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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 10/15/2024 - Numismatic Antiquarian Bookshop Lang 11/2/2024 - Kolbe & Fanning 1/4/2025 - Workman's Books

 

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 29, 2024

New subscribers this week include: Leo Greenberry, courtesy Kerry Wetterstrom; and Gregoire Peverelli. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,270 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 a numismatic literature sale, five new books and monographs, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from E-Sylum readers, and more.

Other topics this week include Philippine medals and tokens, New Zealand banknotes, Souvenir Cards, Liberty Seated coinage, Texas Ranger badges, process sets, Andre Dawson, Arno Safran, Heidi Wastweet, Ute Wartenberg, auction previews, the Robert Reed and John Beck collections, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and counterfeit Cuban banknotes.

To learn more about the D. F. Grotjohann library, Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, George William Wyon, bars with currency as wallpaper, the ICOMON conference, Donald Muniz, NENA News, the Nicolas Maier Collection, the American Toby Jug Museum and that medal on Campbell's soup cans, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

LANG NUMISMATIC LITERATURE AUCTION 4

We are pleased to announce the 4th auction of the Numismatisches Antiquariat Lang on October 15, 2024! This auction offers an incomparable opportunity to bid on an impressive selection of numismatic literature, bibliophile works, auction catalogs and professional journals.

Particularly noteworthy are:

• The D. F. Grotjohann library (lots no. 1-136), focusing on ancient numismatics.
• Selections from the Reinhold Jordan library, with a focus on British numismatics.

With over 990 lots, the auction offers an impressive variety for collectors

Procedure of the auction:

• Date: October 15, 2024
• Place: Auex.de
• Start of the auction: 16:00 CET

Our detailed auction catalog is now available. Take a look at the lots on offer and discover the wide range of numismatic literature. You can download the auction as a PDF or as a flip catalog. Register for the auction today and secure your participation.

For the auction, we are once again relying on the tried-and-tested Auex platform. You can register and place bids under the following link: Auex platform - Register now.

You also have the option of submitting pre-bids via the following platforms:

• Sixbid
• Biddr
• NEW: Numisbids

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. The best way to reach us is by e-mail at info@numismatisches-antiquariat.de.

We look forward to your participation and wish you every success at the auction!

For more information, or to bid, see:
https://auktionen.numismatisches-antiquariat.de/Auktion/Onlinekatalog?intAuktionsId=1534

To read a .pdf of the catalog, see:
https://images.auex.de/img/45/kataloge/2004/auktion_4.pdf

To visit the firm's website, see:
https://www.numismatisches-antiquariat.de/

NEW BOOK: PHILIPPINE MEDALS AND TOKENS, 4TH EDITION

Philippine Medals and Tokens 1780-2024 (4th Edition)
Earl Honeycutt & Sandy Lichauco

The 4th edition of Philippine Medals and Tokens 1780-2024 is now available for US buyers! The 4th edition sports a new format, with more than 2200 medals and tokens presented in rich detail over 343 pages.

The retail price of the book is $110, to include S/H via Media Mail.

Please contact the lead author, Earl Honeycutt, at: ehoneycutt@elon.edu or (919) 357-6160 with the following information:

1. Number of books you want.
2. Personal Dedication—please provide name(s).
3. Preferred method of payment: check/money order, paypal, zelle (routing info will be provided).
4. Any questions you may have.

Books will ship Media Mail within 24 hours of confirmed payment.

 

BANKNOTE BOOK NEW ZEALAND CHAPTER PUBLISHED

CDN is proud to announce the publication of the complete 117-page catalog covering 1,445 varieties of notes from 14 trading banks from 1840 – 1933, and the Reserve Bank from 1934 to present.

To read the complete article, see:
New Zealand chapter now complete (https://banknotenews.com/?p=45077)

BANKNOTE BOOK BUKHARA CHAPTER PUBLISHED

CDN is proud to announce the initial publication of the complete 23-page catalog covering notes issued from 1918 – 1922.

To read the complete article, see:
Bukhara chapter now available (https://banknotenews.com/?p=45082)

NEW BOOK: MONEY: A STORY OF HUMANITY

Money: A Story of Humanity
David McWilliams

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
ISBN: 9781471195433
Number of pages: 416
Dimensions: 234 x 153 x 30 mm

In this groundbreaking book, renowned global economist David McWilliams unlocks the mysteries and the awesome power of money: what it is, how it works, and why it matters.

The story of money is the story of our desires, our genius, and our downfalls. Money is power—and power beguiles. Nothing we've invented as a species has defined our own evolution so thoroughly and changed the direction of our planet's history so dramatically. Money has shaped the very essence of what it means to be human. We can't hope to understand ourselves without it. And yet despite money's primacy, most of us don't truly understand it. As economist David McWilliams states, money is everything. "Money defines the relationship between worker and employer, buyer and seller, merchant and producer. But not only that: it also defines the bond between the governed and the governor, the state and the citizen. Money unlocks pleasure, puts a price on desire, art and creativity. It motivates us to strive, achieve, invent and take risks. Money also brings out humanity's darker side, invoking greed, envy, hatred, violence and, of course, colonialism." Money isn't just paper or coins or virtual currency. Money is humanity.

Leading economics expert, David McWilliams answers these questions and more in Money, an epic, breathlessly entertaining journey across the world through the present and the past, from the birthplace of money in ancient Babylon to the beginning of trade along the silk road to China, from Marrakech markets to Wall Street and the dawn of cryptocurrency. By tracking its history, McWilliams uncovers our relationship with money, transforming our perspective on its impact on the world right now. McWilliams is no dusty economist; he is a communicator at the highest level, a highly telegenic and marketable expert who is as comfortable in front of a large audience talking about his favourite subject as he is appearing on podcasts, social media, and even in stand-up comedy. He's been called Ireland's most important economist and is ranked among the leading economists working today.

The story of money is the story of earth's most inventive, destructive, and dangerous animal: Homo sapiens. It is our story.

The author makes a bold claim: that the story of money is the story of humanity itself. Writing, he says, "came about because of another groundbreaking technology: money. Money was the first thing we wrote about."

The argument doesn't altogether convince, but McWilliams, a former economist at the Central Bank of Ireland, does know how to write. His book is well researched and crammed full of anecdotes that help bring a dry subject to life. Some are familiar enough. No book about money would be complete without a mention of Dutch tulip mania in the 1630s or the South Sea Bubble of 1720. Other stories will be more surprising, for example the fact that Darwin's theory of evolution was inspired not by a biological treatise, but an economic one – Thomas Malthus's work on population. It was also news to me that The Wizard of Oz could be seen as an allegory for the struggle between the populists of the American heartlands and the east-coast financial elites in the 1890s. Hitler's planned attempt to destroy the British economy through airdrops of counterfeit banknotes crafted by inmates of concentration camps is well told.

The section on how commercial banks create money will be tough going for the lay reader, and is out of character compared with the light touch in the rest of the book. The early chapters – which take in a credit crunch in Imperial Rome and the challenge posed to the Catholic church by the merchants of Florence around the time of the Black Death – feel fresher than the boilerplate accounts of the global financial crisis of 2008 and the advent of bitcoin.

To read the Guardian article, see:
Money by David McWilliams review – the story of cold hard cash (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/sep/25/money-by-david-mcwilliams-review-the-story-of-cold-hard-cash)

For more information, or to order, see:
Money: A Story of Humanity Hardcover – September 17, 2024 (https://www.amazon.com/Money-Story-Humanity-David-McWilliams/dp/1982152958/ref=sr_1_1)
Money: A Story of Humanity (Hardback) (https://www.waterstones.com/book/money/david-mcwilliams/9781471195433)

NEW BOOK: THERE'S TREASURE INSIDE

A North Carolina native decided to spend millions of dollars purchasing various treasures. But instead of keeping the items for himself or donating them to a museum or educational institution, Jon Collins-Black divided them into five boxes and hid them across the United States.

Only he knows where the items are stashed, but he's inviting anyone to search for them. Treasure hunters will find clues to the boxes in Collins-Black's new book, "There's Treasure Inside," available now for pre-order.

Now living in California, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumnus spoke with The News & Observer about his story and latest project.

For about six years after graduation, Collins-Black worked in the self-help industry, doing personal development seminars across the country. He ended up in Texas and decided he wanted to pursue music — something he enjoyed during high school and college — so he moved to California.

But after a while, he decided to leave the music industry, feeling burned out. He took some time off to ponder his next move.

"If I could clone myself, there's lots of different things I would like to do with my life, and one of those is, it'd be really cool just to be a treasure hunter," he said.

Collins-Black spent more than a year searching for Forrest Fenn's treasure. (In 2010, Fenn hid a chest filled with gold and other items, estimated to be worth at least $1 million, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. He then published "The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir," which included a poem that, if solved, would lead one to the treasure.)

Collins-Black did not find Fenn's treasure (though it was discovered in 2020), but it still excited him and made him think he'd like to create a treasure hunt, too.

Beginning in 2017, his financial situation changed. Collins-Black created internet properties and websites that offered guidance on landing jobs, which "did very well" for him, allowing him to invest, including in Bitcoin.

When COVID-19 shut everything down, Collins-Black again considered his next venture and had two thoughts: Start a publishing company focused on children's literature, and create a national treasure hunt.

He did both.

Dispersed throughout "There's Treasure Inside" are clues that lead to hidden treasure, along with details about the treasure.

Collins-Black sourced items from a rare minerals dealer based in Dallas and began following major auction houses in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

"My list of items I wanted was constantly evolving," he said. "It was a combination of things that I thought were really cool, but I also wanted to appeal to a wide variety of ages and interests and backgrounds."

Here are some of the items he collected:

• A 23-karat gold pendant designed by Pablo Picasso
• A gold medal won by the men's Nigerian soccer team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
• A Michael Jordan rookie card
• A sapphire and diamond brooch owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
• Rare Pokemon cards
• Pages from Henry David Thoreau's personal journal

To read the complete article, see:
An NC native hid treasure worth millions across the US. The clues are in his new book (https://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/article292309984.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
FORREST FENN REPORTS TREASURE FOUND (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n24a37.html)
FORREST FENN FORTUNE FINDER FOUND (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n50a32.html)

 

NNP UPDATES SOUVENIR CARD JOURNAL

Souvenir Card Collectors Society Updates Journals on Newman Portal

The Souvenir Card Collectors Society (SCCS) promotes the study and collecting of souvenir cards, which are typically issued to mark special occasions and are printed on high quality card stock using intaglio methods (steel plate engravings). SCCS maintains a catalog of souvenir cards and further publishes the Souvenir Card Journal, which is currently in its 44th year. The SCCS has recently extended its run of back issues on Newman Portal, and these are now available through the year 2018.

Illustrated here is an example of the FPS-1939A souvenir card, which commemorates a 1930s traveling exhibit that showed Americans how stamps were made. President Roosevelt was a well-known stamp collector and presumably greased the proverbial wheels of this project, which consisted of a traveling truck with exhibits mounted inside. As visitors exited the truck, they were presented with this souvenir card depicting the White House. Arlie Slabaugh wrote in the November 1982 issue of Coins magazine: "Some collectors consider the Philatelic Truck souvenir sheet to be the first of the Post Office cards. It was issued during 1939-1941 and came in both gummed and ungummed versions and was much smaller than the usual souvenir cards, which are frequently eight-by-six inches."

Newman Portal acknowledges Greg Alexander, Souvenir Card Journaleditor, for his assistance with this title.

Image: FPS-1939A, Visit of the philatelic truck

Link to Souvenir Card Journal on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/534278

Link to Souvenir Card Collectors Society home page:
https://www.souvenircards.org/html/menu_home.html

 

VIDEO: LIBERTY SEATED HALF DOLLARS

Pennsylvania collector, Bill Cowburn, specializes in collecting the Liberty Seated half dollars series. He explains why the coins are so interesting to collect and why you should not to be intimidated by some of the rare dates. In this video he shares and shows:

• Which coins make the best type coin
• Motto vs. no motto
• Types and 8 subtypes
• Why the "arrows & rays" were added in 1853
• How the 'rays' were moved in 1854
• The "arrows" that were added again in 1873 to designate another weight change
• Differences in lettering and what may have caused it
• Repunched dates
• Other varieties - how to recognize them including cracks, cuds, different sized mintmarks and more

Speaker(s): Bill Cowburn.

To watch the complete video, see:
Liberty Seated Half Dollars of 1839-91 (https://youtu.be/hiTRvPiBR74)

PIP, SQUEAK AND WILFRED

Neil Burns writes:

Martin Bertelsen writes:

James A Downey writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
QUERY: WWI SERVICE MEDAL NICKNAME (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n38a11.html)

MICHAEL HODDER ON JOHN J. FORD, JR.

I guess I'd better chime in on this. Ford wasn't stingy with numismatic information, he was cagey. Remember, he was a businessman as well as a collector. In areas he was actively interested in, like Betts medals, he did himself no good telling potential competitive bidders what he had and what he wanted. In areas he was less active in, like currency or 19th C. U.S. Mint medals (always excepting Indian Peace Medals), he shared what he knew with anyone he respected who asked for it, like Carl Carlson and Doug Ball, for examples. It always helped if that person wasn't likely to be a competitor for something Ford wanted, too!

In other areas where his collections were largely static, like state coppers or Massachusetts silver, Ford gave a trusted few full access to his collections. When I first went to his house in Phoenix to study his New Jersey's for my own research interests I found Breen had already been there before me, given the same unrestricted right to examine the collection. I found Breen's notes again when I worked on Ford's Vermonts and Connecticuts.

I met Ford when I catalogued a small collection of territorial gold coins for Sotheby's in the early 1980's. He showed up at 980 Madison Avenue dressed in an wool overcoat, Homburg and pigskin gloves. He told me later his father had given him that advice, to look like someone who could buy the place. We went across the street for a drink. He told me he thought I might amount to something.

For years afterwards Ford would call me three or four times a week. We'd talk numismatics, collectors and dealers, auction sales, for about an hour. He was my contact with the world of post-War numismatics and through his reminiscences I heard about the doings of the greats of classic American numismatics, Proskey, Boyd, the Chapmans. As time went on we became good friends. I'm happy to hear he called John Kraljevich, too, and while I don't remember telling Kraljevich that Ford "thinks you're salvageable" I hope I did because that's a good line.

Ford knew his business well. He never forgot what Abe Kosoff told him once, when Ford was bragging about how much better a numismatist he was than Abe. Kosoff turned to him and said (paraphrasing) "Young man, you may know coins but I know collectors." Ford didn't cultivate everyone in the business unless he respected them for what they knew or what they could do for numismatics. His imprimatur was always a two way street.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ON THE TUTORSHIP OF JOHN J. FORD (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n38a13.html)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

George William Wyon

Daniel Fearon writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
MEDALLIC MEMENTO OF GEORGE WILLIAM WYON (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n30a23.html)
NEW BRUNSWICK TRIAL AND PATTERN SET (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n38a24.html)

Palindrome Pair

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
AMBIGRAMS, STROBOGRAMS AND PALINDROMES (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n38a19.html)

Northern Wisconsin Bars With Currency as Wallpaper
Dan Hamelberg writes:

Dan adds:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 15, 2024 : Captain Lou's in South Haven, Michigan (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n37a14.html)

Down with Wayne!

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
10 Far Side Comics That Will Make You Laugh Hours After You Read Them (https://screenrant.com/far-side-comics-unforgettable-keep-readers-laughing/)

 

THE LAST PATRIOTIC CIVIL WAR TOKEN?

IMHO this is probably the last patriotic civil war token made. Since I can't find this token listed anywhere, I am left speculating. One side shows a 36 star flag, which would indicate that the issue corresponded with the admission of Nevada as the 36th state, which occurred in October, 1864. The US flag is modified only on July 4th of each year, so an official 36 stag flag would have been made in July, 1865. 36 star flags have a pattern of stars in a circle, so the pictured flag with 36 stars in a square would indicate a date for this token that most likely predates the official flag, possibly even slightly predating the admission of Nevada as a state. While private issues of coins became illegal in July, 1864, the maker of this token probably was not aware of that law being passed. Lord knows I can't keep up with all the new laws being passed.

The other side shows an image similar to the California state seal. The maker probably only had access to a written description of the seal and not an actual sketch, because of all the differences. Because of the general similarity, the designer may have previously seen an image. Notable differences are that the bear is laying down as opposed to crouching to eat grapes or standing, as is currently on the state seal. There is not an image of a miner, but a wheel and an anchor. There is a cornucopia. The shield is lined as opposed to the head of Medusa. It still says EUREKA, but it is barely readable. The mountains are probably supposed to be the Sierras as originally planned, but later versions of the seal likely show San Francisco bay as viewed from the top of Yerba Buena Island with Fort Point on the peninsula and the 3 peaks of mount Tamalpais to the right.

In 1863 there were almost as many civil war tokens minted as US cents, so likely a number of them made their way to California, and were accepted for trade. Information about their illegality and lack of acceptance probably did not occur until after this token was made. There are no other types of similar sized tokens made in the ensuing years, so it is hard to think that the intention of the maker was to do anything other than make a patriotic civil war token. This may have been made from melted down large cents because the color looks about right for that and the melt value of the copper in a large cent was about 25% greater than face value, but still less than half the melt value of a small cent. I can only speculate that this is not listed in the standard reference for civil war tokens because it is not common and probably didn't migrate back to the east coast where people were actively collecting and documenting civil war tokens.

The weight of this example is 4.44 grams which more closely corresponds with the 4.67 gram weight of the 1863 cents and opposed to the 3.11 gram weight of the later 1864 cents. It measures 19mm across, the same as most civil war tokens.

Dave writes:

THE CINCO PESO TEXAS RANGER BADGES

Chriss Hoffman writes:

When is a Cinco Peso coin not a coin? When it's a Texas Ranger badge.

Before Walker, Texas Ranger started coming into our homes with a badge as big as our television screen, we have known about this elite law enforcement group. Known for toughness and fairness, Texas Rangers protected the earliest settlers of Texas (maybe numbering in the hundreds) and they continue to protect over 29 million of the 21st century residents of Texas. They are a point of pride in the state of Texas.

Like a Texas Ranger, the badge they carry or wear is very unique. In fact, when Stephen F. Austin formed the Rangers in 1823 to protect the Old Three Hundred, they did not have a badge. The first Texas Rangers may have had a written letter of commission, which did carry a lot of weight. But it's hard to picture a hardened cattle rustler paying much attention to a piece of paper. Heck, they may not have been able to read it.

The idea of a badge is simple and it dates to the Middle Ages, according to Byron Johnson, Director of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco. Large armies needed a way to identify friend or foe. A crest on a tunic or shield was a way to make that identification during the heat of hand-to-hand combat. Five hundred years later, on the border of Austin's colony and Mexico, and then along the frontier of Texas, identification was also important. And badges slowly came into use.

The first badge may have been linked to Ranger Leander McNelly, a member of the Special Force of the Texas Rangers established in 1875 that was charged with ending cattle rustling in the infamous Nueces Strip. McNelly's badge was probably a gift from local ranchers and while it has been described in authentic documents, it has not survived, according to Johnson.

The earliest surviving badge belonged to Texas Ranger Ira Aten and dates to the 1880s. Early badges, like the Aten badge, were more than likely gifts and were crafted by a local silversmith or the Ranger himself. Even then the preferred starting point was a Mexican coin (the Aten badge started as a Mexican Ocho Peso coin).

In 1935 the Texas Ranger badge was based on a shield design for the Highway Patrol. A 1950-era badge issued to the Rangers featured blue enamel paint and became known as the blue bottle cap badge, according to Johnson. Neither caught on with the rank and file.

It wasn't until 1961, when Homer Garrison, Jr. was head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, that the circle/star badge created from the Cinco Peso coin was issued by the state to all Texas Rangers. Texas Ranger Hardy L. Purvis donated the initial batch of Cinco Peso coins so all 62 Texas Rangers could be issued a badge. Purvis made the donation in memory of his father, Texas Ranger Captain Hardy B. Purvis, and his mother. In 2021, modern badges are made by three silversmiths/engravers in the state (one in Fort Worth, one in Bandera and one in Clarendon). Before anyone can start work, they need a letter of authorization from the Chief of the Texas Rangers to give them permission to complete the work. They use either the 1947 or 1948 Cinco Peso coin almost exclusively. Each coin goes through dozens of steps and countless hours of artistic effort to morph into a badge with a domed star and a flat rim.

The major issue for collectors of the Texas Ranger badge is fraud, Johnson says. The Texas Ranger badge is among the most sought-after law enforcement artifacts in the world, according to Johnson. With only a few hundred individuals in the Texas Rangers during the organization's 198-year history, the potential supply of original Texas Ranger badges is very small. To this day, when a Ranger dies, most bequeath their badge to their family, he explains.

Chriss adds:

To read the complete article, see:
The Cinco Peso Badge (https://authentictexas.com/the-cinco-peso-badge/)

 

ICOMON ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024

ICOMON Annual Conference 2024

The Economy Museum – Royal Coin Cabinet in Stockholm will host the International Committee for Money and Banking Museums (ICOMON) 30th Annual Conference on 25-28 September 2024, in collaboration with ICOMON and International Numismatic Council.

Conference Theme: Cross-Organization Collaborations
Within the field of banking and money museums and numismatic departments, a wide range of collaborations are possible when dealing with numismatics, financial literacy, monetary and economic history, collections management and exhibitions.

In the ICOMON conference 2024 presenters will consider ways that different specialists and stewards can teach and learn from one another to better the discipline and the ways that we work, and what unites the multiplicity of specializations and the willingness to collaborate and learn from one another. Case studies related to the theme Cross-Organization Collaborations will be presented regarding:

• How can cross-organization collaborations strengthen the outreach to a wider community? For example, universities, museums, museum networks, associations, banks, public authorities and financial institutions often share common interests.
• How can a historic numismatic perspective reach beyond the museums and numismatic world?
• Digitization and digital medias: for whom, by whom, why and how? How does it help with pedagogy and teaching?
• How can we better safeguard the collections?

For more information, see:
ICOMON Annual Conference 2024 (https://ekonomiskamuseet.se/en/conference2024/)
ICOMON ICOM International Committee for Money and Banking Museums (https://icomon.mini.icom.museum/)
Abstracts and information (https://ekonomiskamuseet.se/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ICOMON-abstracts-information.pdf)

VOCABULARY TERM: PROCESS SET

Process Set. Sample specimens of a multiple-struck medal selected from various stages of manufacturing to illustrate the physical change from raw metal to completed art medal. The set of medals are always shown together, often for a display for most dramatic effect. The first recorded showing of such a process set was by Tiffany & Co. in 1901 at the Buffalo Pan-American exposition where the jewelry firm displayed a process set of the Dewey Manila Bay Medal of 1898 among 196 medals the firm had manufactured since 1851.

A typical process set might contain six, or eight, or more different stages. An 8-piece process set is illustrated in the introduction (page xxxix) of Julian, Medals of the United States Mint. Such an 8-piece process set would typically include the following stages:

1. blank
2. first strike
3. second, third or fourth strike
4. fully struck up but untrimmed
5. trimmed
6. abrasive blasted
7. oxidized
8. relieved or finished medal.

Collectors would probably desire two-sided medals; for display, however, uniface process sets would have only one side struck, the other flat for mounting. A patina process set would show only those stages of finishing (perhaps the last four listed above).

References:
O39 {1977} Julian, p xxxix, 8-piece Lindbergh Historical Club Medal, 1974.
O48 {1988} Stahl, p 114, 6-piece process set with skeleton scrap, Lincoln Essay Medal, 1924.

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Process Set (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516550)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR MEDAL PROCESS SET (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n12a14.html)
THE NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR MEDAL PROCESS SET (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n13a10.html)

 

DONALD JOHN MUNIZ

This week I took on research for another coin columnist, Donald J. Muniz. I found out a few interesting things about the first half of his life but the second half remains a mystery.

I started with his listing in the 1950 Census when he was five years old. He was living in Rutherford, New Jersey, with his father, Ricardo Muniz, his mother Lydia Muniz and his fourteen-year-old brother Richard. Ricardo was manager of the television receiver manufacturing division of the Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc.

Donald John Muniz was married to Phyllis Nancy November on August 28, 1966. They had a daughter. In 1967, Donald J. Muniz graduated from Monmouth College with a B. A. degree in government.

Ricardo, the father, joined the A.N.A. in 1943 as member 9513. Richard, the son, joined the A.N.A, in 1960 as member 35455. In 1962, Ricardo joined Richard in his coin business in Miami. Donald J. Muniz joined the A.N.A. in 1969 as member R-83581. It was about that time that he joined his brother in the business.

Ed Reiter was one of the great writers of a coin column published in the Asbury Park Press, He mentioned Richard Muniz in a column in 1970.

Donald J. Muniz was frequently mentioned in one of the Ed Reiter columns as he offered an opinion on some aspect of the coin market. From 1971 through 1978, he was mentioned in a Reiter column 39 times and his photo was included five times. His photo also appeared at coin shows mentioned in the Reiter column.

Donald is listed as president of Richard M. Muniz, Inc. in 1971. In October 1971, the company was reorganized with Donald president for the new East Coast Coin Co. During 1971 to 1973, there were regular ads for East Coast Coin Co, in The Numismatist. These ads had his membership number (63581) but did not include his name.

Donald was active with the Monmouth Coin Club and he was vice president in 1972. He was a life member of the Garden State Numismatic Association.

The February 17, 1973, issue of The Daily Record (Long Branch, NJ) included "Coins Confidential," a column submitted by Donald J. Muniz. Subsequent columns were published on February 24 and March 17, 1973. I looked around and could not find any other columns or inclusion in any other papers.

Title of his first column was "Buyer Beware." Near the end he stated, "The American Numismatic Association (A.N.S.) is working hard to combat all the deceptions I've mentioned." Anyone can make a mistake, but that statement might have offended both the A.N.A. and the A.N.S. (They are not the same thing)

Also in 1973, The Daily Record was carrying the "Money Clips" column by Fred Reed. In the March 17, 1973, issue, both columns were published on different pages. The Reed columns continued after the Muniz columns were dropped.

In 1973, Muniz applied for membership in the Numismatic Literary Guild. In his application he stated that he contributed a numismatic column to six eastern newspapers. His membership was accepted. I did not find his by-line on any other item.

The New Jersey Numismatic Journal included a full-page ad for East Coast Coin Investment Company in 1975.

"Although East Coast employs a staff of qualified representatives, all portfolios are personally assembled by Donald J. Muniz, President of East Coast Coin Company. Mr. Muniz has been active in Coin Investments since the mid-fifties."

This did not explain that in the mid-fifties, Donald was ten years old.

In 1976, Muniz complained about the Bicentennial medals as reported in another Ed Reiter column:

East Coast Coin Auctions conducted sales in 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Along the way, Donald became an expert in numismatic investments. In 1976, he spoke at an investment diversification seminar in Baltimore. On February 17, 1978, there was an investment seminar in Atlanta. The promotional material stated: "Featured speaker will be Donald J. Muniz, a recognized expert on ‘the blending of financial planning strategies with the rare coin medium.'"

In March of 1979, two collectors obtained judgments against Muniz for misrepresenting the value of coins sold. On February 13, 1980, a Monmouth County grand jury handed down a 29-count indictment against Muniz for defrauding 23 customers of $536,463. In June, he pleaded guilty to nine counts of the indictment. On August 4, 1980, Muniz was sentenced for 11 to 19 years in state prison. In May, he was expelled from the A.N.A.

One unsatisfied customer was Dr, Michael J. Hyland. He withdrew $150,000 from his pension fund to buy an investment portfolio of coins and stamps from Muniz. He then had the collection appraised. The stamps declared to be worth $60,000 by Muniz were appraised to be worth less than $2,500. The coins declared to be worth $89, 950 were appraised at $28,700. The sale included a warranty that the collection could be returned for a refund within a year. Muniz refused to honor the warranty.

On March 28, 1980, a court issued a judgement of $150,000 against Muniz in favor of Dr. Hyland. It is unlikely that Dr. Hyland could collect on the judgement.

Across the hobby there are many similar stories of people with little knowledge of numismatics who fall prey to a numismatic investment expert or telemarketer. Donald Muniz and Phyllis were divorced in 1980.

On August 6, 1982, the name of Donald John Muniz was legally changed to Donald John Roberts. The name change was probably intended to isolate himself from a bad reputation. His new name is too common to trace without some context. I have no idea what he did in the second half of his life.

THE ANDRE DAWSON COLLECTION

In September of 1998, I chanced to purchase two Seated Liberty quarters (1863 – MS66 & 1882 – MS67) from Heritage's sale of the Andre Dawson collection. Recently, the pedigree of these two coins, which I still own, combined with this being the height of baseball season, piqued my interest to look back at the man and his collection.

In 1998, Andre Dawson had recently retired from Major League Baseball, predominately playing for the Montreal Expos and the Chicago Cubs. During his 22-year career, Dawson generated eye-popping statistics – 438 home runs, 1,591 RBIs, 314 stolen bases, and 8 All-Star appearances. But Dawson also underwent a staggering 12 knee surgeries during his career, and before non-invasive orthoscopic surgical methods were available: testimony to his toughness, perseverance, and love of the game. In 2010, Cooperstown recognized his athletic prowess, inducting Dawson into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But Andre Dawson was also an all-star coin collector! My two quarters from his collection were but a small sampling of his beautiful, high-quality type set that included 24 Liberty Seated pieces. Many of Dawson's carefully selected coins are still among the finest known specimens. His condition census pieces included: 1869 Half-Dime – MS68 NGC; 1859 Half-Dime – PF67 NGC; 1874 Dime (w/Arrows) – MS68 NGC; 1854 Quarter (w/Arrows) – MS67 NGC; 1854 Half-Dollar (w/Arrows) PF66 NGC; and an 1863 Dollar – MS67 NGC.

Today, Andre Dawson and wife Vanessa own and operate the Paradise Memorial Funeral Home in Miami, Florida, incorporating a staff of 16. Not only a great outfielder and successful businessman, Dawson distinguished himself as a collecting connoisseur, and in the process gave his coins a very memorable provenance.

For more information on the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC), see:
http://www.lsccweb.org/

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
JAMES EARL JONES (1931-2024) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n37a09.html)

ARNO SAFRAN INTERVIEW, PART THREE

GREG BENNICK: Oh, that's great. Now, what other coins were favorites of yours that you owned in your collection?

ARNO SAFRAN: My favorites?

GREG BENNICK: Yeah.

ARNO SAFRAN: Well, that's one of them that you just heard me talk about [an 1825 dime].

GREG BENNICK: For sure. Absolutely. Understandably so.

ARNO SAFRAN: I have a lot. It's hard to answer that question, you know, shortly. I do articles now supporting Charles Barber. I mean, he came in a time which was the end of the entire beginning of numismatics in America. And he was old hat. But you have St. Gaudens and all his, disciples doing magnificent stuff with coins, a brand-new modern music like this and modern coins. And so, he was considered the no-no.

But when you look at his designs, especially half dollars and quarters that are uncirculated in 64 or 63, even that, they're gorgeous. They're works of art. They're beautiful. The designs are magnificent. They're just perfect. Oh, and you look at a Franklin half: you've got a lot of space on either side of it, which can get damaged or something in the marks, nicks. You don't see that on the Barber coinage because they're so filled up with information. You know, the stuff that's in there. I mean, the man was a total pro and a couple of my friends here, they love Barber's coinage. And I do, too, even though it's old hat. So, I think that you have to look at each particular artist and look at what they did in a positive way rather than a negative way.

GREG BENNICK: That certainly makes sense. I'm just glad that you have such a strong connection to these particular coins. And, you know, you've been collecting now it's going on almost 50 years and still have the passion for it, which I always love hearing. It's just so inspiring and I'm sure would be to any young numismatist listening and reading the interview that comes from this, because it's really good to hear that people hold on to passions and favorites even after time passes.

ARNO SAFRAN: Yeah, it has probably kept me alive, of course doing the research. After I left college and got enough pension, my wife, the same thing. We came down here because of the beautiful area. It's - this is north of Augusta - a town called Evans. North of us are the beautiful lakes and reservoirs. And there's lots of trails and all kinds of things. We used to walk around all these wonderful things together. And people are friendly. And the biggest problem, whether it's up in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or down here, that people who belong to coin clubs are not very interested in buying stuff.

They go to the auctions. They buy crap. They don't care. They enjoy it. You can't get them to go to shows. I mean, northwestern Georgia, and the south in Chattanooga…it has a wonderful show with the Blue Ridge Group and then the Georgia itself and then in Greenfield, South Carolina, you have the South Carolina state group. Good shows. And then, of course, you have the one down in Florida. And then when I was up in New Jersey, we used to love to go to Baltimore. I had a lot of friends there.

Do you know the name, a fellow named Carl Feldman, by the way?

GREG BENNICK: I don't, tell me about Carl, Carl Feldman.

ARNO SAFRAN: Yeah, he lives down in Florida now, but he was a collector, he collected a lot of dollars, a wonderful guy. He had more money. He was, he sold cars. He did a lot better than I did financially. He has a wonderful collection also. But I can't reach him anymore. He had a problem with his daughter. And I guess maybe I may have said something wrong and he got a little afraid and can't talk to me on the phone. But he's another one that has some very good collection. But he doesn't do anything in terms of what I do. He doesn't go beyond that.

A lot of guys became what they call like dealers when they retired. I used to belong to the New Jersey Numismatic Society. Are you familiar with that?

GREG BENNICK: I've heard the name, or at least it sounds familiar certainly.

ARNO SAFRAN: Back in the 1980's and 90's, we had the older guys who were, you know, collecting stuff when they were young, yet old enough to be our fathers. They had incredible stuff because it was so cheap when they bought it. They taught us a lot of stuff. And David Lange was a member of that club. He was a genius to begin with. We all recognize his talent, you know, referring to he passed away recently.

I don't know if you knew that, but David Lange was a member of that club. We had some very talented young men and one or two women. But very seldom they came and this was a good show, a good meeting once a month. And it still exists, even though I'm no longer up there. And that helped me a lot. That taught me a lot.

GREG BENNICK: Yeah. I was going to ask you, who were your biggest influences in the hobby? Who were the people who influenced you the most?

ARNO SAFRAN: Well, that club was the most influential. Because you're learning from an older group of men who, you know, got a lot of incredible knowledge about large cents and half cents, as well as the other coins. They got this stuff for pennies back in the 1920s, 30s when they were buying that stuff. They taught us a lot of stuff, too. And then they also collected foreign some of them. They had incredible collections of foreign coins. Mostly ancients, which was nice and like I said, you just can't collect everything.

I have a friend named Jim Barry now, who's retired. He had a wonderful collection of ancient coins down here. But he also came from northern New York and on Long island, and he and his wife came down He's still alive. But he's got arthritis. So he doesn't collect anymore. He sold it.

But I still, you know, I do the newsletters. So, by doing the newsletters, I took pictures of all the coins and I do them in groups. I do them separately and I do them all together, at the end of the and then I talk about it. Sometimes I mention what they cost, other times I don't. I don't want to get too involved with that. But, uh, I let in what it costs then and what they cost now, and there's been a drop in Barbers for the last two or three years. In which coins that I bought for maybe four hundred dollars, are now worth three hundred dollars. Who knows why that happens? I have no idea.

GREG BENNICK: Now, the newsletters that you do, you do which newsletters? You do the newsletter for Augusta right? And then there's another one you mentioned?

ARNO SAFRAN: Yeah, there's a town in Aiken. I have a short-term memory loss at the stage of my life now. So, far I haven't shown it. But, uh, it comes up. But there's a town there and they have a very high level, it's like Princeton up in New Jersey, very highfalutin. We meet there once a month, and then most of the people there are my age or a little younger. They're very mature, they're very intelligent and that's a nice group of people. We all give programs. It's not just me. Everyone gets a chance to give a program. So, it's very nice. It's a little bit like the New Jersey Numismatic Society, that I belong to. It's in Aiken, South Carolina. It's what they call a big town / city kind of thing.

It's not like Augusta It's a smaller town divided in two places. Something like Cambria, California, where you have two breaks between the city where they have all the restaurants and then the cheaper place where you buy everything. And it meets in that area. That's a heck of a nice little club, even though only about 20 people show up, up to 25. But it's very nice and we all give talks and that's good too.

About the Interviewer
Greg Bennick (www.gregbennick.com) is a keynote speaker and long time coin collector with a focus on major mint error coins. Have ideas for other interviewees? Contact him anytime on the web or via instagram @minterrors.

To watch the complete video, see:
Arno Safran Interviewed for the NNP by Greg Bennick (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/641275)

To read the complete transcript, see:
Arno Safran Interviewed for the NNP by Greg Bennick (Transcript) (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/641274)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ARNO SAFRAN INTERVIEW, PART ONE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n36a19.html)
ARNO SAFRAN INTERVIEW, PART TWO (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n38a21.html)

NENA NEWS CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Celebrating 75 years of New England Numismatic Association (NENA) News - Join Us for a Dinner Banquet Celebration

The New England Numismatic Association (NENA) is excited to announce a special dinner banquet celebrating 75 years of NENA News. The banquet will take place on October 25, 2024, at the Doubletree Hotel, located at 700 Elm St. Manchester, NH, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM. Tickets are on sale now for $75 ea. at https://nenacoin.org/shop .

This event promises an evening of camaraderie, reflection and celebration as we honor the history and contributions of NENA News to the numismatic community. Guests will enjoy a delightful dinner, engaging speeches and the opportunity to connect with fellow numismatists and enthusiasts. According to President Whitehouse, "Through volunteerism and education NENA connects fellow enthusiasts and promotes collecting coins and currency in New England and beyond. We are very excited to celebrate this 75-year milestone of NENA News with our strong and growing numismatic community."

Event Highlights:

• Delicious Dinner: Enjoy a 3-course buffet style meal prepared by the chefs at Doubletree Hotel
• Engaging Speakers: Hear from distinguished guests and experts in the field of numismatics.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow numismatists, collectors and enthusiasts
• Raffle: Enter for your chance to win prizes, winners will be announced at the end of the night

Event Details:

• Date: October 25, 2024
• Time: 6:30 PM-9:30 PM
• Location: Doubletree Hotel, 700 Elm St., Manchester NH 03101

We invite all members, non-members, friends and supporters of the New England Numismatic Association to join us in this special celebration. Your presence will help make this milestone event a memorable experience.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the event, please visit https://nenacoin.org/shop .

About the New England Numismatic Association (NENA)
Founded in 1949, the New England Numismatic Association is dedicated to promoting the study and collection of coins, paper money, and related numismatic items. NENA serves as a hub for numismatists in New England, offering educational resources, publications, and events that foster a deeper appreciation of numismatics. The association's flagship publication, NENA News, has been a cornerstone of numismatic scholarship and community engagement for 75 years. For more information about NENA, please visit
https://nenacoin.org
https://www.facebook.com/nenacoin.org

New Hampshire Coin and Currency Expo
In addition to the banquet, NENA will also be present at the New Hampshire Coin and Currency Expo, held on October 25-26, 2024 at the DoubleTree Hotel. This semiannual event is a premier gathering for coin and currency enthusiasts, featuring dealers, exhibitions, and educational sessions. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to explore a wide array of numismatic treasures and connect with experts in the field.

For more information about the New Hampshire Coin and Currency Expo, please visit
https://nhcoinexpo.com .

WASTWEET, WARTENBERG HONORED AT ANA BANQUET

During last month's American Numismatic Association's (ANA) World's Fair of Money, hosted in Chicago, members who have contributed to the hobby in profound ways were recognized. The Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture and the Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing were presented during the 133rd Anniversary Awards Banquet.

The ANA's Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture is an annual honor given to an artist whose lifetime work in the field rises above all others. The 2023 recipient is Heidi Wastweet, a leading American medalist and sculptor who specializes in bas-relief, from cast and struck medals to public monuments. She was chief engraver for Sunshine Mint for 11 years and lead designer/sculptor for Global Mint for five years. In her work with a variety of private mints, Wastweet has produced over 1,000 coins, medals, and tokens. In 2001 she opened her own studio. Her work tends to be symbolic and often depicts the human figure in a contemporary and representational style. She has trained over a dozen artists to be medallic sculptors and conducts workshops. Wastweet served on the U.S. Mint's Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee from 2010 to 2018 and currently is president of the American Medallic Sculpture Association.

The Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing honors outstanding researchers, authors, or journalists annually, recognizing their contributions to the field. Initially bestowed posthumously on its namesake in 1999, the award celebrates excellence and integrity in all forms of numismatic writing. Recipients are chosen through a collaborative process involving the ANA, the American Numismatic Society (ANS), and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG).

This year, Ute Wartenberg, research curator and president of the American Numismatic Society, received the honor. Wartenberg's distinguished career includes serving as executive director of the ANS (a role she will resume this month) and curating ancient Greek coins at the British Museum, and her expertise spans both academia and public service. As a Rhodes Scholar, her research focuses primarily on Greek numismatics, though she also delves into Greek literature, particularly Homer and Hellenistic poetry. Wartenberg is the author or editor of over 100 publications about archaic and classical Greek coinages, with a particular focus on hoards, as well as issues surrounding cultural property, collecting through the ages, and papyrology.

Wartenberg has curated exhibitions at prestigious institutions like the British Museum and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, covering a range of topics from ancient coinage to the modern battle against counterfeit money. She has received numerous accolades, including being named a Numismatic Ambassador, and she's a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Wartenberg is also an adjunct member of the Department of Classics at Columbia University.

GEOFFREY BELL MEDAL COLLECTION SELECTIONS

Lot 428: Lr. 490 — George III Hudson's Bay Company Indian Peace Medal. Undated (1820). Copper. Breton-181, Jamieson-20, Obverse of BHM-991 and 1062, Similar to Eimer-1120, but obverse legend and signature are different. 48.0mm. 44.7g. Plain edge. Signed C.H.K. This example employs a different obverse than the previous lot, the most notable variations being the legend and signature. The same reverse die break occurs at 12 o'clock, though it appears to be in a slightly earlier stage. Each side displays clean proof-like surfaces with substantial field reflectivity and elements of violet, blue, and golden colour. Original shell case is included along with an old paper wrapper.

Ex: Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale (Geoffrey Bell Auctions, 9/2013), lot 282N, realized $3,600.

To read the complete lot description, see:
George III Hudson's Bay Company Indian Peace Medal. Undated (1820). Copper. (https://auctions.gbellauctions.com/Lr-490-George-III-Hudson-s-Bay-Company-Indian-Peace-Medal-Undated-1820-Copper_i53972367)

Lot 430: Lr. 841 — Victoria - Prince of Wales Royal Visit Indian Peace Medal. 1860/1840. Silver. Breton-25, Jamieson-34, BHM-1975, Eimer-1347b. 60.0mm. 85.1g. Plain edge. Signed W. WYON R.A. Original suspension loop at 12 o'clock. The second size and the rarest of the three issued to Indigenous allies during the Prince of Wales' 1860 Royal Visit. There are examples in the Glenbow Museum in Calgary and the American Numismatic Society in New York, and two more were included in the Ford and Partrick holdings. We last handled this piece as part of our Toronto Coin Expo Fall 2017 sale. The surfaces have a somewhat matte-like texture and are moderately bright and hairlined from cleaning. The latter is not necessarily detrimental to the medal's significance, as awarded medals were frequently polished by their recipients.

Ex: Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale (Geoffrey Bell Auctions, 9/2017), lot 1225, where it brought $24,000.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lr. 841 — Victoria - Prince of Wales Royal Visit Indian Peace Medal. 1860/1840. Silver. (https://auctions.gbellauctions.com/Lr-841-Victoria-Prince-of-Wales-Royal-Visit-Indian-Peace-Medal-1860-1840-Silver_i53972369)

Lot 435: Lr. 838 — George III Indian Peace Medal. 1814. Silver. Breton-19, Jamieson-24, Eimer-1061a, Adams 12.1. 75.6mm. 121.7g. Plain edge. Signed T. WYON JUN. Original hanger for suspension at 12 o'clock. Like the "Young Head" George III medals, these "Old Head" medals dated 1814 were distributed by the British to their Indigenous allies for their participation in the War of 1812. According to Adams (1999): "During the War of 1812, there was no equivocation: Indians made up a material portion of British forces at almost all engagements" and "The awarding of peace medals [dated 1814] reflect this … situation." This awarded example has a similar appearance to the undated George III peace medal in the sale: polished surfaces that have toned to shades of violet-grey with blue and gold accents. Abrasions are present in the fields, and a rim bump occurs on the reverse at 8 o'clock. Again, while condition is always a consideration, it is important to keep in mind that genuine, presented Indian peace medals were usually handled, cleaned, displayed, worn, etc. and should show signs thereof.

Ex: Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale (Geoffrey Bell Auctions, 9/2017), lot 312, realized $21,000.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lr. 838 — George III Indian Peace Medal. 1814. Silver. (https://auctions.gbellauctions.com/Lr-838-George-III-Indian-Peace-Medal-1814-Silver_i53972374)

Lot 436: Manitoba Centenary Indian Chief Medal. 1970. .999 Silver. 88.8mm. 285.9g. Plain edge with hanger at 12 o'clock. These massive silver medals were struck at the Sherritt Mint and distributed to 54 Chiefs of Manitoba's Indian Brotherhood by Queen Elizabeth II during the Royal Visit on July 11, 1970. According to the official press release put out by the Government of Manitoba: "…in over 250 years of medal presentations, this is the first occasion when the reigning Sovereign will personally present the medals to the Indian chiefs." Although not necessarily as well-known as its early Indian peace medal counterparts, the 1970 issue is just as significant. A major modern rarity that deserves a premium bid.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Manitoba Centenary Indian Chief Medal. 1970. .999 Silver. (https://auctions.gbellauctions.com/Manitoba-Centenary-Indian-Chief-Medal-1970-999-Silver_i53972375)

Lot 444: LR. 839 — The Ashburton Treaty / Micmac Indian Peace Medal. (1842). Copper. Breton-23, Jaimeson-32. 64.5mm. 140.2g. Plain edge. Signed B. WYON. R.W. McLachlan's description of this rare medal appears in the Canadian Antiquarian and Numismatic Journal as follows: "The Ashburton Treaty Medal was given, in 1842, to several of the Micmac and other Eastern Indians who assisted Lord Ashburton, as guides and otherwise, in laying out the boundary line between Canada and the United States. Only one size, somewhat smaller than the largest of the earlier issue, occurs." Jamieson's description of the circumstances under which these medals were given out differs considerably, however:

"Amongst the Chiefs to whom this medal was presented were those Indians who composed the delegation which visited England in 1842 with the object of bringing to the notice of the British Government matters relating to the laws concerning the fishing grounds of the Micmac tribe of Restigouche. To the great disappointment of these Indians who had come to London to lay their troubles before Her Majesty, there were not accorded an audience, but as a consolation Chief Joseph Marie Itkabeitch, leader of the delegation, and the other members, each received a medal with a letter from Downing Street, dated 2nd February 1842, which after the usual compliments, state: — ‘Her Majesty has not been able to grant You and interview, but Her Majesty has signified Her Pleasure that You should each be presented with a medal in token of the interest Her Majesty takes in Your welfare.'"

Chief Itkabeitch's engraved silver medal is held in the collection of Library and Archives Canada. A bronze representative was offered as lot 77 in the 1920 sale of the W.H. Hunter Collection. The medal is otherwise missing from seemingly every other major collection of Canadian historical and Indian peace medals we are aware of, though it is a certainty that others of this type exist. Each side is golden-brown with smooth, partly proof-like surfaces. Housed in a custom Capital holder with descriptive text.

To read the complete lot description, see:
LR. 839 — The Ashburton Treaty / Micmac Indian Peace Medal. (1842). Copper. (https://auctions.gbellauctions.com/LR-839-The-Ashburton-Treaty-Micmac-Indian-Peace-Medal-1842-Copper_i53972383)

Lot 437: Calgary Indian Chief Assembly Medal. 1901. Silver. Jamieson-39. 64.6mm. 103.0g. Plain edge with loop at 12 o'clock, as issued. Signed P.W. ELLIS. The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York appeared at an assembly of 2,000 First Nations peoples in Calgary on September 28, 1901 as part of their worldwide Royal Tour. In attendance were the chiefs of the Cree, Stony, Blood, Piegan, Sarcee, and Blackfoot nations, each of whom received one of these silver medals. Jamieson cites the Duke's speech in his 1936 reference: "From the warmth of your reception I feel that you also will long remember this day. The Great King has ordered a silver medal to be struck to commemorate the day, and one medal will be presented to each of the Head Chiefs which shall always be kept by him." This is one of those pieces. It no longer retains its ribbon or bar. Moderate wear and a few hairlines appear beneath the stone-grey patina. A tiny edge bump is noted just right of the loop. Rare.
Ex: Auction #19 (J&M), lot 185.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Calgary Indian Chief Assembly Medal. 1901. Silver. (https://auctions.gbellauctions.com/Calgary-Indian-Chief-Assembly-Medal-1901-Silver_i53972376)

MDC MONACO AUCTION 15, PART ONE

We are very happy to announce our 15th Numismatic Auction. The auction will take place on the 23rd and 24th of October 2024. We will present, on this occasion, and among French and world coins, four exceptional collections. The Stephane Gouffault Collection, the Nicolas Maier Collection, the second part of The Collection of an American Gentleman (also known as "The French Collection"), and the X Collection, selection of barbarian coins.

After the incredible French coins collection auctioned in October 2023 by MDC Monaco (Auction No. 12: The French Collection), we offer this time an exceptional collection of German Double Thaler, and Thaler from Bavaria. All coins are of exceptional quality, with many high grades.

This collection is composed of one type each of monetary gold coins from the 19th Century, in the highest grades possibles. A lot of coins are Top Pop, including a series of silver 5 Francs from the 19th Century. There is also a superb selection of royal coins from Louis the 13th to Louis the 16th, in the highest grades possibles

The collection is composed of 247 medals, French for the vast majority. Nicolas Maier is the author of the book L'Art de la Médaille en France, 1870-1940 (The Art of the Medal in France), and most of the coins presented in our auction are plate coins from this book

The collection is composed of a very beautiful selection of barbarian coins.

Lot 15 - ANCIENT GREECE Sicily, Syracuse, Agathocles (317-289 BC). 50 litrai or gold decadrachm ND (317-310 BC), Syracuse. Obv. Laureate head of Apollo facing left, S behind the neck. Rev. S???-?-?S?O?. Biga (two-horse chariot) driven by an auriga, galloping to the right; below, a triskelion. Dewing 934 v. - Gulbenkian 327 v. - SNG ANS 552 v. (left oriented triskelion); Gold - 4,27g - 16 mm - 12h. From Cincinnati Museum of Art, acquired by Harlan J. Berk in 1989, then in a private collection in Cincinnati, Ohio, Gemini V sale, January 6th 2009, No. 42 NGC MS 5/5 4/5 Fine style brushed. With a right oriented triskelion. Minor traces of handling and hairlines for this very fresh example, with mint lustre barely burnished.

Starting price: 10 000€

Agathocles takes power in Syracuse in 317, helped by a band of mercenaries. He orders the execution of some oligarchs of Syracuse and strengthens his power to control the whole Sicily. After having eliminated the Carthaginians, against whom he's the first to start a military expedition in North Africa, he proclaims himself King (basileus) of Sicily in 306. Considering himself the successor of Alexander, he secures some alliances with the other Hellenistic rulers : for example, he marries the daughter of Ptolemy and he marries his own daughter to Pyrrhus I of Epirus. During his reign, he's responsible for the trade in the western Mediterranean. After his assassination in 289, Sicily faces twenty years of political chaos until the arrival of Hieron. His reign is, for the arts, the period between the late classical style and the novelties of the Hellenistic style. Our example is a high level illustration of this art and a reminder that Apollo and his sister Artemis are protective deities of Syracuse.

Lot 150 - ROMAN EMPIRE Hadrian (117-138). Aureus 134-138, Rome. Obv. HADRIANVS - AVG COS III P P. Draped and cuirassed bust, facing right. Rev. The River-god Nile, lied down facing left and leaning on a sphinx, holding a cornucopia, between a crocodile and a hippopotamus. Calicó 1159 - RIC.- (cf. 312); Gold - 7,31g - 19,5 mm - 6h. With a label indicating it was purchased from Vinchon, approximatively in 1975-1980. NGC Ch XF* 5/5 5/5 Fine style. Barely off-centered strike on the reverse. Very nice style, with an expressive bust. Very little wear and with the fields barely burnished by a thin patina. Rare.

Starting price: 40 000€

Lot 182 - ROMAN EMPIRE Carinus (282-285). Aureus 284, Lyon. Obv. VIRTVS CARINI NOB P CAES. Laureate and cuirassed bust facing left, holding a shield in his left hand and a spear on his right hand shoulder. Rev. VICTO - RIA AVG. Victory standing on a globe, facing left, holding a crown with her right hand and a palm in her left hand. Calicó 4374 (existence to be confirmed) - RIC.148 = C.140 (the attribution is doubtful and it is not possible to verify this coin) - Bastien - (cf. 528); Gold - 5,23g - 19,5 mm - 7h. NGC AU 5/5 3/5 marks. Very rare, this type has not been reproduced since Cohen! Well centered and struck on a pretty wide flan. Close to mint state with minor handling marks and a slightly golden patina.

Starting price: 25 000€

Lot 185 – ROMAN EMPIRE Constantine I (307-337). Multiple of 2 solidi, Imperial stay and vicennalia (20th anniversary of reign) ND (c.326), Thessalonica. Obv. CONSTANTINVS - AVG. Head of the Emperor wearing a headband, facing right. Rev. SENA-TVS. The Emperor, standing facing left, with a diadem, a toga, holding a scepter in his left hand and a globe in his right hand ; below (mint) RIC.- (cf. 272 = Depeyrot p.153 (Rome, 4 ½ solidi) ; Gold - 8,72g - 26,3 mm - 6h. From a Tkalec sale, in 1998, from a banker's collection, then Numismatica Ars Classica 88, October 8th 2015, No. 499 and Numismatica Ars Classica 111, September 24th 2018, No. 225 Well struck on a wide flan. Few traces of manipulation with minimal hairlines on the fields. The mint lustre is barely burnished, with a very pleasant golden patina. Spectacular, with a magnificent bust. This is the only known example!

Starting price: 200 000€

In 326, Constantine I The Great shares the consulate with Constantius II, his second son whom he had with Fausta, who was already Caesar since November 324 and the defeat of Licinius I. The Codex Theodosianus indicates that Constantine is present at Heraclea on February 3rd and March 5th, then at Constantinople on march 8th. From Constantinople, he probably stopped in Thessalonica before continuing to the west, arriving in Aquileia at the beginning of april to inaugurate a stay in Italy that will last almost eight months. There, Constantine attended some celebrations of his 20th anniversary of reign as well as the 10th birthdays of his two eldest sons, Crispus and Constantine II. This medallion could have been distributed at the beginning of april 326 in Thessalonica. 326 is also the year of Constantine's conversion. According to Zosimus, he was overcome with remorse after having killed his eldest son Crispus, son of Minervina, his first spouse or concubine, as well as his nephew, Licinius Junior. His second wife Fausta dies under tragic circumstances locked in overheated baths, in 326 or 329. According to Zosimus, Constantine abandons the ancient religion for Christianity "which includes the promise that the infidels that converts to it are immediately cleanse of all crime".

Lot 274 - GERMANY Bavaria, Maximilian I, Duke then Prince-elector (1597-1651). 5 ducats, New fortifications of Munich, with date in legend 1640, Munich. Obv. MAXIMIL: COM: PAL: RH: VT: BA: DVX: S: R: I: ARCHIDAP: ET. ELECT:.In an interior, the Duke, standing facing right, cuirassed and holding a stick in his right hand, his left hand laying on a cruciform globe placed on an altar. Rev. NISI. DOM: CVSTODIERIT. CIVIT. FRVST: VIGIL: QVI. CVSTODIT. (date) [Psalms 127:1]. Munich view, with its fortifications. In the sky, on clouds, the Virgin Mary with her child Jesus, between two cherubs. KM.268 - Fr.196; Gold - 17,36g - 38 mm - 12h. NGC MS62. With traces of the dies polishing clearly visible on the obverse and reverse. Very nice golden patina and a wide flan. Minor circulation wear without any major flaw.

Starting price: 40 000€

Maximilian I is Count palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Upper and Lower Bavaria and Prince elector of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation; those titles are mentioned on the obverse of our example. After being invaded by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War, the Duke fortifies his capital and residence when the peace comes. In 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia confirms the peace, the electoral dignity of the Prince and the Upper Palatinate remains in Bavaria.

Lot 464 - BELGIUM Leopold I (1831-1865). Module of 100 francs in gold, marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Brabant, Specimen (SP) 1853, Brussels. Obv. LEOPOLD PREMIER ROI DES BELGES. Bare head facing left, below signature L. WIENER. Rev. L.L.PH. M. V. DUC DE BRABANT M. H. A. DUCHESSE DE BRABANT / 21-22 AOUT 1853. Attached busts facing right, below signature LEOP. WIENER. Fr.6 - Dupr.538; Gold – 31,66g - 37 mm - 6h. Top Pop: this is the only example graded in Ultra Cameo! NGC lists 5 examples in SP (3 in SP63, 2 in Cameo : SP62 and SP65). Our example is the only one in Ultra Cameo. NGC SP65 ULTRA CAMEO. Specimen with Ultra Cameo : satin reliefs and mirror fields. Only some minor handling marks and a few fingerprints.

Starting price: 60 000€

Lot 693 - FRANCE / CAPETIANS Naples, Louis XII (1501-1504). Gold Ducat ND (1501- 1504), Naples. Obv. LVDO° FRAN° REGNIQ NEAP° R. Bust of the King facing right, wearing a crown laying on a hood. Rev. + PERDAM: BABILLONIS: NOMEN°. Crowned French shield. Dy.716 - MIR.111 - Bernareggi 196 - Fr.826; Gold - 3,51g - 23 mm - 3h. Top Pop : this is the only graded example! PCGS MS62. Very rare and important coin with a realistic effigy of the King, showing the future influence of the Italian Renaissance on French coinage. A very high quality strike on the obverse, barely showing a double strike, on a large flan and well-centered. Some mint lustre is still present under a thin patina.

Starting price: 70 000€

Louis XII, heir to the Valois, has claims on the Duchy of Milan, by his grandmother Valentine Visconti, but also on Naples. He wins Milan after the Second Italian War (1499-1500) and some preparations are made to conquer Naples : support from the Pope Alexander XI Borgia and the Treaty of Granada, signed with Ferdinand II of Aragon. In 1501, Naples is attacked by French and Spanish and has to capitulate. When Jules II arrives in 1503, alliances change. The Aragonese win against the French troops at several occasions in 1504 and Naples is lost to Ferdinand VII of Aragon, confirmed by the Treaty of Blois (1504).

Lot 761 - FRANCE / CAPETIANS Louis XIII (1610-1643). Ten gold Louis pattern, laureate head and draped bust 1640, A, Paris. Obv. LVDOVICVS. XIII. D. G. FRANC. ET. NAV. REX. Laureate and draped bust of the King, facing right, bellow (date). Rev. CHRISTVS. REGNAT. VINCIT. ET. IMPERAT. Cross composed by 8 Ls, each arm crowned, with A in a circle at the center, confined by four lilies diverging from the center. Dy.1293 - G.63 - Drs (1987) PP2 - Kind BnF 1467 (TL) and 1468 (TC) - Fr.405 ; Gold - 67,18g - 48 mm - 6h. NGC AU DETAILS CLEANED. Tiny old cleaning with some scratches on the obverse. Regular and homogeneous wear. The fields are burnished by little manipulation marks, with a golden patina. Very rare.

Starting price: 250 000 €

The making of Gold multiples to the modules of 8 or 10 Louis by Jean Warin is known by two documents from the National Archives, published and analyzed by Fernand Arbez and Christian Charlet, Une médaille d'or de 100 livres, à l'effigie de Louis XIII, volée et restituée à Jean Warin en 1641, BSFN, march 2014, p.66-70. The gold multiples of 54 grams or 67.5 grams are described as 8 and 10 gold Louis coins since 1878 and the work of Hoffmann. This denomination has been taken over by Ciani in 1926, Duplessy in 1989 and 1999, Droulers in various editions, etc. However, F. Leblanc in 1690 describes those coins as pleasure coins. More recently, for J. Lafaurie and P. Prieur, in the third unpublished volume of their work, Les Monnaies des Rois de France, those examples are patterns of non-chosen types. The documents from the archives published by Arbez and Charlet confirm the date of those patterns engraved by Jean Warin in 1640. Nevertheless, those monetiform patterns didn't have any legal value. We choose the denomination 8 (or 10) Gold Louis pattern.

MDC Monaco, 27 Avenue de la Costa, 98000 Monaco (+377) 93 25 00 42 – info@mdc.mc – www.mdc.mc

NICOLAS MAIER MEDAL COLLECTION SELECTIONS

FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Medal, to the poets without glory by Louis Botte, SAMF No. 83 1905, Paris. Av. TO THE POET WITHOUT GLORY. In a cemetery setting, Allegory of poetry on the right, veiled, holding a harp girded with a crown of epines, and a crown; signature LOVIS BOTTEE 1904. Rv. On the grave slab of a poet hang various figures bearing attributes such as a theater mask, a mirror or a veil, in the foreground Venus with flowers and a Love with its quiver, in the background, Chronos with its false; signature LOVIS BOTTEE. Maier 33; Bronze - 255g - 90mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. On the edge punches (horn) BRONZE (lizard) and number 83. Only 120 copies minted in bronze and distributed to members of the Society of Friends of the French Medal. A small blow under the harp to the right. Nice patina. Superb in Corner Flower.

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Medal, to the poets without glory by Louis Botte, SAMF No. 83 1905, Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5984779)

FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Medal, Seasons by Rene de Saint-Marceaux, SAMF No. 69 1906, Paris. Av. [Spring] A young woman naked and kneeling right on clouds over a landscape and holding sheaves of flowers; signature St MARCEAVX. Rv. [Winter] An old naked woman curled up at the foot of a tree with crows in the sky; signature 1897 St MARCEAVX. Maier 39; Bronze - 188g - 65mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. On the edge punches (horn) BRONZE (lizard) and number 69. Only 119 copies minted in bronze and distributed to members of the Society of Friends of the French Medal. With a brown patina. Superb in Corner Flower. Rene de Saint-Marceaux (1845-1915) is a sculptor and medalist, gold medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1889.

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Medal, Seasons by Rene de Saint-Marceaux, SAMF No. 69 1906, Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5984782)

FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Fonte, Music and Dance by Paul-Marcel Dammann, SFAM No. 195 1927, Paris. Av. ?? - ?? Y. Young woman sitting on the right, half naked, playing the double flute; below signature P. MR DAMMANN. Rv. ?? ??. Young woman standing on the right, half naked, dancing and pouring lilies on a fauna. Maier 318 - SNR Belgium Exhibition 1784 - Orsay, 2012 133-134; Bronze - 294g - 98mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. On the square punch slice SFAM and number 195. Cast iron distributed to members of the French Society of Friends of the Medal. Beautiful brown patina. Superb in Corner Flower.

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Fonte, Music and Dance by Paul-Marcel Dammann, SFAM No. 195 1927, Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5984797)

FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Fonte uniface, woman entering her bathtub, by A. L. M. Charpentier ND (1891?), Paris. Av. A naked young woman, seen from behind, entering her bathtub. Rv. Smoothes. Orsay Medor 246 - Orsay, 2008 162; Bronze - 371g - 170 x 130mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. Not signed. With a beautiful patina. Gorgeous.

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Fonte uniface, woman entering her bathtub, by A. L. M. Charpentier ND (1891?), Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5984828)

FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Plaque, French-American refinery standard, inauguration of the Port-Jerome refinery, by G. Miklos 1934, Paris. Av. Leaving flames, Minerve standing left in front of derricks; below signature G. MIKLOS. Rv. View of the stylized refinery of Port Jerome near Le Havre. Below, cartridge inscribed : STANDARD FRAN-/CO AMERICAINE/DE RAFFINAGE INAU-/ GURATION DE LA/REFINERIE DE/PORT-JEROME/ 1933 - 1934; signature GM. Maier-; Bronze - 407g - 105mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. With its original case. Attribution to PIERRE HOMOLLE. Punch (triangle) BRONZE. With its original case. Superb in Corner Flower. By Gustave Miklos (1888-1967), painter, sculptor and decorator, forerunner of Cubist design. The sales record for this plate is held by a copy, sale Delorme and Collin du Bocage, expert St. Sombart / iNumis, dated 3 May 2016 No. 284 achieved 5132 € (including fees) after being noticed in Gazette Drouot 17 of 22 April 2016

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Plaque, French-American refinery standard, inauguration of the Port-Jerome refinery, by G. Miklos 1934, Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5984894)

FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Uniface cast iron, Goldsmithing, Oscar Roty at work in Christofle workshops, by O. Roty ND (1892), Paris. Av. GOLDSMITHING. In the ATELIERS CHRISTOFLE PARIS, Oscar Roty at work at his workshop, chiselling a teapot. Rv. Smoothes. Maz. cf. 131 - Maier cf. 97; Bronze - 300g - 183mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. Bronze cast iron of large format, constituting the right part of the triptych of the fiftieth anniversary of the House Christofle. Brown patina. Gorgeous.

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE - FRANCE. Third Republic (1870-1940). Uniface cast iron, Goldsmithing, Oscar Roty at work in Christofle workshops, by O. Roty ND (1892), Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5984930)

MONACO - MONACO. Albert I (1889-1922). Plate, inauguration of Oceanographic Institute of Monaco in 1910, by R. Gregoire 1909, Paris. Av. OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE/ALBERT I PRINCE DE MONACO FOUNDATION. View of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco taken from the sea. A naked woman in the foreground drapes herself with algae, signature R. GREGOIRE 1909; below EX ABYSSIS AD ALTA, From the abyss to the stars, motto of the Albert I Foundation. Rv. Seabed landscape with an abyssal anglerfish in the foreground. Maier 247 = this item; Silver - 145 g - 56 x 80 mm - 12 hours. Comes from the collection of Nicolas Maier : This is the copy that appears in the book "The Art of the medal in France", published in 2010, No. 247. SILVER punch 950/1000 (lozenge) (blood head). Small marks and slightly cleaned but a rare strike of period in silver, distributed during the inauguration of 1910. Gorgeous.

To read the complete item description, see:
MONACO - MONACO. Albert I (1889-1922). Plate, inauguration of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco in 1910, by R. Gregoire 1909, Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5985294)

USA - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Federal Republic of the United States of America (1776-to the present). Plaque uniface (electrotype), A woman at the piano or Miss. C. at the piano [Katrina Trask], by V. D. Brenner 1900, Paris. Av. A woman sitting at the piano; signature V. BRENNER 1900. Rv. Smoothes. MET.07.125.8 - ANS 1987.147.154 - Orsay Medor 127-1; silver bronze - 239g - 157 mm - 12h. From the collection of Nicolas Maier. Silver bronze electrotype known by the other copies at the ANS or the MET in New York. Gorgeous.

To read the complete item description, see:
USA - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Federal Republic of the United States of America (1776-to the present). Plaque uniface (electrotype), A woman at the piano or Miss. C. at the piano [Katrina Trask], by V. D. Brenner 1900, Paris. (https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mdcmonaco/browse?a=4938&l=5985497)

STACK'S BOWERS TO SELL ROBERT D. REED COLLECTION

Stack's Bowers Galleries is proud to announce that it will be offering the Robert D. Reed Collection of United States Coins in their November 2024 Showcase Auction. Featuring over 100 gold coins that include early United States Mint issues and a world-class selection of Territorial gold, the Reed Collection was assembled in the 1980s and 1990s and is entirely fresh to the market. Collectors will have the opportunity to acquire these treasures for the first time in decades as part of the Stack's Bowers Galleries November 2024 Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Winter Expo.

Robert "Bob" Reed's love of collecting perhaps started as a child when he collected toy soldiers and cowboys – items still in his possession when he passed away in May 2024. Bob grew up outside of Newark, New Jersey before his family finally settled in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Soon after that move, he left college to join the United States Army serving a tour in Vietnam. When he returned from the war, he began working for the family business and soon took over the company after his father passed away.

Bob and his wife Donna began taking trips to New York City and fell in love with the city, where his passion for coins blossomed at Stack's Rare Coins' West 57 th Street location. Sourced primarily from Stack's through a combination of public auction sales, fixed price lists, and over the counter sales, the collection features a diverse array of rarities. Although Bob collected mostly United States coins, he expanded his collection to include pieces from all over the world and from different time periods.

The Reed Collection is highlighted by a magnificent 1850 Baldwin & Co. "Horseman" $10 gold piece which was recently graded MS-63+ by PCGS and ranks as one of the finest known. Also included are a dazzling quartet of 1879 Flowing Hair $4 Stella gold patterns, graded Proof-62 and Proof-63 Cameo by PCGS.

"It was stunning," commented Greg Cohen, Senior Numismatist in the Stack's Bowers Galleries New York City gallery. "When I opened the email and saw that the first two coins and the last two coins on the first handwritten page were Stellas, I knew this would be a very special collection."

"After a short conversation with the family, we made plans to visit and take delivery of the collection," continued James McCartney, the firm's Director of Numismatics and Consignments. "Reviewing the coins in hand confirmed just how special they are. We are extremely excited to present this amazing cabinet to a new generation of collectors in our November Showcase Auction."

Other treasures include early quarter eagles, half eagles, and eagles; double eagles that feature scarce and popular Carson City and New Orleans issues; further territorial rarities including 1849 and 1860 Mormon $5 pieces and a Clark-Gruber "Pikes Peak" $10; a trio of high-grade early dollars, and three Haseltine Confederate Cent Restrikes – one in copper and two in silver.

NOONANS SELLS COINS FOUND IN SUFFOLK

... George Ridgway found a collection of more than 680 gold and silver coins with his metal detector in September 2019, according to a press release from Noonans Mayfair, the London-based auction house responsible for the sale of the coins.

The coins were discovered with a metal detector in the grounds of Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket in Suffolk.

No immediate luck didn't turn away Ridgway. He moved just 30 yards from where he was, where he uncovered two Roman brooches that dated back to the mid first century A.D. His detector went off again, and he found a silver coin issued by Julius Caesar from 46 B.C., according to the press release.

"I couldn't believe that over the next 3 hours of searching, I found 160 more Roman silver coins, with a few of the coins stuck to pottery fragments. I knew I had made an important archaeological discovery and called my dad to guard the site overnight while we waited for an archaeological team to arrive and excavate the site. It took three months to recover the hoard," Ridgway went on to say.

Through further excavation, "Iron Age gold coins of Cunobelin, the king of the Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes started appearing," Ridgway said, per the press release. The collection of coins dates back as early as 206 B.C. up to the emperor Claudius in 46-47 A.D.

Sixty-three of the coins collected went to the British Museum and the Colchester & Ipswich Museum for their own collections.

The total amount brought in during the Sept. 18 auction of the coins was £132,865 (about $177,000), Noonans announced in the press release.

The money earned at the auction is being split between the landowner and Ridgway, according to Noonans.

Among the highlights of the collection is a stater from the reign of Cunobelin (AD 8-41) decorated with a prancing horse.

This is estimated to be worth £3,000 to £4,000.

A denarius of Gaius Caesar, better known as Caligula, dating from AD 37-38 decorated with a portrait of Agrippina is expected to fetch £2,000 to £2,600.

A denarius of Claudius from Rome, dating from AD 46-47, is also estimated at £2,000 to £3,000.

To read the complete articles, see:
Ancient Roman gold and silver coins discovered with metal detector make impressive showing at auction (https://www.foxnews.com/world/ancient-roman-gold-silver-coins-discovered-metal-detector-make-impressive-showing-auction)
Indiana Jones-inspired man finds 748 historic coins (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4xypqll5zo)

THAT MEDAL ON CAMPBELL'S SOUP CANS

It took more than 10 years as a numismatist and who knows how many cans of tomato or cream of mush room soup over many more years than that to notice a small medal on the Campbell's soup can label. The medal's reverse has generally adorned the red and white Campbell's soup cans since the 1900 Paris Exposition, where the company won a bronze medal for product excellence for its condensed soup. The iconic company invented the process to condense soup in 1897, making soup more economical for the public and revolutionizing the soup business.

[The] 1900 Paris Exhibition award medal was designed by J.C. Chaplain, and the reverse pictured on the Campbell's soup can depicts a winged Victory carrying a winner on her back with the exposition buildings alongside. The cartouche on the Campbell's can is blank. The obverse features Marianne, France's allegorical representation of liberty. The medal was made by the Paris Mint.

The Campbell's soup can of course was made famous by artist Andy Warhol, and the exposition award medal was certainly part of that. Interestingly, Warhol sometimes just substituted a blank yellow disc for the medal and other items illustrated the medal.

Next time you're at the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled—who knows what surprising numismatic discoveries await!

For more information on PAN and their fall show, see:
https://pancoins.org/

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
1902 PARIS IN LONDON EXHIBITION MEDAL AWARDEE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n01a14.html)
THE USE OF MEDALS IN ADVERTISING (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n02a10.html)
MORE ON MEDALS IN ADVERTISING (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n03a11.html)

SCHOOL ART LEAGUE HANEY MEDAL

As was the Saint-Gaudens Medal, the Haney Medal for Fine Arts was endowed in perpetuity and named for James Parton Haney. Born on April 16, 1869 in New York City, he began his career in education in 1890, taught manual arts in the city's night schools and in time, became the first director of art in the high schools with a corps of fifty art teachers. In 1907 he had organized the art department of the NYU summer school for the training of art teachers.

On June 10, 1915 it was announced that recently deceased artist John W. Alexander (1855-1915) had gifted a bronze medal to the New York City Art League. It was to be awarded for proficiency in art in January and June at the close of the school year in each of the city's then 23 high schools. Shortly after the announcement, the names of the students awarded the 2¾" medal designed by sculptor and medalist John Flanagan were published in city newspapers. Haney was quoted as saying "The aid which this medal will render is invaluable." One journal published a photo.

John White Alexander was largely instrumental in the establishment of the School Art League in 1911. He was named its first president and James P. Haney was named first vice-president. One of the organization's objectives was to enhance the art education curriculum in public schools. Providing more talented students with a wider range of opportunities such as museum-sponsored lectures was one means; exposure to art schools for those interested in advanced training, another. Hermon MacNeil, who supported establishing free scholarships in industrial art for high school graduates, was appointed to a three-year term serving on the Society's Board of Managers. One year after Alexander's death, MacNeil was asked to design a plaque in his honor. He inscribed the piece Gifted with Sweeping Imagination and an Ever Ready Judgement Painter Creator Organizer Leader.

In the post-war years the Haney Medal awards continued as they have been to the present day, but Haney, the art teacher and artist, was far more productive than anyone would imagine. Representative works are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and other repositories of American Art. Additionally, ten or more of the books he has wrote can be found on Amazon simply by Googling his name.

Long forgotten, the impact that James Parton Haney had on art education specifically in the New York City area was substantial. I must admit that had not editor Wayne Homren mentioned his name, I would not have written this brief overview of his life. Haney died of pneumonia on March 8, 1923. Through his forceful and inspired leadership, he had instilled in a vast number of educators the love of the beautiful, the need of fine teaching and the value of art education for the youth. Hermon MacNeil would have agreed wholeheartedly.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
SCHOOL ART LEAGUE SAINT GAUDENS MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n36a31.html)

THE AIR FORCE ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Troy May, 62d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron heavy aircraft integrated avionics specialist, holds his Air Force Achievement Medal at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Sept. 13, 2024. May received this commendation after carrying a woman who had just broken and dislocated her ankle the majority of 1.6 miles down a steep hiking trail and assisting her to a hospital.

To read the complete article, see:
Airman rescues 79-year-old woman during hiking accident (https://www.mcchord.af.mil/news/photos/igphoto/2003544642/)

Bannister arrived at the trail around 11 a.m. and made her way to the lookout. As she headed back down, she made a misstep, and her foot got caught on a hole in the ground. She fell forward.

"By the time I sat up, my foot was pointing the wrong way. I knew right away I had broken my leg," she said. "I tried to get up with my hiking pole and it collapsed on me."

Bannister cried out for help, and before long, a stranger approached and called 911. They were told a search and rescue team would arrive in five hours.

But two young men at the lookout came over to see what was going on. When they saw Bannister on the ground in agony, they immediately made an offer: They could carry Bannister to the bottom of the trail.

Troy May, a U.S. Air Force Airman stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was at the lookout that day with his fiancé and a friend who was visiting from New Mexico.

"I knew I was capable of carrying her down," said May, 20. "I really didn't make much of a decision, I just knew I needed to carry her down if I could."

May eased Bannister onto his back and started hiking downward. He carried her for most of the nearly three-hour journey, and his friend, Layton Allen, carried her for the rest.

A physical therapist bandaged Bannister before they headed down the trail and built a makeshift splint for her leg out of wooden scraps, and an occupational therapist did breathing exercises with her to help calm her.

"I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that these people literally came out of the woods to help me and they were totally unselfish and kind," she said.

To read the complete article, see:
Woman, 79, fell while hiking. A stranger carried her for hours on his back. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/09/25/grandmother-hike-injured-airman-may/)

THE CIA COUNTERFEIT CUBAN BANKNOTES

A commonly accepted idea is that a series of Cuban banknotes of 1961 with nominal value of twenty pesos were produced by the CIA and given to the members of the Cuban Assault Brigade that attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro during the ill-fated Bay of Pigs Invasion to the island of that year. The topic has been treated with some detail over the years by both, Cuban and foreign specialists. Most sources indicate that each soldier was given approximately one-hundred of these forged notes to be carried to Cuba for purchasing supplies from the peasants and/or bribery (Quesada, 2009; Wayne, 2011). Using essentially the same description, some of these notes have been sold over the years by the most prestigious numismatic auction houses reaching always considerable prices.

While the counterfeit twenty-peso notes closely resemble the authentic ones issued in 1961 by the National Bank of Cuba, they can be easily distinguished from the latter given that they all belong to the series F69 or F70. In each case, the notes can display a serial number or not. As a result, four different varieties of these counterfeits are known to exist.

The present article explains why the generally accepted idea about these counterfeit notes is simply wrong and discloses for the first time evidence essential to understand the true story surrounding the origin and use of the banknotes.

Prior to Fidel Castro's revolution of January, 1959, Cuban currency had been traditionally produced by American companies. Large amounts of these moneys were brought to the United States by the Cubans that left the country after Castro's rise to power. Fearing that the money could be used to destabilize the new government, the National Bank of Cuba enacted on April 7, 1959 the Law number 210 that demonetized the hitherto circulating five-hundred and one-thousand-peso banknotes.

The relations between Cuba and the United States deteriorated rapidly after 1959. The latter sponsored sabotage and violent acts in the island to provoke the fall of the new regime, to which Cuba responded from 1960 with the nationalization of the American-owned companies established in the island. The subsequent economic embargo imposed by the Americans, still in force nowadays, caused the island to look for new partners in the former Communist bloc.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a military landing operation covertly financed and directed by the U. S. Government and the CIA. Around 1400 Cuban exiles organised in the so-called Assault Brigade 2506 landed in the southwestern coast of Cuba on April 17, 1961. However, the operation failed and already by April 20 the revolutionary forces were in control of the situation. Most of the invaders were captured (1202 men) whereas 118 men were officially reported dead in action.

Commander Ernesto Guevara had been appointed as President of the Cuban National Bank on November 26, 1959 and a currency reform was carried out between August 5 and 6 of 1961 under his supervision. The Law number 963 signed on August 4 demonetized all previously circulating banknotes in the country and ordered their replacement by the new ones that had just been secretively produced by the State Printing Office of Prague in the former Communistic Republic of Czechoslovakia. The action automatically rendered worthless all the Cuban money that had been extracted from the country and therefore inflicted a heavy blow on the political opponents to the revolutionary process.

A quick look at the dates of the previously referred events already show that it is simply impossible for the men of the Brigade 2506 to have carried the twenty-peso notes to Cuba during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. As mentioned earlier, the notes were only placed in circulation at the beginning of August, 1961. That is, more than three months after the invasion!!

It is a well-known fact that the banknotes had been produced in Prague under great secrecy. Confidentiality was of outmost importance in order to avoid that the large stock of old banknotes held in the United States was sent back to Cuba for exchange. It is also documented that the new notes were only sent to Havana from Prague shortly before the date fixed for the exchange and were kept heavily guarded at all times (Vives, 2007). Thus, the Cuban people only knew about the new banknotes in August, 1961 at the earliest. As a result, the idea accepted up to now that the notes had been carried by the members of the Assault Brigade during the invasion of Bay of Pig held three months earlier to pay and bribe people in the island is obviously not tenable.

In addition to the above, new evidence is presented here for the first time that solves the "mystery" surrounding these counterfeits.

An official report elaborated by the Cuban National Bank on April 22, 1964 specifically refers to these peculiar counterfeits. It was inserted in the main Cuban newspaper of the time and informed the population of the detection of forged twenty-peso notes in circulation having the specifications identified below. The notes corresponded to those issued back in 1961, belonged to any of the F-69 or F-70 series and carried serial numbers higher than 221.000 in both cases. A period of fifteen days was given for the holders to exchange them at the bank offices for authentic ones, after which their possession would be punishable. The report was further accompanied by pictures of a fake and an authentic note for comparison.

The document unambiguously proves that the twenty-peso fake notes of 1961 described above were not used during the Bay of Pigs Invasion but a few years later.

For more information on the Society of Paper Money Collectors, see:
https://www.spmc.org/

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE CIA BAY OF PIGS COUNTERFEITS (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n52a20.html)

LOOSE CHANGE: SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

Why Coin Edges Have Ridges

A coin collector has claimed to have discovered the reason why all UK coins have ridges on their sides - and it goes all the way back to the 17th century.

A TikTok user has disclosed that there's a crafty rationale behind it. One user of the site known as @CoinCollectingWizard, who boasts 191,000 followers, shared the intriguing factoid in a video that racked up hundreds of likes alongside numerous comments. He asserted that historically, coins were composed of gold or silver and were devoid of ridges.

He explained that the intrinsic value of each coin correlated directly to its gold or silver content. However, he highlighted that certain individuals tried their hand at an unlawful scheme with these coins.

"They filed off the edges and sold them for their value in gold or silver," he added in the video.

In a bid to curb this malpractice, governments initiated the practice of milling or adding grooves to the edges, ensuring any tampered coins would be immediately recognisable.

To read the complete article, see:
Brits are just why coins have ridges – and it's blowing people's minds (https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/brits-just-coins-ridges--9536172)

Mint Ends Mutilated Coin Exchange Program

The U.S. Mint today published a final rule officially ending a program that redeemed bent and partial coins for full face value. The Mutilated Coin Redemption Program was suspended in 2018 because of the cost and resources needed to identify counterfeit coins being submitted for redemption. The final rule permanently ends the program.

In an explanation about the program on its website, the U.S. Mint notes there is no statutory or regulatory prohibition on melting dimes, quarters, half-dollar and dollar coins when done without fraudulent intent and done consistently with federal law. However, there is a regulatory prohibition against melting pennies and nickels, based in part on the fact that the cost of producing the coins currently exceeds their face value. Requests for licenses to melt mutilated pennies and nickels must be submitted to the U.S. Mint.

To read the complete article, see:
U.S. Mint officially ends mutilated coin exchange program (https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2024/09/u-s-mint-officially-ends-mutilated-coin-exchange-program/)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
WSJ EXAMINES DAMAGED AND SCRAP COIN RESALE PROGRAM (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n19a23.html)
U.S. MINT RESUMES MUTILATED COIN PROGRAM (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n05a32.html)
U.S. MINT SUSPENDS MUTILATED COIN PROGRAM (https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n20a23.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JUNE 11, 2023 : Mutilated Counterfeit Clad U.S. Coins (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n24a13.html)

The World's Largest Gold Bars

A lot of gold is needed to make a large gold bar, normally much more than a mining operation produced in a single clean-out of their sluice boxes and leaching ponds. This meant it took weeks or months to accumulate enough gold to make a sizable bar. It also required furnaces large enough to melt the gold and cast it into a single mass. Plus, once a big bar was cast, what good was it? Gold was money and time was money, so every mine owner wanted to get their precious metal to market so they would have money to pay the bills and build luxurious residences to show how "smart" they were.

American gold miners appear to have made only two exceptionally large gold bars during the 19th century. First came a bar weighing 6,127.78 troy ounces produced by the North Bloomfield Hydraulic Mining Company in Nevada County, California in October 1882. The second was cast from the output of three Montana mines and weighed 6,995 troy ounces. We'll explore these bars in more detail, but first, let's look at how the gold in these bars was acquired.

To read the complete article, see:
How the World's Largest Gold Bars Got Made (https://coinweek.com/how-the-worlds-largest-gold-bars-got-made/)

China's Footprints on African Banknotes

In 2016, Moroccan King Mohammed VI inaugurated the landmark Chinese-built Mohammed VI Bridge linking the Moroccan capital Rabat with the northwestern city of Sale. At 950m long and six lanes wide – with two 200m tall towers and 160 cables – it is Africa's largest cable-stayed bridge. It was built by the Chinese group Cover-Mbec with $72m investment, manifesting China's presence in the North African country in terms of trade and investment. Morocco's 20 dirhams banknote features Mohammed VI Bridge to celebrate the project.

To read the complete article, see:
(https://www.theafricareport.com/360695/made-by-china-african-currencies-featuring-chinese-footprints/)

THE AMERICAN TOBY JUG MUSEUM

Len writes:

Stephen Mullins collected Toby jugs.

That's true, though kind of like saying Michael Jordan played basketball. Some people are the greatest at one thing. Mullins was a champion swimmer, and for most of his life on Chicago's North Shore, he was a successful Evanston real estate developer. But he was exceedingly good at acquiring Toby jugs. He was so skilled at this that his collection outpaced the size of his sizable home, then his office, so Mullins reworked a former bank into a six-story building on Chicago Avenue in Evanston to keep his collection. It's still there, at the corner of Chicago and Main; there's condos in it now and a Subway franchise, so it's not just storage space for Toby jugs. But really, says his widow, Carol Mullins, her husband wanted it as a dedicated space (with custom shelving) for Toby jugs.

Indeed, at Carol's home, in the living room, there is one prominent jug on a shelf. It has the likeness of her late husband, wearing a sweater the exact green of his beloved Dartmouth College. Inside the head, where you sip your drink, Mullins' ashes are kept.

What, you are asking yourself by now, is a Toby jug?

A Toby jug is one of those old-timey ceramic mugs shaped to look like a person — traditionally, a caricature of a British drunkard, ruddy complexion, tricorn hat, long coat, on a stool, cradling a mug of lager. Across the 250 year or so history of the Toby jug, there have been jugs with the likenesses of Winston Churchill and Barack Obama, Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, Gandhi, Hitler and Spuds MacKenzie. A Toby, to be specific, shows a full figure likeness, and a "character mug" shows only the bust of a figure. But Mullins bought both, and anything else (pitchers, thimbles) remotely related.

So, about 19 years ago, in the building he made for his collection, he established the American Toby Jug Museum as a nonprofit foundation, with free admission for all. It's still open, just five hours a week, at the very inconvenient time of Tuesday afternoons. The elaborateness of this gesture is so oddball to so many passersby that the museum became a routine mention in any roundup of Weird Midwestern stops. "To be frank, the place has become a roadside attraction of sorts," said his daughter Beth Mullins Scales.

Before Mullins died in 2019 of complications from colorectal cancer, he established a trust to keep the American Toby Jug Museum operating five years after he was gone. It still gets about 3,000 visitors a year, and there seems to be enough money to keep it going longer. But come March, those five years will be up and the museum will close.

Rather than flood the collector market, Pearson — who also owns Kevin Francis Ceramics and Face Pots — has helped connect the museum's holdings with specific collectors; Gene Kelly's widow recently called to purchase a jug with the likeness of the star. Some have sold for as much as $25,000, though many go for far less. (The museum offers a table of also-ran jugs at $10 a pop.) What doesn't sell before the museum closes in spring — which is most of it, Carol presumes — will go to a friend and antique dealer in Florida, who plans to sell the jugs at collector's shows.

Truly, there is something for everyone.

To read the complete article, see:
The American Toby Jug Museum in Evanston is closing. What does one do with 8,500 Toby jugs? (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/09/27/the-american-toby-jug-museum-in-evanston-is-closing-what-does-one-do-with-8500-toby-jugs/)

Lloyd Macklowe and his wife, Barbara, had so little cash when they began furnishing their Manhattan apartment in 1965 that they paid for a $55 ceramic Tiffany vase in $5 weekly installments. But that modest purchase was just the beginning: It inspired a collecting frenzy that transformed the couple into dominant dealers in Art Nouveau decorative arts and antique jewelry through their Macklowe Gallery, which became an East Side mecca for deep-pocketed buyers.

The gallery became the largest dealer of authenticated lamps from the Louis Comfort Tiffany studio. It placed important objects in, among other showcases, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Australian National Gallery.

By 2015, The Wall Street Journal wrote, their Fifth Avenue apartment contained "one of the most important collections of French Art Nouveau furniture."

The Macklowes also expanded their real estate holdings, owning additional homes in Palm Beach, Fla., and East Hampton, where they had an estate that sold last year for $35 million.

The gallery's clients have included Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Jobs, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Stanley, of the rock band Kiss.

To read the complete article, see:
Lloyd Macklowe, Leading Purveyor of Art Nouveau, Is Dead at 90 (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/arts/lloyd-macklowe-dead.html)