Visit our NBS Sponsors

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 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 DECEMBER 8, 2024

New subscribers this week include: Chris Nield and Diane Reed, courtesy Pam West. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,255 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 new NBS podcast episode, more Workman's Books numismatic literature sale selections, two new books, an early U.S. Mint researcher, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include coins of the Roman provinces, the 1816 Royal Mint competition, Tidy House coins, the ANS Summer Seminar, ANA's Omaha dalliance, curator Dr. Lawrence Lee, fixed price and auction selections, 1715 Fleet coins, and treasure law in the U.S.

To learn more about the Dan Hamelberg Library, the treasure of the Atocha, proof nickels, Henry W. Crotzer, Elwin C. Leslie, Robert D. Osterholm, the disposal of metallic credit cards, medalist George Mills, punch anomalies, Carson City dimes, Booty Salvage and Dorothy Gale's ruby slippers, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

NBS BIBLIOTALK PODCAST WITH DAN HAMELBERG

NBS Podcast Discusses Rare Documents from the Dan Hamelberg Library

The latest episode of the NBS Bibliotalk podcast, "Collection Highlights Continued (Part 2), with Dan Hamelberg" is now available on the NBS website and other popular podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcasts. In this post, Dan focuses on historical documents with Mint and Treasury Department connections. It is challenging to identify highlights from this unparalleled library, but among them are the Thomas Jefferson-signed copy of the April 2, 1792 Mint Act, and a March 28, 1792 letter from John Adams discussing the fate of the Mint Act.

Moreover, the collection traces the formation of the Mint beginning with precursors such as Jefferson's 1790 Report on Weights, Measures, and Coins, and the 1786 Confederated Congress legislation that established the dollar and decimal coinage as monetary standards. The collection does not stop with the establishment of the Mint in 1792. Hamelberg further collects Mint appointments, and desiderata such as an 1859 letter from the Mint Director James Snowden to the Philadelphia collector Joseph Mickley, inquiring about Washington pieces for the Mint Cabinet. Among modern items are a President Nixon-signed letter presenting "first strike" Eisenhower dollars.

Read more here

WORKMAN'S BOOKS SALE 7 SELECTIONS, PART TWO

Lot 61: Bierly, William. IN GOD WE TRUST - THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, MONEY, BANKING, AND RELIGION. Whitman Publishing, LLC, Pelham. 2019. 8vo. xvi, 336 pages. original pictorial boards. Notes. Glossary. Bibliography. B&w and color photos and illustrations throughout. English text. The David Baker Library. Fine. Our national motto debuted on United States coinage during the chaos and heartache of the American Civil War. It has appeared on our money ever since. Numismatic researcher William Bierly has dug deep into the origins and history of In God We Trust. Now he tells its full story, introducing Reverend Mark Watkinson, the preacher who rallied the Treasury Department to recognize Almighty God in some form on our coins . . . Mint Director James Pollock, former governor of Pennsylvania, a commanding figure who worked toward the same vision . . . and Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, nephew of an Episcopal bishop, who marshalled our nation's vast resources and financed the war with bold innovations.

President Abraham Lincoln figures in the tale, as does a cast of military generals, wealthy industrialists, poets and artists, powerful bankers, and everyday Americans, North and South. Bierly shows how the upheaval of the Civil War changed not just the face of our coins and paper currency, but the very foundations of modern American banking and finance. The story continues into the renaissance of beautiful American coinage started by President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 1900s . . . the revival of the 1950s, and the Unwritten Constitution . . . legal challenges by modern-day atheists . . . and controversy surrounding In God We Trust, public and school prayer, Ceremonial Deism, and other hot topics in today's headlines. Lot weight: 1 lbs 15oz. Subject(s): United States Coinage History.

Read more here

 

LEATHERBOUND U.S. PROOF NICKEL BOOK AVAILABLE

John writes:

Read more here

NEW BOOK: ROMAN PROVINCES, 300 BCE–300 CE

The Roman Provinces, 300 BCE–300 CE
Using Coins as Sources
by Andrew Burnett

Provincial coinage gives us a unique insight into the Roman world, reflecting the values and concerns of the elites of the many hundreds of cities in the Roman empire. Coins offer a very different perspective from written history, which usually represents the views of the senatorial class, and which was usually composed long after the events that are described. The coins, in contrast, provide evidence without hindsight, and uniquely allow a systematic examination across the whole Roman world. This volume makes it possible for instructors and students and scholars to deploy a complex set of material evidence on many historical topics. It includes over two hundred illustrations of coins with detailed captions, so providing a convenient sourcebook of the most important items, and covers topics such as the motivation for Roman conquest, the revolution of Augustus, the world of the Second Sophistic and the crisis of the third century.

Read more here

MINT RESEARCHER HENRY W. CROTZER

An Early U.S. Mint Researcher

Courtesy of Roger Burdette, the identity of an early Mint researcher has been uncovered. In 1899, Philadelphia Mint Superintendent Daniel M. Fox wrote to Mint Director James P. Kimball regarding the research work of Henry W. Crotzer, a cutter in the coining department at the Philadelphia Mint. Prior to the transfer of Mint records to the National Archives in the 1930s, the only way to examine historical records was within the Mint itself, and access would have been much easier for someone who was already a Mint employee.

Read more here

 

VIDEO: VIET NAM COMMEMORATIVE DOLLAR

Read more here

 

MORE ABOUT ELWIN CRAMER LESLIE (1909-1999)

A few weeks ago, I bought a presentation copy of the book "Coinage of The Mexican Revolutionist Zapata / A Classification Guide" by Elwin C. Leslie and Erma C. Stevens. My copy is signed by Erma C. Stevens (1902-1973) to Ray Erkson. I didn't know about the existence of a presentation copy of this book. Amazingly, all of the text and drawings were made by the graphologist Elwin C. Leslie (1909-1999).Comparing both varieties of the book, the only difference is that normal copy has printed the text "This First Edition / is limited to 500 copies / THIS IS COPY / No. /# of copy". I couldn't find more information related to the presentation copy event. A short notice appeared in "Plus Ultra", the monthly publication of The Azteca Numismatic Society (TANS), which informed that the normal printing was about sold out. In Mexico once in a while appears in numismatic auctions. This book was briefly reviewed in World Coins (Vol. 5, No. 58, October 1968, page 832).

Title: Coinage of The Mexican Revolutionist Zapata / A Classification Guide
Authors: Elwin C. Leslie and Erma C. Stevens
Year: 1968
Covers: Soft
Pages: (3), viii, 81
WxHxT: 16.4 x 22.2 x 0.9 cms
Copies: Presentation: 50 and Normal: 500

Read more here

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: DECEMBER 8, 2024

Metal Credit Card Disposal
Rgarding the disposal of metallic credit cards, Harry Waterson writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: DECEMBER 1, 2024: More On Credit Cards (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n48a12.html)

Read more here

THE 1816 ROYAL MINT COMPETITION

George Mills was a medalist who is best known for his medal engravings as part of James Mudie's series of national medals. Mudie's medals were created by Mills and others to celebrate the British victories over the French and Napoleon. Mills is also known for his excellent British crown patterns that he made at the request of Mudie and Richard Whiteaves.

The image is of a petition, or more commonly referred to as a pattern, Guinea that was made, in copper, by Mills. Mills submitted the Guinea to the 1816 Royal Mint competition for the position of second engraver. Mills at the time was working at the SOHO mint in Birmingham England under the supervision of Mathew (Matt) Boulton.

Read more here

TIDY HOUSE COINS, PART ONE

The Tidy House Products Company was founded in 1940 when two radio station workers in Shenandoah, Iowa purchased the rights to Perfix, a cleaning powder. Cy Rapp and Al Ramsey incorporated the new company naming it Tidy House Products Company of Shenandoah, Iowa. They changed the spelling from Prefix to Perfex and expanded the line of cleaning supplies in 1941.

In 1943 the company began operating in Omaha. Its headquarters was at 5010 Underwood Avenue. In 1951 the Tidy House Products Company moved to an 85,000 square foot manufacturing and packaging plant in North Omaha located at 1432 Evans Street.

Tidy House Products Company manufactured a line of household cleaning products. Their brands included Perfex household cleaner, Dexol Bleach, GlossTex liquid starch, and Shina Dish. The Tidy House Products Company was one of many industries scattered throughout the North Omaha community.

Read more here

ANS AT GOBRECHT GRAVESTONE DEDICATION

On November 13, 2024, I was honored to have represented the ANS at a truly historic numismatic event—the graveside memorial ceremony for Christian Gobrecht, third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. This took place at Lawnview Memorial Park in Rockledge, Pennsylvania. The event and the headstone were sponsored by the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC), a numismatic group dedicated to the works of Christian Gobrecht. The ceremony attracted many people that Gobrecht would have considered significant, namely personnel from the present-day U.S. Mint and from his own family. This included U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson, Philadelphia Mint Superintendent Robert Kurzyna, fourteenth Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint Joseph Menna, as well as U.S. Mint Medallic Artists Phebe Hemphill and John McGraw. Four descendants of Christian Gobrecht were able to attend, each of whom still live in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the same town where the Chief Engraver was born in 1785. Additionally, Tom Uram, President of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), and Leonard Augsburger, Project Coordinator of the Newman Numismatic Portal and ANS Fellow, were both on hand to unveil the memorial with Gibson and Menna (Fig. 1).

Read more here

APPLY NOW FOR ANS 2025 SUMMER SEMINAR

The American Numismatic Society (ANS), one of the United States' leading scholarly organization and museum dedicated to coins, currency, and economic history, is pleased to announce the 69th Eric P. Newman Graduate Summer Seminar in Numismatics. Since 1952, this esteemed program has advanced the study of numismatics, fostering academic careers and producing influential scholarship. Many alumni of this prestigious seminar have gone on to make significant contributions to academic and numismatic fields (see the list of participants from previous years).

Each year, a renowned scholar in the field of History, Art History, Classics, or Numismatics serves as the Eric P. Newman Visiting scholar, further enriching the scientific offer of the Summer Seminar. The 2025 Visiting Scholar will be Professor John Ma (Columbia University, New York).

Read more here

VOCABULARY TERM: PUNCH, PART TWO

Sources of punches. Breen reports that an early American machinist, Henry Starr, provided letter and figure punches to the United States Mint in Philadelphia from 1816-1824. After this time it was Christian Gobrecht who furnished these punches (which was his first effort in a long campaign to be engaged as an engraver at the mint). It does point out that engravers could make their own punches, but would purchase these if suitable punches were easily available elsewhere.

While relationship between punchmaker and engraver was close, it was also close to those craftsmen who made the matrixes for printers' type. If an engraver could prepare a die for a coin or medal he could also prepare the set of matrixes for making type. After assistant engraver John Reich left the U.S. Mint's employ, he established a type foundry for Philadelphia printers with three partners. This collapsed with the financial panic of 1819; he relocated to Pittsburgh and reestablished a type foundry there June 1820.

Read more here

THE ANA CONSIDERED OMAHA FOR ITS HOME

I frequently read old newspaper articles during my research. I recently came across some articles I found interesting that related to the proposed ANA Museum in Omaha.

The first article appeared in the Omaha World-Herald on Tuesday, March 22, 1965.

Read more here

DR. LAWRENCE LEE INTERVIEW, PART FOUR

GREG BENNICK: Very cool, indeed. So, switching from a famous coin, to a famous name: did you know John J. Ford Jr.? And if so, what connection did you have with him?

DR. LAWRENCE LEE: I grew up in Colorado and that's how I got interested and into the Denver Mint. I got interested in the private gold coin minters of the Gold Rush era: Clark, Clark & Gruber, Dr. John Parsons, J.J. Conway, and Denver City Assay. I wrote an article called "Dr. Mummy, the G-Man and the J.J. Conway Dies." These were the dies that struck the J.J. Conway coins, of which there's maybe a total of 15 known (I will come back to that in a second). These dies were in the Colorado State Historical Society. I went down to the museum, and into the archives. I found the dies and wrote them up and described how they'd gotten discovered in a guy's attic. It was a really great story. I traced the dies all the way back to 1861.

I wrote this up and published it. I sent it in to The Numismatist and amazingly it won an award. I didn't even know I was in the running for it. It was the Olga Raymond Memorial Award, which was sponsored by John J. Ford. It was given by him, and at his direction, mostly to people writing about territorial gold pieces. So here I was writing about something that wasn't entirely new but this aspect of it was original. No one had written this up: how the government tried to seize the dies because they said they were counterfeit.

As a result of all of this, John began corresponding with me. At this point I had not yet met him, but he would send me gifts. He sent me the Henry Clifford catalog of territorial gold pieces. Interestingly (and this is the point I'm still intending to come back to), most of the pieces in there from Colorado were purchased by one man, Frederick Mayer, who I later worked for when I became his private curator. So, all the coins in this particular catalog from Colorado that John had sent me, I was later able to be involved with when I became the curator for Dr. Mayer. We'll get to that story.

Read more here

NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: DECEMBER 8, 2024

103018 | GERMANY. Nürnberg. Marriage silver Medal. Issued circa 1700 (42mm, 12h). By Georg Hautsch. GOTT GEBE SEINEN SEGEN REICHLICH VBER EVCH (May God grant unto you his manifold blessings), young bridal couple standing facing one another, holding hands before God the Father, who blesses the marriage; guardian angel to the left, old man to the right, radiant sun above // LAST VNS GOTT BITTEN, DEN WIR SIND KINDER D HEILIGN (Let us ask God, for we are all children of the Holy One), bridal pair kneeling in prayer before the burning brazier; to the left, angel kneeling left, driving sword through the head of a demon; marriage bed in the background. GPH 1025; Erlanger Coll. 2209. NGC AU-58. Lightly toned, with a good deal of alluring brilliance. A stunning example of the type that is seemingly a bit conservatively assessed, especially by the standards of the two major services. $495.

While one may now purchase a silver round, usually struck to the weight of one ounce and with a variety of religions-themed designs, as a gift for a couple's impending or recent nuptials, the practice is in no way modern. In 18th and 19th century Germany in particular, the practice was commonplace, with mints in Nürnberg striking countless tokens and medals to be used as marriage gifts. These various workshops were not limited to just marriage commemoratives, however, as other religious-themed topics were routinely struck for presentation, such as baptisms and confirmations, while others touched upon parables throughout the Bible. One of the leading references for this area of medallic art is Kreß auction 115 from 1960, which presented the combined collections of Marie Luise Goppel and Dr. Plum-Holler, commonly referred to as Goppel-Plum-Holler, or simply GPH. This item was featured in our E-Sylum ad.

To read the complete item description, see:
103018 | GERMANY. Nürnberg. Marriage silver Medal. (https://www.numismagram.com/product-page/103018)

Read more here

COMPLETE CARSON CITY DIME SET OFFERED

The upcoming sale of the Gerry Fortin Liberty Seated dime collection, by GFRC Online Auctions, features a rarely seen complete set of the early (1871-1874) Carson City dimes. These issues are long recognized as the "stoppers" of the series, and the allure of the Carson City coinage has only increased in recent years. The 19th century collectors paid little attention to mintmarks, and these coins tend to be encountered only in low grades or with various problems. The Fortin set includes well-detailed examples at collector-grade levels, with all four pieces approved by CAC, which has certified less than 20 examples of any of these issues. Indeed, this sale likely represents the first public sale of an early CC-dime set with each piece being CAC-certified.

The Carson City Mint struck few dimes in its early days, and each of these issues is represented by only a single die pair. Die wear was sufficiently minimal that the same reverse die was used for all four of these years. A horizontal die crack through the mintmark begins to appear on the later 1872 coins and progresses through 1873 and 1874. The situation changes greatly in the mid-1870s with the massive silver production in the west. Fortin documents 33 different die marriages for the 1875-CC issue, with similar numbers for the subsequent 1876-CC and 1877-CC emissions.

Read more here

ROMAN COINS FOUND IN WORCESTERSHIRE

A hoard of gold and silver Roman coins dating back to the reign of Emperor Nero have been found during building works in Worcestershire.

The treasure, consisting of 1,368 Iron Age and Roman coins, includes the largest collection from the emperor's reign ever found.

Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums said the hoard was discovered in the Leigh and Bransford area, west of Worcester, in late 2023.

Read more here

STOLEN 1715 FLEET COINS RECOVERED

A collection of 37 gold coins — with a combined value estimated at more than $1 million — have been recovered after they were stolen by salvagers back in 2015 from a famous 18th century shipwreck off Florida's Treasure Coast, state authorities announced Tuesday. A professional treasure hunter has been charged in connection with the case.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the recovery in a news release, calling it a "major milestone in a long-standing investigation into the theft and illegal trafficking of these priceless historical artifacts." As required by state and federal law, the recovered artifacts will be returned to their "rightful custodians," the agency added.

Read more here

LONGACRE'S ONE DOLLAR GOLD COINS

The history of the One Dollar gold coin truly began with the discovery of gold in California. Prior to that 1848 event, there had been gold discoveries in both Georgia and North Carolina but neither of these events required a One Dollar gold coin to be struck. The Seated Liberty Silver Dollar and its predecessors handled the job quite nicely.

James Barton Longacre, the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, designed a small gold coin that was first struck in 1849. That particular coin was plagued with problems and only lasted until 1854. There were a tremendous number of complaints about the exceedingly small diameter (13 mm) of that first effort. Coins that small and very thin could easily be lost and when that loss represented a day's wages, it was a problem that could not be ignored.

Read more here

 

2024 ADVENT COIN CALENDAR, PART TWO

7. The Holly and the Ivy is a favourite carol

The custom of decorating houses with evergreens predates Christianity.

This Tetradrachm of Mithradates VI, Pergamum has a stag grazing left, star and crescent to left, all within ivy-wreath, and holly.

This is a coin from LORRAINE, struck by Charles II, Gros, with helmet over shield, rev. sword between holly leaves,

Read more here

1849 PACIFIC COMPANY $5 GOLD PIECE

Right on the heels of our record-breaking sale of the 1850 Baldwin $10, which achieved $1.26 million in our November Rarities Night, another iconic, seven-figure territorial rarity will cross the block in our February 2025 Rarities Night.

The Pacific Company was one of the earliest of the private mints established in California during the Gold Rush. It is widely accepted that the Pacific Company formed in Boston on January 8, 1849 by John W. Cartwright is the organization originally behind the Pacific Company coinage. Composed of 38 subscribers who contributed $1,000 each to join, the Pacific Company bought and outfitted the vessel York. Included in their equipment were sets of dies for a planned issue of $1, $2.50, $5, and $10 gold pieces. The four denominations all bear a version of the same design: on the obverse is a Liberty cap with stars and rays (closely resembling Mexican silver coins of the period) with the denomination indicated below and on the reverse is a heraldic eagle clutching an olive branch and hammer surrounded by the legend, PACIFIC COMPANY, CALIFORNIA. and the date 1849.

Read more here

TREASURE LAW IN THE UNITED STATES

We're familiar with coin finds such as The Saddle Ridge Hoard and the Kentucky Civil War Hoard. The Saddle Ridge coins were found by a couple near a tree on their own property, and the Kentucky coins were found by a metal detectorist on someone else's property. Obviously, these finders were not the people who originally placed the coins there. Why is it that both got to keep the coins and, eventually, sell them?

In the U.S., the law relating to "found" items is regulated by each state, but certain principles are consistent. Items are either mislaid, lost, abandoned or "treasure trove". A wallet that falls to the ground out of someone's pocket is mislaid, because the owner never intended for the wallet to be where it was eventually found. A wallet left on the counter at a grocery store is considered lost, because the owner did originally intend for it to be there, but later forgot about it. Abandonment comes from lost or mislaid items where the original owner showed an intent not to return to recover them, and "treasure trove" refers to items of intrinsic value which have been lost or mislaid for such a long period of time that it is no longer possible to identify who put them there.

Read more here

REVIEW: CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, 18TH ED.

A new edition of the Chicago Manual of Style comes out every seven years: The latest edition was published on September 19, 2024. There are other manuals of style, but the Chicago Manual is the best for writing in the humanities. Every writer, editor, and copyeditor of serious scholarly work in the humanities must own a copy of the latest edition. No, you cannot get away with buying an earlier edition on the cheap – you will just make life a nightmare for everyone else if you do, for there are numerous changes in the 18th edition, and the differences are significant. No excuses. Keep it close at hand and consult it frequently. The other day I wondered whether the title "Sir" was capitalized. I picked up the Manual, and there was the answer (yes, it is capitalized – see paragraph 8.33).

The jacket of the 18th edition is a lurid acid yellow. With a list price of $75, the Chicago Manual is not cheap. But, with 1198 pages that were typeset, printed, and bound in the United States, it is reasonable value for the money.

Read more here

LOOSE CHANGE: DECEMBER 8, 2024

Bristol Old Vic Theatre Token

A "proper piece of Bristol history" is expected to fetch thousands of pounds when it goes under the hammer this week.

The theatre token from 1766 is one of 50 originally gifted to the first shareholders of the Bristol Old Vic theatre, who helped fund its construction between 1764 and 1766.

The "incredibly rare" item allowed the owner unlimited access to shows and is set to go under the hammer at the Bristol-based Auctioneum on Thursday.

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said only 20 of the silver tokens are known to still exist adding: "Every now and again, another token gets discovered and this is just one such of those newly discovered tokens."

To read the complete article, see:
'Proper piece of Bristol history' up for auction (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgxzkd4443o)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
'GOLDEN TICKET' TOKEN STILL GOOD AFTER 250 YEARS (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n27a12.html)
MORE ON THE BRISTOL OLD VIC 'GOLDEN TICKET' TOKEN (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n28a35.html)

Read more here

ABOUT THIS ISSUE: DECEMBER 8, 2024

Read more here