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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 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 SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

New subscribers this week include: Kirk. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,250 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 some E-Sylum history, new books, two obituaries, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include NBS events at the recent ANA convention, National Bank Notes, the Numismatourist's latest adventure, numismatic author Ted Wear, four auction previews, more ANA show numismatic literature exhibits, and Mary the Pigeon's Dickin medal.

To learn more about Liberty Seated coinage, proof nickel coinage, David Mac Dowall, H. Alvin Sharpe, the Confederate Cent, a circulated Stella, an Ephraim Brasher countermark, the Regina Adams Collection, Charles T. Steigerwalt, three cent patterns, and the Perpetual Penny Paradox, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

THE E-SYLUM TURNS TWENTY-SIX

The E-Sylum is twenty-six years old this week. On September 4, 1998 the first issue of what we now call The E-Sylum was emailed to a list of members and friends of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. Now archived on our web site as Volume 1, Number 1, that first message started the ball rolling. That email went to 49 people. As the word spread, subscription requests arrived from around the world and by September 15 there were 90 subscribers.

WHAT'S WITH THE FUNNY NAME? Well, our organization is the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, a group for people who love coin books and are crazy for any and all information about numismatics. Our print journal is The Asylum, so our electronic publication naturally became The E-Sylum. While The E-Sylum is free to all, only paid members of NBS receive The Asylum.

An excerpt from the September 4, 1998 message:

And grow and evolve we did. Each issue now contains 25 to 30 (and sometimes more) articles, and our subscription list includes 7,250 email addresses. Rather than just a vehicle for announcements about the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, we've become a weekly forum where "numismatic bibliophiles, researchers and just plain collectors" congregate to exchange information and ideas about numismatics and numismatic research. Most of the top numismatic authors, curators and collectors around the U.S. and the world are subscribers and contributors.

Along the way we've won multiple awards including the Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing, back-to-back-to-back First Place awards in the electronic category of the American Numismatic Association's Barbara J. Gregory Outstanding Club Publications competition in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and second place in 2024.

Despite the work that goes into each issue, it's always fun to put together. Our readers and fine advertisers are what keep me going - you folks are the best any editor could dream for, and we're not done growing and evolving.

So what's new? While our steadfast webmaster Bruce Perdue keeps everything online for numismatists around the world, in May our sponsor the Numismatic Bibliomania Society brought on Garrett Ziss to assist me for a few hours per issue. He's been doing a great job pulling together and formatting articles. It's nice to have a helper and backup. He made sure the issue got finished in July when I was off vacationing in Switzerland with my wife and daughter, and he'll do the same next week while I'm on another trip with my wife and one of our sons.

What else? As mentioned a few weeks back, we're experimenting with MailChimp as our new emailing service. If you'd like to try out this alternate version, please go to this page and enter your name and email address: http://eepurl.com/iAHJaA . We're still working out some details, and I'll occasionally send out a mailing to people on this new list.

Thanks again to all our readers, helpers, contributors and advertisers - we couldn't keep the train on the tracks all these years without your kindness and support. Onward!

For other reader comments, or to read our online archive, see:
http://e-sylum.org/

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
GARRETT ZISS TO ASSIST E-SYLUM EDITOR (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n20a02.html)

GARDNER COLLECTION PHOTO BOOKS AVAILABLE

Kolbe & Fanning are pleased to offer two sets of beautifully produced books of photo enlargements of Gene Gardner's collection of Liberty Seated coinage, which are available in limited quantities.

Eugene H. Gardner (1936–2016) formed a foundational collection of Liberty Seated coinage (in addition to other series) and documented his denomination sets in a series of photo books published from 2010 to 2014. Gardner was inducted into the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) Hall of Fame at the 2014 ANA Convention, and his collection was offered by Heritage in a series of four sales from October 2014 to September 2015.

A remarkable series, featuring Gardner's own commentary on his astonishing collection, coupled with beautiful color photographic enlargements of each piece. Published in very limited numbers and mostly distributed privately.

Includes:

• Liberty Seated Half Dime Proofs 1837–1873
• Liberty Seated Dime Proofs 1837–1891
• Liberty Seated Quarters Proofs 1838–1891
• Liberty Seated Half Dollar Proofs 1839–1891

The only edition.

Includes:

• Liberty Seated Quarters Volume I 1838–1865
• Liberty Seated Quarters Volume II 1866–1891

The latest and final edition.

David Fanning writes:

For more information, or to order, see:
THE GARDNER COLLECTION. FOUR-VOLUME LIBERTY SEATED PROOF SET. (https://www.numislit.com/pages/books/7428/eugene-gardner/the-gardner-collection-four-volume-liberty-seated-proof-set)
THE GARDNER COLLECTION. LIBERTY SEATED QUARTERS VOLUME I 1838–1865 AND VOLUME II 1866–1891. (https://www.numislit.com/pages/books/7427/eugene-gardner/the-gardner-collection-liberty-seated-quarters-volume-i-1838-1865-and-volume-ii-1866-1891)

LEATHERBOUND U.S. PROOF COINS VOL II: NICKEL

The leather bound UNITED STATES PROOF COINS Volume II: NICKEL is at the printers!

We are offering a pre-order price of $225 ($250 after they are printed).

If you have a numbered leather bound gold volume, the same number leather bound nickel proof will be reserved.

Please complete the order through the website link, and confirm the number you have of the gold leather bound volume. You may pay through credit card or PayPal on the website. If you wish to pay by check, please still complete the order online (mark Manual Payment), and mail it to:

JDRC
4804 Laurel Canyon Blvd #805
Valley Village, CA 91607

The silver proof book (2 volumes and 1300 pages) is being edited and will be printed later this year. Leather bound silver books will be available sometime next year.

For more information, or to order, see:
United States Proof Coins Volume II: Nickel - LEATHER BOUND - PREORDER (https://www.orcararities.com/product-page/leatherbound-nickel-book)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
NEW BOOK: U.S. PROOF COINS VOL IV: GOLD (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n07a02.html)
UNITED STATES PROOF COINS, VOLUME IV BY JOHN DANNREUTHER: A REVIEW (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n41a06.html)
NEW BOOK: U.S. PROOF COINS VOL II: NICKEL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n18a03.html)

DAVID WILLIAM MAC DOWALL (1930-2024)

David Mac Dowall, the numismatist, who has died aged 94 was, at various times, Assistant Keeper of Oriental Coins at the British Museum, Master of University College, Durham and Director of the North London Polytechnic (now the University of North London).

Mac Dowall's research into ancient coins of the Indian subcontinent, notably of the Indo-Greek Kingdom (c 200 BC-c 10 AD) , the Kushan Empire (c 30- c 375 AD), and the Shahis, a dynasty who governed the Kabul valley (in Afghanistan) and the old province of Gandhara from the decline of the Kushan empire, greatly influenced scholarly understanding of the subcontinent in those periods.

David William Mac Dowall was born on April 2 1930 in the West Derby suburb of Liverpool to William Mac Dowall and Lilian, née Clarkson, both teachers. From the Liverpool Institute he won a scholarship aged 16 to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he read Mods and Greats.

As a boy he collected coins on family holidays and he studied numismatics under Stanley Robinson, the Greek numismatist, and CHV Sutherland, the Roman numismatist and keeper of the Heberden Coin Room in the Ashmolean Museum. He went on to study at the British School at Rome.

He eventually published The Western Coinages of Nero as a monograph in 1979, providing a secure pattern and chronology for this elegant coinage, redolent of Nero's court, through a scientific study of the types and the dies used to produce the coins.

After National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals, Mac Dowall returned to Oxford to do a DPhil. In 1955 he joined the Civil Service and during this time his academic focus moved east to the coins of Alexander the Great, the Indo-Greeks, Kushans and Shahis.

After appointment in 1956 as Assistant Keeper of Oriental Coins at the British Museum, he learnt Arabic and Sanskrit. However, as a result of developing problems with his eyes, he returned to Whitehall, joining the Ministry of Education in 1960 and working for the University Grants Committee at a time of major university expansion.

To read the complete article, see:
David Mac Dowall, numismatist who traced the connections between Roman coins and India – obituary (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/david-mac-dowall-numismatist-who-traced-the-connections-between-roman-coins-and-india-obituary/ar-AA1pGLJG)

 

MALCOLM FLOYD MCINTYRE (1945-2024)

Gregg Coburn of the Fairfax Coin Club in Virginia writes:

Malcolm Floyd McIntyre, longtime resident of Warrenton, VA, died on Tuesday, August 20th, 2024, in Fairfax. Born December 6th, 1945 in Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. McIntyre spent his early youth in Louisville, Washington D.C., and Riverdale, Maryland. His family moved to Clifton, Virginia in 1954 where he completed his elementary school years at Clifton Elementary. For his high school education, he attended Fairfax High (the original, he was always quick to point out), graduating in 1963.

After living in Fairfax and a brief return to Clifton, he moved to Warrenton in 1980, residing there for the rest of his life. Soon after his high school graduation he began a 40 plus year career with the phone company, pre- and post-Bell System breakup. He went several years past his "retirement" working as a consultant, including stints at the Washington Navy Yard and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving in DC. After those years, he was an independent contractor, maintaining systems for people who did not want to give up their landlines. He also kept a connection with his communication career by building an impressive collection of phone memorabilia (and keeping his landline).

Mr. McIntyre is survived by his three sons; Malcolm Jr., Stephen, and David, his nine grandchildren...

To read the complete obituary, see:
Malcolm Floyd McIntyre (https://www.fauquier.com/obituaries/malcolm-floyd-mcintyre/article_0936d02c-6626-11ef-a691-cb0143b288ce.html)

NNP GREG BENNICK INTERVIEWS ARNO SAFRAN

Greg Bennick Interviews Arno Safran

Arno Safran, who currently resides in Georgia, was raised in New Jersey and collected from his teenage years. His "aha" moment took the form of a low-grade 1857 cent, discovered by his father in a New York City subway gum machine. Safran's professional career was spent as a music professor, and more than a few numismatists have demonstrated crossover expertise in the music field – names such as Gene Hessler and Douglas Kurz come to mind. The Bicentennial was the occasion for Safran's renewed interest in numismatics as an adult, of which the EAC group played a large part.

Greg Bennick recently interviewed Arno Safran, Greg's 11th installment in this series. Safran touches on the connections between classical and rock music, and his family's musical background. Along the way he comments on the numismatic scene in the various places he has lived, in addition to his contributions to the Augusta (GA) Coin Club and the Stephen James CSRA Coin Club in Aiken, SC.

Link Arno Safran interview on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/641275

Link to Arno Safran interview transcript on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/641274

Link to Arno Safran numismatic presentations:
https://augustacoinclub.org/presentations

NNP ADDS 2024 NBS CONVENTION EVENT VIDEOS

NBS Event Videos from the ANA Convention

Two videos from NBS events at the recent ANA World's Fair of Money are now available for viewing. The NBS Symposium, held August 7, 2024, features Bob Leonard speaking on the upcoming 3rd edition of the Breen-Gillio reference on fractional gold, while Len Augsburger covers the Eric P. Newman bibliography, co-authored with Joel Orosz, to be published by Kolbe & Fanning. The NBS general meeting video, from August 8, 2024, includes the annual Charity Auction followed by the NBS awards presentation.

Other NBS-related videos from the ANA, including Jeff Dickerson's slipcase building demo, the literature exhibits on the bourse floor, and the Hamelberg library tour, will be released in due course. NBS acknowledges Lianna Spurrier of Numismatic Marketing for video recording and editing.

Link to NBS Symposium video at the 2024 ANA Convention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab50tvWJAHg

Link to NBS General Meeting video at the 2024 ANA Convention
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BBcBwXYFxY

Link to NBS videos on NNP
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/515004

VIDEO: COLLECTING NATIONAL BANK NOTES

Tony Swicer has been president of the Palm Beach Coin Club for 25 years. He has collected many series of coins and currency. In this lecture-only presentation Tony shares how he started collecting notes from Kentucky and learned about National bank notes. His presentation includes:

• Different issues of notes issued in America
• Why National bank notes were issued
• Signatures on these notes and how they were signed
• Charter numbers, how many there are and what they mean
• The three series of national bank notes
• How many banks there were
• Books to help you collect and who wrote them
• Ways to collect
• How notes are priced and graded *How to bid at a currency auction

Speaker(s): Tony Swicer.

To watch the complete video, see:
Collecting National Bank Notes (https://youtu.be/YpQxt7dDvds)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

On the Perth Mint's Precious Metals Business
John Regitko of Toronto, Canada writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NO CASH AT THE PERTH MINT (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n29a30.html)

National Flowers of the United Kingdom
Jud Petrie writes:

To read the complete article, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(plant)

To read the complete article, see:
The National Flowers of the United Kingdom (https://hattonsoflondon.co.uk/the-national-flowers-of-the-united-kingdom/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
HOW KING CHARLES HELPED CRAFT HIS COINS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a23.html)

Charles II and Two C's
Martin Purdy of Upper Hutt, New Zealand writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
HOW KING CHARLES HELPED CRAFT HIS COINS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a23.html)

Gift Card Collecting?
Mike Costanzo writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
LOOSE CHANGE: AUGUST 25, 2024 : Gift Card Scams (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a27.html)

Mardi Gras Doubloons and H. Alvin Sharpe
John Phipps writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ADVENTURES IN COLLECTING DOUBLOONS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a25.html)

Nobel Prizes awarded in Stockholm and Oslo
Frank Crowe of Williamsburg, VA writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
TOM KAYS' NUMISMATIC DIARY: AUGUST 25, 2024 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a14.html)

MCA Seeks Medal Articles
Doug McIndoe of MCA writes:

For more information on the Medal Collectors of America, see:
https://www.medalcollectors.org/

1891 CONFEDERATE CENT ARTICLE

THE DISCOVERY OF THE ORIGINAL CONFEDERATE CENT (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n07a20.html)
MORE ON THE LOVETT CONFEDERATE CENT (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n28a09.html)
NEW BOOK: THE LOVETT CENT; A CONFEDERATE STORY, 2ND EDITION (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n53a04.html)

1893 COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION HALF DOLLAR OFFER

 

NUMISMATOURIST VISITS CZECH MUNICIPAL MUSEUM

The day after I arrived in Dresden, I took a day trip by train to the Czech town of Ústí nad Labem, which is about 40 miles north of Prague and close to the Czech-German border. Located in the western region of Bohemia, Ústí nad Labem was formerly known by the German name of Aussig prior to Czechoslovak independence.

1. A selection of Theresienstadt "Moses Korun" receipts (1943) along with information about its designer, Petr Kien, a Jewish artist at the Theresienstadt concentration camp and who died in 1944 at Auschwitz.

One interest for visiting the town is that some of my wife's relatives, following liberation from concentration camps, lived here after World War II before immigrating to Delaware. Another was the numismatic collection at the city's Municipal Museum.

2. Dr. Jana Hubková, curator of the numismatic collection of the Ústí nad Labem Municipal Museum, explains to The Numismatourist, Howard Berlin, the history of items from the museum's archive.

Upon arriving at the train station, I was met by Dr. Jana Hubková, curator of the numismatics collection at the Municipal Museum, and who admits to being a better historian than a numismatist. Since she doesn't speak much English and I don't speak Czech and I haven't spoken Russian in more than 65 years, we agreed on speaking German. I had written to Dr. Hubková two months ago and she graciously agreed to spend some time telling me about the museum's numismatic collection. I wore my "I ? Berlin" T-shirt so she would be able to easily recognize me at the train station.

The museum was founded in 1876 and the first exposition was opened in a hotel which is today a restaurant. However, a few weeks later the museum had to be moved elsewhere, and then again. During the first ten years, it was moved eight times. The collection is caught in sort of a tug of war between the museum's Archeological Department and the History Department, the latter of which Dr. Hubková is part of. With the exception of a very few items that are on display as three- to four- month temporary exhibits, there is no permanent exhibition of numismatic items and virtually everything is archived.

3. Meissen shield groschen from around 1424, minted by Margrave Friedrich, Landgrave Wilhelm II and Friedrich of Thuringia. The Latin inscription: DEI GRATIA THURINGIAE LANDGRAVI (By the Grace of God, Landgrave of Thuringia). On the reverse is the Meissen lion and the Latin inscription: GROSSUS MARCHIONNIS MISNENISIS (Groschen of the March of Meissen).

4. A medal for the Agricultural and Forestry District Association Aussig-Karbitz. The Reverse reads "To the Merit for Agriculture."

Although the Municipal Museum acquired numismatic material as early as the 1870s, the independent numismatic collection was not created until 1971. The coins discovered during archaeological excavations, however, are part of the large archaeological collections. For the museum's numismatic collection, more than a hundred coins and medals were acquired in the founding era when the museum was under the management of the Chamber of Commerce until 1901. Today, Dr. Hubková manages a collection of coins, medals, paper currency and securities of European and non-European issuers from Late Antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on currency issued on the territory of the Habsburg Monarchy (1527–1918) and successor states (Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Czech Republic) from Middle Ages to the present. Currency, commemorative medals, tokens and badges related to the city of Aussig/Ústí nad Labem and the local region occupy an important place in the collection. Among the most interesting are the coins and medals discovered in 1978 during the restoration of the Russian monument to the Battle of Kulm/Chlumec (1813). The largest part of the museum's collection is that of German and Austrian Notgeld – emergency paper currency or "script" from the years 1918–1922.

Despite the museum not having any permanent exhibit, Dr. Hubková had prepared a small selection of items for me in the museum's library. As she was explaining the materials to me, the museum's photographer was taking pictures of us, as I was considered an honored celebrity. I was informed that these photos would be included in her article about my visit in the museum's magazine. I presented Dr. Hubková with a signed copy of my "The Numismatourist" book which covers more than 150 museums worldwide that have numismatic exhibitions.

5. A medal commemorating the 1893 commercial, industrial and agricultural exhibition in Aussig.

6. The back of a 1922 2 marks emergency money (Notgeld) from the Chamber of Commerce of the Memel Region.

The Municipal Museum is open 9am-6pm Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday). Admission is 50 Kc (approximately $2.15; €2.00).

 

COMMEMORATIVE COINS AND MEMORABILIA EXHIBIT

Additional displays of superb-quality, classic United States coins are planned for the inaugural Great American Coin & Collectibles Show in the Tampa, Florida Convention Center, September 11-14, 2024, according to show organizers. The exhibits now will also include outstanding items from the Dell Loy Hansen Collection, the most valuable collection of United States coins, and the largest public display of artifacts and memorabilia related to classic U.S. commemorative coins from the J&L Collection.

As announced earlier, the show will also feature the first Tampa display of the famous Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Head nickel as well as a 1943 bronze Lincoln cent, both courtesy of GreatCollections (www.GreatCollections.com).

One of the new additions to the exhibits courtesy of Hansen and DLRC (www.DLRCcoins.com) will be nearly 150 coins from his extensive collection. This display will include the Hansen Barber Half Dollars Collection from 1892 to 1915, the all-time finest set of its kind. There will also be a selection of Hansen's Liberty Head Double Eagles and silver three-cent coins on display.

All the coins are now certified by CAC Grading (www.CACGrading.com), a Grand Co-Sponsor and the Official Grading Service of the show. Highlights of the exhibit include:

1855 silver three-cent, CACG PR67 Cameo
1869/9 silver three-cent, CACG PR67+ Cameo
1899-O Barber half-dollar, CACG MS66+
1901 Barber half-dollar, CACG PR68 Cameo
1851 Liberty Head $20, CACG MS64
1854 Large Date Liberty Head $20, CACG MS64

The all-time finest Barber half-dollar set, including this 1901 graded CACG PR68 Cameo, will be part of a 150-coin display from the famous Dell Loy Hansen Collection at the Great American Coin and Collectibles Show in Tampa, Florida. (Photo courtesy of CAC Grading.)

Among the 150 coins from the famous Dell Loy Hansen Collection on display at the inaugural Great American Coin and Collectibles Show in Tampa, Florida, September 11-14, 2024, will be this Large Date 1854 Liberty Head Double Eagle graded CACG MS64. (Photo courtesy of CAC Grading.)

"The J&L Collection of classic United States commemorative coins from 1892 to 1954 is far and away the best commemorative collection in existence. Many of the coins are the finest known or tied for finest known and have spectacular, natural toning," stated veteran professional numismatist and show planner Larry Shepherd. "Seven, especially attractive coins from the silver commemorative half-dollars set will be displayed along with a huge assortment of rarely-seen original envelopes and holders, coin sales receipts, brochures, and literature about the events for which the coins were issued. It will cover seven booths and 35 cases; an amazing educational experience," explained Shepherd. "This exhibit will be the largest and most complete collection of 1892-1954 classic commemorative documentation and memorabilia in existence, and most of the items are extremely rare. There will be rare memorabilia related to all 50 classic commem design types. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for commem lovers, a rare opportunity!," emphasized Shepherd. The seven coins from the J&L Commemorative Coins Collection to be displayed are:

1937 Roanoke, PCGS MS68
1936 York, PCGS MS69, the finest known
1923-S Monroe, PCGS MS67+, tied for finest known
1892 Columbian Exposition, PCGS MS 68, the finest known
1936 Texas, PCGS MS68+, tied for finest known
1926 Oregon Trail, PCGS MS69, finest known
1934 Maryland, PCGS MS68, finest known

The finest known 1926 Oregon Trail half-dollar, PCGS MS69, will be displayed along with hundreds of classic commemorative coins memorabilia from the J&L Collection at the 2024 Great American Coin and Collectibles Show. (PCGS image provided by J&L Collection.)

This original Wells Fargo & Company 1893 Columbian Exposition half-dollar souvenir holder is an example of the hundreds of classic commemorative coins memorabilia from the unprecedented J&L Collection to be displayed in Tampa, Florida at the Great American Coin and Collectibles Show, September 11-14, 2024. (Photo credit: Donn Pearlman.)

The finest set of "Stella" $4 denomination gold coins in the PCGS Set Registry® and an 1845 proof set will be displayed by Tangible Investments of Laguna Beach, California (www.TangibleInvestmentsInc.com). The superb-quality Stella was a major attraction during the set's debut display at the recent American Numismatic Association 2024 Chicago World's Fair of Money®.

The coins' grades are 1879 Coiled Hair PCGS PR65+ CAM CAC with a mintage of only 20; 1879 Flowing Hair PCGS PR67 CAM CAC, mintage 425; 1880 Coiled Hair PCGS PR65+ CAM CAC, mintage 10; and 1880 Flowing Hair PCGS PR66 CAM CAC, mintage 35.

Shepherd announced the show will also present a new, fun concept for other displays, the Numismatic Educational Journey that will offer visitors a chance to win a proof 2024 Morgan and 2024 proof Peace dollar.

"About two dozen dealers have agreed to exhibit something special, rare, or of unusual numismatic interest at their tables. These are items the dealers have acquired over the years, are especially proud of, and decided to keep for themselves. They will share the items at the Tampa show for everyone to see in person," he explained.

Attendees at the show will be given a list of participating tables to visit and copy a code. Those who finish the interactive, educational and enjoyable journey and collect all the codes will be eligible for a drawing to win a two-coin set of the United States Mint's new release at the show, the 2024 proof Morgan and Peace Dollars.

"I don't know of any other show that has ever had a lineup of displays this powerful," Shepherd stated.

The Tampa, Florida Convention Center is located at 333 S. Franklin Street. Public hours for the show are on Wednesday, September 11, from noon to 5:30 pm; Thursday, September 12, and Friday, September 13, from 10 am to 5:30 pm; and on Saturday, September 14, from 10 am to 2:30 pm.

Admission is $15 from Tuesday to Friday, and admission is free for everyone on Saturday.

For additional information about the Great American Coin and Collectibles Show, visit www.GACC.show, or contact Larry Shepherd at 719-464-8801 or email at ShepherdExpos@gmail.com.

 

VOCABULARY TERM: PRESSMAN

Pressman. The operator of any press used to strike coins or medals, as a coining press or any type of medal press. A pressman reports to a pressroom foreman, who is responsible for all activity to produce the coins or medals. Operators of presses have always been called a pressman (since 1819), previously the operator of a screw press who fed blanks and ejected struck pieces manually was called a coin setter.

A pressman's greatest responsibilities with automatic presses are: (1) not to break a die, (2) to use the correct blanks for striking the order at hand, (3) to setup the press properly, (4) to insure the feed mechanism is delivering blanks to the press properly and continuously, and (5) to frequently inspect the struck items during a production run.

The pressman must have a feeling for die clearance and die alignment during setup and that the dies are seated and locked in correctly. He must know the correct gauge of blanked stock. While presses are running he must have a "sixth" sense of knowing his press is functioning properly and know just about when a die is going to break and retire it before it can jam the press. (While obtaining the maximum use from a die is an admirable goal, it is less important than that of preventing a die from breaking on the press). Also he must maintain the press or presses under his command in working order.

During inspection, a pressman must know what to look for. He must know the concept of highpoints (that the metal flow is filling every cavity in the dies by surface deformation). He must be conscious of all the points of stress in a die (he must carefully examine the areas between lettering and the rim where stress is the greatest). He must also examine the rim/edge juncture in trying to meet (but not exceed!) this point with the most metal mass of the blanks. He should check the axis on both sides of the piece that they are properly aligned. His goal is to produce perfect struck pieces at all times.

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Pressman (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516540)

THEODORE GRAHAM WEAR JR. (1902-1974)

My topic this week is author Ted G. Wear, as suggested by Wayne Homren. My first hour of research provided almost no results. Eventually I found a few good sources.

Ted G. Wear wrote three books on numismatic topics.

• Strange Moneys of the World (1957).
• Coin Collecting in a Nutshell (1963).
• Ancient Coins: How to Collect for Fun and Profit (1965).

Wear was born in Joplin, Missouri, on September 23, 1902. His parents were Theodore Graham Wear (1865-1935) and Marie Price Dawson (1875-1954). They were divorced in 1909 on grounds of abandonment and incompatibility. She had gone to California and told her husband she did not wish to return. In 1910, Ted Jr. was living with his mother and grandmother in Topeka, Kansas.

Wear attended Columbia University for two years and graduated from the University of Kansas. He began working as a reporter for The Topeka State Journal in 1925. He covered topics of the theater, movies, business and the railroads. He was promoted to city editor in 1954.

He was married to Verna Anne McCue on August 28, 1930. The 1930 Census showed her working in advertising for a dry goods store. I suspect they were both divorced and remarried.

Wear retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and served with the New York Selective Service system in the 1950's and into the 1960's. His draft card shows that he was 6' 1" tall and weighed 185 pounds. He worked in New York as a free-lance television writer and public relation writer.

He joined the ANA in May 1963 as member 49688 and promptly donated a copy of his book to the library. The Numismatist (February 1964) carried a review of his 1963 book Coin Collecting in a Nutshell.

Perhaps this is why Ted G. Wear is not a well known numismatic author.

Wear promoted his book with interviews for newspapers and spoke to a local coin club. However, I found no references to him as a coin collector or an active club member.

He died in New York City in July of 1974. I did not find a published obituary.

HERITAGE SEPTEMBER 2024 AUCTION SELECTIONS

The Duffy Family Collection boasts a bumper crop of silver and gold type coins in collector grades.

Among the top selections from the collection is a beautiful 1795 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle, AU55 PCGS from a small original production run of just 8,707 during the first year (although it is likely more 1795s were struck in ensuing years, since at the time, the Mint continued using coinage dies as long as they were serviceable). The example offered in this auction represents the scarce BD-6 variety, of which it is believed no more than 60-80 survive today in all grades.

From the same collection comes a seldom-seen circulated example of an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, PR50. Flowing Hair stellas are exceedingly popular among collectors. The denomination, widely believed to have been created by former Chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary John A. Kasson, the idea for this denomination actually came from Philadelphia lawyer and inventor William Wheeler Hubbell and his influential sponsor, Alexander H. Stephens, Chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures, who championed the proposal in Congress.

A 1796 Capped Bust Right Quarter Eagle, AU50 PCGS from the Duffy Collection, with no stars on the obverse, is from a tiny mintage of 963 pieces, and the No Stars motif was abandoned later in the year, making it a celebrated one-year design type that Ron Guth called "one of the most historic and important U.S. gold coins" and Q. David Bowers calls "the rarest U.S. gold design." This coin represents the extremely popular BD-2 variety, with Normal Arrows that extend only to the end of "N" in "UNITED" on the reverse. John Dannreuther estimates the BD-2 dies were used to strike 897 pieces of the first-year mintage and the surviving population of the BD-2 variety is 100-125 examples in all grades.

A fourth prized offering from the Duffy Collection is a 1796 Draped Bust Quarter, B-2, AU55 PCGS from a total mintage that year of 6,146 coins, of which a number of high-quality specimens - like the impressive Choice AU coin offered in this auction - were preserved.

Also from the Duffy Collection, a 1907 Rolled Edge Eagle, AU55 PCGS is a gorgeous example of the second-rarest issue in the entire series. The Rolled Edge coins were meant to solve the problems of their Wire Rim pattern predecessors but fell short; for example, the Rolled Edge coins usually were softly struck in the centers, and Mint Superintendent John Landis did not care for the design, which was soon abandoned in favor of the No Periods motif. This impressive Choice AU specimen is one of just 50 examples that were not melted before distribution.

The featured collections in the auction are exceptional, but they did not produce all of the event's top lots. Consider:

An 1895 Morgan Dollar, PR67+ Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC is a breathtaking Superb Gem coin, of which no business strikes are known. It is possible that as many as 12,000 circulation strike Morgan dollars were produced in 1895, but if they exist, their whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, just 880 Proofs, including the one offered in this lot, were struck, many of which are not available to the collecting community.

An 1864 Quarter Eagle, MS60 NGC is one of the four rarest circulation strikes within the Liberty Head series and remarkably rare in Mint State. With a reported mintage of just 2,772 pieces that does not naturally reflect the number of existing 1864 specimens, a total estimated to be less than two dozen in all grades, with just four certified Mint State pieces and the remaining examples in lower grades. The offered coin is the finest 1864 circulation strike Heritage has handled, and the first non-Details piece seen at Heritage since 2017. It is one of just 60 to earn a grade of 60, with only two carrying finer grades.

An 1861-S Paquet Reverse Double Eagle, AU53 NGC is an exceedingly important coin, named after Anthony C. Paquet, an engraver at the U.S. Mint who was active from 1857-64. He produced many designs for medals and a few for patterns, but the reverse of this double eagle is his most famous. Paquet was tasked with creating a new reverse for the double eagle in 1860. After it was determined in early 1861 that the design would wear too quickly, and although dies already had been shipped to the California facility, Philadelphia Mint officials sent a telegraph to the San Francisco Mint to return to the standard reverse. According to Doug Winter's doubleeaglebook.com: "This telegraph appears to have taken a considerable amount of time to reach the mint and by the time it had, $385,000 worth of the new reverse 1861-S double eagles had been struck and released into circulation." That equates to a mintage of only 19,250 coins, of which only a few hundred are estimated to have survived.

One of the truly intriguing lots in the auction is an Ephraim Brasher Countermark, VF30 on a 1760 Great Britain George II Half Guinea. Brasher is the most famous of all early American regulators, and one of the most instantly recognizable names in all of American numismatics. Renowned for his New York-style Doubloons, Brasher belonged to an important class of silversmiths and goldsmiths in the colonies ... and also was George Washington's next-door neighbor on Cherry Street in New York when the city briefly served as the nation's capital. The Bank of New York regularly employed goldsmiths and silversmiths, like Brasher, to test foreign coins received at the bank in routine commerce, weighing each coin as it was deposited, and adding a plug of gold to any found to be outside the allowable tolerances, after which they stamped the coins with their hallmark to indicate that the coins were acceptable. An incredible survivor from the early period of colonial numismatic history, this is the only the second 1/2 guinea host for an EB stamp locatable by Heritage experts.

Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/1377.

STEPHEN ALBUM RARE COINS AUCTION 50

Stephen Album Rare Coins will hold its Auction 50 from September 19-22, 2024, at their offices in Santa Rosa, California. The auction is made up of 4500 lots of Ancient, Islamic, Indian, Chinese, and World Coins. The first two days will be in-person bidding as well as on the internet, while the third and fourth days will be internet-only sessions. Featured in the auction will be The Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection of Ancient & World Coins, The Hakim Hamidi Collection of Afghanistan Coins, The Jürgen M. Wilmes Collection of Openwork Charms, and The Almer H. Orr III Collection of World Coins. Two additional anonymous collections are featured, one consisting of Georgian Coins, and the other named "The Solar Collection" of coins of Ceylon and Tranquebar.

Some highlights from the sale follow:

LOT 552: INDIA: MUGHAL EMPIRE: Jahangir, 1605-1628, AV sawai mohur (heavy mohur) (13.60g), Agra, AH1018 year 4, KM-185.1, with Khusru couplet, Persian inscription nur al-din shah jahangir ibn akbar badshah, regnal date to left // sikka zad dar shahr-e agra khusru-e giti panah, hijri date to lower left, much luster on both sides, an absolutely lovely design with excellent eye appeal, NGC graded MS61 Estimated at $35,000 to $40,000

LOT 617: INDIA: BRITISH: Victoria, Queen, 1837-1876, AV 5 rupees, 1870(c), KM-476, Fr-1603a, Calcutta Mint proof restrike, perfectly preserved with mirror-like luster, a magnificent example with great provenance and a prodigious grade (with only one superior example at PR65+), Proof 65, RR, ex Heritage ANA Signature Sale 3094, lot 34871, ex Louis E. Eliasberg Collection Estimated at $10,000 to $14,000

LOT 169: MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC: ABBASID CALIPHATE: al-Muqtadir, 908-932, AV donative double dinar (8.58g), Madinat al-Salam, AH299, A-Y245, standard design as on the normal dinar (A-245.2), but produced with larger dies on a broader planchet (29mm), which is the same for silver dirhams of Madinat al-Salam around AH299; trace of mount at the top, light scrape on reverse; a most important issue of al-Muqtadir, apparently unknown for any mint or date and unique, NGC graded UNC details Estimated at $10,000 to $12,000

LOT 204: MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC: ALMORAVID: Abu Bakr b. Yahya, fl. 1147/48, AV dinar (4.17g), Dar'a, AH542, A-476J, traditional Almoravid design and legends, with the name abu bakr bin / yahya below kalima in obverse field, the mint and date in the reverse margin, likely issued during the chaos following the death of the last Almoravid ruler Ishaq b. Ali in AH541/1146, bold XF, RRRR Estimated at $6,000 to $8,000

LOT 1450: WORLD COINS: AFGHANISTAN: Habibullah, 1901-1919, AV pattern 1-1/2 amani (6.98g), AH1337 (1918), KM-Unlisted, H-22A, an extremely rare gold pattern that we have not found in public auction records, PCGS graded Specimen 61, ex Hakim Hamidi Collection Estimated at $5,000 to $7,000

LOT 1449: WORLD COINS: AFGHANISTAN: Habibullah, 1901-1919, AV pattern tilla (4.54g), AH1325 (1907), KM-Unlisted, H-12A, an extremely rare gold pattern that we have not found in public auction records, PCGS graded Specimen 62, RRRR, ex Hakim Hamidi Collection Estimated at $5,000 to $7,000

The firm is currently accepting consignments for its forthcoming auctions in 2025.

Please see www.stevealbum.com for more information.

NOONAN'S TO SELL PHILLIPS FAMILY COLLECTION

A phenomenal collection of 254 gold and silver coins that span the whole of the Greek World, many of which have not been on the market for 80 years, are to be sold at Noonans Mayfair on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 12noon.

The collection is estimated to fetch £1million and is being sold to benefit the Heberden Coin Room in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University's Museum of Art and Archaeology which houses approximately 50,000 Greek and Roman Provincial coins and is the leading Coin Room in the world.

Dr Alexander Sturgis Director Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology comments: "The money generated from the sale will endow the post of the curator of Greek coins at the Heberden Coin Room. This will ensure the long-term future of Greek numismatics at the University of Oxford, where the subject has a long and illustrious tradition."

As Bradley Hopper, Coin Specialist at Noonans explains: "The collection stands as a testament to the greatest achievements of classical numismatics and the 254 specimens span many geographical areas of the Greek World, from Italy to Bactria and represent the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods. Known as the Phillips Family Collection of Ancient Greek Coins, it was formed over a period of some 90 years by father and son, however it is the family's request that their anonymity be retained, and thus the title used throughout is a pseudonym."

Among the many highlights of the collection is the magnificent Dekadrachm of Carthage which was given from father to son on Christmas Day in 1963 and is estimated at £20,000-26,000 [lot 117].

While from the Ancient Greek city of Pantikapaion is a gold Stater that was struck c. 350-340 and decorated with a bearded head of Pan which is estimated at £40,000-£50,000 [lot 118] and from Crete is a stater that was struck between c425-400. Showing the head of a Minatour, the coin was once part of the Sir Arthur J. Evans Collection - the archaeologist who discovered the palace at Knossos - and was Exhibited as part of the Burlington Fine Arts Club's Exhibition of Ancient Greek Art in 1903. It is estimated at £40,000-£50,000 [lot 214].

Like the Ashmolean's own collection, there is a particular focus in the collection on Archaic and Classical coins from Italy and Sicily. These coins are famous for their artistic quality and beauty, as is evident in the three Sicilian decadrachms in the sale. Included are two examples that were struck at Syracuse under the tyrant Dionysios I, c. 400-380. Both depict a galloping charioteer and is each estimated at £40,000-£50,000 [lots 94 & 96].

For more information, see:
https://www.noonans.co.uk/

KUENKER AUCTION SALES 412-414

24 and 25 September 2024 are designated for Künker's general auction sale. But what does "general" even mean? The special collections offered on these days were simply not large enough to be presented in a separate catalog. But of course, they are just as important as the other collections.

The Regina Adams Collection

The Regina Adams Collection, for example, "only" contains 31 selected lösers of the Welf dynasty – however, it is incredibly difficult to find 31 lösers of such extraordinary quality. It was of utmost importance to the collector to be able to see every single detail of the motif.

An extensive brochure was published for this collection, dealing with the phenomenon of the löser. You can download the file at: https://www.kuenker.de/data/mitteilungen/Kuenker_Broschuere
_Jakobsloeser_Final_LowRes.pdf.

Ivan III (IV)

A tragic chapter in Russian history is at the heart of this collection: Newborn Ivan was installed on the Russian throne at just 2 months old, only to be overthrown one year later. But what do you do with an innocent child that had been tsar for a short time? Elizabeth Petrovna, the daughter of Peter the Great, became Empress of Russia in 1741. She kept Ivan in captivity throughout her entire reign. Catherine the Great, who liked to present herself as an enlightened monarch, considered this to be dangerous – so she had Ivan killed in 1764.

Only a few coins were minted during Ivan's rule from 28 October 1740 until 6 December 1741. Künker is able to offer 16 of them – an incredibly large number given Ivan's short reign.

By the way, if you are interested in Russian numismatics but cannot afford the coins of Ivan III (IV), there is another special collection on offer at Künker's: 54 lots from the time of Paul I, including numerous copper coins of spectacular quality. Estimates start as low as 10 euros.

U.S. Gold Coins

And there is a third special collection to be offered in catalog 412. Almost 200 lots with U.S. gold coins – mainly Double Eagles – will be crossing the auction block. Of course, the offer features many great rarities. All pieces were graded.

A Great Selection of Rarities

It goes without saying that auction 412 also contains rare coins from many other parts of the world. At this point, we present you two examples: a modern Chinese coin set of which only 50 specimens exist, and a 1581 broad taler of Cologne of 2 1/2 talers, the only known specimen in private hands.

More than 1,000 German rarities minted after 1871 are offered by Künker in auction 413. They include a collection from a Mecklenburg private collector as well as imperial gold coins from the collection of an industrial entrepreneur from western Germany. Look forward to the great rarities of the German Empire such as 3 marks Frederick the Wise, 20 marks Heinrich XXII of Reuss, elder line, 20 marks Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as well as 20 New Guinean marks.

On 27 and 28 September 2023, Künker realized incredible results with the sale of the first part of the Lodewijk S. Beuth Collection. At the time, the about 1,200 lots were sold in collaboration with Laurens Schulman B. V. and fetched a total result of 5.2 million euros. Ten lots were sold for six-figure results.

Now – once again in collaboration with Laurens Schulman B. V. – the second part of the collection will be on offer. It contains coins from the beginnings of the Netherlands under the Merovingians up to 1795.

Following the traditional order of Dutch numismatics, the elaborately designed catalog presents Dutch coins arranged according to the seven northern provinces.

Do I need to say more? Connoisseurs know exactly what the Lodewijk S. Beuth Collection stands for: extraordinarily rare coins of unusual quality that have not been seen on the market for decades. Collectors of Dutch coins who do not carefully study this catalog have only themselves to blame.

To order a catalog contact Künker, Nobbenburger Straße 4a, 49076 Osnabrück; phone: +49 541 / 962020; fax: +49 541 / 9620222; or via e-mail: service@kuenker.de. You can access the auction catalogs online at www.kuenker.de. If you want to submit your bid from your computer at home, please remember to register for this service in good time.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
KUENKER AUCTION SALES 410-411 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a11.html)
THE LöSER COLLECTION OF REGINA ADAMS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a12.html)

OTHER 2024 ANA NUMISMATIC LITERATURE EXHIBITS

A Glimpse of the Life of Charles T. Steigerwalt
From the exhibit guide: "This exhibit displays just a few accomplishments of Charles T. Steigerwalt. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He became one of the most respected numismatists in the United States and Canada between the late 1800's and early 1900's."

To view the complete exhibit image gallery, see:
2024 ANA Exhibit Life of Charles Steigerwalt (https://www.flickr.com/photos/coinbooks/albums/72177720319961695/with/53962931551)

The Dollar of 1804
Mark Ferguson's marquee exhibit at the American Numismatic Association summer show featured his numismatic literature collection surrounding the Dexter 1804 Dollar and 1804 Dollars in general. The Newman Numismatic Portal filmed Mark giving a grand tour of the extensive exhibit, so look for that in the near future. Here are some selected still photos and a link to the complete gallery that I took at the show. Amazing collection.

To view the complete exhibit image gallery, see:
2024 ANA Exhibit The 1804 Dollar (https://www.flickr.com/photos/coinbooks/albums/72177720319781383/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
2024 ANA CONVENTION EXHIBIT GUIDE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n31a08.html)
1804 DOLLAR NUMISMATIC LITERATURE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n31a09.html)
2024 ANA NUMISMATIC LITERATURE EXHIBITS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a15.html)

OTHER 2024 ANA WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY EXHIBITS

Three Cent Patterns

Postage and Fractional Currency

Heavenly Gold

Bracteates

Ancient Errors

Zeppelins

Shoulders of Giants

Liberty Dollars

for a complete list of winning exhibits, see:
American Numismatic Association Members Exhibit Excellence At The World's Fair Of Money In Chicago (https://www.greysheet.com/news/story/american-numismatic-association-members-exhibit-excellence-at-the-world-s-fair-of-money-in-chicago/0)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
2024 ANA CONVENTION EXHIBIT GUIDE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n31a08.html)
2024 ANA NUMISMATIC LITERATURE EXHIBITS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n34a15.html)

THE PERPETUAL PENNY PARADOX

I was disappointed to learn, recently, that the United States has created for itself a logistical problem so stupendously stupid, one cannot help wondering if it is wise to continue to allow this nation to supervise the design of its own holiday postage stamps, let alone preside over the administration of an extensive Interstate highway system or nuclear arsenal. It's the dumbest thing I ever heard. I have come to think of it as the Perpetual Penny Paradox.

Most pennies produced by the U.S. Mint are given out as change but never spent; this creates an incessant demand for new pennies to replace them, so that cash transactions that necessitate pennies (i.e., any concluding with a sum whose final digit is 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 or 9) can be settled. Because these replacement pennies will themselves not be spent, they will need to be replaced with new pennies that will also not be spent, and so will have to be replaced with new pennies that will not be spent, which will have to be replaced by new pennies (that will not be spent, and so will have to be replaced). In other words, we keep minting pennies because no one uses the pennies we mint.

Five years ago, Mint officials conceded that if even a modest portion of these dormant pennies were suddenly to return to circulation, the resulting flow-back would be "logistically unmanageable." There would be so unbelievably many pennies that there most likely would not be enough room to contain them inside government vaults. Moving them from place to place would be time-consuming, cumbersome and costly. (Just $100 worth of pennies weighs a touch over 55 pounds.) With each new penny minted, this problem becomes slightly more of a problem.

The United States government has willfully ignored this nonsensical math problem for decades. Forty-eight years ago, in letters to Congress, William E. Simon, then the Treasury secretary, begged lawmakers to "give serious consideration" to abandoning 1-cent coins as soon as possible. The frantic tempo at which pennies were plummeting out of circulation, a Treasury report warned, would soon plunge the Mint into "a never-ending spiral" of "ever-increasing production" as it flailed to replace unused pennies with more pennies that would likewise remain unused — a bit like deploying a bucket to combat a dripping ceiling leak, and it turns out the leak is the ocean because the room was built under the sea, and the only way out of this anyone can think of is to engineer increasingly large buckets. The coin should be eradicated, the report reasoned, "no later than 1980."

Twenty-five years ago, Philip Diehl, then the director of the United States Mint, stated that "two-thirds of the pennies produced in the last 30 years" — 1969 to 1999 — had "dropped out of circulation." So even at a time when three-quarters of Americans' payments were still settled with cash, pennies were not being spent. A 2022 Federal Reserve survey found that Americans paid with cash just 18 percent of the time. It's impossible to know how many of those transactions might have involved coins, let alone pennies; the Fed doesn't even try to track this. One thing we know for sure about America's 1-cent coins, however, is that just one of them costs more than 3 cents to produce.

Why, in 2024, does our nation still spew out pennies like a two-liter in eternal agitation, gushing undrinkable fizz? The people I asked (government officials, numismatists, economists, scientists, scrap-metal industrialists, souvenir-elongated-penny machinists, historians, businesspeople, poverty researchers, Canadians) assigned blame widely: to an uninterested Congress; to highly interested lobbyists; to the sentimental; to people bad at math; to a populace willing to provide, in perpetuity, free private storage for pointless copper-plated tokens. (This last group encompasses every person currently possessed of at least one penny.) But the truth about why Americans are doomed to trudge eternally through a blood-scented bog of pennies-as-currency may be simultaneously the most dispiriting and encouraging reason imaginable: We may have forgotten that we don't have to.

Today's coin-blanking operation is a division of a private-equity-owned portfolio company that was sold off after becoming part of a conglomerate after being spun off from a previous Ball subsidiary into an independent company; names along the way have included Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing (in the 1880s), Jarden (named after jars) and, today, Artazn (climaxing with the chemical symbol for zinc).

Artazn largess has helped secure the URL "pennies.org" and finance the creation of the official webpage of "Americans for Common Cents," a self-styled "organization" that essentially consists of just one man, a Washington lobbyist named Mark Weller. In Weller's capacity as executive director of Americans for Common Cents, he has testified before Congress, been cited in government reports and written nationally circulated editorials. He declined to be interviewed for this article, but the arguments he makes in favor of continued penny production are well represented on the Americans for Common Cents website, an invaluable propaganda armory for penny-manufacture zealots.

Pablo writes:

To read the complete article, see:
America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/magazine/worthless-pennies-united-states-economy.html)

MARY THE PIGEON'S DICKIN MEDAL

Antiques Roadshow guests couldn't quite believe it when their grandad's war medal, awarded to his beloved pigeon Mary, was valued. The episode, which airs on Sunday, August 25, saw the experts set up shop at Pitzhanger Manor And Gallery in Ealing.

Expert Mark Smith encountered a couple eager to present their Dickin Medal. Recognising its significance, he told them: "So when you came to my table this morning, you opened the bag and told me what was inside and I said 'No stop, we're going to try and film this one because it is so fantastic", he revealed.

"And here we are. The Dickin medal from the People's Dispensary For Sick Animals (PDSA)."

He then asked about the recipient of the medal, a pigeon named Mary. One guest explained: "Well originally she was a racing pigeon along with the other pigeons from grandad's loft. She was put into the pigeon service, airlifted and dropped behind enemy lines in France."

Smith responded: "These pigeons were dropped into France for the French Resistance to send back messages to the UK about secret things they'd found out to stop the Germans. That, therefore, makes her the James Bond of the pigeon world.".

"The Dickin Medal. It's essentially the Victoria Cross for animals", Smith remarked. "It's the highest honour an animal can receive for bravery."

"It reads 'For gallantry, we also serve.' Magnificent. This is one brave pigeon, isn't it?". The guest responded: "Oh yeah bless her, she certainly was."

He added: "That really takes some doing, because the messages being delivered are genuinely life and death messages and they've only got one shot at this. And they placed all their trust in Mary the pigeon."

The couple were left utterly speechless when they discovered the true value of their item on the show. They admitted they had never considered its worth before, and when the expert casually mentioned it was worth a cool £30,000, their jaws dropped.

Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads as they burst into laughter, exchanging looks of sheer disbelief, while exclaiming, "Oh my goodness!". One of the pair remarked in awe: "She's worth every penny", prompting Smith to respond: "I totally agree."

Wrapping up the unforgettable moment, Smith said with heartfelt gratitude: "I think this has been one of the best things I've ever filmed, because that little pigeon, so brave, thank you so much."

To read the complete article, see:
Antiques Roadshow guests gobsmacked at staggering price for ‘brave' Mary the pigeon medal (https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/antiques-roadshow-dickin-medal-bbc-33534242)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
MARIA DICKIN AND THE DICKIN MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n31a39.html) DUKE OF NORMANDY PIGEON DICKIN MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n16a29.html) DICKIN MEDAL WINNER PADDY THE PIGEON (https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n31a34.html) D-DAY DICKIN MEDAL HERO PADDY THE PIGEON (https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n23a35.html)