NEW BOOK: THE SHORT SNORTER PROJECT

The keynote speaker will be Tom Sparks, noted numismatist and founder of the non-profit educational Short Snorter Project. He is a graduate of The United States Merchant Marine Academy, then had a long career in the shipping and aviation industries. His interest in military history was fueled by grandfathers who both served in World War One, a father and two uncles who served in World War Two, and the Arlington dairy farmer, George Grimm, who was the US Naval Transport Service (NATS) pilot who flew Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz into Tokyo Bay for the surrender of the Japanese. The Grimm short snorter was Sparks' introduction to the tradition. This short snorter, begun by Grimm's flight instructor and presented to him when he graduated, has signatures of his flight school classmates, as well as many notable WWII figures, including Admiral Nimitz.

Mr. Sparks' father introduced him to coin collecting in 1966 and The Numismatist introduced him to Short Snorters in 2002. He began his mission to educate the general public about the short snorter tradition in 2007 by launching a website which resulted in a flood of information and access to artifacts. His presentation will showcase the short snorter of Major General Clayton Lawrence Bissell, US Army Air Service, who was an ace pilot in the 148th Aero Squadron during World War I, and was Assistant Chief of Staff for Air Intelligence, War Department General Staff during WWII. He later was Head of the War Department Historical Program. His short snorter is 64 feet long, consists of 141 banknotes (including sets of rare Allied Military Currency perforated specimens) and is signed by over 100 Allied generals, admirals, and senior political figures of that era.

His fascinating book, The Short Snorter Project: Still Keeping the Memories Alive, is full of short snorter stories and images.

 

MPC Fest bourse, Friday March 18th, is free and open to the public

Roger Urce has assumed chairman responsibility for the David Seelye Military Numismatics bourse. This event is always on the Friday of Fest which for Fest 2023 is March 18. Hours are 1000 hours (10 AM Eastern time) to 1400 hours (2 PM Eastern). As always, this bourse offers free admission to the public.  The Seelye bourse is unique in that it is a Friday only, one-day event that features exclusively military numismatic items. Of special interest are military payment certificates, Allied military currency, Japanese invasion money, war bonds and all other numismatic items related to World War II and other conflicts.  Collectors from as far away as the Atlantic coast have travelled to Port Clinton to attend this unique event.  

      The bourse is named for the late David Seelye who was the founder and driving force behind the event before his death in March of 2020. A noted collector and dealer specializing in military numismatics and most recently camp chits, he is the author, with David Frank of The Complete Book of World War II USA POW & Internment Camp Chits.  

    Bourse chair Roger Urce announced a 50% sale of 2023 bourse tables. The bourse fee for reservations made in January will be only $50! Contact Urce at stjasele@optionline.net.

To read the book on the Newman Portal, see:
The Short Snorter Project: Still Keeping the Memories Alive (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/587732)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
FEATURED WEB SITE: THE SHORT SNORTER PROJECT (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n09a39.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web