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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 10/15/2024 - Numismatic Antiquarian Bookshop Lang 11/2/2024 - Kolbe & Fanning 1/4/2025 - 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 SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

New subscribers this week include: Leo Greenberry, courtesy Kerry Wetterstrom; and Gregoire Peverelli. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,270 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 numismatic literature sale, five new books and monographs, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from E-Sylum readers, and more.

Other topics this week include Philippine medals and tokens, New Zealand banknotes, Souvenir Cards, Liberty Seated coinage, Texas Ranger badges, process sets, Andre Dawson, Arno Safran, Heidi Wastweet, Ute Wartenberg, auction previews, the Robert Reed and John Beck collections, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and counterfeit Cuban banknotes.

To learn more about the D. F. Grotjohann library, Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, George William Wyon, bars with currency as wallpaper, the ICOMON conference, Donald Muniz, NENA News, the Nicolas Maier Collection, the American Toby Jug Museum and that medal on Campbell's soup cans, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

LANG NUMISMATIC LITERATURE AUCTION 4

We are pleased to announce the 4th auction of the Numismatisches Antiquariat Lang on October 15, 2024! This auction offers an incomparable opportunity to bid on an impressive selection of numismatic literature, bibliophile works, auction catalogs and professional journals.

Particularly noteworthy are:

• The D. F. Grotjohann library (lots no. 1-136), focusing on ancient numismatics.
• Selections from the Reinhold Jordan library, with a focus on British numismatics.

Read more here

NEW BOOK: PHILIPPINE MEDALS AND TOKENS, 4TH EDITION

Philippine Medals and Tokens 1780-2024 (4th Edition)
Earl Honeycutt & Sandy Lichauco

The 4th edition of Philippine Medals and Tokens 1780-2024 is now available for US buyers! The 4th edition sports a new format, with more than 2200 medals and tokens presented in rich detail over 343 pages.

The retail price of the book is $110, to include S/H via Media Mail.

Please contact the lead author, Earl Honeycutt, at: ehoneycutt@elon.edu or (919) 357-6160 with the following information:

1. Number of books you want.
2. Personal Dedication—please provide name(s).
3. Preferred method of payment: check/money order, paypal, zelle (routing info will be provided).
4. Any questions you may have.

Books will ship Media Mail within 24 hours of confirmed payment.

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BANKNOTE BOOK NEW ZEALAND CHAPTER PUBLISHED

CDN is proud to announce the publication of the complete 117-page catalog covering 1,445 varieties of notes from 14 trading banks from 1840 – 1933, and the Reserve Bank from 1934 to present.

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BANKNOTE BOOK BUKHARA CHAPTER PUBLISHED

CDN is proud to announce the initial publication of the complete 23-page catalog covering notes issued from 1918 – 1922.

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NEW BOOK: MONEY: A STORY OF HUMANITY

Money: A Story of Humanity
David McWilliams

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
ISBN: 9781471195433
Number of pages: 416
Dimensions: 234 x 153 x 30 mm

In this groundbreaking book, renowned global economist David McWilliams unlocks the mysteries and the awesome power of money: what it is, how it works, and why it matters.

The story of money is the story of our desires, our genius, and our downfalls. Money is power—and power beguiles. Nothing we’ve invented as a species has defined our own evolution so thoroughly and changed the direction of our planet’s history so dramatically. Money has shaped the very essence of what it means to be human. We can’t hope to understand ourselves without it. And yet despite money’s primacy, most of us don’t truly understand it. As economist David McWilliams states, money is everything. "Money defines the relationship between worker and employer, buyer and seller, merchant and producer. But not only that: it also defines the bond between the governed and the governor, the state and the citizen. Money unlocks pleasure, puts a price on desire, art and creativity. It motivates us to strive, achieve, invent and take risks. Money also brings out humanity’s darker side, invoking greed, envy, hatred, violence and, of course, colonialism." Money isn’t just paper or coins or virtual currency. Money is humanity.

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NEW BOOK: THERE'S TREASURE INSIDE

A North Carolina native decided to spend millions of dollars purchasing various treasures. But instead of keeping the items for himself or donating them to a museum or educational institution, Jon Collins-Black divided them into five boxes and hid them across the United States.

Only he knows where the items are stashed, but he’s inviting anyone to search for them. Treasure hunters will find clues to the boxes in Collins-Black’s new book, "There’s Treasure Inside," available now for pre-order.

Now living in California, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumnus spoke with The News & Observer about his story and latest project.

Read more here

 

NNP UPDATES SOUVENIR CARD JOURNAL

Souvenir Card Collectors Society Updates Journals on Newman Portal

The Souvenir Card Collectors Society (SCCS) promotes the study and collecting of souvenir cards, which are typically issued to mark special occasions and are printed on high quality card stock using intaglio methods (steel plate engravings). SCCS maintains a catalog of souvenir cards and further publishes the Souvenir Card Journal, which is currently in its 44th year. The SCCS has recently extended its run of back issues on Newman Portal, and these are now available through the year 2018.

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VIDEO: LIBERTY SEATED HALF DOLLARS

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PIP, SQUEAK AND WILFRED

Neil Burns writes:

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MICHAEL HODDER ON JOHN J. FORD, JR.

I guess I'd better chime in on this. Ford wasn't stingy with numismatic information, he was cagey. Remember, he was a businessman as well as a collector. In areas he was actively interested in, like Betts medals, he did himself no good telling potential competitive bidders what he had and what he wanted. In areas he was less active in, like currency or 19th C. U.S. Mint medals (always excepting Indian Peace Medals), he shared what he knew with anyone he respected who asked for it, like Carl Carlson and Doug Ball, for examples. It always helped if that person wasn't likely to be a competitor for something Ford wanted, too!

In other areas where his collections were largely static, like state coppers or Massachusetts silver, Ford gave a trusted few full access to his collections. When I first went to his house in Phoenix to study his New Jersey's for my own research interests I found Breen had already been there before me, given the same unrestricted right to examine the collection. I found Breen's notes again when I worked on Ford's Vermonts and Connecticuts.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

George William Wyon

Daniel Fearon writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
MEDALLIC MEMENTO OF GEORGE WILLIAM WYON (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n30a23.html)
NEW BRUNSWICK TRIAL AND PATTERN SET (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n38a24.html)

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THE LAST PATRIOTIC CIVIL WAR TOKEN?

IMHO this is probably the last patriotic civil war token made. Since I can't find this token listed anywhere, I am left speculating. One side shows a 36 star flag, which would indicate that the issue corresponded with the admission of Nevada as the 36th state, which occurred in October, 1864. The US flag is modified only on July 4th of each year, so an official 36 stag flag would have been made in July, 1865. 36 star flags have a pattern of stars in a circle, so the pictured flag with 36 stars in a square would indicate a date for this token that most likely predates the official flag, possibly even slightly predating the admission of Nevada as a state. While private issues of coins became illegal in July, 1864, the maker of this token probably was not aware of that law being passed. Lord knows I can't keep up with all the new laws being passed.

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THE CINCO PESO TEXAS RANGER BADGES

Chriss Hoffman writes:

When is a Cinco Peso coin not a coin? When it’s a Texas Ranger badge.

Before Walker, Texas Ranger started coming into our homes with a badge as big as our television screen, we have known about this elite law enforcement group. Known for toughness and fairness, Texas Rangers protected the earliest settlers of Texas (maybe numbering in the hundreds) and they continue to protect over 29 million of the 21st century residents of Texas. They are a point of pride in the state of Texas.

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ICOMON ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024

ICOMON Annual Conference 2024

The Economy Museum – Royal Coin Cabinet in Stockholm will host the International Committee for Money and Banking Museums (ICOMON) 30th Annual Conference on 25-28 September 2024, in collaboration with ICOMON and International Numismatic Council.

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VOCABULARY TERM: PROCESS SET

Process Set. Sample specimens of a multiple-struck medal selected from various stages of manufacturing to illustrate the physical change from raw metal to completed art medal. The set of medals are always shown together, often for a display for most dramatic effect. The first recorded showing of such a process set was by Tiffany & Co. in 1901 at the Buffalo Pan-American exposition where the jewelry firm displayed a process set of the Dewey Manila Bay Medal of 1898 among 196 medals the firm had manufactured since 1851.

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DONALD JOHN MUNIZ

This week I took on research for another coin columnist, Donald J. Muniz. I found out a few interesting things about the first half of his life but the second half remains a mystery.

I started with his listing in the 1950 Census when he was five years old. He was living in Rutherford, New Jersey, with his father, Ricardo Muniz, his mother Lydia Muniz and his fourteen-year-old brother Richard. Ricardo was manager of the television receiver manufacturing division of the Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc.

Donald John Muniz was married to Phyllis Nancy November on August 28, 1966. They had a daughter. In 1967, Donald J. Muniz graduated from Monmouth College with a B. A. degree in government.

Ricardo, the father, joined the A.N.A. in 1943 as member 9513. Richard, the son, joined the A.N.A, in 1960 as member 35455. In 1962, Ricardo joined Richard in his coin business in Miami. Donald J. Muniz joined the A.N.A. in 1969 as member R-83581. It was about that time that he joined his brother in the business.

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THE ANDRE DAWSON COLLECTION

In September of 1998, I chanced to purchase two Seated Liberty quarters (1863 – MS66 & 1882 – MS67) from Heritage’s sale of the Andre Dawson collection. Recently, the pedigree of these two coins, which I still own, combined with this being the height of baseball season, piqued my interest to look back at the man and his collection.

In 1998, Andre Dawson had recently retired from Major League Baseball, predominately playing for the Montreal Expos and the Chicago Cubs. During his 22-year career, Dawson generated eye-popping statistics – 438 home runs, 1,591 RBIs, 314 stolen bases, and 8 All-Star appearances. But Dawson also underwent a staggering 12 knee surgeries during his career, and before non-invasive orthoscopic surgical methods were available: testimony to his toughness, perseverance, and love of the game. In 2010, Cooperstown recognized his athletic prowess, inducting Dawson into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But Andre Dawson was also an all-star coin collector! My two quarters from his collection were but a small sampling of his beautiful, high-quality type set that included 24 Liberty Seated pieces. Many of Dawson’s carefully selected coins are still among the finest known specimens. His condition census pieces included: 1869 Half-Dime – MS68 NGC; 1859 Half-Dime – PF67 NGC; 1874 Dime (w/Arrows) – MS68 NGC; 1854 Quarter (w/Arrows) – MS67 NGC; 1854 Half-Dollar (w/Arrows) PF66 NGC; and an 1863 Dollar – MS67 NGC.

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ARNO SAFRAN INTERVIEW, PART THREE

GREG BENNICK: Oh, that's great. Now, what other coins were favorites of yours that you owned in your collection?

ARNO SAFRAN: My favorites?

GREG BENNICK: Yeah.

ARNO SAFRAN: Well, that's one of them that you just heard me talk about [an 1825 dime].

GREG BENNICK: For sure. Absolutely. Understandably so.

ARNO SAFRAN: I have a lot. It's hard to answer that question, you know, shortly. I do articles now supporting Charles Barber. I mean, he came in a time which was the end of the entire beginning of numismatics in America. And he was old hat. But you have St. Gaudens and all his, disciples doing magnificent stuff with coins, a brand-new modern music like this and modern coins. And so, he was considered the no-no.

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NENA NEWS CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Celebrating 75 years of New England Numismatic Association (NENA) News - Join Us for a Dinner Banquet Celebration

The New England Numismatic Association (NENA) is excited to announce a special dinner banquet celebrating 75 years of NENA News. The banquet will take place on October 25, 2024, at the Doubletree Hotel, located at 700 Elm St. Manchester, NH, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM. Tickets are on sale now for $75 ea. at https://nenacoin.org/shop .

This event promises an evening of camaraderie, reflection and celebration as we honor the history and contributions of NENA News to the numismatic community. Guests will enjoy a delightful dinner, engaging speeches and the opportunity to connect with fellow numismatists and enthusiasts. According to President Whitehouse, "Through volunteerism and education NENA connects fellow enthusiasts and promotes collecting coins and currency in New England and beyond. We are very excited to celebrate this 75-year milestone of NENA News with our strong and growing numismatic community."

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WASTWEET, WARTENBERG HONORED AT ANA BANQUET

During last month's American Numismatic Association's (ANA) World's Fair of Money, hosted in Chicago, members who have contributed to the hobby in profound ways were recognized. The Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture and the Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing were presented during the 133rd Anniversary Awards Banquet.

The ANA's Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture is an annual honor given to an artist whose lifetime work in the field rises above all others. The 2023 recipient is Heidi Wastweet, a leading American medalist and sculptor who specializes in bas-relief, from cast and struck medals to public monuments. She was chief engraver for Sunshine Mint for 11 years and lead designer/sculptor for Global Mint for five years. In her work with a variety of private mints, Wastweet has produced over 1,000 coins, medals, and tokens. In 2001 she opened her own studio. Her work tends to be symbolic and often depicts the human figure in a contemporary and representational style. She has trained over a dozen artists to be medallic sculptors and conducts workshops. Wastweet served on the U.S. Mint's Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee from 2010 to 2018 and currently is president of the American Medallic Sculpture Association.

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GEOFFREY BELL MEDAL COLLECTION SELECTIONS

Lot 428: Lr. 490 — George III Hudson's Bay Company Indian Peace Medal. Undated (1820). Copper. Breton-181, Jamieson-20, Obverse of BHM-991 and 1062, Similar to Eimer-1120, but obverse legend and signature are different. 48.0mm. 44.7g. Plain edge. Signed C.H.K. This example employs a different obverse than the previous lot, the most notable variations being the legend and signature. The same reverse die break occurs at 12 o’clock, though it appears to be in a slightly earlier stage. Each side displays clean proof-like surfaces with substantial field reflectivity and elements of violet, blue, and golden colour. Original shell case is included along with an old paper wrapper.

Ex: Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale (Geoffrey Bell Auctions, 9/2013), lot 282N, realized $3,600.

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MDC MONACO AUCTION 15, PART ONE

We are very happy to announce our 15th Numismatic Auction. The auction will take place on the 23rd and 24th of October 2024. We will present, on this occasion, and among French and world coins, four exceptional collections. The Stephane Gouffault Collection, the Nicolas Maier Collection, the second part of The Collection of an American Gentleman (also known as "The French Collection"), and the X Collection, selection of barbarian coins.

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NICOLAS MAIER MEDAL COLLECTION SELECTIONS

FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Medal, to the poets without glory by Louis Botte, SAMF No. 83 1905, Paris. Av. TO THE POET WITHOUT GLORY. In a cemetery setting, Allegory of poetry on the right, veiled, holding a harp girded with a crown of epines, and a crown; signature LOVIS BOTTEE 1904. Rv. On the grave slab of a poet hang various figures bearing attributes such as a theater mask, a mirror or a veil, in the foreground Venus with flowers and a Love with its quiver, in the background, Chronos with its false; signature LOVIS BOTTEE. Maier 33; Bronze - 255g - 90mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. On the edge punches (horn) BRONZE (lizard) and number 83. Only 120 copies minted in bronze and distributed to members of the Society of Friends of the French Medal. A small blow under the harp to the right. Nice patina. Superb in Corner Flower.

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Medal, to the poets without glory by Louis Botte, SAMF No. 83 1905, Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5984779)

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STACK'S BOWERS TO SELL ROBERT D. REED COLLECTION

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is proud to announce that it will be offering the Robert D. Reed Collection of United States Coins in their November 2024 Showcase Auction. Featuring over 100 gold coins that include early United States Mint issues and a world-class selection of Territorial gold, the Reed Collection was assembled in the 1980s and 1990s and is entirely fresh to the market. Collectors will have the opportunity to acquire these treasures for the first time in decades as part of the Stack’s Bowers Galleries November 2024 Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Winter Expo.

Robert "Bob" Reed’s love of collecting perhaps started as a child when he collected toy soldiers and cowboys – items still in his possession when he passed away in May 2024. Bob grew up outside of Newark, New Jersey before his family finally settled in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Soon after that move, he left college to join the United States Army serving a tour in Vietnam. When he returned from the war, he began working for the family business and soon took over the company after his father passed away.

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NOONANS SELLS COINS FOUND IN SUFFOLK

... George Ridgway found a collection of more than 680 gold and silver coins with his metal detector in September 2019, according to a press release from Noonans Mayfair, the London-based auction house responsible for the sale of the coins.

The coins were discovered with a metal detector in the grounds of Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket in Suffolk.

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THAT MEDAL ON CAMPBELL'S SOUP CANS

It took more than 10 years as a numismatist and who knows how many cans of tomato or cream of mush room soup over many more years than that to notice a small medal on the Campbell’s soup can label. The medal’s reverse has generally adorned the red and white Campbell’s soup cans since the 1900 Paris Exposition, where the company won a bronze medal for product excellence for its condensed soup. The iconic company invented the process to condense soup in 1897, making soup more economical for the public and revolutionizing the soup business.

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SCHOOL ART LEAGUE HANEY MEDAL

As was the Saint-Gaudens Medal, the Haney Medal for Fine Arts was endowed in perpetuity and named for James Parton Haney. Born on April 16, 1869 in New York City, he began his career in education in 1890, taught manual arts in the city’s night schools and in time, became the first director of art in the high schools with a corps of fifty art teachers. In 1907 he had organized the art department of the NYU summer school for the training of art teachers.

On June 10, 1915 it was announced that recently deceased artist John W. Alexander (1855-1915) had gifted a bronze medal to the New York City Art League. It was to be awarded for proficiency in art in January and June at the close of the school year in each of the city’s then 23 high schools. Shortly after the announcement, the names of the students awarded the 2¾" medal designed by sculptor and medalist John Flanagan were published in city newspapers. Haney was quoted as saying "The aid which this medal will render is invaluable." One journal published a photo.

John White Alexander was largely instrumental in the establishment of the School Art League in 1911. He was named its first president and James P. Haney was named first vice-president. One of the organization’s objectives was to enhance the art education curriculum in public schools. Providing more talented students with a wider range of opportunities such as museum-sponsored lectures was one means; exposure to art schools for those interested in advanced training, another. Hermon MacNeil, who supported establishing free scholarships in industrial art for high school graduates, was appointed to a three-year term serving on the Society’s Board of Managers. One year after Alexander’s death, MacNeil was asked to design a plaque in his honor. He inscribed the piece Gifted with Sweeping Imagination and an Ever Ready Judgement Painter Creator Organizer Leader.

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THE AIR FORCE ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Troy May, 62d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron heavy aircraft integrated avionics specialist, holds his Air Force Achievement Medal at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Sept. 13, 2024. May received this commendation after carrying a woman who had just broken and dislocated her ankle the majority of 1.6 miles down a steep hiking trail and assisting her to a hospital.

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THE CIA COUNTERFEIT CUBAN BANKNOTES

A commonly accepted idea is that a series of Cuban banknotes of 1961 with nominal value of twenty pesos were produced by the CIA and given to the members of the Cuban Assault Brigade that attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro during the ill-fated Bay of Pigs Invasion to the island of that year. The topic has been treated with some detail over the years by both, Cuban and foreign specialists. Most sources indicate that each soldier was given approximately one-hundred of these forged notes to be carried to Cuba for purchasing supplies from the peasants and/or bribery (Quesada, 2009; Wayne, 2011). Using essentially the same description, some of these notes have been sold over the years by the most prestigious numismatic auction houses reaching always considerable prices.

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LOOSE CHANGE: SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

Why Coin Edges Have Ridges

A coin collector has claimed to have discovered the reason why all UK coins have ridges on their sides - and it goes all the way back to the 17th century.

A TikTok user has disclosed that there's a crafty rationale behind it. One user of the site known as @CoinCollectingWizard, who boasts 191,000 followers, shared the intriguing factoid in a video that racked up hundreds of likes alongside numerous comments. He asserted that historically, coins were composed of gold or silver and were devoid of ridges.

He explained that the intrinsic value of each coin correlated directly to its gold or silver content. However, he highlighted that certain individuals tried their hand at an unlawful scheme with these coins.

"They filed off the edges and sold them for their value in gold or silver," he added in the video.

In a bid to curb this malpractice, governments initiated the practice of milling or adding grooves to the edges, ensuring any tampered coins would be immediately recognisable.

To read the complete article, see:
Brits are just why coins have ridges – and it's blowing people's minds (https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/brits-just-coins-ridges--9536172)

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THE AMERICAN TOBY JUG MUSEUM

Len writes:

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