NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JULY 10, 2022

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The E-Sylum: Volume 25, Number 28, July 10, 2022, Article 10

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JULY 10, 2022

Federal Reserve Bank Bags
Phil Iversen writes:

"After reading the article by David Lange on bank bags I was finally able to locate two from my small collection and was wondering if anybody has ever put together a complete set of bags from all of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts?"

Great question - that would probably be some accomplishment. Anyone? -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
U. S. MINT CANVAS BAGS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n26a11.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JULY 3, 2022 : 1938 Nickel Mint Bags (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n27a12.html)

More on the Rijksmuseum Coin Exhibit
David Pickup writes:

"I was reading Patrick's article about the Rijksmuseum coin display, coincidentally I was there as well a couple of weeks ago."

Thanks. David provided a photo for us. A beautiful space! -Editor

Regarding the 1794 dollar displayed there, Bill Eckberg writes:

"I saw that piece as well a few years ago. I was very surprised to find it, and I dragged my wife away from all of the Rembrandts, Vermeers, etc. on the wall to see it.

"She was not as excited by it as I was. I took a terrible picture through an unfortunately very reflective glass, but you can tell what it is. To my eye, it looked XF or maybe better. As a relatively high grade piece, I suspect that it may have been a diplomatic gift, since the Netherlands was the first - or one of the first - countries to recognize American Independence."

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
RIJKSMUSEUM LIBRARY NUMISMATIC EXHIBIT (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n27a19.html)

A Coin-Roll-Dispensing ATM
Last week I asked if the coin-roll-dispensing ATMs in Australia had counterparts here in the U.S. B.J. Herbison writes:

"I ran into an ATM for businesses that dispensed coin rolls in Worcester, Massachusetts a couple of decades ago. It was in a public area on the outside of the bank, but not near the standard retail ATMs.

"I don't remember the name of the bank, and the mall it was in has been torn down for several years. In the center of a city they needed to charge for parking so the garage wouldn't fill with the cars of commuters so it couldn't compete with suburban malls with free parking."

Thanks - it makes sense as a business service. The article we excerpted discussed "coin noodling" - searching through coin rolls for pieces worth more than face value. -Editor

Query: Print-on-Demand Sewn Bindings
Author Peter Jones writes:

"I have been using BookBaby to print my books as they are reasonable and do print on demand, and fulfill orders for me. However, they only do perfect binding. Do you know of any similar printers who do sewn signatures?"

Good question. I don't know - can anyone help? -Editor

Yale Numismatics Department Seeks Assistant Curator

The Yale University Art Gallery Numismatics Department is seeking an assistant curator. -Editor

Jackson-Tomasko Associate Curator of Numismatics Ben Hellings writes:

"This is an exciting opportunity and we're delighted to be able to have a second curator join the department team."

The Yale numismatics collection is the largest American university collection and a growing resource for teaching across the University. The Bela Lyon Pratt Study Room for Numismatics, established in 2012, comprises of a coin room and library, as well as an adjacent object study classroom that is used for teaching with the collection by faculty and curators. The Numismatics department also opened a newly renovated permanent collection gallery (opened May 2022) and exponential collection growth in multiple areas is expected in the future.

The Yale University Art Gallery seeks a dynamic, knowledgeable, and collegial assistant curator for the Department of Numismatics. Reporting to the Jackson-Tomasko Associate Curator of Numismatics, the successful candidate will have an interest in the connoisseurship of coins viewed as works of art and in the long recognized use of coins as evidence for understanding social and cultural history. Knowledge of numismatics across time and cultures is required. The candidate is expected to be or to become a recognized expert in Greek and Hellenistic numismatics, through study, research, publication, and exhibitions.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a collegial spirit, a strong commitment to collection development, and to mentoring students. It is also expected that they have a strong grasp of digital approaches to numismatics and are able to specify in what ways their specialization(s) will complement and enrich the department. The new assistant curator must able to prioritize daily tasks and long-term objectives for the benefit of the department, and will be expected to work on parts of the collection outside their area(s) of expertise.

For more information, or to apply, see:
Damsky Assistant Curator of Numismatics

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
YALE'S BELA LYON PRATT GALLERY OF NUMISMATICS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n22a11.html)
PRATT GALLERY SHOWCASES MONEY AND MEDALS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n27a18.html)

Catfish Noodling
John Phipps writes:

"Interesting item on "coin noodling" in last week's E-Sylum. 'Noodling' is what drew my attention. Where I grew up (Kansas and Missouri), noodling was catching catfish with your hands. I believe that more people talk about catfish noodling than actually do it. For catfish noodling, you look for a place in the riverbank that catfish like to hide in. Then you reach into a catfish's mouth. The catfish bites down on your wrist or arm and you pull the fish out of the water. For the noodler, this technique is very muddy, usually involves loss of blood and can be dangerous. I have never noodled but have watched other do it."

Interesting - I hadn't heard of that. There's even a Wikipedia page for it and an Animal Planet "Hillbilly Handfishing" episode.

There have been the occasional fisticuffs at auctions and new coin release lines, but loss of blood is rare in the numismatic world. -Editor

For the Wikipedia article, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodling

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
AUSTRALIAN COIN NOODLING (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n27a36.html)

The Franklin Mint's Medallic History of the United States Set Available
My old friend Sam Deep writes:

"In the July 3 issue, the Franklin Mint 200 years of U.S. History Set came up. If anyone's seeking an available set, I'm looking to sell one I bought many years ago. Just had my 80th birthday and so am looking to save my family from having to sell the remnants of my collection."

I'll be happy to put anyone interested in touch with Sam. -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
FRANKLIN MINT'S MEDALLIC HISTORY OF THE U.S. (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n27a07.html)

An Encased Postage Locket
Vic Agha writes:

"I've got something I'd like to show off. I keep an eye out for unique and unusual numismatic items and recently came across this. Coins being refashioned into lockets are uncommon but I'd like to say that this one takes the cake.

"On a related note, if anybody ever messes with an encased postage stamp, you'll know it because of the pry marks."

Thanks. Can't say I've ever seen something like this - someone cracked the stamp out of an encasement and replaced it with a photo to make a locket.

However, it is possible to open one of the cases without inflicting so much obvious damage. Not a foolproof method, but a better one. If you heat the casing it will be easier to gently pry the piece open, and using the same techinique, the piece can be closed again with much less obvious damage. Not foolproof as I said, but you have to look close. All high-denomination encased postage stamps should be examined carefully for signs of tampering. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I learned this from John J. Ford, Jr. -Editor

It says so right on the coin!

Pablo Hoffman passed along this story from The New York Times. Thanks! -Editor

I had gotten off the F at Borough Hall on my way to my job at New York City College of Technology. I passed two young men on the platform who appeared to be students.

They warn you right up front, one said to the other. Look, it's on the coin. See: ‘E pluribus unum.' Let the buyer beware.

I was never any good at reading Greek.... -Editor

Wayne 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

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