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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: DECEMBER 1, 2024
"On December 1 in Macau, China Champion Auctions will be having a sale which includes quite a lot of chopmarked coins and, in particular Rose coins. Since these are rarely seen this is a good chance to pick up something that was in the Rose collection. "The catalog is here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/342736_champion-macau-winter-auction/" Sorry for the delay in publishing this. In our November 17th issue, Taylor Leverage asked for assistance in tracking down chopmarked coins from the collection of author F. M. Rose. -Editor John Byars writes: "This seller has sold a lot of F.M. Rose coins - 364785310433." The seller of that lot is Spring Coins. -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
On Safe Deposit Boxes
"I went to a Chase suburban location and stayed there for 6 years. Then out of the blue, "you're evicted". The reason given was that the Feds were trying to discourage safe deposit boxes as "dens of iniquity" - places to hoard cash from tax evasion and money laundering. That sounded credible until I went to two other (but small local) banks in the neighborhood and mirable dictu no problem with boxes. So was I getting an urban legend, or just some PR to get Jamie off the customers' s-lists? Don't give up. Also, this is Texas, so maybe we are just a little looser down here." I haven't heard the phrase "den of iniquity" since I was a kid; that's how my little old grandmotherly grandma described the local bar my father liked to frequent. I liked the place, too. My dad would take me there with him on Saturdays sometimes, and his drinking buddies taught me to shoot pool in the back room. I, too, had safe deposit boxes in grand old banks with their massive showy safe doors. Those were the Good Old Days. -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes... "According to this, The Secretary may change the design or die of a coin only once within 25 years of the first adoption of the design, model, hub, or die for that coin. The Secretary of the Treasury doesn't need to wait for 25 years to change a coin design. "So hypothetically, the Secretary of the Treasury changes the design of Jefferson to another version on the five cent coin. In the next election there is a different party, and a new Secretary of the Treasury is confirmed. Can the new Secretary change the Jefferson nickel? He or she HAS NOT changed the design ever. They would only be changing it once (on their watch) within 25 years notwithstanding what another Secretary has done." 
I don't think that's the intent, but I guess it could be better worded. Maybe it should have said "The design of a coin... may be changed by the Secretary only once within 25 years of its first adoption..." Interesting. Thoughts, readers? -Editor
To read the complete law, see:
Chopmarks on U.S. Paper Money "What is the red D on this bill? It almost looks like it was fine when printed." 
Coincidentally, reader Gary Beals asked a similar question within days. -Editor Gary writes: "Anybody tracking these tiny marks on U.S. banknotes? I saw an article on the topic some time ago, then I was startled to see a small stamped image on a $50 bill recently given to me in change. "When I checked five $100 bills I had at home, I found two with one mark each. The three marks show three different art elements – Asian, Arabic and conventional appearance." We've covered the topic before, most recently in August - apparently it's a pretty common practice. See some of the earlier articles linked below for more images. As for Lee's chopmark, I'm not sure if that "D" is handwritten or stamped. If it's handwritten, it would be considered graffiti rather than a chopmark. -Editor
To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
Graded Currency Population Reports
I don't know, and we don't generally discuss issues of grading. But archives of graded specimens are a great research source. Can anyone help? -Editor
Pilgrim Half Dollar Plaque "Found this on eBay described as a "Thanksgiving Decor Wall Plaque." 12 inch diameter. Still current (!) and being offered at $57.00 but entertaining offers. The strangest stuff is always the funnest." 
That looks familiar - I may have had one of these at one point. -Editor
"I was reading the most recent issue of the E-Sylum, concerning buying up expired credit cards. Interestingly, I received my new credit card with a new date. I went to destroy the old one and found it was no longer plastic. Try as I might with side cutters and needle nose pliers, I couldn't destroy it. The thing is made of steel." The banks try a lot of gimmicks to differentiate their cards. I've never had a metal one. Interesting to see the genre come full circle - charge coins were metallic, and the newer credit cards were celluloid or plastic. And now some are in metal again. -Editor Robert Luton writes: "I was pleased and surprised to see your recent purchase. I have never purchased others' cards, but I have kept every single card since I first had one as a young adult. I haven't decided what to do with mine, but I continually think about different art projects…" 
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
A Coin of King Solomon "I saw this interesting article on a coin that I had never previously heard about. It was in Hebrew and I did not find the same story in English anywhere, but you can mostly understand it with Google translate." 
According to "Israel Today", the unique find shows on one side an impressive engraving of King Solomon, son of King David, riding a horse and attacking Satan with a spear. Around the picture appears an inscription translated into Hebrew: "Our Lord defeated evil". On the other side of the coin are engraved the names of four angels: Michael, Gabriel, Israel and Azriel. The importance of the discovery intensifies in light of the fact that so far only one similar object has been found in Jerusalem. The coin provides rare historical evidence of the cultural and religious connections between the various regions of the Roman Empire, and its presence in Hadrianopolis is appropriate for its status as a city of military importance. Thanks - above is an excerpt from the Google translation. The coin looks familiar- we may have discussed this coin or a similar one recently. -Editor
To read the complete article, see:
1924 Japan Rugby Medal from Occupied China 
I typed up a few lots for eBay, and I thought I should run this one by E-Sylum readers first. My description is as follows: JAPAN (CHINA) RUGBY MEDAL, 1924, SILVER PORT ARTHUR UNIVERSITY. OBV: RUGBY PLAYER AND THE WORD "HONOR" HIGHLIGHTED IN GOLD. REV: JAPANESE INSCRIPTION AND DATE, 1924 WITH TINY HALLMARK AT 6:00. THE TRANSLATION I WAS GIVEN IS "FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUGBY CLUB OF PORT ARTHUR UNIVERSITY." ABOUT 38MM, SLOTTED AT THE TOP FOR A RIBBON. TESTS .96 SILVER ON SIGMA METALYTICS, WEIGHS 37.25 GRAMS. PORT ARTHUR, NOW PART OF CHINA, WAS OCCUPIED BY THE JAPANESE FROM 1905 UNTIL THE END OF WORLD WAR II. Any corrections or suggestions would be appreciated. Gotta wonder how it ended up in Fairbanks. Interesting item. Can anyone shed some light on it? -Editor
The 1648 Dutch Bond that Still Pays Interest "This isn't "new news", but it is a neat little story. (It was uploaded onto YouTube 7 years ago...) It is about a bond that has continued to pay interest since 1648 to this day (and beyond)." 
To watch the video, see:
Thanks. A great story, and a well-done video. -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Cuhaj Sales for the Iola Historical Society George Cuhaj has been offering a number of numismatic literature items on eBay for the benefit of the Iola Historical Society. -Editor George writes: "This weeks listings include Annual Reports from Canada, Australia, Norway and the Netherlands and includes an interesting group of 5 reports on the Australia efforts in conversion from Pence/Pounds to decimal in the mid 1960s. There can be massive P&H reductions for multi-lot winners." 
For the complete lot listings, see:
New England Threepence Article "Here's a cool article from outside the mainstream numismatic press." Thanks. It's nice to see these stories get "out in the wild." -Editor 
A nickel-sized coin comprising only $1.03 worth of silver just sold for $2,520,000, making it the most expensive piece of American currency predating the Revolution, and the most valuable non-gold U.S. coin struck before the 1792 founding of the United States Mint. This 1652 threepence was in production between May and October 1652, when the General Court mandated a new design to stop thieves from stealing slivers of these coins, thereby reducing their literal value. Of the three coins the Hull Mint made within this period—including the shilling, the sixpence, and the threepence—the latter remains the rarest. It was the smallest denomination on offer, but took the same amount of effort as the other two, rendering it tedious and less valuable to Hull, who was paid by the ounce. By comparison, two 1652 shillings also appeared in last night sale, hammering at $60,000 and $192,000. Before this 1652 threepence surfaced, only two examples had ever been known. New England historian William Sumner Appleton bequeathed one to the New England Historical society in 1903. This new copy is purportedly in better condition. Another example lived at Yale until it was stolen in the 1960s. That coin has not been recovered. Last night's specimen originally emerged from an old cabinet in a Netherlands residence in 2016.
To read the complete article, see:
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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