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 BUY THE BOOK BEFORE THE COINSale Calendar
|
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.
New subscribers this week include: Joel Silver of Lilly Library, Indiana University. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,254 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, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from readers, and more.
Other topics this week include the coins of England and Machin's Mills, the Numismatic Crime Information Center, AI coin grading, baked clay coins, Coin World's print edition, fixed price and auction previews, coins of Gladiator II, and the social media site for the dead.
To learn more about the Pirate Prince, counterfeit portrait eight reales, the 100 Greatest U.S. coins, the British Union Jack, new $1 bills, chopmarks on paper money, the Carson City Mint Bullion Balance, Omaha dealer Wren Culkin, Dr. Lawrence Lee, the Walton 1913 Liberty Nickel, a Civil War ID Disc, and Rio Money Gliders, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
Alan Workman's seventh numismatic literature sale closes January 4, 2025. Here are some selected lots. -Editor
Lot 68: Borrell, Pedro J. THE QUICKSILVER GALLEONS - THE SALVAGE OF THE SPANISH GALLEONS NUESTRA SENORA DE GUADALUPE AND EL CONDE DE TOLOSA. Underwater Archaeological Recovery Commission, Dominican Republic. 1984. 8vo. 122 pages. original pictorial card covers. B&w and color photos and illustrations throughout. English text. Fine. This book tells how two Spanish Galleons, the 'Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe' and 'El Conde de Tolosa', sank in 1724 off the coast of the Dominican Republic.. and the salvage of them in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Many of the artifacts recovered are illustrated. Lot weight: 0 lbs 11oz. Subject(s): Sunken Treasure.
Lot 81: Breen, Walter. WALTER BREEN'S COMPLETE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF U.S. AND COLONIAL COINS. FCI Press, Inc/Doubleday, New York. 1988. 4to. xiv, 754 pages. original black cloth, gilt, jacket. Tables. Glossary. Bibliography. b&w coin photos throughout. English text. Fine. Drawing on a lifetime of research, America's top coin historian presents the most comprehensive guide to U.S. coins ever published. It covers every conceivable aspect of American numismatics. The definitive numismatic reference book for the advanced collector, with over 4,000 illustrations. Lot weight: 5 lbs 0oz. Subject(s): United States Coinage.
This Whitman press release announces a new edition with an updated format and rankings for their classic 100 Greatest United States Coins. -Editor
Whitman® has released its highly anticipated sixth edition of 100 Greatest United States Coins, offering readers an updated, personal guided tour through the legends of America's numismatic history. The revised rankings feature an exciting mix of legendary rarities and accessible collector favorites, from the coveted 1913 Liberty Head Nickel to the iconic 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln Cent.
"This book is a remarkable and fascinating introduction to the hobby of collecting U.S. coins," said John Feigenbaum, President and CEO of Whitman Brands. "As you flip through the pages, we hope you'll be inspired by the beauty and stories behind these coins and pass this passion on to future generations."
With a modernized layout designed by Creative Director Matt Jeffirs and Graphic Designer Thinh Bui, the sixth edition combines elegance with depth. It includes a Foreword by William R. Anderson, an expanded Top 250 U.S. Coin Auction Prices Realized appendix, updated market values based on Greysheet pricing, the addition of Greysheet Identification (GSID?) numbers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes stories that illuminate why these coins represent the pinnacle of U.S. coinage.
The 2025 editions of Coins of England have been published by Sovereign Rarities. Here's the announcement. -Editor
The Standard Catalogue of English Coins, otherwise known as the Coins of England and the United Kingdom, is once more offered to the numismatic market. As custodians of this historic reference work for British Coins, Sovereign Rarities are proud to preserve the guides' legacies.
Comprising Pre-decimal and Decimal issues, these are not only the go-to guide for collectors and detectorists alike, but providers of insight into British history itself, shedding light upon our culture, religion, politics and technological development.
A new edition of the Colonial Coin Collectors Club book on the coinage of Machin's Mills has been published. Here's the announcement. -Editor
The authors of the first edition of The History and Coinage of Machin's Mills are pleased to announce that a new second edition is being printed and should be available by Thanksgiving. The second edition is a significant update of the first edition, containing much new material. A new Chapter 7, titled Additional Collector Information, contains essays on the British Union Jack, spread planchets, and a discussion on die manufacturing during the Confederation period. Chapter 8, the coin catalog, has been extensively revised.
New theories surrounding these coins are discussed, challenging existing thinking. New photographs of die states as well as new examples abound in this edition. We are confident that the reader will find this 2nd edition informative as well as provocative. It is illustrated throughout with color images, handbook size (6"x9"), and has a glossy hard cover. The second edition can be purchased from Kolbe/Fanning (https://www.numislit.com) or Charles Davis Numismatic Literature (https://www.numisbook.com).
Jack Howes, Jim Rosen, Gary Trudgen
A new chapter of The Banknote Book has been published by Whitman–CDN. Written by Owen Linzmayer, the 38-page catalog covers 385 varieties of notes from 1868 to present from the tiny Central African nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. -Editor
Guess what? The Newman Numismatic Portal is ten years old today. Time flies when you're having fun with numismatic literature. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report. -Editor
Newman Portal Celebrates Tenth Anniversary
The Newman Portal project was launched on December 1, 2014 at Washington University in St. Louis, making today its tenth anniversary. Not uncoincidentally, the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society, which sponsors NNP, was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in Missouri on December 1, 1958, making today its 66th anniversary. Scanning at Washington University began in July 2015, with the first document scanned being an example of Heath's Counterfeit Detector (catalogued as 2-P-s-Special) , from the Newman collection. The NNP side went live in 2016, and the Newman Portal has since added over 80,000 documents to the collection, representing a wide array of auction sale catalogs, periodicals, reference works, and archival materials. We're not stopping there! We continue to make daily additions from our scanning lab in St. Louis, the American Numismatic Society, the S&S Library, and from a host of community contributors.
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 with Doug Davis on the Numismatic Crime Information Center. -Editor
Late last month an article submitted by Justin Hinh led to a healthy back-and-forth discussion between Justin and Bill Eckberg, who had earlier commented on Justin's reports on his work with artificial intelligence and numismatics. While both were willing to share their discussion with E-Sylum readers, I was at a bit of a loss on how to edit it for publication. Justin offered to help - with a little more artificial intelligence! He provided the emails to ChatGPT with a prompt like: "Summarize this discussion into a concise format that would be most engaging for The E-Sylum readers."
Here's Justin's intro and the results of that prompt, which Bill and Justin reviewed for publication. Thanks. -Editor
After the article "The Good and Bad of AI in Numismatics" (October 13, 2024), Bill Eckberg, President of Early American Coppers (EAC), and I engaged in a thoughtful exchange about the progress and challenges of AI in coin grading that readers may enjoy.
Below is a summary of our discussion:
Thomas Lovelace writes:
"I am not really sure what these are and would appreciate others' insights. A Google search of baked clay coins mostly comes up with art projects to make them and not listings of them, but I feel that these were genuinely made to serve the purpose of coins prior to 100 B.C.E. in Bactria.
"The first coin seems to have a portrait of Eucratides and a reverse with some writing in an ancient non Greek script. The second seems to have 2 reverses, one side looking to say Demetrius and the other side Victory or maybe an Eagle holding a wreath. The first weighs 4.30 grams and the second weighs 4.60 grams. Both are encrusted with some dirt that is about the color of what is seen in Bactria. My speculation is that these were made as burial objects by someone who couldn't afford to bury coins and used images that they liked from other coins that they were familiar with. I conclude that they were therefore made to be coins. The orientation of the dies is random and I am not sure if I show them in the correct orientation. Originally, I was looking at the portrait of Eucratides upsidedown and thought it was a flower pot.
"I acquired these 40 or more years ago from a jewelry store which was next to Macy's on Union Square in San Francisco. I am not sure why I wandered into that store, because I do not buy jewelry, but there was a little box of ancient coins in poor condition in the back of their last case. There was no one in the shop but there was an old guy who spoke little English sitting on a chair in the back. I asked him about buying the coins, but didn't really get an answer. He seemed to say that the shop keeper was his daughter who would be back in a while. After waiting a while, she didn't return. I figured out that the guy was from Afghanistan and he got them from a friend who found them some place back home. I eventually bought these from him for a few dollars."
After having difficulties with his local bank, Tom Sheehan asked E-Sylum readers, "How can I get $1000 in new $1 bills?" -Editor
Bill Daehn writes:
"I spent my career in the banking and credit union industries and here's what I know. Banks and credit unions order currency as needed from a supplier. Some order from larger banks who provide coin and currency services. Others order directly from their nearest Federal Reserve Bank.
"Your bank will have to order bills in standard quantities. The bills usually come pre-packaged as a mixture of old and new bills and the bank cannot specify "new bills only." They get what they get. However, my credit union ordered currency direct from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. I seem to remember that during the November/December holiday season, we could specify "new bills" on our currency orders, at least for some denominations (but probably not for $1 bills).
"New bills are popular for gift giving, but $20s and $100s are most in demand for gifting. If your bank or credit union can't supply new $1s, ask at a larger bank which may have new bills from a recent shipment. But you'll likely need to open an account."
F. M. Rose Chopmarked Coin Collection
Chopmark News editor Colin Gullberg writes:
"On December 1 in Macau, China Champion Auctions will be having a sale which includes quite a lot of chopmarked coins and, in particular Rose coins. Since these are rarely seen this is a good chance to pick up something that was in the Rose collection.
"The catalog is here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/342736_champion-macau-winter-auction/"
Sorry for the delay in publishing this. In our November 17th issue, Taylor Leverage asked for assistance in tracking down chopmarked coins from the collection of author F. M. Rose. -Editor
John Byars writes:
"This seller has sold a lot of F.M. Rose coins - 364785310433."
The seller of that lot is Spring Coins. -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CHOPMARK PROVENANCE HELP SOUGHT
(https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n46a04.html)
Other topics this week include Safe Deposit Boxes, Chopmarks on U.S. Paper Money, and Credit Cards. -Editor
Some readers inquired about the status of the print edition of Coin World. Here's what we know. First up is Steve Shupe. -Editor
I am a Coin World subscriber and have been for several decades. Since I prefer reading on paper, I subscribe to the paper version in a plastic bag, or at least used to. The last issue I received was the August 19th edition. Sometimes the issues are delayed in the mail, but after about two months, I wrote to their customer service. Here is their response:
Sometimes the journey isn't always smooth, and we're currently navigating some headwinds that have delayed our print production. Due to printer challenges, we've had to press "pause" in the arrival of our print issues. Rest assured, we're doing everything we can to get your magazine to you as soon as possible.
While you wait, see the latest news and information on our coinworld.com website. To read the most recent issue, click on the "Access Digital Edition" in the upper right corner. If you missed a prior issue(s), click on the down arrow in the upper left corner of the current issue and select the 2-drawer file cabinet. This will provide archived issues back to October 7, 2013.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time, and we can't wait to have your print copy back in your hands soon!
Thank you for being part of our community.
Good news to report on the Carson City Mint Bullion Balance offered last month by Holabird Americana - it's been acquired by the Nevada State Museum, housed in the former Carson City Mint! Here's the press release. -Editor
A large, 155-year-old balance scale that weighed hundreds of millions of dollars in gold and silver in the 19th century at the Carson City, Nevada Mint, including bullion from the legendary Comstock Lode, was sold for $60,250 in an auction in Reno conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections (www.HolabirdAmericana.com) on November 24, 2024. The winning bid was placed by the Nevada State Museum with the backing of donors who pledged funds for the museum to outbid collectors from across the country during 30 minutes of intense bidding that opened at $12,500.
"This is an important and exciting acquisition for the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Staff, particularly Dr. Christine Johnson and Dr. Josh Bonde, worked tirelessly to ensure this scale was returned to the Mint. This item will allow a more complete experience for our visitors. We are so delighted," stated Dan Thiele, Nevada Division of Museums and History.
Here's the first part of a very thorough entry from Dick Johnson's Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology. -Editor
Punch, Puncheon. A tool made of steel containing a letter, figure, dentile, ornament or a part of a coin or medal design used to press into softer steel to make a die, or to counterstamp a numismatic item. Punches and puncheons are, in effect small hubs to transfer some design element to a die during engraving or diesinking. The terms punch and puncheon mean the same, but there are two kinds of punches: one a small hand tool used manually for adding individual characters one at a time by tapping the punch into the surface of the die; the other, a more conventional hub, contains the device or portrait which is sunk into the die by a press during hubbing.
The advantage of punches and puncheons is the elimination of the tedium of manually engraving the same design element over and over again. The first coins were made with punches (in Lydia in 640 bc) and punches are still in use today 2800 years later. Not only have punches been coinmaker's oldest tool, they are virtually indestructible – 100-year-old punches are still serviceable.
E-Sylum Feature Writer and American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith submitted this article on Omaha dealer Wren Culkin. Thanks - it's great to shed light on little-known figures with a big connection to numismatic history. -Editor
Wren Culkin was a stamp collector and stamp dealer with little involvement in numismatics before he was chosen to sell an important collection at auction.
Culkin may have been born in Omaha on March 10, 1907. His World War II draft registration form gave his date of birth as March 10, 1905. His parents were Patrick J. (1873-1960) and Jane (1870-). Patrick managed a clothing store. In about 1927, he took a job at a Los Angeles clothing store and left his wife in Omaha without financial support.
If census records could be found, they might confirm Wren's year of birth. Finding those records is not easy. For the 1910 Census, he is listed as Leo Culkin at three years old. In 1920, the family name is indexed as Culkim and Wren is twelve. In 1930, he was listed as Leo W. Culkin and twenty-three years old. In 1940 he was incorrectly indexed as Wren L. Culpin and thirty-five years old. In 1950, he is indexed as Wien L. Culkin and forty-five years old.
Greg Bennick's latest interview for the Newman Numismatic Portal is with museum curator and academic Dr. Lawrence Lee. Here's the third part, where Larry talks about his book The Coins of Fort Atkinson and his role in confirming the Walton 1913 Liberty Head nickel. -Garrett
GREG BENNICK: So, tell me: what are some of the other numismatic educational presentations or angles that you've taken, connecting numismatics and education? Are there favorites of yours and are they documented somewhere where people might view them or read them?
DR. LAWRENCE LEE: I've probably given about 20 different presentations over the years to the ANA, numismatic theaters, Central States, as well as the Nebraska State Historical Society, and the Nevada State Museum. Maybe ten or so are available on the Newman portal. So, you can Google my name, pull them up, and watch my hairline recede and my weight go up over the years.
GREG BENNICK: Well, I look forward to seeing your presentations for sure. I think that they're going to be great.
DR. LAWRENCE LEE: I will briefly mention a couple of my career highlights starting with The Coins of Fort Atkinson. Fort Atkinson was interesting from my perspective because it was furthest West American settlement on the frontier in 1820, as far away as possible in America at the time. It left an archeologically stratified site full of coinage. Besides perhaps Williamsburg, no other site in America has had as many coins recovered from it as Fort Atkinson. Furthermore, these were U.S. soldiers being paid monthly with 50-cent pieces straight from the Philadelphia Mint and each soldier got $5 a month or 10 coins.
And out there on the prairie, they carved on them. They lost them. They chopped them up. The sutler needed his bit, his one-eighth, so the government would chop the coins right there. The laundry lady got hers. Bits of these coins were found all over the site and surrounding area in its radius, because there was basically a town center of about a mile full of other trappers and tents and travelers. There were people there besides the soldiers.
Atlas Numismatics has updated their website with 330 new coins, medals, and tokens at fixed prices. Selections include the following items. -Garrett
1080324 | CELTIC. CELTS of CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE. TURIASO (TARAZONA, Zaragoza). c. 120-20 BC. AR Denarius. NGC Ch. MS? (Choice Mint State ?) Strike 5/5 Surface 4/5. 3.79gm. (Ca, S and Tu). Large bearded head to the right with Iberian letters / (TuRIASU). Horseman with lance to the right with the horse's hind legs bent, below Iberian legend. AB-2417; ACIP-1722.
Superb and exceptional; highly lustrous. Given the star designation by NGC for exceptional eye appeal.
$4,450
To read the complete item description, see:
Superb Denarius of the Iberian Celts
(https://atlasnumismatics.com/1080324/)
Here are some highlights of the Archives International sale closing December 2, 2024. -Editor
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1875. 10 Pesos, P-S162 RUD142, Issued Banknote, Green print with arms at top center, Uniface note, S/N 40431 pp C, PMG graded About Uncirculated 50 with comments "Pinhole, Annotation." Only 8 notes have been graded in the PMG census. This is the first time we have offered an example at auction, with the last 2 offered at auction by Lyn Knight and Heritage in 2019 and 2020.
This article presents highlights of an upcoming sale of a high quality collection of English Five Guineas. Beautiful coins, illustrating an excellent historical essay by Ursula Kampmann. -Editor
On 10 December 2024, Numismatica Genevensis will offer the most complete run of English Five Guineas ever sold at auction. The pieces are considered to be the most beautiful and the heaviest English circulation issues in gold. They were struck from 1668 to 1777, during the period when England replaced its bimetallism with the gold currency. Read on to find out more.
by Ursula Kampmann, on behalf of NGSA
Here's the announcement for the upcoming Early American History Auctions sale. -Editor
Early American History Auctions, Inc. is proud to announce the focus of this auction is the early history of America from the Colonial Period, French & Indian War, American Revolution, and the Civil War Era. Included are 69 diverse lots consigned by Ambassador and former Secretary of the Navy, J. William Middendorf II.
This September Ambassador Middendorf reached his 100-year milestone. After serving in several critical governmental roles, in 1981 he was appointed U.S. Secretary of the Navy by President Ronald Reagan. He almost by nature served in that role as his family heritage extends to the very founding of the Continental Navy. His Revolutionary War era ancestor, Captain William Stone, donated two of his Privateer ships to the fledgling Continental Navy, which were then renamed "Wasp" and "Hornet". As Secretary of the Navy, he championed the F/A-18 Carrier Based fighter attack aircraft and arranged for it to be dubbed the "Hornet".
David Pickup sent in his advent coin calendar, which is based on a European tradition that facilitated counting the days until Christmas. Thank you. Here's the first of four parts. -Garrett
The church season of Advent runs from Sunday 1st December to Tuesday 24 December 2024. Advent calendars began in Europe in the Nineteenth Centuries as a way of counting the days to Christmas. Each day would feature a picture or verse about the story. This is my suggested Advent Coin Calendar to prepare for the holiday.
1. Angels
Angels appear in the story to announce the news of the coming birth of Jesus.
The angel was an English gold coin introduced by Edward IV in 1465. The name derived from its representation of the archangel Michael slaying a dragon. Reverse: Depicts a ship with arms and rays of sun at the masthead. Legend: PER CRUCEM TUAM SALVA NOS CHRISTE REDEMPTOR, meaning "By Thy cross save us, Christ Redeemer."
On Friday my son Christopher and I saw the film Gladiator II. There was one scene in which the Denzel Washington character gives Paul Mescal's Lucius two coins. They are seen only briefly, from the side, and it happens pretty quickly. I was not able to recall the design(s). They are large and gold-colored. The noise they make on the soundtrack is tinny and fake - not like real gold coins at all.
Luckily a poster on Reddit asked about them and included a screenshot from the movie trailer, which includes the scene (or a version of it). -Editor
To read the Reddit post on r/AncientCoins, see:
Gladiator II
(https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientCoins/comments/1fs13th/gladiator_ii/?rdt=40468)
Here are some additional items in the media this week that may be of interest. -Editor
A recent article pictured "money gliders" floating in Rio de Janeiro. Found via News & Notes from the Society of Paper Money Collectors (Volume X, Number 23, November 19, 2024). -Editor
Transparency International has put the issue of corruption on the agenda ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, with a guerilla campaign involving a team of paragliders and one of the city's most famous beaches.
Devised by INNOCEAN Berlin, 'Money Gliders' kicked off on Friday 15th November. It saw six paragliders, all printed to look like dollar bills, flying over Rio de Janeiro and landing on Barra da Tijuca Beach on a banner reading "How obvious should corruption be before it's a G20 priority?"
To read the complete article, see:
Giant Bank Notes Float Through Rio de Janeiro to Spotlight Corruption at G20
(https://www.lbbonline.com/news/giant-bank-notes-float-through-rio-de-janeiro-to-spotlight-corruption-at-g20)
Other topics this week include colonial currency, the long-lost Daniel Morgan gold medal, and Map Librarian Alice Hudson. -Editor
"D.B. Cooper" is the airline hijacker who famously parachuted into history on November 24, 1971 with $200,000 in ransom cash. He was never seen again, but some of the banknotes found their way to the numismatic market. The case has fascinated armchair sleuths for decades. A two-part series in Wyoming's Cowboy State Daily discussed what may be newly-discovered evidence. -Editor
More than five decades ago, a mild-mannered passenger in a business suit boarded a Seattle-bound flight in Oregon under the name Dan Cooper on Nov. 24, 1971. He ordered a bourbon and soda, and once in the air, handed a stewardess a handwritten note demanding $200,000 in cash and four parachutes under the threat of what appeared to be a bomb in his ratty briefcase.
The plane landed in Seattle, and authorities complied with the hijacker's demand. After refueling, the airliner took off again.
The researchers among us are familiar with "the social media site for the dead" - FindAGrave.com, now part of Ancestry.com. For those not familiar with it, it may be a way to uncover some of your own family history - or information about that long-ago issuer of a rare token or scrip note. Here's an excerpt - see the complete article online. It's interesting, and well worth a read. -Editor
The photos I take end up on a website called FindaGrave.com, a repository of cemeteries around the world. Created in 1995 by a Salt Lake City resident named Jim Tipton, the website began as a place to catalog his hobby of visiting and documenting celebrity graves. In the late 1990s, Tipton began to allow other users to contribute their own photos and memorials for famous people as well. In 2010, Find a Grave finally allowed non-celebrities to be included. Since then, volunteers—also known as "gravers"—have stalwartly photographed and recorded tombstones, mausoleums, crosses, statues, and all other manner of graves for posterity.
It was the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. I had a nice quiet day at home. Our middle son ran the Reston Turkey Trot 5K race with our neighbors, our home-from-college daughter got up early and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with her grandmother, our oldest son helped his Mom fix dinner, and I emptied the dishwasher, took out the trash, and got in a couple walks around the neighborhood. We had a great meal together, pumpkin pie afterwards, and I watched a Christmas movie with the womenfolk in the evening (they outvoted me on Planes, Trains, and Automobiles). Very relaxing. I hope others had a nice holiday as well. See below for a feel-good Thanksgiving story from Bruce Perdue's hometown. -Editor