Sv: The E-Sylum v5#43, October 27, 2002

[Jørgen Sømod]

I have just got published a booklet
Christian X's projekterede mønter
(Never issued coins from Christian X (1912-47), Denmark, Danish West Indies and Iceland)
Many illustrations of coin projects, text in Danish only, 40 pages, $ 10,- postpaid all over the World.

Jørgen Sømod
Hollændervej 20
DK 1855 Frederiksberg C
Danmark
Telefon X 45 - 33212484
Mailto:numis at vip.cybercity.dk
http://www.cam.org/~anfc/p_somod.htm
See also http://www.gladsaxegymnasium.dk/2/litts.htm
-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: whomren at coinlibrary.com <whomren at coinlibrary.com>
Til: esylum at binhost.com <esylum at binhost.com>
Dato: 28. oktober 2002 05:03
Emne: The E-Sylum v5#43, October 27, 2002


>
>Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 5, Number 43, October 27, 2002:
>an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
>Copyright (c) 2002, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
>
>
>EDITOR DAVID BLOCK DIES
>
>   Catherine Block Silas writes: "Regretfully I report the death
>   of my dear brother David H. Block on October 16, 2002.
>   He was editor of the Asylum from the summer of 1988
>   until the summer of 1991. He enjoyed his tenure as editor
>   and the interesting relationship with Carling Gresham."
>
>   Joel Orosz writes: "David was the proverbial "gentleman
>   of the old school," a courtly, gentle, scholarly man with a
>   wide breadth of interests and learning.  He was slight of build
>   and quiet of demeanor, but had a puckish sense of humor.
>   He edited The Asylum with dignity and erudition.
>
>   I wrote about the difficulties that David (and the rest of the
>   club) had with Carling Gresham during the time when David
>   was editor (see my history of the NBS published along with
>   the Index to The Asylum) so I won't repeat them here.
>   Suffice it to say that David behaved with class throughout
>   the entire trying time, and relinquished his editorial duties
>   with the same quiet dignity.
>
>   David was a man of many parts, but they all added up to
>   an admirable whole.  The hobby will miss him."
>
>   [NBS Members and other E-Sylum readers who knew
>   David Block are encouraged to write to me any
>   remembrances they may have; we're compiling them
>   for publication in a future Asylum.  -Editor]
>
>
>E-SYLUM READERS IN ROCHESTER, NY
>
>   I'd like to welcome our many readers from the
>   Rochester Numismatic Association, who were
>   introduced to us by Nick Graver.  Nick writes:
>   "At the last meeting of RNA I had folks thanking me
>   for making them aware of your project.  They are
>   printing The E-Sylum on paper for the benefit of
>   leading members who are not online."
>
>
>EL BOLETIN ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
>
>   Following some inquiries from E-Sylum readers, Adrián
>   González Salinas writes: "The Sociedad Numismática de
>   México, A.C.'s web-page is www.snm.org.mx.
>   The price of 2002 Commemorative Boletín is $150 (US$15)
>   for SNMx's members and $200 (US$20) for non-members,
>   plus shipping and handling.  Any questions about Boletín's
>   orders could be answered by Dr. Luis Gómez Wulschner
>   (SNMx Treasurer) at lgwnumisma at prodigy.net.mx
>   Any other information, I'll be glad to answer at
>   agonzalez at vitro.com"
>
>   [The listed web address is not currently functioning, as
>   one E-Sylum reader learned.  But these email addresses
>   should be all one needs to order a copy of the issue.
>   -Editor]
>
>   Salinas respnded: "I contacted Dr. Luis Gómez W
>   (SNMx-Treasurer) and he commented the following:
>   "Regrettably, The Sociedad Numismática de México,
>   A.C.'s web-page was canceled,  because it hasn't
>   a web-master and also to cut costs."
>
>   I promise to inform you when SNMx web-page
>   appears again."
>
>
>NUMISMATIC WRITER CHARLES DE KAY.
>
>   Dick Johnson writes: "The ancient coin book mentioned in last
>   week's E-Sylum "purchased from C. de Kay /1885 / Augustus
>   St Gaudens (signed)" also reveals the interests of the seller as
>   well as buyer St-Gaudens.  Charles de Kay is known to
>   medal collectors as the co-founder of the Circle of Friends of
>   the Medallion (1909-1915).
>
>   Charles de Kay (who also wrote under the pseudonym Henry
>   Eckford) was a newspaper writer who wrote the text for the
>   12 books that contained medals inserted in thick diecut pages
>   bound in. Devoid of facts, de Kay's text was all fluff (like he
>   was being paid by the inch and was really padding it, perhaps
>   like his newspaper columns).
>
>   He was a longtime art critic for the New York Times and
>   socialized in the New York artsy crowd (many of which were
>   prominent or wealthy or both who he strong-armed into
>   joining the Circle of Friends, 554 members by 1911!). He
>   was colorful enough to deserve today a Pete Smith
>   biography in The Numismatist, or an Ed Rochette expose
>   column.
>
>   The other co-founder of the Circle was Robert Hewitt Jr,
>   also well-known to numismatists as a collector of Lincolniana
>   and whose collection (which at one time occupied an entire
>   room in his home) ended up at the Smithsonian."
>
>   [A web search uncovered a couple examples of de Kay's
>    writing. -Editor
>
>   An article in Century Magazine Vol. VII, January 1887,
>   under the name Henry Eckford: "Fencing and the New
>   York Fencers"
>   http://www.westsidefencing.com/1887text.html
>
>   Charles de Kay's 1890 article on artist Albert Pinkham
>   Ryder (also written under the pseudonym Henry Eckford)
>   appears in the June issue of the Century Magazine:
>   http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/7788/RYDER_04timeline.html
>   ]
>
>
>(THE) NUMISMATIST FORMAT CHANGE
>
>   Kerry Wetterstrom writes: "After thinking about the news
>   of a format change for The Numismatist, I have a question.
>   I'm all for the format change, but I don't really like the idea
>   of a name change.  Tradition can be a good thing and for
>   100+ years The Numismatist has served the ANA well.
>   Am I the only one that thinks this way?  Make all of the
>   format changes that you want, but let's leave the name the
>   same.   If E-Sylum readers have an opinion, they can write
>   to me and I'll summarize the results next week.  My email
>   address is: kerence at frontiernet.net."
>
>   Dave Lange writes: "I'm pleased to say that I'll now have
>   more space to fill with my column. Until now, I've been
>   restricted to about 670 words, which was scarcely enough
>   to warm up.  The larger format will allow for more words
>   per page. Starting with the January issue,  I'm being allotted
>   875 words. This should reduce the pain of self editing that
>   I go through every month."
>
>
>THE FIRST COIN SLAB?
>
>   Saul Teichman writes: "Some of your pattern bibliomaniacs
>   may find this interesting.  It is one of 2 blue lucite blocks,
>   about 14 x 10 inches, made in 1965 which house 3 each
>   of the Martha Washington cupro-nickel clad dimes - Pollock
>   2081, cupro-nickel clad quarters - Pollock 2082 and silver
>   clad half dollars - Pollock 2083.
>   http://uspatterns.com/uspatterns/19marwaslucb.html"
>
>
>PAN SHOW RECAP
>
>   Your editor spent much of this weekend at the fall coin
>   show sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of
>   Numismatists (PAN).  The show was held at the
>   Pittsburgh Expo Mart in Monroeville, PA.  Many
>   E-Sylum readers were there, although with all of my
>   running around I didn't get to see or talk with everyone.
>   It was a surprise and a pleasure to see two of our NBS
>   Board members in attendance -- Dave Hirt and John
>   Kraljevich.
>
>   I managed to snag a third-place prize for my exhibit on
>   the numismatic literature of members of the Western
>   Pennsylvania Numismatic Society. The competition was
>   tough - there were a lot of top-notch exhibits.
>
>   At the banquet Saturday evening, Cliff Mishler of
>   Numismatic News surprised me with a Numismatic
>   Ambassador award.   For once I was kind of speechless
>   - it's a real honor to be included with such a great group of
>   active hobbyists.
>
>
>COIN SHOOTING REVISITED
>
>   David Fanning writes: "Two of Larry Lee's comments
>   regarding American coin hoards are, I believe, deserving
>   of comment:
>
>   First, Lee wrote that "I personally feel that 'coin shooters' and
>   pot-hunters usually destroy any archeological context that may
>   be associated with a buried coin when they go treasure hunting
>   and that in general, they do a great disservice to the history of
>   our country by removing the artifacts from the ground. The fact
>   it is illegal to use a metal detector in our National Parks
>   indicates the government feels the same way about the issue."
>
>   This is troublesome. Lee has a good point about the value of
>   conserving archaeological context and is correct in saying that
>   metal-detector enthusiasts tend to ignore this when pursuing a
>   find. However, I would suggest that there is no generally
>   workable alternative.  The vast majority of museum personnel
>   across the country know little to nothing about numismatic
>   objects and frankly aren't going to rush out to the scene if
>   someone calls reporting a coin or two they found in the woods.
>   On the off-chance the museum personnel do come to the scene
>   and end up in possession of the find, the odds are good that the
>   coins will end up unlabeled, unattributed and stuck in storage
>   somewhere (particularly if the coins are not easily attributable).
>   Most museums simply do not have the staff and resources
>   available to provide this kind of service.  Speaking for myself,
>   I'd rather the coins be known context-free than not at all.
>
>   A brief look through past issues of the Colonial Newsletter
>   turns up information on coin finds by amateurs which have then
>   been described for the publication.  In most of these cases, if
>   these coins were found and given to a local museum staff, I
>   would be willing to bet just about anything that they would
>   not have had their descriptions published in the proper
>   journal and that their importance would have been ignored
>   by curators unable to attribute the pieces and unwilling to
>   learn.  While treasure hunters of all stripes need to be more
>   careful about preserving context with their finds, to suggest
>   that they "do a great disservice to the history of our country"
>   is a tad extreme.  In addition, the ban against metal detectors
>   on Federal lands has, I suspect, a lot more to do with
>   questions of ownership which arise from objects found on or
>   in public land than it does with archaeological context,
>   something I doubt most government officials can spell, much
>   less preserve.
>
>   Second, Lee wrote that "Incidentally, under the Native
>   American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
>   enacted in 1991, it is now illegal to own numismatic artifacts
>   that demonstrably came from 'Indian' graves.  Though not yet
>   tested in court, this ban possibly could include awarded Indian
>   Peace medals and the so-called Oregon beaver token."  This is,
>   to the best of my understanding, true, though I don't know that
>   its applicability would be broad enough to include these
>   numismatic objects unless their origin in a grave is
>   "demonstrably" proven.  However, I would suggest that while
>   it is important to respect the cultures of living groups, it is a
>   very good thing for the study of history that most cultures do
>   not disapprove of precisely this type of scientific examination.
>   This is a touchy subject, and a bit off-topic for the E-Sylum,
>   but as numismatists, people who study history through tangible
>   relics from the past,  I would suggest caution against adopting
>   a perspective of "once it's in the ground, it should stay there."
>
>
>ARS CLASSICA HARDBOUND CATALOGUES
>
>   Stephen Pradier writes: "Does anyone know when was the
>   last time Ars Classica put out a hardbound catalogue with a
>   dust jacket matching their regular card cover catalogues?
>
>   I received one yesterday -- a  blue cloth hardbound with
>   dustjacket for the upcoming Auction 24, December 5, 2002
>   A Highly Important Collection of Roman and Byzantine Gold
>   Coins, Property of an European Nobleman.
>
>   All of the plates are in color on a heavy stock glossy paper.
>   It is really quite nice.
>
>   I did some searching on the internet and in a roundabout
>   way found that they have a web site under construction at
>   http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/.
>
>   It is set up to handle bids and display all of the lots from the
>   upcoming auction. Some of the other links are not working
>   yet, however."
>
>
>SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE SPACE
>
>   Dick Johnson and Joel Orosz recommended a story
>   published October 26th in The New York Times.
>   Joel writes: "Here is a virtual halloween horror story for
>   bibliophiles."   Some excerpts follow, with a link to the
>   original article (free registration required):
>
>   "At some point, even ardent bibliophiles begin to view
>   their beloved books as a burden. Maybe it is when the
>   cover finally falls off that college edition of Ezra Pound,
>   or the paperbacks begin to warp as they are forced into
>   shelves that once seemed spacious. But few in this
>   particular fix can bring themselves to take effective
>   remedial action.
>
>   It might be comforting to know that professionals have
>   similar problems. In the lexicon of library science,
>   managing such unwieldy growth is known as weeding. It's
>   the closest most New Yorkers will ever get to gardening.
>
>   The city library system offers two opposing models to
>   emulate: the research libraries, like the flagship on Fifth
>   Avenue, which rarely discard anything, or the many branch
>   libraries, where collections are tailored to patrons' tastes.
>   Both approaches have committed advocates."
>
>   "If just one person requests a particular book every 50
>   years, we want to have it on hand," says Paul LeClerc, the
>   president of the New York Public Library. He is speaking
>   of the research facilities, particularly the system's
>   magnificent humanities library. Its five million books are
>   housed in 88 miles of shelves, extending underneath the
>   whole of Bryant Park, between 40th and 42nd Streets.
>   Lounging visitors thus relax directly above what the
>   library calls the nation's memory."
>
>   http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/26/arts/26BOOK.html
>
>
>FEATURED WEB SITE
>
>   This week's featured web site is the American Society of
>   Check Collectors:
>
>      http://members.aol.com/asccinfo/
>
>
>  Wayne Homren
>  Numismatic Bibliomania Society
>
>
>  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a
>  non-profit organization promoting numismatic
>  literature.   For more information please see
>  our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/
>  There is a membership application available on
>  the web site.  To join, print the application and
>  return it with your check to the address printed
>  on the application.   For those without web access,
>  write to David Sklow, NBS Secretary-Treasurer,
>  P.O. Box 76192, Ocala, FL  34481.
>
>  For Asylum mailing address changes and other
>  membership questions, contact Dave at this email
>  address: sdsklow at aol.com
>
>   (To be removed from the E-Sylum mailing list
>   send an email message with the word "Unsubscribe"
>   in the body of the message to:
>   esylum-request at binhost.com)
>
>
>
>