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About Us The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit association devoted to the study and enjoyment of numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at coinbooks.org Subscriptions Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link Membership There is a membership application available on the web site Membership Application To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. Print/Digital membership is $40 to addresses in the U.S., and $60 elsewhere. A digital-only membership is available for $25. For those without web access, write to: Jeff Dickerson, Treasurer Numismatic Bibliomania Society P. O. Box 578, Weatherford, TX 76086 Asylum For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Jeff at this email address: treasurer@coinbooks.org Submissions To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com BUY THE BOOK BEFORE THE COIN Sale Calendar Watch here for updates!

 

Content presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.

WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM FEBRUARY 2, 2025

New subscribers this week include: Larry Hanks, courtesy of Bob Steinberg; Daniel Salinero of Indio, California; and Mike Byers. 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 an interesting 1798 letter from American artist Benjamin West, three new books, two obituaries, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from readers, and more.

Other topics this week include Indian coinage, Canadian dollars, the Roman coins of Egypt, old coins found in change, an unofficial semiquincentennial half dollar, Daisy Dollars, fixed price and auction highlights, Taylor Swift's ancient coin necklace, currency revaluations, and The Paper Money Project.

To learn more about coinage and colonialism, the primitive money of Myanmar, the National Bank Notes of Punxsutawney, PA., the tomb of William Strickland, reeded edges, knurls and flutes, Alan Kessler, the Fenian Brotherhood, Manfred Dunker, and the Numerology Masonic Prophetic Magic Square Knights Templar Themed Medal, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

BENJAMIN WEST BRITISH COIN LETTER OFFERED

An interesting letter from the great American-born artist, Benjamin West, regarding drawings and models created for British coins. Benjamin West (1738-1820) was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and studied art in America and Italy before moving to England permanently in 1763. West was a founder of the Royal Academy and its second president (following Sir Joshua Reynolds, and serving in that capacity from 1792 until his death), became "History Painter to the King" in 1772, and was commissioned by George III to execute some sixty paintings between 1768 and 1801. The text of the letter reads:

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NEW BOOK: MONEY, COINAGE AND COLONIALISM

Money, Coinage and Colonialism

Nanouschka Myrberg Burström (Editor)
Fleur Kemmers (Editor)
Routledge (Publisher)

Description

This book explores coinage and related object types as an important form of material culture that is crucial to interrogating interactions between coloniser and colonised.

Money, Coinage and Colonialism is a much overdue treatment of coinage and money in debates around ancient and recent colonial practices. It argues that coinage offers unique opportunities to study interactions and effects of the meeting between colonisers and colonised, as well as the economic, political and ideological interactions between colonial communities and the state of origin. It is argued that the study of coins and other means of exchange may reveal less apparent and under-communicated processes, values and discourses in the study of colonial environments and projects, with commonalities informing a larger "global history" approach. A broad picture is built from numerous case studies, spanning from Classical Greek colonies to European colonial enterprises of the Modern period, exploring colonial histories, settings, ideology and resistance. Particular attention is paid to the role of coins in identity construction; to ambiguity, hybridity and creolisation of monetary objects in colonial contexts; and to specific uses of coins that tell of violence, oppression and resistance as well as of networks, acculturation and globalisation.

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NEW BOOK: GELD AUS DEM NORDEN

Hans Menzel-Severing has self-published a fine study of the primitive money of Myanmar, north Thailand and Laos (Shan states and Lannatai), Geld aus dem Norden, (hardbound, 209 p., illustrated in color throughout, German text [easy to follow], 2024), apparently based on his own outstanding collection. No price stated and not available from the usual U.S. sources, but he will be glad to quote price and shipping.

This study covers various forms of circular silver ingots (flower money, toks, pig-mouths, and leaf-money) plus an exhaustive catalog of cigar- shaped ingots. Ten pages are devoted to the so-called leech-money of Luang Prabang, 1353-1571 (?), with its stamps.

Other forms of bar money, such as "Fish-Money" and tiger tongues follow. Next is a section on Ka-K'im and bracelet coins, Chiengsaen bars, and trade dollars (including chopmarks). The frontispiece is a map of related sites.

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NEW BOOK: INDIAN COINAGE 10TH EDITION

Indian Coinage 2023-24 British India Portuguese India Republic India (1835-2024) 10th Edition
By Sainath Reddappa

Hard Back/ Full Color/ISBN : 978-93-340-7242-6/ M.R.P ?999.00 / $45

About the book
Indian Coinage British India – Portuguese India – Republic India (1835 – 2024), 10th Edition, is a complete guidebook cum Checklist for Numismatist. This edition is updated up to date and enhanced version of former editions. This book is drafted to be a supporting guide to numismatist in identifying rare coins and its average market value. Keen study has been made by surveying and interacting with various coin sellers and numismatists from different parts of the country.

Book system
This book is classified into three major Parts, British India, Portuguese India & Republic India coins. British India Coins comprises coins issued by the British, during their rule in India between 1835 and 1947. This part illustrates coins of various denominations issued under British Rule. Portuguese India coins comprise of coins issued between 1871 – 1961 (Machine Struck). Republic India comprises of coins issued by the Government of India after India became Republic. This book catalogs Republic India Coins from 1950 to 2024. Republic India coinage is further classified into Commemorative Issue, Uncirculated Sets, Proof Sets, Uncirculated Regular Issue & Proof Set Regular Issue.

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VALE MERRILL GIBSON (1952-2024)

With great sadness, we report that long time Ancient Coin Club of Los Angeles member Merrill Gibson passed away from cancer on December 21, 2024 - just two months shy of his 72nd birthday.

Merrill was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico (his father worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory) and was raised there with his sister Dianna. Merrill went on to gain an engineering degree from Cal Tech. He worked in a variety of employments including working as a mortgage broker and designing web pages prior to settling down with Apollo Numismatics.

Merrill joined the Club at the February 11, 2004 meeting and remained active until the end. He served for 16 years on the ACCLA Board of Directors (2006-2021). For two of those years (2013 and 2014) he served as Club President.

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DAVID MICHAEL SMOCK (1984-2025)

David Michael Smock, 40, of Jonesboro passed away Friday, January 17, 2025, at his home in Jonesboro. Born in 1984 in Jonesboro, David lived a life marked by creativity, determination, and love for those around him. David attended Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia, where he was an active member of the Student Government Association and graduated at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. He went on to study at Arkansas State University-Newport where he continued his involvement in student government. He also attended Lyon College in Batesville. David was deeply engaged in his community and served as a canvasser for Chad Causey during his Arkansas Congressional campaign.

A passionate and award-winning coin collector, David received numerous accolades for his collection and wrote articles for prominent professional publications including Coin World, The Numismatist, and Numismatic News. Beyond his interest in numismatics, David was a talented visual artist, woodcarver, and jewelry maker. He presented two of his medallion pieces to musicians Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell the night of their 2023 performance at the Sunken Lands Songwriters Circle concert in A-State's Riceland Hall. David was an avid Elvis Presley fan from the time he was six years old, frequently attending events at Graceland. He attended many Arkansas rock-and-roll festivals, including a Ronnie McDowell concert in which he sang a duet with the performer. He enjoyed meeting Jerry Lee Lewis and was friends with Jerry Lee's sister, Linda Gail Lewis, and with Sonny Burgess.

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NUMISMATICS OF PUNXSUTAWNEY

Numismatics of Punxsutawney

Wikipedia notes "Punxsutawney is a borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. Punxsutawney is known for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of attendees and international media outlets visit the town for an annual weather prediction by the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil."

Numismatically, Punxsutawney is best known for a series of National Bank Notes, with issue dates from 1882 to 1929. Issuers includes the Farmers National Bank (charter no. 5965), the First National Bank of Punxsutawney (no. 3030), the Punxsutawney National Bank (no. 5702), and the County National Bank of Punxsutawney (no. 9863). The Andrew W. Pollock III reference on U.S. National Banks is now complete through charter no. 4600 and provides statistical data for the First National Bank of Punxsutawney (no. 3030). We found no groundhogs depicted on these notes, rather these appear to be stock images provided by the banknote engravers of the day.

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VIDEO: CANADIAN DOLLARS: AN INTRODUCTION

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ROMAN COINS OF EGYPT PRESENTATION

ACCLA's Sunday February 9 meeting will be held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Room 161 starting at 1:00 PM. Mike Markowitz will present: Roman Coins of Egypt.

The presentation will be broadcast via Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. The Zoom link will be posted on the accla-list and emailed to our guest list. If you are not on either list, email me and I will send you the link.

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OLDEST COINS FOUND IN CHANGE

Jim O'Connell writes:

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 2, 2025

More on Brass Checks and Red Lights
Bob Leonard writes:

   

To read the Numismatics International Bulletin issue on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Numismatics International Bulletin, Vol. 31, No.10 (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/522735)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WEDDING TOKEN OR BROTHEL TOKEN? (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n04a13.html)

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2025 LEXINGTON-CONCORD COMMEMORATIVE

This year our hometown of Concord, Massachusetts is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. We are home to the famous "shot heard round the world." It's Patriots' Day on April 19th, and Concord has an annual small parade over the old North Bridge with minuteman contingents from the area, as well as marching bands from various towns.

Concord is making an especially big deal of this landmark year, with many additional celebratory events planned. Our ordinarily sleepy historical town of under 20,000 residents is expecting several multitudes of that in visitors for that weekend. Marching groups from around the country are planning on participating in the parade. President Ford attended the 200th anniversary in 1975, and this year some are speculating that President Trump could make an appearance. Let the circus begin!

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THE TOMB OF WILLIAM STRICKLAND

Attached find photos of William Strickland's (1788-1854) final resting place. Strickland designed the second U.S. Mint and the Tennessee State House in Nashville and was credited with introducing Greek Revival to the U.S. He was a Nashville resident and when he died in 1854 his remains were entombed in the side of the state capitol building. The tomb is located in the north end of the building and can be visited from the outside. Not too far from Strickland are the graves of President and Mrs. James K. Polk, in a tomb on the capitol grounds, also designed by Strickland.

 

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GIRL SCOUTS USA DAISY DOLLARS

As an active member of the Iola Historical Society I am sometimes asked to monitor our facility when used by an outside group.

On January 26, the Waupaca area Girl Scouts used our Machine Shed exhibition building for a bunch of activities centered around the kick-off of the annual cookie drive.

It was interesting to learn of the current offerings, the current price ($6.00 a box in our area), and see the new packaging.

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VOCABULARY TERM: REEDED EDGE, REEDING

Reeded Edge, Reeding. Alternating ridges (knurls) and indentations (flutes) on the edge of a struck numismatic piece. In addition to reeding, the series of ridges and indentations is also called knurling. This edge treatment should not be confused with milling or upsetting – processes for smoothing the edge in preparation for striking. Originally reeding was used to prevent coins from being shaved – it is somewhat of a security edge – but also assists in constant handling, in picking up a piece by hand, for quick identification by blind persons, also for counting, sorting and other reasons.

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THE ALAN KESSLER MYSTERY

When I originally compiled listings for American Numismatic Biographies, I could not find information on Alan Kessler, author of The Fugio Cents. Since then, I have gone back several times looking for information on Kessler. With recent mentions in the E-Sylum, I went back again this week to check current resources.

The book title on the dust jacket, cover and spine is The Fugio Cents. The title page is The Fugio Coppers A Simple Method for Identifying the Varieties with Rarity Listing and Price Guide.

The name of Alan Kessler appears in records for FamilySearch and Findagrave. None of them can be linked to the author. There are 214 citations in the Newman Numismatic Portal. None of these mention his age or provide a middle initial.

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2025 ANS TRUSTEES' AWARD TO THE NYINC

On January 16, 2025, the Board of Trustees of the American Numismatic Society (ANS) bestowed the 2025 Trustees' Award to the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) at the Society's Annual Gala, held at the Century Association in New York City. The award recognized the NYINC as one of the most significant conventions in the United States for the numismatic community, having brought collectors, dealers, and enthusiasts of world and ancient coins together for more than fifty years, and its longtime support of the Society's mission.

The Society's Annual Gala welcomed 120 guests to celebrate the NYINC and its partnership with the ANS during the successful evening, which raised more than $217,000. ANS Life Fellow Dr. Arnold-Peter Weiss served as the emcee of the evening, and ANS President David Hendin presented the Trustees' Award.

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GERRY FORTIN INTERVIEW, PART FIVE

GREG BENNICK: Because people wouldn't know that necessarily. So, what was it that made you decide ultimately to sell your collection after working on it for so long?

GERRY FORTIN: I tell everybody that the short answer: it was time. Now, what does that mean? Since 2014, I've been selling all my other dimes that were used for the die variety analysis, and I've raised a substantial amount of capital. Well, that capital was going back into my high-end collection. And somehow, I was able, through contacts and through picking spots, I was able to buy some upgrades from the period when Eugene Gardner sold his collection and passed away. So that was 2014. And then we had D.L. Hansen, who kicked in more recently. So, there was a short period in there where I was able to do some more upgrading.

The Tom Bender sale that was held, I think, two years ago, there were some spots in my collection that were weak where I had not allocated monies because they were secondary from an investment perspective. I spent quite a bit of money upgrading that piece of the collection at the Bender sale. And in the past year, essentially, I've liquidated, essentially, all of the dimes through my business. So, my funding source for the collection had dried up.

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CNG TRITON XXVIII AUCTION RESULTS

An "Ides of March" silver coin struck by Brutus to celebrate the assassination of Julius Caesar sold for an astounding $551,250, and bidding for an extremely rare and beautiful Greek silver coin of the lost city of Pheneos attained a breathtaking $490,000, as strong demand for rare and important ancient, world and British coins drove prices in Classical Numismatic Group's Triton XXVIII Auction, held live in New York City and online January 14-15, to more than double the $5.1 million presale estimate for the 1154- lot offering.

Two follow-up internet sessions, Triton XXVIII Sessions 5 and 6, held January 22-23 in Lancaster PA, also better than doubled their presale estimates to bring the total, bringing the total two-week haul to $12.25 million. All prices quoted include the 22.5% buyer's premium.

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ATLAS NUMISMATICS SELECTIONS: FEBRUARY 2, 2025

1081227 | ROMAN IMPERIAL. Pertinax. (Emperor, January - March 193). Struck 193-194 AD. AV Aureus. NGC Gem MS (Gem Mint State) Strike 5/5 Surface 5/5 Fine Style. Rome. 7.20gm. IMP CAES P HELV PERTIN AVG. Laureate head of Pertinax, right /PROVID - DEOR COS II. Female allegory with right arm raised towards a star, left. Cal.-2389a; RIC-11a; Woodard NC 1957, page 10, 11.

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ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL AUCTION 99 SELECTIONS

Lot 113:Ireland, ND (1866-1867). 10 Dollars P-S102r FE7, Remainder Bond, Black on green underprint with portrait of "Wolfe Tone" at lower left and "Davis" at lower right and dramatic eagle on mountain in middle, Back is green, S/N 4276/3276 pp B, PMG graded Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ, CONB. The Fenian Brotherhood were a committed group of Irish nationalists who attempted an unsuccessful rebellion in the 1860s. Their leaders continued to harass the British for years and help inspire and participate in the eventual successful rebellion against Britain in the early 20th century.

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NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS LLC SALE 69

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TAYLOR SWIFT'S ANCIENT COIN NECKLACE

Is Taylor Swift teasing fans with her latest fashion accessory?

For the Kansas City Chiefs game in Missouri on Sunday, Jan. 26, the pop songstress, 35, wore what appeared to be a Steven Battelle-designed 18K gold Ancient Greek coin pendant necklace with a diamond accent, according to fashion pro and Swift expert Sarah Chapelle.

Though fans on X thought the singer might be pointing at her re-recorded album, Reputation (Taylor's Version), with the accessory, believing that the coin had intertwining snakes on it like the one seen for sale here on 1stDibs for $3,100, each of Batelle's necklaces is one of a kind, which means Swift's must be a different piece!

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1793 MANCHESTER PROMISSORY HALFPENNY, PART TWO

Manufacturers like William Lutwyche played a pivotal role in the evolution of token production, broadening its driving forces to 'supply' and 'demand.' This transformation turned tokens into a marketed commodity instead of merely a commissioned item.

Lutwyche aimed at the rural market segment, close to the sources of raw materials or waterpower, concentrating his sales efforts on tradesmen and shopkeepers in provincial areas like Manchester. Perhaps a savvy merchant, John Fielding, might have sought out tokens to boost his business visibility or a travelling salesman from Lutwyche's visited his shop. Birmingham's toy manufacturers, even leading medallion creators such as Matthew Boulton, had long employed travelling salesmen to promote their business, and Lutwyche probably followed a comparable strategy, if more modestly.

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COLLECTABLE COUNTERFEIT COINS, PART TWO

Another source of counterfeits are those from China. Up until recently one could purchase Dansco albums from China filled completely with fake coins. Usually these were not the highest quality but were passable. Some of these coins have found their way into the market piecemeal and sometimes are consumed by novice collectors. Although these are not truly collectable counterfeits enough of them wind up in unsuspecting hands that many dealers have bins full of them. Similarly the Chinese seemingly counterfeited just about everything from 1795 dated Trade Dollars to Morgan dollars dated 1877-CC.

One other very collectable counterfeit or "restrike" are those created by Daniel Carr in Colorado. Daniel specializes in striking coins on genuine coin planchets (or overstriking on real coins) those issues that might have existed but for some reason never did. By doing this he avoids any legal issues which would result in striking counterfeits. His coins can only be considered as fantasy pieces such as a 1931-S Standing Liberty Quarter, 1964 Franklin Half Dollar and of course the 1964 Peace Dollar. The 1964 Peace Dollar was actually struck in Denver in 1964 but supposedly all were melted and none exist today. This may or may not be true but according to official government documentation none survived.

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IRAN CONSIDERING CURRENCY REVALUATION

Iran launched plans to switch its currency to the toman in 2021, replacing the rial by removing four zeros in a bid to mask inflation. But the plan stalled. Now, the government is hoping to revive the effort.

A loaf of bread in Tehran costs 100,000 rials. Or — should it be 10 tomans now? Or 10,000 tomans (roughly $1)?

For ordinary Iranians, a single toman simply means 10 rials. But with the government attempting to streamline currency, even the basic act of buying groceries could soon become a confusing tangle of numbers.

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NORTH KOREAN REVALUATION RUMORED

Amid persistent rumors of currency redenomination, North Koreans are increasingly shunning the domestic won in favor of foreign currencies. This growing distrust is accelerating the economy's dependence on foreign money.

"Rumors about currency redenomination that began last year continue to spread, and more North Koreans are refusing to hold the domestic currency," a source in South Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Thursday.

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CHINESE COMPANY PAYS EMPLOYEES IN SCRIP

A Chinese company has been placed under official investigation after it gave consumer vouchers instead of money as salary to its employees, triggering online backlash.

A person from northeastern China's Jilin province posted that the shopping centre he worked for, Motian Vitality City, gave its staff consumer vouchers as their salary.

Photos posted by the man on a social media platform showed the vouchers with values ranging from 10 to 500 yuan (US$1.4 to US$70).

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LOOSE CHANGE: FEBRUARY 2, 2025

Manfred Dunker, Commemorative Coin Innovator

Manfred Dunker will forever be known as the foremost innovator of the commemorative coin industry in the 80s, 90s and 00s.

Manfred Dunker was a collector from childhood, collecting stamps and coins. After his time with Dr Oetker, he went on to take charge of the tiny coin unit of Richard Borek, joining in 1985. He had a vision that it could be made into a driving force in coins. He renamed the company to MDM. It did not mean Manfred Dunker Münzenhandel as some suggested, but Münzhandelsgesellschaft Deutsche Münze.

During his time, MDM increased from a small entity to 600 people. Before Manfred joined MDM, commemorative coins were much less common than today. Many European countries issued them only on rare occasions. Manfred Dunker inspired national banks and state mints across the globe to expand their issuance of such coins, both as base metal, silver and gold coins. MDM helped with sales and distribution. Manfred was particularly influential in the development of Olympic coins for events such as Barcelona, Albertville, Lillehammer, Sydney, Torino and Beijing.

To read the complete article, see:
Prize to Manfred Dunker, the Innovator of the Modern Commemorative Coin Market (https://www.greysheet.com/news/story/prize-to-manfred-dunker-the-innovator-of-the-modern-commemorative-coin-market)

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FEATURED WEBSITE: THE PAPER MONEY PROJECT

https://www.papermoneyproject.com/

ABOUT THIS ISSUE: FEBRUARY 2, 2025

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