NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 16, 2020

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V23 2020 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 23, Number 7, February 16, 2020, Article 14

"The 10F planchet in last week's E-Sylum appears to be a test or sample planchet. A Third Republic piece (1929 - 1939) has a diameter of 28mm and a weight of 10.0g. Could be simply a sample pulled for quality check."

"For sure that is Hans Schulman in the photo (he used to live in my apartment complex in NYC back in the 1960's)"

"I agree that the person on the right is likely Charles Hoskins, not Carl Carlson. In addition, I think the person seated at Elvira Stefanelli’s left is Karl Jaeschki, one of the museum staff who was there when I was an intern in 1967. It would be nice if we had a date for the photo. My guess on the date is c.1960-65. Elvira’s first edition of Select Numismatic Bibliography was published in 1965."

"I believe it is Carl H. Jaeschke sitting next to Mrs. Clain-Stefanelli. Carl passed away many years ago. I wrote to the Smithsonian Numismatic Department early in the 1908s requesting permission to go through the Vietnamese coins in their holdings. Carl sent me a letter and we set up dates and times for me. Carl lived in Turkey, which was considered to be Asia in the Smithsonian so he was put in charge of those coins.

"He knew very little about them so his first request to me was to sort out the Annamese (Vietnamese) coins from the many trays of cash-style coins. I recognized Vietnamese coins from several collections and I was able to weigh and measure many, many pieces to put in my database. It has been many, many years since I was last sitting at a long table with him and many, many large trays of Vietnamese cash-style coins. It was a great time for me."

OK, we've had a lot of input over the past few weeks. Here's a compilation. There are five people at the table, and one still unidentified woman in the background, probably another Smithsonian staffer at work.

1st FROM LEFT: Hans Schulman (per Ken Bressett, David Alexander, Ken Bressett and Clifford Mishler, and Bob Steinberg)

2nd FROM LEFT: Elvira Clain-Stefanelli

3rd FROM LEFT: Carl Jaeschke, per Doug Mudd, Andy Singer and Howard Daniel.

STANDING: Dr. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli

FAR RIGHT:
Not Abe Kosoff (per Julian Leidman, Ken Bressett and Clifford Mishler)
Possibly Carl W. Carlson (per David Alexander)
Probably Charles Hoskins (per Clifford Mishler and Andy Singer)

Thanks, everyone! -Editor

"There are some beautiful token moulds from centuries past, and mudlarks are always on the lookout for interesting bits of worked stone or clay on the foreshore. This token mould below is from the Roman period & is currently on display in the British Museum."

The Numismatourist in Dubai
From the road, Numismatourist Howard Berlin writes:

"A funny thing happened to me on the way to the museum. Here in Dubai, I took one of the hop-on hop-off tour buses to get me close to the Coins Museum here. I got left off in front of the Dubai Museum, commemorating the first fort in Dubai from the 18th century. When I inquired how to get to the Coins Museum in the Fahidi Fort area from there, one individual, dressed in the traditional white ghutra or keffiyeh headdress with black igal headband and the long thawb – an ankle-length tunic. He indicated that he would be glad to walk me to the museum. It was not just around the corner and my knees and lower back were starting to ache.

This fellow then offered to bring his car around to drive me to the museum. I at first declined but only relented after he assured me that it was “no problem.” In about a few minutes, he arrived with his car and then proceeded to drive me to the museum. After I introduced myself and handed him my card and told him about my book about coin museums, he surprised me by telling me that he was the manager of the Dubai Museum! Talk about hospitality! In fact, in my first day in Dubai, I have encountered numerous instances of extremely polite courtesy towards me from the locals."