WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY NOVEMBER 24, 2024

Tuesday November 19, 2024 was the night of my monthly numismatic social club, Nummis Nova. Roger Burdette was our host. We met at J. Gilbert's Steakhouse in McLean, VA. Parking was tough, with the lot completely filled and no valet parking. I found street parking around the corner next to the neighboring McDonald's.

Many of the regulars were already there and seated in the small room they set aside for us. It was about to get smaller as we added a table to accommodate later arrivals. So it was tight, noisy, and difficult to move around, but as always, we made it work. Here are some of my photos.

 

Above is the tight room and one of the books I brought. Inspired by Ted Puls' recent review, I ordered myself a copy on AbeBooks. Other books were recent acquisitions mentioned in other earlier E-Sylum articles, and two catalogs picked up at Gerry Fortin's table at last week's Baltimore show. I bought the U.S Mint Braille Education Set at Wayne Herndon's table, to add a braille item to my ephemera collection.

 

 

 

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE EARLIEST KNOWN CURRENCIES (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n45a10.html)
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY NOVEMBER 17, 2024, PART TWO (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n46a19.html)
NEW BOOK: THE GOLD SOVEREIGN SERIES, 3RD ED. (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n40a03.html)
NEW BOOK: PAPER DREAMS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n45a03.html)

 

Here's a better angle. Clockwise from left are Julian Leidman, Dave Schenkman, Eric Schena, Chris Neuzil, Mike Packard, Wayne Herndon, Daryl Haynor, Roger Burdette, (my empty chair), Steve Bishop (mostly hidden), Mike Markowitz, Jon Radel, John Kraljevich and Julian's guest Curt Gammer. Present but not shown are Julian's other guest Erik Douglas and Wayne Herndon's guest Evan Saltis.

Curt's a student at American University, and it was his first time as a guest at Nummis Nova. It turns out he already knew Evan from when they were in the same session at Witter Coin University.

 
Chris Neuzil conferring with Mike Packard

 
Mike Packard and Wayne Herndon checking out a book

 
Evan, Julian, Dave and Eric

 
My grilled Salmon meal

That's a wood slab under the fish, not a slice of ham. Not that that wouldn't be yummy.

 
My Baltimore show impulse purchase

I've been adrift as a collector since I sold my U.S. Civil War and merchant counterstamp collections in 2006. I've dabbled in other areas but nothing really "stuck." Maybe this won't either, but I was intrigued enough by this off-center Liberty Nickel at the Northeast Numismatics table that I asked Tom Caldwell for the price, and decided to buy it.

People say "Wow!" when they see it, even Greg Bennick, whom I showed it to after my purchase. Maybe his talk on error coins at the Fairfax Coin Club helped. I've always enjoyed seeing off-center type coins, and at the dinner I recalled how I loved a bright red off-center Indian Cent a collector showed me at the 2004 Pittsburgh ANA convention.

Here are some other items that made their way around the dinner table. More about some of these below.

 

 

 

 

Merchant Counterstamps
John Kraljevich notes:

Advertising Notes
Dave Schenkman recently added these two advertising notes to his collection. Thanks for the images. The first one is for an appropriately money-themed show.

 

 

 

 

Scovill Medal
Dave adds:

 

Steve's Beauties
Steve Bishop shared another nice group of U.S. type coins.

 
1836 Draped Bust Half Dollar Lettered Edge 50 C.

 
1876 Liberty Seated Half Dollar

 
1880-O Morgan Dollar

 
1888 Liberty Seated Half Dollar Proof

 
1893 Barber Quarter Proof

 

Interesting woodgrain surface on the obverse. Best seen in person.

Credit Cards!
My final Baltimore impulse purchase was too unwieldy to pass around the table, but I showed a few people at the end of the evening. I have a nice collection of U.S. charge coins, the forerunners of credit cards. I also have a small collection of credit cards. So I jumped on the opportunity to acquire an extensive collection of expired credit cards when I saw them at the table of numismatic literature dealer Charlie Davis.

Someone joked that I could sit at the bar and keep trying cards until one worked, but the most recent expiration date I've seen is 2004, with most being from the 1980s.

 

Wrapping Up
Our resident polymath Roger Burdette shared a non-numismatic document he recently authored - proposal for a lunar radio telescope experiment.

 

Before we broke up I overheard a long conversation between Roger and Wayne Herndon about proof and uncirculated coins, the fine line between the two due to mint practices, and the way grading services like to highlight "discovery" specimens that Roger thinks aren't special at all.

Thanks everyone. It was another great night of numismatic fellowship. I made my way back to my parked car and headed home. 'til next time.

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