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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: NOVEMBER 22, 2020Here's a selection of interesting or unusual items I came across in the marketplace this week. Tell us what you think of some of these. -Editor
c1550 Nuremberg Alphabet Tokens 
Two Nuremberg Alphabet Tokens. ca. 1550s. "Rechenmeister" coins embossed with a counting master on one side and the alphabet letters in upper case on the other. The two tokens are similar; however, one includes a date beneath the alphabet letters [1558 or 1559?] and is rubbed. There are also slight variations in alphabet order: one lacks j and u, while the other lacks j and u and w (but has a second n at the end). Copper or brass alloy; each measuring roughly 1-inch (26 mm) in diameter. Very good. The earliest alphabet and math tokens date from 1550s Nuremberg. Later versions were cast with Biblical or Royal imagery, and were usually imprinted with the date and name of the manufacturer. This particular style of alphabetical token appears to be "Schoolpenning," or "school token" popular among schoolchildren. Caelenberghe, H. van, Hasselt, H., & Kronenberg, H. (2001) "Rekenpenningen, de makers het gebruik en de gescheidenis". The Coinhunter Magazine No.77. W S Churchill, "Nuremberg Alphabetical Tokens", Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society XX (pages 117-118).
From the December 16, 2020 Heritage Rare Children's Literature sale. I was unfamiliar with alphabet tokens before seeing this. Interesting. E-Sylum readers have a special love for words, and what are words without the alphabet? There's a new book on the history of alphabetical order by Judith Flanders: A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order . From dictionaries to encyclopedias to book indexes, we take alphabetical order for granted today. But as with everything from the spoken word to letters, printing, books and even the bookshelf itself, all had to be invented along the way. Something for the curious bibliophile to add to their holiday wishlist. -Editor
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India Mughal Empire Mohur 
India, Mughal Empire, Aurangzeb (1658-1707), AV small flan Mohur (10.96gm.) of the mint Khujista Bunyad, 1117h. Yr 50, (AD 1707). [last few months of reign], (KM. 315.30; ICV 4284). Good Extremely fine with some original mint bloom.
An attractive coin. I know nothing of the language, but find these kinds of coins seductive in their simplicity. From the online stock of Baldwin's. -Editor
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1791 Italy 1 Piastra 
Italy, Naples and Sicily, 1 Piastra, 1791, FERDINANDVS IV. ET M. CAROLINA VNDIQ. FELICES P., portraits of Ferdinand IV of Naples and Maria Carolina of Austria, king and queen of Naples conjoined to right. Rev. SOLI REDUCI, A.P. M. 1791, Sun with rays, zodiacal signs and a terrestrial globe centered on Italy. (KM. 213; G. 59; MIR 372). About Very fine. Commemorative coin: return of Ferdinand IV to Naples. The zodiacal signs represent the months after the King and Queen left Naples for the royal family's visit to Vienna, symbolizing the wait of Naples people for the return of their sovereign.
The unusual reverse caught my eye. Coins and medals depicting astrology and astronomy are an interesting numismatic sideline. Also from Baldwin's. -Editor
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1917 Canadian Bank of Commerce $20 
From the Geoffrey Bell Moncton November 2020 Sale. Beautiful note. -Editor
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1876-CC Half Eagle 
United States of America, Gold $5 1876 CC, Liberty Head, Carson City, by Christian Gobrecht, edge milled, 6h (Winter dies 1-A; PCGS #8340 [0 of 0 / 1 Finer]; NGC ID #25WX [*Single Finest*]). Only the third example to achieve the exalted Mint State grade at either NGC or PCGS, rendering this coin finer than the Hansen (PCGS AU58); Harry Bass (PCGS AU58) or Smithsonian National Museum (PCGS AU50) Set Registry pieces, and an exceptional second behind only the revered Chapman Bros-Clapp-Eliasberg-Lang-'Battle Born' [Goe] coin, a truly wonderful discovery piece that is sure to get even the keenest Carson City collectors excited in the year of the Branch Mint's Sesquicentenary!
From the upcoming Spink December 14, 2020 sale. Great coin! -Editor
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THE BOOK BAZARREWayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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