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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 June 15, 2024 Kolbe & Fanning 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 MAY 12, 2024

New subscribers this week include: Welcome aboard! We now have 7,264 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 three new books, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, error collecting, and more.

Other topics this week include art medals, broken bank notes, Boulton & Watt, plaquettes, coins with holes, Hong Kong small cheque notes, D. B. Cooper ransom notes, and a big bank going cashless.

To learn more about ancient Rome in twelve coins, the Mughal coins of India, Stan Kesselman, Haym Salomon, CONECA, the "Treasurer of the Unit", the Wells Fargo History Museum, the Soho Mint, How Not to Get Ripped Off in the Coin Business, animals on ancient coins, a calendar medal, and "Nefarious Purveyors of the Queer", read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

NEW BOOK: MONETA: ANCIENT ROME IN TWELVE COINS

Moneta
A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins
By Gareth Harney

The extraordinary story of ancient Rome, history's greatest superpower, as told through humankind's most universal object: the coin.

• 'Fantastic' CONN IGGULDEN, author of Nero
• 'Brilliant' EMMA SOUTHON, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women
• 'Wonderful' CHRISTOPHER HADLEY, author of The Road

Moneta traces ancient Rome's unstoppable rise, from a few huts on an Italian hilltop to an all-conquering empire spanning three continents, through the fascinating lives of twelve remarkable coins. In these handcrafted pieces of ancient art we witness Caesar's bloody assassination, follow the legions to the edge of the known world, take a seat in the packed Colosseum, and ultimately, watch as barbarian armies mass at the gates.

The Romans saw coins as far more than just money – these were metal canvases on which they immortalised their sacred gods, mighty emperors, towering monuments, and brutal battles of conquest. Revealed in those intricate designs struck in gold, silver, and bronze was the epic history of the Roman world.

Hold the glory and the infamy of ancient Rome in the palm of your hand.

Imprint: Bodley Head
Published: 09/05/2024
ISBN: 9781847927507
Length: 384 pages
Dimensions: 242mm x 35mm x 162mm
Weight: 616g
Price: £22.00

For more information, or to order, see:
Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/453999/moneta-by-harney-gareth/9781847927507)

NEW BOOK: CORPUS OF MUGHAL COINS OF INDIA, VOL 2

Corpus of Mughal Coins of India, Volume 2: Silver and Gold Coins in the names Of Jahangir and Nur Jahan

Nilesh Gada (Author)
Dilip Rajgor (Author)
Legacy of India

Corpus of Corpus of Mughal Coins of India is a series of six volumes. Mughal Coins The Corpus deals with all the coins issued by Mughal Emperors within modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tibet, Nepal & Bangladesh from 1526 to 1858. These coins include not only all the coins issued by the Mughal Emperors, but also all the coins issued by provincial rulers in the name and style of these Mughal Emperors. These include Independent Kingdoms, Princely States and East India Company.

Coins of each ruler are appended with actual photographs of a coin of both the sides. This has been supplemented along-with eye copies of the Persian legends as seen on the coins. For this black calligraphy pen is used to over-write on each segment of the legends on a coin. This helps in understanding how the legends or couplets on a given coin are arranged. This is followed by in depth details of both the sides of a coin. For this, coin legend is written in Persian script to indicate the flow of the legends on the coin. To make it clear and lucid, a transliteration of the Persian script is also given in English.

Vol. 2 comprises of silver and gold coins issued by sixth and seventh Mughal rulers, viz. Jahangir and his Queen Nur Jahan. The eighth ruler Shahryar is known to have minted his own coins from Lahore Mint but still they are not known.

For more information, or to order, see:
Corpus of Mughal Coins of India, Volume 2: Silver and Gold Coins in the names Of Jahangir and Nur Jahan (https://www.bagchee.com/books/BB137893/corpus-of-mughal-coins-of-india-volume-1-silver-gold-coins-in-the-names-of-babur-humayun-kamran-and-akbar-15261605)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: CORPUS OF MUGHAL COINS OF INDIA, VOL 1 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n41a04.html)

NEW BOOK: ESSLINGEN ART MEDALS

Portrait of a city
The series of art medals has now been published as a book

A series of art medals reflecting the culture and history of the former Free Imperial City of Esslingen am Neckar was created over a period of 13 years. These 26 outstanding works of art in terms of design and minting technique are now documented in a printed book.

The 65-page ensemble is based on in-depth thematic research and intensive design work. Executed using elaborate minting techniques, the result is a unique city portrait that is unrivalled in the world of German medals. In addition to architecture and historical milestones, the range of themes also includes selected personalities and examples of local industrial development. The series, which grew from 1997 to 2009, is due not least to the ongoing commitment of Kreissparkasse Esslingen.

At the end of the book, a list shows all the technical details and the amount of the individual medal editions. For some motifs, there are identical gold casts in a smaller format, which are very rare. All specimens are in the Coin Cabinet of the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart, as are some of the dies.

The aim of the publication is to make these medals accessible to future generations, to preserve the descriptions of the motifs and to protect the objects from the vandalism of melting. The appreciation should not be based on the metal value, but on the spiritual content and uniqueness.

The book is available at a price of 35 euros (incl. 7% VAT) plus 4 euros postage.

Order by e-mail to info@victor-huster.de

For more about the series of Esslingen art medals, see:
Esslinger-Serie (https://www.victor-huster.de/esslinger-serie-2/)

STAN KESSELMAN PAPERS ON NEWMAN PORTAL

Stan Kesselman Papers on Newman Portal

In between the mass of public advertisements and named auction catalogs, a few dealers operate quietly, facilitating the placement of important numismatic items into equally important collections. One of these dealers was the New York numismatist Stan Kesselman. Among others, Kesselman worked with Harry W. Bass, Jr. to build a historic collection of U.S. gold coinage, which was ultimately featured in auction sales by Bowers & Merena (1999-2000) and Heritage Auctions (2022-2023). Other clients included the large cent collector Roy Naftzger.

Business records of Kesselman, primarily invoices with an emphasis on gold coins, are currently being digitized by Newman Portal. Occasional correspondence is also present, such as a letter from Bass to Kesselman, January 19, 1968, which alludes to the never-ending negotiation between dealer and client: I agree - once you pay too much, it sets you up for life. With you by now I must have set myself up for a hundred lifetimes. Since I have paid you too much so many times in the past, why shouldn't I continue so doing in the future? My problem with you is that you now know how much you can get away with. I don't need salt for my wounds but rather balm as well as a solution to my problem.

Newman Portal acknowledges Stan Kesselman for making this material available, and Julian Leidman for coordinating delivery to Newman Portal. Following digitization, the material will be presented to the ANA Library.

Image: Kesselman invoice to Harry W. Bass, Jr., April 30, 1967

Link to Stan Kesselman papers on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/552738

VIDEO: ANTEBELLUM BROKEN BANK NOTES

Dark Side of Antebellum Broken Bank Notes

Learn about the paper money before the Federal issues. You will learn:

• Uncertainty of accepting Wildcat Era bank notes
• The ease of creating paper money
• How to determine whether the bank itself was good
• Publications that listed "bad" banks
• Use of counterfeit detectors
• Ways to tell a counterfeit vs. Genuine bank not
• Types of counterfeiting

Speaker: Wendell Wolka. Recorded at the 2005 summer ANA convention.

To watch the complete video, see:
Dark Side of Antebellum Broken Bank Notes (https://youtu.be/rNo9SJMqirU)

 

ON ERROR COLLECTING

Last week's edition of The E-Sylum highlighted David Lisot's 2005 video of the scintillating meeting led by Sid Kass and Fred Weinberg about the history and progress of error-coin collecting in this country. Entitled: Early Days of Error Coin Collecting, the video was very enjoyable and informative. What a wonderful video archive David Lisot built up at ANA conventions and other meetings before his untimely passing.

The evolution of error-coin collecting has had such a dramatic impact on the hobby. No one has been more important for popularizing that endeavor than Bill Fivaz and the late J.D. Stanton, thanks to their wonderful series of Cherry Pickers' Guides. It was good to see Mr. Fivaz in that video, then obviously in his vigorous early 70s, bantering with others in the audience.

As the E-Sylum recently reported, Mr. Fivaz this year observed his 90th birthday, surrounded by dozens of family members and friends. That was where he reportedly thanked everyone for helping him celebrate the 50th anniversary of my 40th birthday. Delightful.

I was fascinated to hear Mr. Weinberg report on his purchase in the mid-1960s of that trove of around 2000 error coins for $60,000. He said that fully two-thirds of them went relatively quickly for a total of between $2 million and $4 million, when the collection was broken up and the coins were sold separately.

Discussion on the 2004-D Wisconsin High-Leaf and Low-Leaf Quarters
The videoed meeting discussed the unexpected production a year earlier of the two unauthorized 2004-D Wisconsin quarters, the so-called High-Leaf and Low-Leaf varieties. Participants in the meeting speculated on the ability of the United States Mint to get to the bottom of the creation and production of those two unauthorized varieties.

Some years ago, I bought PCGS-graded MS 65 examples of both varieties. I wondered whether the US Department of the Treasury ever got to the bottom of that mystery, so I phoned Rick Snow of Eagle Eye Rare Coins in Tucson, Arizona, from whom I bought my two quarters. Rick has been offering the coins on his web site for some time, and he told me the government has never been able to figure out who was behind the creation and production of those coins.

Rick added that there is a 2004-D Roosevelt dime variety which is also suspected of having been created by the same anonymous Denver Mint employee(s). That coin is illustrated in the Sixth Edition, Volume II, of the Cherry Pickers' Guide at the top of page 117. The Guide notes: A circular image overlaps the outer rim of the back of Roosevelt's ear. It then states: An employee of the Denver Mint may have added the circular image to the die deliberately. Its size and shape are similar to those of images known on the reverse of the two 2004-D Wisconsin quarters (High Leaf and Low Leaf varieties).

Thanks, as always, for the good reporting.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
CLUB CELEBRATES BILL FIVAZ 90TH BIRTHDAY (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n08a13.html)
VIDEO: EARLY DAYS OF THE ERROR COIN HOBBY (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n18a08.html)

CONECA TO EXAMINE ERROR AND VARIETY COINS

CONECA, the international error coin and variety club, will be offering free examination of error and variety coins to collectors at educational tables at coin shows across the United States throughout this year and into next.

The club, whose name stands for Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America, is the largest coin specialty club in the United States and has actively been educating collectors about mint error and variety coins for the last five decades.

At their coin show tables, different members of the CONECA Board of Directors and other error / variety enthusiasts (each with different areas of specialty as available) will offer free examination to collectors who bring coins from their collection to the show with questions.

CONECA is devoted to education about errors and varieties and will not be buying or selling coins at their tables. CONECA requests that collectors have an idea of what they are asking about on the coins they bring to the shows, to allow for as many collectors as possible to have a chance to have their coins examined.

There will be a CONECA table at the Spring Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists (PAN) show May 15th-18th 2024.
https://pancoins.org

The club will have a table at both the 18th Annual summer FUN show (Thursday to Saturday, July 11-13, 2024 in Orlando Florida ) at the Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International Drive, in Hall WA1, Orlando Florida.
http://www.funtopics.com/

There will also be a CONECA table at the World's Fair of Money, August 6-10 th 2024 in Rosemont IL at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center:
https://www.money.org/worldsfairofmoney/

There will also be a CONECA representative available on the west coast at the Pacific Northwest Numismatists show in Tukwila Washington, October 4-6 th 2024 with details to follow about whether this will be an actual table or a rep onsite able to help.
https://www.pnna.org/wp/events/fall/

CONECA can be found online at
https://conecaonline.org

COMMENTS: WHY BOGGS? WHY NOW?

Clifford Mishler writes:

Bill Eckberg writes:

Gosia Fort writes:

Others wrote:

For more information, see:
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/series/74613
https://whitney.org/collection/series/4390
https://n4mb3rs.com/jasper-johns-painting-numbers/

Jim writes:

Another viewer wrote:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS EXHIBITS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n07a06.html)
VIDEO: WHY BOGGS? WHY NOW? (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n17a08.html)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 12, 2024

Philippine Emergency Currency Book Thanks
Joel Shafer writes:

Ken Berger adds:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: PHILIPPINE EMERGENCY CURRENCY 2ND ED. (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n18a03.html)
CONRAD MOWER NIELSEN (1922-2008) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n19a13.html)

On Jane MacAdam Freud
Daniel Fearon writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: MAY 5, 2024 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n18a17.html)

On Wayne C. Phillips
Kerry Wetterstrom writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CYRUS HAROLD PHILLIPS, SR. (1905-1989) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n18a15.html)

On the NASC Money Museum
Phil Iversen writes:

For more information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_History_Museum
https://history.wf.com/

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
GOLD NUGGETS STOLEN FROM WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n05a25.html)
PHILADELPHIA BANK BUILDING COIN SCULPTURES (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n16a07.html)
NUMISMATIC EXHIBITIONS AT U.S. BANKS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n17a13.html)

August 2024 Higgins Museum National Bank Note Seminar
Curator George Cuhaj writes:

More on George Winckler

Trey Todd writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
MORE ON GEORGE WINCKLER (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n18a09.html)

An Appreciation of Paper Money Chopmarks
Joseph Alan Barnosky of Camden, Michigan writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
MORE CHOPS ON MODERN U.S. PAPER MONEY (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n12a15.html)

Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport Medal
Judy Blackman writes:

To visit the airport website, see:
https://www.beirutairport.gov.lb/

Charity Donation Badges
Gary Oddie writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE BUTTON MUSEUM (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n16a30.html)

BOULTON & WATT 250TH ANNIVERSARY

James Watt left Glasgow – he had worked as a technician at the University of Glasgow -- in May of 1774 and arrived in Birmingham on the last day of that month – so, almost exactly 250 years ago! The engineering genius of the Scottish Enlightenment shook hands with Matthew Boulton, one of the pioneers of English industrialization.

James Watt is the more famous name – well-known to anyone who has ever checked the brightness of a lightbulb. Watt did not invent the steam engine, but improved it in ways that made it central to the Industrial Revolution.

Matthew Boulton was not only a businessman and industrial innovator. He was part of a circle of intellectuals – the Lunar Society, that met monthly to discuss wide-ranging topics. Members included Joseph Priestley, Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus Darwin. Boulton might have led the life of a gentleman of leisure, thanks to inheritances, but he had idealistic notions of business:

I am partial to trade in as much as it extends a man's powers of doing good and I would rather be distinguished as the greatest Manufacturer in Europe than as a Count of the Holy Empire.

Anyway, Watts's steam engine and Boulton's business ambition would eventually revolutionize the manufacture of money.

The best book on the numismatic history of Boulton & Watt:

Richard Doty, The Soho Mint and the Industrialization of Money (Smithsonian, 1998)

Also excellent:

Sue Tungate, Matthew Boulton and the Soho Mint: Copper to Customer (Brewin Books, 2020)

VOCABULARY TERM: PLAQUETTE

Plaquette. An art relief smaller than eight inches (or more precisely, 20 centimeters), which bears a bas-relief design. While plaquettes are usually considered square, rectangular, or nearly so, they appear in a variety of shapes, and can be somewhat more creative with silhouetted, open work, sunken relief, or other sculptural techniques. Plaquettes do not share the restrictions of a round medallic item. In effect, plaquettes are the most artistic – and because they can be easily mounted – the most utilitarian form of medallic art.

Unlike plaques, which are always uniface and larger than eight inches, plaquettes occasionally have a reverse design, particularly those that are diestruck since they are struck with two dies. Otherwise plaquettes have been made by every method that can reproduce a bas-relief design: many forms of casting, electroforming, repoussé, niello, and forging.

But the casting technique, most often used in making early plaquettes, is in continuous use to the present. By making a negative wax impression from a model, pattern, or even an existing plaquette, it could then be cast in the positive. This would usually be cast in bronze. Infrequently, however, plaquettes were made in silver or lead – and much later – in iron, white metals, aluminum, and in the Orient, in pot metal.

After casting, the items were often chased, casting imperfections removed and detail sharpened, termed cast and chased. Most relief items were given a patina, or, infrequently they were gilded or silverplated. The makers were the same artists that made medals, undoubtedly because of their experience working in bas-relief and casting in bronze. For collectors and curators it is necessary to determine the state of the casting, whether a plaquette is a contemporary cast, or a second or subsequent generation. Like cast Renaissance medals, a plaquette must be accurately measured to determine this state (see shrinkage).

In modern times the relationship between plaquette and plaque is more than incidental. Plaquettes have, in fact, been reduced from the same model used for a plaque. A dieshell is made from the model or pattern which is then pantographically reduced to cut the plaquette die; meanwhile that exact same pattern can then be used to make the plaque the exact size by bronze casting. Often the plaquettes are distributed at the time of the dedication of the plaque after it has been installed.

Mounting plaquettes. Uniface plaquettes were sometimes intended to be mounted on another surface. Because of their size they could be mounted on furniture, desk boxes, book covers, bases of small statues, other objects where an intimate decoration was required. Or, if not intended to be mounted on a flat surface, plaquettes would be provided with a support on the back to be able to stand upright on a table, mantel, altar or shelf. The pax of the Catholic Church, intended to stand upon the altar, is an example of a plaquette with such a support.

The back of a plaquette was usually left untreated, particularly if intended to be mounted. But just as often it was finished, or a backplate was attached.

History of plaquettes. Early plaquettes were reproduced and this art form spread from their birthplace in Italy – exactly like Renaissance medals – across the Alps to Germany, France, the Low countries and the rest of Europe. Plaquettes may have, indeed, predated the art medal. Some cast pieces in the 12th and 13th century in square or rectangular shape could meet the above definition and be considered plaquettes (particularly those mounted on the bases of statues).

When Pisanello created an entirely new art form in 1439 by casting the first art medal in lost wax, he also set the stage for the development of the plaquette as a separate object made by the same technique. Thus the plaquette closely paralleled the development of the art medal. Certainly the artistic treatment and strongly religious themes were similar for both classes of art objects.

References:
NC5 {1951} National Gallery of Art (Kress collection).
O11 {1944} Middeldorf.
O12 {1959} Salton.

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Plaquette (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516501)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
VOCABULARY TERM: PLAQUE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n18a14.html)

RICHARD W. SUTER

In the past, The E-Sylum has noted numismatic authors who have been sentenced to prison. The short list includes Dale Estin Birdsell, Walter Breen, Robert Harry Burnie, Charles Lynn Glazer and Frank Albert Lapa. This week another might be added to the list, if his book exists.

Richard W. Suter was identified as the author of How Not to Get Ripped Off in the Coin Business. The book was marketed through Suter's National Investment Publication Co. This is apparently quite a scarce title.

In April of 1973, a Richard W. Suter joined the ANA from Sierra Madre, California as Member R-74189. Another Richard W. Suter joined the ANA in May 1974 as member R-79267 from Chicago, Illinois. In 1981 member R-79267 was expelled from the ANA for failure to fulfill coin orders.

Coin World published a flattering description of Suter in their issue of May 28, 1975:

In 1976, Suter was chairman of the Libertarian Party for Illinois. They promoted lower taxes and less government regulation. Later he was also executive vice president and lobbyist for the National Taxpayers United of Illinois.

In 1976, Suter was a member of the Numismatic Literary Guild. He published two investment newsletters, the National Portfolio Reporter with 500 subscriptions in 1980 and the National Hard Assets Reporter. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued his credentials on February 28, 1969, and revoked his credentials as a commodity trading advisor in 1979. That's when his credibility began to collapse.

In 1982, the Security and Exchange Commission also revoked his credentials as an investment advisor. They claimed Suter failed to give refunds as promised in his promotional literature. The SEC challenged his published claim that he had twenty-years experience as a stock market analyst. That would have required him to start at age thirteen.

The SEC questioned his published qualifications, his stated educational background and his claimed success with no documentation of his investments. Suter kept poor records of his subscriptions and income and denied access to his records. The SEC found that complimentary testimonials were given by people who did not exist.

Subscribers complained that he charged for subscriptions multiple times and forged signatures on credit card orders. His bank froze his account after numerous complaints and refunds. Suter was charged with fraud and misrepresentation with his Investment newsletters, Initially there were no charges for numismatic crimes.

He offered investment units in his newsletter offering the profits from future subscription sales. After Suter was issued a restraining order, he used the name Kenneth Wilson to mail out another subscription offer to investors. Wilson also offered a Commodity Profit Fund and collected $100,000 in investments.

In August 1982, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on 23 counts of mail fraud with his numismatic business. Suter solicited orders, offered to acquire rare coins, evaluate them and ship them to the customer. He in some cases shipped inferior coins and in many cases shipped no coins to fulfill an order. He negotiated the charges down to just two, pleaded guilty and was required to pay $67,830 in restitution.

One week before sentencing, he filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. He claimed the record showed he did not understand the charges against him, was not advised of the consequences of his plea and that there was no factual basis for his plea. The court rejected his motion. He filed for bankruptcy but the court also denied that.

In July of 1985, he began serving a year in prison at the federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. In December he was transferred to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago and put into a work release program. He was released from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from Friday morning to Sunday evening. He immediately resumed publication of his newsletter and solicited funds through a pseudonym.

This time it was Roy Glenwich of Galaxy Co. offering $1000 shares in a limited partnership. A cover letter offered investors profits of 305% each year.

Richard W. Suter was released from prison in April of 1986 and remained on probation for five years. He was ordered to stay out of the coin business.

The author may have been Richard William Suter, the son of William Albert Suter and Helena Emma Fraatz, born in Miami on March 10, 1948, and died on May 12, 1997.

I found 98 newspaper articles pointing out the irony of the book author being convicted of ripping off people in the coin business. None of those articles suggested that the book itself may have been part of the fraud.

I am distressed that I could not locate a copy. I did not find the record of a sale. It is not available through Inter-Library loan. I checked a bookseller site without success. As a last resort, I called a local library. The librarian consulted all available sources including Worldcat and did not find a copy of the book.

There are two possible explanations. Perhaps the book was distributed in a small quantity and none have made their way into an institutional collection or, the book was a promotional fantasy concocted by Suter. Can any E-Sylum reader locate a copy?

To read an earlier E-Sylum article, see:
LOOSE CHANGE: MARCH 31, 2024 : Numismatic Investment Literature (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n13a28.html)

MORE ON BLAKE ALMA'S NEW BOOK

Blake Alma, an acclaimed numismatist and CEO of CoinHub Media, has authored An Ultimate Guide to Selling U.S. Coins and Silver, which is the latest release in "The CoinHub Series." Climbing swiftly to become the number one new release in coins and precious metals on Amazon, this guide offers a wealth of knowledge for turning coin collecting into a profitable pursuit.

Despite being only 23 years old and actively pursuing his studies at Pensacola Christian College, Blake Alma has already made a significant mark within the numismatic community. As the founder and CEO of CoinHub Media, which has generated over $2.25 million in sales since 2023, Alma combines his academic and professional experiences to provide a comprehensive roadmap for both seasoned collectors and newcomers to the coin market. His guide, designed to benefit enthusiasts at all levels, draws on his business acumen and academic insights, making it an essential resource for anyone interested in coin collecting.

The book provides readers with essential strategies for evaluating, marketing, and negotiating the sale of coins. Alma's clear and engaging writing style, which includes a hint of humor, helps demystify complex topics, making the subject matter more accessible and enjoyable.

The CoinHub: An Ultimate Guide to Selling U.S. Coins and Silver also underscores the importance of leveraging modern digital platforms to enhance sales and build community. With a robust online following of 1.8 million across platforms such as Instagram (@coinhubs), TikTok (@coinhub), and Facebook (@thecoinhub), and an active presence on the live video shopping app Whatnot (@coinhub), Alma exemplifies the potential of digital outreach in today's market.

For enthusiasts and collectors looking to deepen their understanding of numismatics or to start their own business ventures, Alma's guide serves as an indispensable resource. More information about his journey, balancing business with his academic responsibilities, and details on how to purchase the book can be found at www.coinhubmedia.com.

As Alma manages his studies at Pensacola Christian College alongside his thriving business, his work continues to inspire a new generation of numismatists, demonstrating that dedication and knowledge can effectively merge one's passion with a successful career.

To read the complete article, see:
Turning Coins Into Cash: Blake Alma's New Guide to Numismatic Success (https://www.newswire.com/news/turning-coins-into-cash-blake-almas-new-guide-to-numismatic-success-22324094)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: COINHUB GUIDE TO U.S. COINS AND SILVER (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n18a05.html)

HERITAGE AUCTIONS: FROM FAUNA TO FABLES

The Animals: From Fauna to Fables World and Ancient Coins Showcase Auction is a specialized Showcase exclusively featuring coinage adorned with animals, both real and mythical. This unique auction spans a broad timeline, offering both ancient treasures and modern marvels, with each piece carefully selected for its depiction of the animal kingdom. Enthusiasts and collectors will have the opportunity to explore a diverse array of coins that demonstrates the development of zoology throughout the centuries. This Showcase promises an unparalleled journey through numismatics, where history, art, and the natural world converge in every coin.

This auction consists primarily of ancient coins, which feature quite a number of mythical beasts. One piece with a particularly full bestiary is an AR shekel or didrachm from Tyre, minted in 335/4 BC. Graded Choice XF 4/5 - 4/5 by NGC, the obverse of this piece features a bearded deity, probably Melqart, riding a winged hippocampus, a creature with the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish. Below, in the water, a dolphin is visible. Completing the bestiary on the reverse of the coin is an owl.

Expand your numismatic zoo with these coins:

BRUTTIUM. Croton. Ca. 350-300 BC. AR stater (24mm, 7.62 gm, 7h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 4/5. Eagle standing left on olive branch, head raised and wings displayed / KPO, tripod; ? in right field. HN Italy 2172. SNG ANS 360-366.

To read the complete item description, see:
BRUTTIUM. Croton. Ca. 350-300 BC. AR stater (24mm, 7.62 gm, 7h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 4/5. (https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-bruttium-croton-ca-350-300-bc-ar-stater-24mm-762-gm-7h-ngc-choice-vf-5-5-4-5/a/61388-23012.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

THRACE. Apollonia Pontica. Ca. late 5th-4th centuries BC. AR drachm (13mm, 3.34 gm, 4h). NGC Choice XF 5/5 - 5/5. Ca. 480-450 BC. Gorgoneion facing with open mouth and protruding tongue / Inverted anchor; A to left, crayfish to right. SNG Copenhagen 452. HGC 3.2, 1323.

From the James Lomiento, Jr. Collection.

To read the complete item description, see:
THRACE. Apollonia Pontica. Ca. late 5th-4th centuries BC. AR drachm (13mm, 3.34 gm, 4h). NGC Choice XF 5/5 - 5/5. (https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-thrace-apollonia-pontica-ca-late-5th-4th-centuries-bc-ar-drachm-13mm-334-gm-4h-ngc-choice-xf-5-5-/a/61388-23023.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

PHOCIS. Phocian League. Federal Issue. Ca. 5th century BC. AR obol (10mm, 3h). NGC Choice XF. F-?, head of bull facing / Forepart of boar running right, within incuse square. BCD Phokis 196.3. HGC 4, 1060.

To read the complete item description, see:
PHOCIS. Phocian League. Federal Issue. Ca. 5th century BC. AR obol (10mm, 3h). NGC Choice XF. (https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-phocis-phocian-league-federal-issue-ca-5th-century-bc-ar-obol-10mm-3h-ngc-choice-xf/a/61388-23032.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

MYSIA. Pergamum. Ca. 180/167-133 BC. AR cistophorus (27mm, 12.64 gm, 1h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 5/5. Serpent arising from cista mystica; all within ivy wreath / bow in bow case decorated with aphlaston, flanked by two serpents; ?EPG monogram to left, dolphin left to right. SNG von Aulock 7460. Kleiner 23a.

From the James Lomiento, Jr. Collection. Ex Antiqua, private sale with old dealer's tag included.

To read the complete item description, see:
MYSIA. Pergamum. Ca. 180/167-133 BC. AR cistophorus (27mm, 12.64 gm, 1h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 5/5. (https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-mysia-pergamum-ca-180-167-133-bc-ar-cistophorus-27mm-1264-gm-1h-ngc-choice-au-5-5-5-5/a/61388-23055.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

IONIA. Ephesus. Phanes (ca. 625-600 BC). EL 1/12 stater or hemihecte (7mm, 1.14 gm). NGC XF 4/5 - 3/5, light scuffs. Forepart of stag right, head reverted / Abstract geometric pattern within incuse square punch. Linzalone LN1105. Weidauer 36-37.

To read the complete item description, see:
IONIA. Ephesus. Phanes (ca. 625-600 BC). EL 1/12 stater or hemihecte (7mm, 1.14 gm). NGC XF 4/5 - 3/5, light scuffs. (https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-ionia-ephesus-phanes-ca-625-600-bc-el-1-12-stater-or-hemihecte-7mm-114-gm-ngc-xf-4-5-3-5-light/a/61388-23075.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

LYDIAN KINGDOM. Croesus (561-546 BC). AR half-stater or siglos (14mm, 5.32 gm). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 5/5. Croeseid standard, Sardes. Confronted foreparts of lion facing right and bull facing left, each with outstretched forelegs / Two square punches side by side, irregular interior surfaces. Rosen 663-665. SNG Kayhan 1025. SNG von Aulock 2877-2879.

Ex Gorny & Mosch, Auction 69 (18 November 1994), lot 390.

To read the complete item description, see:
LYDIAN KINGDOM. Croesus (561-546 BC). AR half-stater or siglos (14mm, 5.32 gm). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 5/5. (https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-lydian-kingdom-croesus-561-546-bc-ar-half-stater-or-siglos-14mm-532-gm-ngc-choice-vf-5-5-5-5/a/61388-23105.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

Wilhelm II 1/2 Mark 1894-A MS64 PCGS, Berlin mint, KM4. Featuring a beautiful and detailed Bird of Paradise, found widely in the southern and northeastern areas of New Guinea. It is the national bird of Papua New Guinea, becoming the official national emblem in 1971 and is found upon the national flag. 'The Kumuls' (translates to Birds of Paradise in Tok Pisnin) is also the nickname of the country's national rugby team.

To read the complete item description, see:
Wilhelm II 1/2 Mark 1894-A MS64 PCGS (https://coins.ha.com/itm/german-new-guinea/german-new-guinea-wilhelm-ii-1-2-mark-1894-a-ms64-pcgs-/a/61388-23141.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

Vittorio Emanuele III 10 Lire 1929-R MS64 NGC, Rome mint, KM68.2. Edge **FERT** (2 rosettes). Tied with two others within the "Top Pop" grade designation, out of only 15, that has been graded by NGC. Featuring two rearing horses, attached to chariot, driven by the personification of Italy who holds fasces.

To read the complete item description, see:
Vittorio Emanuele III 10 Lire 1929-R MS64 NGC, (https://coins.ha.com/itm/italy/italy-vittorio-emanuele-iii-10-lire-1929-r-ms64-ngc-/a/61388-23148.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724)

Bidding for these beasts is ongoing through Tuesday, May 14, when the closing live session is scheduled for 7PM CT.

To view all the lots in this auction, see:
https://coins.ha.com/c/search/results.zx?dept=1909&mode=live&auction_name=61388&type=collectorc-coinus-news-tem050724

HERITAGE MAY 2024 MEDALS & TOKENS SELECTIONS

"Firefighting Competition" gold Medal 1888-Dated UNC Details (Test Cut) NGC, 30mm. 14.57gm. Commemorating the Fire Pump Operation competition of June 10, 1888 at the Ville de Chateauroux. Unawarded.

To read the complete item description, see:
"Firefighting Competition" gold Medal 1888-Dated UNC Details (Test Cut) NGC (https://coins.ha.com/itm/france/france-firefighting-competition-gold-medal-1888-dated-unc-details-test-cut-ngc-/a/61387-24022.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorx-img1-coinus-news-tem050724)

Wurzburg silver "Calendar" Medal 1780 MS61 PCGS, Strothotte-1780-3. 45mm. Very Impressive at this level of preservation, wearing a nice opalescent patina and surviving glow.

To read the complete item description, see:
Wurzburg silver "Calendar" Medal 1780 MS61 PCGS (https://coins.ha.com/itm/german-states/german-states-wurzburg-silver-calendar-medal-1780-ms61-pcgs-/a/61387-24040.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorx-img1-coinus-news-tem050724)

Charles II silver "Naval Reward & Battle of Lowestoft" Medal 1665 UNC Details (Obverse Scratched) NGC, MI-503-139. 62mm. By J. Roettiers. Obv: Laureate draped bust of Charles II right. Rev: King as Roman general watching naval fleet from ashore. A detailed naval Medal, displaying intricate motifs throughout the design with a pleasing tone over both sides and underlying champagne-orange iridescence.

To read the complete item description, see:
Charles II silver "Naval Reward & Battle of Lowestoft" Medal 1665 UNC Details (Obverse Scratched) NGC (https://coins.ha.com/itm/great-britain/great-britain-charles-ii-silver-naval-reward-and-battle-of-lowestoft-medal-1665-unc-details-obverse-scratched-ngc-/a/61387-24109.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorx-img1-coinus-news-tem050724)

"Slave Trade Abolition" silver Medal 1807 MS63 NGC, BHM-627, Eimer-983. 53mm. By T. Webb. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE MP THE FRIEND OF AFRICA Bust of Wilberforce facing right // Britannia seated on a dais, inscribed "I HAVE HEARD THEIR CRY" and attended by Mercury, Prudence and Justice, is crowned by Victory, hovering above; SLAVE TRADE ABOLISHED MDCCCVII in exergue. A beautiful rainbow-iridescent toning is found on both sides, gracing this Choice Mint State specimen. Furthermore, this is the sole "Top Pop" example of the type certified by NGC, out of three.

To read the complete item description, see:
"Slave Trade Abolition" silver Medal 1807 MS63 NGC (https://coins.ha.com/itm/great-britain/great-britain-slave-trade-abolition-silver-medal-1807-ms63-ngc-/a/61387-24117.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorx-img1-coinus-news-tem050724)

"Preliminaries of War" silver Medal 1742-Dated MS63 NGC, VvL-168. 49mm. By N. van Swinderen. Obverse: Hollandia stands before a shield and cannon, amidst trophies, Liberty Cap on staff, Stadtholder with cornucopiæ kneels before her, HUIC DEVOTA TUENDÆ, and on a scroll, SECURITAS REIPUBLICÆ. Reverse: a balance weighs an olive branch and a sword, legend in twelve lines, UTRUM / EX AEQUO & BONO / 1742. A Medal that does not come to market often, exemplified by a Choice Mint State grade.

To read the complete item description, see:
"Preliminaries of War" silver Medal 1742-Dated MS63 NGC (https://coins.ha.com/itm/netherlands/netherlands-preliminaries-of-war-silver-medal-1742-dated-ms63-ngc-/a/61387-24160.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorx-img1-coinus-news-tem050724#)

Catherine II bronze "Destruction of the Turkish Fleet by Alexei Grigorievich Orloff" Medal 1770-Dated AU58 Brown NGC, Diakov-153.1. 90mm. By J.B. Gass. A highly rare Medal, commemorating the destruction of the Turkish Fleet in the Aegean Sea during the Battle of Cheshme. The reverse features a topographical view of the naval battle with Russian and Turkish fleets in position, ultimately leading to a Russian Victory. It was the greatest naval defeat suffered by the Ottomans since the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, allowing the Russians to control the Aegean Sea for the next five years.

To read the complete item description, see:
Catherine II bronze "Destruction of the Turkish Fleet by Alexei Grigorievich Orloff" Medal 1770-Dated AU58 Brown NGC (https://coins.ha.com/itm/russia/russia-catherine-ii-bronze-destruction-of-the-turkish-fleet-by-alexei-grigorievich-orloff-medal-1770-dated-au58-bro/a/61387-24170.s?ctrack=200071&type=collectorx-img1-coinus-news-tem050724)

To view all the lots in this auction, see:
https://coins.ha.com/c/search/results.zx?dept=1909&mode=live&auction_name=61387&type=collectorx-2-coinus-news-tem050724

FRANK ROBINSON OFFERS HOLEY COLLECTION"

Dealer Frank S. Robinson will conduct a special auction of The Holey Collection, closing June 5, with all holed coins. The sale, with no buyer fee, includes about 270 lots, many of them group lots.

Most coins are from one collector, who seemed to love holed coins. After all, one can get 98% of the coin for, usually, a fraction of the price.

The sale includes U.S. and mostly world coins. One notable item is a U.S. 1822 dime, a very rare date, with a plugged hole.

The catalog is posted at www.fsrcoin.com/holey.html

 

Lot 18. Dime 1822, RARE!! fairly small & neat plugged hole at obv top, otherwise a very decent G/AG, ltly toned, most of LIBERTY visible. Ex Henry Christensen auc in orig env. (Compare an AG-3 sold for $1440, Stack's 1/24; Fair-2 $940, Heritage 6/16; Holed G $705, Heritage 7/15.)
$400

CALIFORNIA COIN CONTEST COMEDIANS

Paul Horner writes:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday asked for the public's help in designing a new $1 coin to honor the state's innovations, but many of the responses pointed to anything but positive accomplishments for which the state was once proudly known.

When people outside California think of innovation, they think of things like Silicon Valley and the tech boom as well as leading the way in wildlife conservation.

But lately, businesses have been fleeing the blue state because of its failure to address crime, homelessness and the escalating cost of living.

Jim Stanley, the press secretary for the State Assembly Republicans, sent his ideas to Newsom with a letter shared by the California Globe, highlighting the governor's accomplishments while in office.

One user superimposed Harvey Weinstein's picture into the coin template provided by Newsom, saying, "When people think of California they think of Hollywood. This would be great. (Hope it doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth)."

Other users suggested placing illegal immigrants on the coin, high gas prices or someone using drugs.

Newsom's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on his request for coin ideas.

To read the complete article, see:
Newsom gets hilarious reality check after turning to public for new state coin design (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newsom-gets-hilarious-reality-check-turning-public-new-state-coin-design)

 

HAYM SALOMON BRONZE MINI-MEDAL OFFERED

With the 250th anniversary of American Independence coming up in 2026, the Jewish-American Hall of Fame would like to remind everyone of the critical contributions made by Haym Salomon. Salomon was arrested by the British twice as a spy; he was sentenced to death but managed to escape. Afterwards he began working with Robert Morris, the newly appointed Superintendent for Finance, to raise money for the Thirteen Colonies. When Salomon died at the age of 44, his family was left penniless. An 1864 Congressional report recommended that the government appropriate Salomon's son the amount of Government obligations held by his father at the time of his death -- $353,729.43 (approximately 10 million dollars in 2023 dollars). But this did not happen.

In 1893, a bill was presented before the 52nd United States Congress ordering a gold medal be struck in recognition of Salomon's contributions to the United States. But it was not approved. The United States issued a stamp in honor of Haym Salomon in 1975. On the glue side this is printed: Financial Hero - Businessman and broker, Haym Solomon was responsible for raising most of the money needed to finance the American Revolution and later to save the new nation from collapse.

Haym Solomon was the fifth person inducted into the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, in 1973. His plaque, sculpted by Paul Vincze, is displayed along with over 50 other honorees at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond. The Jewish-American Hall of Fame is a division of the American Jewish Historical Society.

Anyone contributing $18 by calling 818-225-1348 will receive a Haym Salomon 22mm bronze mini-medal.

For additional information contact Mel Wacks, Director of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame at directorjahf@yahoo.com.

HONG KONG SMALL CHEQUE DOLLAR NOTES

Issued by HSBC from 1889 to 1899

Stack's Bowers and Ponterio is pleased to offer an early sneak peek of highlights from their October Hong Kong Auction – a superb group of high grade One Dollar notes.

The April Hong Kong auction was a phenomenal success with most high ticket items sold and the banknote department hitting an all-time high with sales just exceeding $3.6 million (including the buyer's premium). This clearly demonstrates the strength of our auction in face of an uncertain global economic climate.

Hong Kong banknotes have shown resilience especially among vintage notes, lucky serial numbers and specimens. We have already taken in good consignments in these areas and will be releasing information on them in the upcoming months. This article focuses on a group of Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation One Dollar notes that contains the full date run of four notes plus two hand signed signature varieties.

HSBC issued four series of the Dollar notes:
1. Large size cheque dollar notes with violet reverse issued from late 1872 to 1874.
2. Large size cheque dollar notes with red reverse issued from 1879 to January 1889.
3. Smaller size cheque series issued from 1889 to 1899.
4. Minerva series from 1906 to 1935.

These notes are from the third series and consists of the extremely rare 1889 date, followed by 1890, 1895 and three examples of the ultimate 1899 date. This group is exceptional as the 1889 date is very rarely offered and this example is in solid mid Very Fine grade with fresh inks. The three 1899 notes are exceptional in grade with two examples in PMG 45 and one in PMG 58. These are among the highest grades available to private collectors! Be sure to keep an eye on our blogs and Facebook account over the coming months for further highlights!

For questions relating to our October Hong Kong Auction or to consign your items call +852 2117 1191 or email infohk@stacksbowers.com.

To read the complete article, see:
A Complete Date Run Of The Small Cheque One Dollar Note (https://stacksbowers.com/a-complete-date-run-of-the-small-cheque-one-dollar-note/)

D.B. COOPER RANSOM REMNANT SELLS

A remnant of a $20 bank note, part of the $200,000 ransom paid in 1971 to skyjacker D.B. Cooper and later found by 8-year-old Brian Ingram, was notable in Milestone Auctions' May 4 spring discovery military sale, eclipsing its $400/600 estimate to finish at $4,920, including buyer's premium. Ingram famously discovered three bundles of the decomposing currency in 1980 along the Columbia River while on vacation camping with his family near Vancouver, Wash. The Series 1969 $20 Federal Reserve note fragment came with a PCGS Currency certificate identifying the bill. Note fragments with visible serial numbers were traced to the FBI's original listing for the random notes. Additional highlights from this sale will be featured in a later review.

To read the complete article, see:
Remnant Of Skyjacker D.B. Cooper Banknote Nabs Strong Price At Milestone (https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/remnant-of-skyjacker-d-b-cooper-banknote-nabs-strong-price-at-milestone/)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
D. B. COOPER CASH STASH FOR SALE (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v10n06a11.html)
DISTRIBUTION OF THE KNOWN D.B. COOPER BILLS (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v10n07a16.html)
D. B. COOPER MYSTERY CONTINUES (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n48a43.html)
CERTIFYING THE D.B. COOPER RANSOM BANKNOTES (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n36a20.html)

LOOSE CHANGE: MAY 12, 2024

Cleaning a Roman Denarius

Cleaning a Roman Denarius minted in 69 during the year of 4 Emperor's under the authority of Emperor Vitellius.

To read the complete article, see:
Restoring a Ancient Roman Silver Denarius (69 AD) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G75pbPVl4hY)

Coiniverse Adds NFT-Based Verification

Coiniverse Ltd, the company behind the Coiniverse app for coin collecting, has introduced a new NFT-based method to verify the ownership of physical coins. The Finland-based Coiniverse has partnered with Trust2Safe Ltd to be the exclusive provider of Trust2Safe's proprietary technology to both coin collectors and world mints. This method of ownership verification had already been available for all purchases sold within the app's Coiniverse Shop, but it is now being expanded to all coins, regardless of where they are obtained.

While proof of ownership is undeniably valuable, the technology will also allow for the transferral of the NFT confirming ownership to new owners, thus providing another way to verify the provenance of a numismatic collectible and cut down on the potential for fraud online.

Mints will also be able to deploy the technology from their end as well, establishing verification of ownership back to the coin's striking.

To read the complete article, see:
Coiniverse App Introduces NFT-Based Coin Ownership Verification (https://coinweek.com/coiniverse-app-introduces-nft-based-coin-ownership-verification/)

Prisoners Using Bags of Rice as Currency

Sam Bankman-Fried has swapped crypto for a new kind of currency behind bars: bags of rice.

The disgraced FTX founder has been jailed at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center as he waits to be transferred to a federal prison to serve a 25-year sentence.

Bankman-Fried was convicted for wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy last year.

The 32-year-old fallen crypto king said that rice has become one of the currencies of the realm inside MDC, during his first jailhouse interview, given to Puck News.

The arbitrage opportunities (on rice) in jail were better than anything he experienced trading crypto, Bankman-Fried told William D. Cohan during the wide-ranging, 75-minute interview published Thursday.

The renowned vegan also said his diet consists mostly of rice and beans.

Bankman-Fried doesn't sleep well, according to Puck, but mostly because people sometimes bug him during the night about those bags of rice, which they intend to use to barter.

To read the complete article, see:
Sam Bankman-Fried says rice is ‘one of the currencies of the realm' behind bars (https://nypost.com/2024/05/10/business/sam-bankman-fried-says-rice-is-one-of-the-currencies-behind-bars/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
MORE ON NOODLE MONEY IN AMERICAN PRISONS (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n35a42.html)
MORE ON NOODLE MONEY IN AMERICAN PRISONS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n09a20.html)

 

AUSTRALIA'S MACQUARIE BANK DITCHES CASH

One of Australia's largest banks is ditching cash at all of its branches and shifting entirely to 'digital-only' services.

Macquarie Bank customers will no longer be able to access over-the-counter services or order new chequebooks from May 20.

The bank's automated telephone banking service and chequebooks for new cash management accounts have already been slashed.

The announcement is the latest hit for those who prefer to pay with cash, to avoid records being kept of all their transactions.

In April, thousands took part in a 'Cash Day Out' protest and rushed to withdraw money from ATMS to protest against Australia's slow but inexorable transition to a digital-only country.

To read the complete article, see:
Macquarie Bank ditches cash at all branches and goes 'completely digital' (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13373571/Macquarie-Bank-ditches-cash.html)

Macquarie's actions follow a trend in the Australian banking sector, as several banks have already taken similar steps. ANZ, a top Australian bank, recently communicated it was also dropping cheque support. Bankwest, another banking institution, decided to go digital only and is prepared to close 45 branches by October.

This digital shift happens as Australian society is dropping cash and going digital. Only 13% of the payments in 2022 involved cash, according to Michele Bullock, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Last year, Bullock stressed that 75% of Australian citizens were considered low cash users. However, Bullock recognized that cash use was still important in certain regions and for elderly people.

To read the complete article, see:
Macquarie Bank to Go Cashless as the Banking Sector Shifts to Digital-Only in Australia (https://news.bitcoin.com/macquarie-bank-to-go-cashless-as-the-banking-sector-shifts-to-digital-only-in-australia/)

Businesses should think carefully before refusing cash payments. Governments must ensure that people reliant on cash can continue to use it: in the UK, where thousands of bank branches and ATMs have vanished, the Financial Conduct Authority now has powers to protect access. But even if the supply of notes and coins can be assured, authorities must also ensure that services accept them. The onward march of digital payments won't stop, but cash still counts.

To read the complete article, see:
The Guardian view on the cost of a cashless society: the most vulnerable will pay (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/may/01/the-guardian-view-on-the-cost-of-a-cashless-society-the-most-vulnerable-will-pay)

 

HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Samuel Johnson once joked in a letter that dictionaries are like watches, the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true. The pugnacious English lexicographer may not be a well-known name, but he casts a long shadow on the current definitions of many words in this article. Hardly Harmless Drudgery: Landmarks in English Lexicography, a fascinating exhibition on view on the first floor of the Grolier Club in Manhattan, presents a detailed 500-year timeline of the dictionary's evolution and its inevitable deconstruction with holdings from several book collectors.

This expansive exhibition of 171 books begins with Renaissance glossaries. These forerunners did not set out to define every known word. Instead, they set a narrower goal of annotating technical terms circulating in particular professions.

The following cases in the exhibition chronicle the slow but steady rise of comprehensive English language dictionaries during the Enlightenment. Rivalries and pedantic snickering often marred these dictionaries, especially in the 19th century. To be fair, these lexicographers were in a double bind, fearing accusations of plagiarism and copyright infringement if entries were too similar, and anticipating vitriol if new definitions went too far and challenged earlier work.

In 1829, for instance, lexicographer Noah Webster flew into a rage, complaining that revisions of his work made him look like someone who had written a first draft of a book with inconsistent and half-baked ideas, requiring experts to come in, clean up the mess, and make it fit for publication. Although the differences were minute, there was market share to defend — as well as pride. As Jack Lynch, professor of English at Rutgers University and co-curator of the exhibition, explained to Hyperallergic, Noah Webster is a fascinating figure: an American patriot who just missed fighting in the Revolution and a brilliant definer — but also a bad-tempered grouch with the worst business instincts in America. Still, he and the Merriams established the most enduring dictionary franchise in history.

The contemporary influence of even these historical dictionaries is inestimable. In the past five years, according to the exhibition catalog, more than 40% of Supreme Court decisions drew upon definitions from early American dictionaries to elucidate laws.

To read the complete article, see:
Tracing the 500-Year History of the English Dictionary (https://hyperallergic.com/912138/tracing-the-500-year-history-of-the-english-dictionary/)

For more information on the Grolier Club , see:
https://www.grolierclub.org/

FEATURED WEBPAGE: 19TH CENTURY SILVER INGOTS

This week's Featured Webpage is from the Stack's Bowers Galleries Coin Resource Center on 19th century silver ingots.

https://stacksbowers.com/coin-resource-center/us-coins/silver-ingots/