVAILABLE
- LEATHERBOUND U.S. PROOF COINS VOL II: NICKEL
- DAVID WILLIAM MAC DOWALL (1930-2024)
- MALCOLM FLOYD MCINTYRE (1945-2024)
- NNP GREG BENNICK INTERVIEWS ARNO SAFRAN
- NNP ADDS 2024 NBS CONVENTION EVENT VIDEOS
- VIDEO: COLLECTING NATIONAL BANK NOTES
- NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
- 1891 CONFEDERATE CENT ARTICLE
- 1893 COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION HALF DOLLAR OFFER
- NUMISMATOURIST VISITS CZECH MUNICIPAL MUSEUM
- COMMEMORATIVE COINS AND MEMORABILIA EXHIBIT
- VOCABULARY TERM: PRESSMAN
- THEODORE GRAHAM WEAR JR. (1902-1974)
- HERITAGE SEPTEMBER 2024 AUCTION SELECTIONS
- STEPHEN ALBUM RARE COINS AUCTION 50
- NOONAN'S TO SELL PHILLIPS FAMILY COLLECTION
- KUENKER AUCTION SALES 412-414
- OTHER 2024 ANA NUMISMATIC LITERATURE EXHIBITS
- OTHER 2024 ANA WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY EXHIBITS
- THE PERPETUAL PENNY PARADOX
- MARY THE PIGEON'S DICKIN MEDAL
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 SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
New subscribers this week include:
Kirk.
Welcome aboard! We now have 7,250 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 some E-Sylum history, new books, two obituaries, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.
Other topics this week include NBS events at the recent ANA convention, National Bank Notes, the Numismatourist's latest adventure, numismatic author Ted Wear, four auction previews, more ANA show numismatic literature exhibits, and Mary the Pigeon's Dickin medal.
To learn more about Liberty Seated coinage, proof nickel coinage, David Mac Dowall, H. Alvin Sharpe, the Confederate Cent, a circulated Stella, an Ephraim Brasher countermark, the Regina Adams Collection, Charles T. Steigerwalt, three cent patterns, and the Perpetual Penny Paradox, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
Image of the week
THE E-SYLUM TURNS TWENTY-SIX
The E-Sylum is twenty-six years old this week.
On September 4, 1998 the first issue of what we now call The E-Sylum was emailed to a list of members and friends of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. Now archived on our web site as Volume 1, Number 1, that first message started the ball rolling. That email went to 49 people. As the word spread, subscription requests arrived from around the world and by September 15 there were 90 subscribers.
WHAT'S WITH THE FUNNY NAME? Well, our organization is the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, a group for people who love coin books and are crazy for any and all information about numismatics. Our print journal is The Asylum, so our electronic publication naturally became The E-Sylum. While The E-Sylum is free to all, only paid members of NBS receive The Asylum.
An excerpt from the September 4, 1998 message:
"A number of folks signed up at the meeting in Portland. To that initial group we've added the addresses of other current and former members that the Board is aware of, plus a few numismatic pen pals we thought might be interested.
This is intended to be a moderated, low-volume mailing list, with no more than one message every week or so. Its purpose and use will evolve over time - please send us your comments and suggestions.
In the meantime, please visit our web site, and forward this note to any other email pen-pal you think might have an interest. Remember, the list isn't limited to only NBS members. Don't assume they're already on the list; we're starting small, but with your help we can grow."
GARDNER COLLECTION PHOTO BOOKS AVAILABLE
A limited number of Gene Gardner Collection Photo Books is available from Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers. -Editor
Kolbe & Fanning are pleased to offer two sets of beautifully produced books of photo enlargements of Gene Gardner's collection of Liberty Seated coinage, which are available in limited quantities.
LEATHERBOUND U.S. PROOF COINS VOL II: NICKEL
Orders are now being taken for the deluxe leatherbound version of John Dannreuther's new volume on proof nickel coinage. Here's the announcement. -Editor
The leather bound UNITED STATES PROOF COINS Volume II: NICKEL is at the printers!
We are offering a pre-order price of $225 ($250 after they are printed).
If you have a numbered leather bound gold volume, the same number leather bound nickel proof will be reserved.
Please complete the order through the website link, and confirm the number you have of the gold leather bound volume. You may pay through credit card or PayPal on the website. If you wish to pay by check, please still complete the order online (mark Manual Payment), and mail it to:
DAVID WILLIAM MAC DOWALL (1930-2024)
John Madlon passed along this obituary of David Mac Dowall, found via the Oriental Numismatic Society. John writes, "He was a former Assistant keeper of Oriental Coins at the British Museum back in the 50's and later did research into the connections between Roman and Indian numismatics." -Editor
David Mac Dowall, the numismatist, who has died aged 94 was, at various times, Assistant Keeper of Oriental Coins at the British Museum, Master of University College, Durham and Director of the North London Polytechnic (now the University of North London).
Mac Dowall’s research into ancient coins of the Indian subcontinent, notably of the Indo-Greek Kingdom (c 200 BC-c 10 AD) , the Kushan Empire (c 30- c 375 AD), and the Shahis, a dynasty who governed the Kabul valley (in Afghanistan) and the old province of Gandhara from the decline of the Kushan empire, greatly influenced scholarly understanding of the subcontinent in those periods.
David William Mac Dowall was born on April 2 1930 in the West Derby suburb of Liverpool to William Mac Dowall and Lilian, née Clarkson, both teachers. From the Liverpool Institute he won a scholarship aged 16 to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he read Mods and Greats.
MALCOLM FLOYD MCINTYRE (1945-2024)
Gregg Coburn of the
Fairfax Coin Club in Virginia writes:
"I’m sorry to report Malcom Mcintyre (Mac) passed away on the 22nd of August. His funeral is scheduled for Saturday September 7th at Moser Funeral Home in Warrenton.
"Mac has been a volunteer for the Virginia Numismatic Association show in Fredericksburg for many years and an active member of the Culpeper coin club and Warrenton stamp and coin club. He was there on setup day with Moore Gouldman assisting him with transporting the large carts and helping dealers move in. Then back on the last day to help dealers and Moore again."
Thank you. Sorry to hear the news. Here's an excerpt from the obituary in the Fauquier Times. Mac worked for a time at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. -Editor
NNP GREG BENNICK INTERVIEWS ARNO SAFRAN
The latest addition to the Newman Numismatic Portal is an interview with Arno Safran by Greg Bennick. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report. -Editor
Greg Bennick Interviews Arno Safran
Arno Safran, who currently resides in Georgia, was raised in New Jersey and collected from his teenage years. His "aha" moment took the form of a low-grade 1857 cent, discovered by his father in a New York City subway gum machine. Safran’s professional career was spent as a music professor, and more than a few numismatists have demonstrated crossover expertise in the music field – names such as Gene Hessler and Douglas Kurz come to mind. The Bicentennial was the occasion for Safran’s renewed interest in numismatics as an adult, of which the EAC group played a large part.
Greg Bennick recently interviewed Arno Safran, Greg’s 11th installment in this series. Safran touches on the connections between classical and rock music, and his family’s musical background. Along the way he comments on the numismatic scene in the various places he has lived, in addition to his contributions to the Augusta (GA) Coin Club and the Stephen James CSRA Coin Club in Aiken, SC.
NNP ADDS 2024 NBS CONVENTION EVENT VIDEOS
Further additions to the Newman Numismatic Portal are videos of Numismatic Bibliomania Society events from this month's American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money®. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report. -Editor
NBS Event Videos from the ANA Convention
Two videos from NBS events at the recent ANA World’s Fair of Money are now available for viewing. The NBS Symposium, held August 7, 2024, features Bob Leonard speaking on the upcoming 3rd edition of the Breen-Gillio reference on fractional gold, while Len Augsburger covers the Eric P. Newman bibliography, co-authored with Joel Orosz, to be published by Kolbe & Fanning. The NBS general meeting video, from August 8, 2024, includes the annual Charity Auction followed by the NBS awards presentation.
Other NBS-related videos from the ANA, including Jeff Dickerson’s slipcase building demo, the literature exhibits on the bourse floor, and the Hamelberg library tour, will be released in due course. NBS acknowledges Lianna Spurrier of Numismatic Marketing for video recording and editing.
VIDEO: COLLECTING NATIONAL BANK NOTES
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 2009 about National Bank Notes. -Editor
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
On the Perth Mint's Precious Metals Business
John Regitko
of Toronto, Canada writes:
"A few issues ago, you published the information provided in a press release: "The Perth Mint is Australia's "largest fully integrated, innovative precious metals enterprise" and provides gold, silver and platinum products and services to markets across the world. It's run by the Western Australian government and is the world's only government-owned and guaranteed precious metals enterprise."
"I think that the Royal Canadian Mint might have a different opinion, since they would claim that they are not only a government-owned and guaranteed precious metals enterprise, but the world's largest.
"If I am wrong, I am sure that we will hear back from a few of your knowledgeable readers."
The U.S. Mint makes a sizable business in precious metals as well. -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NO CASH AT THE PERTH MINT
(https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n29a30.html)
Other topics this week include national flowers of the United Kingdom, gift card collecting, Mardi Gras doubloons, and the Medal Collectors of America (MCA). -Editor
1891 CONFEDERATE CENT ARTICLE
Jim Haas forwarded this article from the July 25, 1891 Martinsburg Independent about the 'Confederate Cent' created by die-sinker Robert Lovett Jr. The story was covered in a wide range of newspapers throughout the country, and discussed and debated by numismatists ever since.
Plenty of inaccuracies (such as the headline "Made at the Philadelphia Mint") but of interest in documenting the story's origins. See the earlier articles linked below for more information. -Editor
1893 COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION HALF DOLLAR OFFER
Jim Haas also forwarded this December 3, 1892 advertisement from The Evening Star of Washington, D.C. offering Columbian Exposition Half Dollars for the low, low price of one dollar (double face value). The ad, published by the Treasurer of the Exposition, touts the new commemorative coin as an investment. -Editor
NUMISMATOURIST VISITS CZECH MUNICIPAL MUSEUM
Numismatourist Howard Berlin recently visited the Municipal Museum in the Czech town of Ústí nad Labem. Here's his report. Thank you! -Editor
in Ústí nad Labem, Czechia
The day after I arrived in Dresden, I took a day trip by train to the Czech town of Ústí nad Labem, which is about 40 miles north of Prague and close to the Czech-German border. Located in the western region of Bohemia, Ústí nad Labem was formerly known by the German name of Aussig prior to Czechoslovak independence.
1. A selection of Theresienstadt "Moses Korun" receipts (1943) along with information about its designer, Petr Kien, a Jewish artist at the Theresienstadt concentration camp and who died in 1944 at Auschwitz.
One interest for visiting the town is that some of my wife’s relatives, following liberation from concentration camps, lived here after World War II before immigrating to Delaware. Another was the numismatic collection at the city’s Municipal Museum.
COMMEMORATIVE COINS AND MEMORABILIA EXHIBIT
Numismatic ephemera including packaging material is often rare and quite interesting, and sometimes an important source of information that would otherwise be lost to the ages. Here 's the press release for an exhibit at the upcoming Great American show. Congratulations to the astute collector who assembled these. -Editor
Spectacular J&L Commemoratives Memorabilia
and Hansen Collection Coins In Tampa Displays
Rarely-seen artifacts from classic commemoratives era among multi-million
dollar exhibits at Great American Coin & Collectibles Show
Additional displays of superb-quality, classic United States coins are planned for the inaugural Great American Coin & Collectibles Show in the Tampa, Florida Convention Center, September 11-14, 2024, according to show organizers. The exhibits now will also include outstanding items from the Dell Loy Hansen Collection, the most valuable collection of United States coins, and the largest public display of artifacts and memorabilia related to classic U.S. commemorative coins from the J&L Collection.
As announced earlier, the show will also feature the first Tampa display of the famous Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Head nickel as well as a 1943 bronze Lincoln cent, both courtesy of GreatCollections (www.GreatCollections.com).
One of the new additions to the exhibits courtesy of Hansen and DLRC (www.DLRCcoins.com) will be nearly 150 coins from his extensive collection. This display will include the Hansen Barber Half Dollars Collection from 1892 to 1915, the all-time finest set of its kind. There will also be a selection of Hansen’s Liberty Head Double Eagles and silver three-cent coins on display.
VOCABULARY TERM: PRESSMAN
Here's another entry from Dick Johnson's Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology. -Editor
Pressman. The operator of any press used to strike coins or medals, as a coining press or any type of medal press. A pressman reports to a pressroom foreman, who is responsible for all activity to produce the coins or medals. Operators of presses have always been called a pressman (since 1819), previously the operator of a screw press who fed blanks and ejected struck pieces manually was called a coin setter.
A pressman's greatest responsibilities with automatic presses are: (1) not to break a die, (2) to use the correct blanks for striking the order at hand, (3) to setup the press properly, (4) to insure the feed mechanism is delivering blanks to the press properly and continuously, and (5) to frequently inspect the struck items during a production run.
THEODORE GRAHAM WEAR JR. (1902-1974)
On the Numismatic Bibliomania Society Facebook group, Marcus Davis posted photos of some recent library acquisitions including Coin Collecting in a Nutshell by Ted G. Wear. Kerry Wetterstrom commented,"I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Ted G. Wear before now. A pseudonym perhaps?" Well, I'd heard of him and had a couple of his books in my library, but didn't know anything about him. I passed the question along to E-Sylum Feature Writer and American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith, who submitted this article. Thanks for the detective work! -Editor
Theodore Graham Wear Jr. (1902-1974)
My topic this week is author Ted G. Wear, as suggested by Wayne Homren. My first hour of
research provided almost no results. Eventually I found a few good sources.
Ted G. Wear wrote three books on numismatic topics.
- Strange Moneys of the World (1957).
- Coin Collecting in a Nutshell (1963).
- Ancient Coins: How to Collect for Fun and Profit (1965).
Wear was born in Joplin, Missouri, on September 23, 1902. His parents were Theodore Graham Wear (1865-1935) and Marie Price Dawson (1875-1954). They were divorced in 1909 on grounds of abandonment and incompatibility. She had gone to California and told her husband she did not wish to return. In 1910, Ted Jr. was living with his mother and grandmother in Topeka, Kansas.
HERITAGE SEPTEMBER 2024 AUCTION SELECTIONS
This month, Heritage Auctions is selling a litany of high grade American coins, some of which are part of the Duffy Collection. -Garrett
The Duffy Family Collection boasts a bumper crop of silver and gold type coins in collector grades.
Among the top selections from the collection is a beautiful 1795 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle, AU55 PCGS from a small original production run of just 8,707 during the first year (although it is likely more 1795s were struck in ensuing years, since at the time, the Mint continued using coinage dies as long as they were serviceable). The example offered in this auction represents the scarce BD-6 variety, of which it is believed no more than 60-80 survive today in all grades.
From the same collection comes a seldom-seen circulated example of an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, PR50. Flowing Hair stellas are exceedingly popular among collectors. The denomination, widely believed to have been created by former Chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary John A. Kasson, the idea for this denomination actually came from Philadelphia lawyer and inventor William Wheeler Hubbell and his influential sponsor, Alexander H. Stephens, Chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures, who championed the proposal in Congress.
STEPHEN ALBUM RARE COINS AUCTION 50
Here's the press release for Stephen Album Rare Coins upcoming Auction 50. -Editor
Stephen Album Rare Coins will hold its Auction 50 from September 19-22, 2024, at their offices in Santa
Rosa, California. The auction is made up of 4500 lots of Ancient, Islamic, Indian, Chinese, and World
Coins. The first two days will be in-person bidding as well as on the internet, while the third and fourth
days will be internet-only sessions. Featured in the auction will be The Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection
of Ancient & World Coins, The Hakim Hamidi Collection of Afghanistan Coins, The Jürgen M. Wilmes
Collection of Openwork Charms, and The Almer H. Orr III Collection of World Coins. Two additional
anonymous collections are featured, one consisting of Georgian Coins, and the other named "The Solar
Collection" of coins of Ceylon and Tranquebar.
Some highlights from the sale follow:
NOONAN'S TO SELL PHILLIPS FAMILY COLLECTION
This press release outlines Noonan's upcoming sale of the Phillips Family Collection of Ancient Greek Coins to benefit the Heberden Coin Room in the Ashmolean Museum. -Editor
Lot 96
A phenomenal collection of 254 gold and silver coins that span the whole of the Greek World, many of which have not been on the market for 80 years, are to be sold at Noonans Mayfair on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 12noon.
The collection is estimated to fetch £1million and is being sold to benefit the Heberden Coin Room in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University’s Museum of Art and Archaeology which houses approximately 50,000 Greek and Roman Provincial coins and is the leading Coin Room in the world.
THE BOOK BAZARRE
KUENKER AUCTION SALES 412-414
Here is the press release previewing the Künker Fall Auction Sales 412-414. -Editor
24 and 25 September 2024 are designated for Künker’s general auction sale. But what does "general" even mean? The special collections offered on these days were simply not large enough to be presented in a separate catalog. But of course, they are just as important as the other collections.
The Regina Adams Collection
The Regina Adams Collection, for example, "only" contains 31 selected lösers of the Welf dynasty – however, it is incredibly difficult to find 31 lösers of such extraordinary quality. It was of utmost importance to the collector to be able to see every single detail of the motif.
OTHER 2024 ANA NUMISMATIC LITERATURE EXHIBITS
I ran out of time and space last week, but there were a couple more literature exhibits at the recent American Numismatic Association's World's Fair of Money® show in Rosemont, IL. Both had a large number of cases; here are some selected case photos and links to a complete photo gallery. Sorry about the unavoidable glare from the overhead lighting. -Editor
A Glimpse of the Life of Charles T. Steigerwalt
From the exhibit guide: "This exhibit displays just a few accomplishments of Charles T. Steigerwalt. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He became one of the most respected numismatists in the United States and Canada between the late 1800's and early 1900's."
Case 1
OTHER 2024 ANA WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY EXHIBITS
Here are samplings of some of the other great exhibits at the recent American Numismatic Association's World's Fair of Money® show in Rosemont, IL. Congratulations and many thanks to the exhibitors who invested so much time and effort into sharing their knowledge and collections with the numismatic community. This is what it's all about. -Editor
Three Cent Patterns
THE PERPETUAL PENNY PARADOX
In the Hey-don't-blame-me-I-still-spend-'em department is this New York Times rant about the continued production of the often overlooked and forgotten one cent coin er, "penny." -Editor
One Hundred Million Pennies, San Francisco Mint, 1950
I was disappointed to learn, recently, that the United States has created for itself a logistical problem so stupendously stupid, one cannot help wondering if it is wise to continue to allow this nation to supervise the design of its own holiday postage stamps, let alone preside over the administration of an extensive Interstate highway system or nuclear arsenal. It’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. I have come to think of it as the Perpetual Penny Paradox.
Most pennies produced by the U.S. Mint are given out as change but never spent; this creates an incessant demand for new pennies to replace them, so that cash transactions that necessitate pennies (i.e., any concluding with a sum whose final digit is 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 or 9) can be settled. Because these replacement pennies will themselves not be spent, they will need to be replaced with new pennies that will also not be spent, and so will have to be replaced with new pennies that will not be spent, which will have to be replaced by new pennies (that will not be spent, and so will have to be replaced). In other words, we keep minting pennies because no one uses the pennies we mint.
MARY THE PIGEON'S DICKIN MEDAL
A recent episode of Antiques Roadshow featured a Dickin Medal, the highest recognition an animal can achieve for their bravery, such as in war or as part of a police force. These medals have been mentioned many times before in The E-Sylum, and some of these past articles are linked below for more context. -Garrett
Antiques Roadshow guests couldn't quite believe it when their grandad's war medal, awarded to his beloved pigeon Mary, was valued. The episode, which airs on Sunday, August 25, saw the experts set up shop at Pitzhanger Manor And Gallery in Ealing.
Expert Mark Smith encountered a couple eager to present their Dickin Medal. Recognising its significance, he told them: "So when you came to my table this morning, you opened the bag and told me what was inside and I said 'No stop, we're going to try and film this one because it is so fantastic", he revealed.
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