The E-Sylum v5#46, November 17, 2002
whomren at coinlibrary.com
whomren at coinlibrary.com
Sun Nov 17 13:49:38 PST 2002
Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 5, Number 46, November 17, 2002:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2002, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATE
New subscribers include Robert "Bob" Doyle, of
Clearwater, Florida, B. Max Mehl collector Gary
Andrews of Texas and Patrick McBride of McKeesport,
PA. Welcome aboard! We now have 502 subscribers.
ON BECOMING A MEMBER
Bob Metzger writes: "For years, I have listened to National
Public Radio. It's always been a sort of refuge for me, a
familiar place no matter where my physical location happens
to be. Thus, wherever I have lived, I have supported my
local NPR station by both becoming a member, and serving
as a volunteer when possible. I can, of course, listen to the
radio whether or not I make a financial contribution, but I
do get some tangible membership benefits, like a newsletter,
merchant discounts, and advance invitations to certain events.
And it may seem corny, but I also feel a certain satisfaction
of being part of an organization that improves the quality
of life.
I've been a Numismatic Bibliomania Society member for
probably 15 years, and have enjoyed the E-Sylum for as
long as it has been in existence. I could, of course, receive
the E-Sylum without ever having joined NBS, but I have
always found the quarterly print journal packed with
interesting articles and fascinating facts that are beyond
the scope of the weekly electronic newsletter. And once
again, I also feel a certain satisfaction of being part of an
organization that improves the quality of life.
Do you also enjoy the E-Sylum? Would you like to be a
part of the organization that makes it possible? Please
join us today!"
Bill Murray writes: "Congratulations to editors Tom Fort
and David Fanning on the first-rate Fall issue of The Asylum.
All you readers of this email newsletter, The E-Sylum, who
are not members of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society
are missing a good thing. The latest issue of The Asylum
offers you news of NBS in President Pete Smith's message;
a fine article, "Seven Steps to Protect Your Library" by
Doug Andrews; "Genealogical Methods in Numismatic
Research," by Leonard Augsburger; a story of a neat
(should I say, "cool") acquisition, "What People Put on
eBay," by Stephen B. Pradier; a fun piece by David
Fanning, "Hidden Treasures in Old Literature"; and an
annual index of The Asylum which proves what you've
missed by not joining NBS. Join up!"
[As described at the end of each E-Sylum issue, 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.
Dues are $15/year to North American addresses, $20
elsewhere. Thank you. -Editor]
KOLBE SALE RESULTS
George Kolbe writes: "Our November 14th auction produced
results considerably above expectations. The market for good
books on ancient coins - or for key works in all fields for that
matter - continues to be strong, and American rarities in the
sale often brought record prices. 350 bidders participated in
the sale; nearly 200 bid sheets arrived between the 12th and
the 14th, via fax, email and telephone. This is not to say that
earlier bidders did not fare well - many were quite successful
- it merely reflects the age in which we live, and pitfalls to be
avoided. A "short" in our fax/DSL internet modem line
discovered Wednesday morning the 13th nearly necessitated
postponing the sale closing date. Thankfully, repeatedly
jiggling the wires got things going until the telephone repairman
arrived. There is a lesson here. We always confirm email bids,
and fax bid sheets on request. If bidders do not receive a
response to their email messages, THERE IS A PROBLEM!
American rarities were the stars of the sale. A few hammer
prices follow. A paper-covered set of The Asylum brought
$375, with several bids at or above the $300 estimate; T.
James Clarke's copy of Clapp-Newcomb on 1795, 1796,
1797 and 1800 large cents sold for $650 on a $250 estimate;
plated Chapman sales were in strong demand, including two
Stickney sales, one @ $1200, and a choice example @
$3200; a superb Sargent catalogue @ $3300; a Bement
U. S. @ $1400; etc. Other plated catalogues bringing
strong prices included a presentation Parmelee @ $1800;
and a Granberg @ $2400. Two sets of Akers gold books
brought $750 and $475; a superb set of The Elder Monthly
sold for $1600; and a similar set of Mehl's Numismatic
Monthly brought $2750, both eclipsing their previous auction
results. More to follow. The prices realized list should be
available on our web site (http://www.numislit.com) on
Monday or Tuesday."
1933 DOUBLE EAGLE ON DISPLAY IN NEW YORK
From an American Numismatic Society press release:
"Beginning November 20, 2002 the 1933 Double Eagle,
The World's Most Valuable Coin, will be on view at the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The only existing 1933 Double Eagle twenty dollar gold
coin to be made legal tender will be on long-term loan
beginning November 20, to the American Numismatic
Society's Exhibit, "Drachmas, Doubloons and Dollars:
The History of Money," at the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York, 33 Liberty Street.
The exhibition highlights the significance of money as political
propaganda, artwork, and a reflection of social climate and
economy. In addition to the 1933 Double Eagle, four of the
Society's most valuable coins are also on exhibit; the Brasher
doubloon, the 1804 dollar, a Confederate States half-dollar
and the famous ultra high relief 20-dollar gold piece designed
by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
Exhibition hours are 10:00am to 4:00pm Monday through
Friday. For further information call the ANS at
212-234-3130."
[I'll be in New York tomorrow on business, but alas, this trip
is only for a day, so I'll miss the '33 double eagle. Perhaps
our paths will cross another time. -Editor]
CHILEAN NUMISMATIC REFERENCES IN THE WORKS
Alan Luedeking writes: "Sometime in the near future, hopefully
by the end of December, there will be published in Santiago
four important new works on Chilean numismatics. Three of
these are by the great numismatist Carlos Jara, son of the late
collector Dr. Carlos Jara. They are:
1) "Chile's Coquimbo Mint: a Documented History", 130 pp.,
on "couché" paper, bound in sewn (not glued) hardcovers,
extensively illustrated (in black & white). This is a fleshed-out
English translation of Carlos Jara's original groundbreaking
article on the mint of Coquimbo in Spanish, with appendices
of the original documents. This one I have personally studied,
and I can assure all that it is a fascinating work which is worth
every bit of the time it took to research. Yes, there were
Coquimbo minors!!
2) "Las Emisiones Provinciales de Valdivia: 1822-1844", 230
pp., likewise hardbound and very extensively illustrated. This
will detail the various emissions of the provincial coins and
"vales" (heretofore unknown except for the last emission) of
Vadivia and explains the meaning and significance of the
famous but misunderstood APDEVA counterstamp. How to
distinguish genuine from fake examples is also covered. This
work will so far only be available in Spanish.
3) "Las Primeras Acuñaciones de la Casa de Moneda de
Santiago: 1749-1772", 100 pages, in English and Spanish,
likewise hardbound. This work is of inestimable value: for
the first time a complete and true picture of the early coinage
of Santiago emerges, revealing the mintage figures for the
silver pillars & waves issues as well as the gold coinage.
Documentary evidence and historical background is provided.
This work expands on the paper Mr. Jara presented at the
first international Central American numismatic congress held
in San José, Costa Rica in September of this year. (He also
presented there an excellent paper exposing the recent
counterfeits of the 1894 Guatemala half real counterstamp
on Chilean host coins.)
4) Exact title unknown. This work, by noted collector Alvaro
Orellana, will be the most comprehensive catalogue of the
nitrate mine and other tokens of Chile ever published (over
400 pp.), greatly expanding the body of known pieces since
the publication of the work by Espinoza. This will also be in
English and Spanish
What makes these works so special, in my opinion, is the
great depth of research, attention to detail and historical fact
that went into their creation. Mr. Jara has carefully examined
countless original documents and contemporary
correspondence archived in the Sala Medina of the national
library of Chile and in the mint of Santiago. Much of the
information here is new and provides greater understanding
not only of the coins themselves, but of the entire historical
context. Several unintentional errors originally committed
by Medina are corrected.
Having personally met Mr. Jara and studied his earlier
works on counterstamps on Chilean gold coins and the
controversial cast issues of Chiloé, I can attest to his
unwavering commitment to historical accuracy. In the
process, I have come to respect him as one of the great
Latin American numismatists, right up there with Fosalba,
Medina, Prober, Mitchell, Burzio and a few others. What
is astounding is the fact that he is still only in his twenties!
Whoever wishes to contact Mr. Jara is welcome to do so
at clejara at yahoo.com."
THE CASE OF THE HOLLOW NICKEL
Ed Krivoniak found an interesting article on the FBI's
web site, about the famous spy case involving a hollow
nickel. Here are a few excerpts. Follow the link for the
complete article.
"After he collected for the newspaper, Jimmy left the
apartment house jingling several coins in his left hand.
One of the coins seemed to have a peculiar ring. The
newsboy rested this coin, a nickel, on the middle finger
of his hand. It felt lighter than an ordinary nickel.
He dropped this coin to the floor. It fell apart! Inside
was a tiny photograph -- apparently a picture of a series
of numbers.
Two days later (Wednesday, June 24, 1953) during a
discussion of another investigation, a detective of the New
York City Police Department told a Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) Agent about the strange hollow nickel
which, he had heard, was discovered by a Brooklyn youth.
The detective had received his information from another
police officer whose daughter was acquainted with the
newsboy.
When the New York detective contacted him, Jimmy
handed over the hollow nickel and the photograph it
contained. The detective, in turn, gave the coin to the FBI.
In examining the nickel, Agents of the FBI's New York
Office noted that the microphotograph appeared to portray
nothing more then ten columns of typewritten numbers.
There was five digits in each number and 21 numbers in most
columns. The Agents immediately suspected that they had
found a coded espionage message. They carefully wrapped
the nickel and microphotograph for shipment to the FBI
Laboratory.
Upon its receipt in Washington on June 26, 1953, the nickel
was subjected to the thorough scrutiny of a team of FBI
scientific experts. Hollow coins, though rarely seen by the
ordinary citizen, are occasionally used in magic acts and
come to the attention of Federal law enforcement agencies
from time to time. This was the first time, however, that the
FBI had ever encountered a nickel quite like this one.
The face of the coin was a 1948 Jefferson nickel. In the "R"
of the word "TRUST", there was a tiny hole -- obviously
drilled there so that a fine needle or other small instrument
could be inserted to force the nickel open.
The reverse side had been made from another nickel --
one minted sometime during the period of 1942 to 1945.
It was composed of copper-silver alloy, there being a
shortage of nickel during World War II."
"An investigation which had started with a newsboy's hollow
nickel ultimately resulted in the smashing of a Soviet spy ring.
On February 10, 1962, Rudolf Ivanovich Abel was
exchanged for the American U-2 pilot, Francis Gary Powers,
who was a prisoner of the Soviet Union."
http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/abel/abel.htm
BARDEEN FOUND
In response to Gregg Silvis' question about a consignor to
the May 7-8, 1929 Henry Chapman sale, George Kolbe
writes: "According to Martin Gengerke's "American
Numismatic Auctions" a Dr. Wallace Bardeen was a
consignor to the July 25, 1922 Chapman sale.
CARSON CITY RESEARCH
Rusty Goe of Southgate Coins in Reno, NV writes:
"Does anyone have a copy of the Coin World Almanac
All Time Auction Prices Realized, 1980 and 1990
editions? If so, I would appreciate having some pages
faxed to me at (775) 826-9684.
The research is for a book I am writing about the coins
of the Carson City Mint. It will be titled, "An Enthusiast's
Guide To A Complete Set Of Coins From The Carson
City Mint".
One of the chapters will provide data that shows how many
of the scarcer CC coins are included in lists of record auction
prices realized.
The Coin World Almanac has featured a table with the
RECORD PRICES REALIZED in each of its past editions.
I have a copy of the year 2000 ed., but my previous editions
of the Almanac have been lost. I will eventually purchase
the past editions. I was just hoping that it might be quick and
easy if a subscriber had the past editions and could photocopy
the prices for me. (I am at that point of the book, so it's
currently relevant to the project.)
I have a complete set of the Krause Auction Prices Realized,
and have used them extensively in the research for the book.
The Coin World Almanacs present already prepared concise
compilations of the prices.
If there were other concise lists providing the same
information, I would use them too. The goal is to show how
prices for CC coins have risen during the past 40 years,
allowing some of them to be included in these "Top 50"
or "Top 100" lists.
Of course, with the 1933 $20 Saint recently selling
for $7.59 million, and the 1804 Silver $1 selling for
$4.1 million, the bar for coin prices has been substantially
raised. The record for a Carson City coin is $637,000
(1873 N/A Dime), which falls far short of those seven
figure prices. However, beginning in 1975, with the sale of
the James Stack collection, Carson City coins were well
represented. The 1873-CC N/A Quarter sold for
$80,000, by far, the most expensive coin in the sale.
Another chapter of the book provides a 70-year price
history of each of the date/denomination combinations
from the Carson Mint. Beginning in 1932, the tables in
the book provide prices for uncirculated specimens of
CC coins if possible, otherwise, the highest circulated
grade available. I have pricing data available for all the
silver coins during that period, and all of the gold coins,
except for 1932. I need the pricing information for CC
gold coins from 1932. There are 19 of each denomination
of gold coin -- the $5, $10 & $20 Liberties. If someone
has this information, I would be grateful to reference it.
Also, there's another subject. If anyone has
copies of documents that undeniably prove that the Mint
Director at Philadelphia gave orders to the Mint
Superintendent at Carson City to limit the mintage of dimes
and quarters from 1870-1874. And, related to that, any
documents that prove that the Mint Director gave orders
to the Superintendent at Carson City to withhold the
distribution of these dimes and quarters from 1870-1874,
and then ultimately to have these coins melted. If what I
have just described is true, it will once and for all account
for the extreme rarity of these CC dimes and quarters.
Breen and other numismatic authors have suggested that
this is what happened. But there have never been any
documents provided to substantiate it.
I have been using the "Annual Report From the Director of
the Mint", for the years 1873 and following for part of my
research. There are certain years that I haven't had access
to, specifically 1874, 1878, 1879, 1881 and 1893. The
ANA Library doesn't have them either. If any subscriber
has copies that I can either borrow or purchase, I would
be grateful."
Rusty's email address is: rusgate at sbcglobal.net
NUMISMATISTE DEFINITION
Martin Purdy writes: "my edition of the Petit Robert (1979)
lists "numismate" with a first recorded usage in 1823, and
does not record "numismatiste" at all. Hatzefeld and
Darmstetter (1926) still lists both, but refers "numismatiste"
to the main entry under "numismate". H&D states that
"numismate" was formed by analogy with "diplomate", which
Robert records as early as 1792."
George Kolbe writes: "The terms "numismate" and
"numismatiste" are extensively discussed in Ernest Babelon's
introduction of the first volume of his famous "Traité" on
ancient Greek coins. Kolbe & Spink are in the final phases of
proofreading an English translation of this masterwork, which
will become, we are convinced, indispensable to anyone
seriously interested in numismatics and its literature."
COLONIAL NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED
Gary Trudgen, editor of The Colonial Newsletter writes:
"The December 2002 issue (CNL-121) of The Colonial
Newsletter has been published. It features an important
paper by Dr. Brian Danforth on the St. Patrick coinage.
For the first time, the questions concerning this coinage
of who, when, where and why have been conclusively
answered.
Next, an interesting report by David Gladfelter is presented
on a recently discovered colonial paper money hoard.
The notes in this hoard are primarily from the Colony of
New Jersey and span an issue period of 24 years, 1757 to
1781. The report includes two appendices, one containing
a partial list of the hoard and the other illustrating one of the
notes.
Finally, this issue includes a Technical Note by Byron K.
Weston concerning counterfeit halfpence whose dies were
corrected when the counterfeiters realized the Royal Mint had
not continued the production of regal halfpence into the year
1776. Several date area enlargements are provided of
1775-dated halfpence where the last digit of the date clearly
shows remnants of a 6 under the 5.
The Colonial Newsletter (CNL) is published three times a
year by The American Numismatic Society (ANS). For
inquiries concerning CNL, please contact Juliette Pelletier at
ANS, Broadway at 155th St., New York, NY 10032 or
e-mail at pelletier at amnumsoc.org Also, visit the CNL web
page at http://www.amnumsoc.org/cnl/."
CORRECTION: MILITARY COINS LETTER DATE
There was a typo in the last E-Sylum, in the piece about
Military "coins" -- the article and letter were both printed
in 2001.
SHOULD COPYRIGHT BE EXTENDED FOR 20 MORE YEARS?
Dick Johnson writes: "The Supreme Court listened to
arguments last month for and against the Sonny Bono Copyright
Term Extension Act. Currently a book copyright is for the life
of the author plus fifty years. The proposed extension would
add 20 years to this making a typical copyright good for 70
years after the author dies. That is the law in Europe and some
are trying to make American law the same.
If your grandfather wrote a numismatic book sixty years ago
and it continues to sell, should you still receive royalties? At
what point should a book pass into public domain?
Darn few numismatic books remain popular and continue to
sell past the first decade or so. Forrer's "Biographical
Dictionary of Medalists" comes to mind as the most dramatic
exception. Originally published serially (in Spink's Numismatic
Circular), then reprinted in book form beginning in 1902 --
this year marks a century milestone for Leonard's handiwork
in book form!
Leonard kept compiling and Spink kept printing until 1930
when the eighth volume appeared. The set has been reprinted
twice thereafter. And still continues to sell.
Sure, we all buy out-of-print books. But who can match
Forrer's literary longevity with new sets selling steadily year
in and year out now for a hundred years! If you wrote a
numismatic book that so thoroughly covers the subject that
no one can improve on it for seventy years, should your
children, grandchildren, great grandchildren receive the
payments for your literary endeavor?
I remember my college business law professor waving his
arms saying "the hand of the dead should not control the
lives of the living," but he wasn't talking about cashing the
old man's royalty checks. I'm satisfied with fifty years
royalties for my progeny (however many there may be
fifty years from now).
I chose to emulate Leonard Forrer. I chose to compile
a directory of all American coins and medals by their
creators -- the artists, diesinkers, engravers, medalists
and sculptors who created them. (Forrer wrote 5,227
pages; I have half that ready to publish, for America
alone!)
Just buy my book while I'm still alive. Let someone else
replace it fifty years after I'm gone. Meanwhile let Sonny
Bono and Elvis Presley's heirs fight for their last protected
dollar.
If you want to read "Time To End The Copyright Race
by Lawrence Lessig click on this link, then click on the
article title:
http://news.ft.com/comment/columnists/neweconomy"
BOOK INSCRIPTIONS: GOOD OR BAD?
We hit a nerve with our discussion on book
inscriptions - opinions are all over the map:
Ralf W. Böpple of Stuttgart, Germany writes: "I regard a
decent bookplate or an author's inscription as an integral
part of any specialized work, e.g., on a numismatic topic.
This is not the defacing of a book, there surely is a
difference between inscribing a book and converting the
pictures of the Presidents in the history book into Looney
Tunes characters!
I do not use a bookplate (yet), but I ask for an autograph
any time I buy a book or even a small pamphlet directly
from the author. I would even go so far as to say that
autographs or book plates do not keep a book from the
possibility of being 'mint state'. Of course, for a book with
inscription being in mint condition, this would mean that the
owner actually never even read it..."
Dave Lange writes: "When I first realized that I had enough
books to start thinking of them as a library, I ordered a blind
stamping tool with my name and initials. My attempts to use
this gadget produced often unsatisfying results: Thick paper
didn't displace well enough for the impression to be readable,
while the cheaper newsprint resulted in what looked like a
cut-cancellation on old bank notes. With some practice I
became skilled enough to get the desired depth of impression,
but I began to wonder what others would think of my
actions when the time came to dispose of my library.
After a couple years of blind stamping I switched to using
a bookplate. I gave some thought to having one prepared
that was unique, but the availability of a pre-printed, adhesive
backed design that appealed to me soon retired that thought.
I've been using this same design ever since, but I may have to
abandon it soon. It seems that the publisher has stopped
having these labels intaglio printed, and the new issue of that
same design appears to be a rather crude lithograph. It's
much darker and has suffered a loss of detail.
As for writing in books, I too used to think that this was
sacrilege. Things changed, however, when I entered
numismatics as a career. I soon realized that the only way to
keep up to date on everything was to maintain a scrapbook
for magazine and newspaper articles of value and to mark
up my reference books with my own notes and observations
on coins. While most of my library remains in nice condition,
my variety attribution books are filled with various quickfinder
notes, as well as weights and other technical data on particular
specimens. Since these books are likely to be updated and/or
reprinted, I don't feel too bad about "ruining" my own copies."
Denis Loring writes: "One collector's opinion: I'd rather not
see the BODY of a book defaced. However, I think
bookplates, inscriptions, etc. are harmless at worst, and can
be a welcome addition to a book. They can give that
particular copy context and make it unique among thousands
of other copies. If the inscription is from the author or a
historically important figure in the book's domain, so much
the better. My copy of Penny Whimsy probably sits at the
bottom of the condition spectrum, but is autographed by
Sheldon and Paschal and has a full-page handwritten
inscription by Breen. I wouldn't trade it for the most pristine
copy around, even with a dust jacket."
Another perspective comes from Robert Christie: "Personally I
don't give a hoot about who the previous owner was no matter
how well known they may be. Autographs don't interest me.
What I do think is cool is to own a book some previous owner
has scribbled their own thoughts in. Such a book adds
personality to it. It's been thoroughly used and enjoyed.
I own "American Half Cents - The Little Half Sisters" by Roger
S. Cohen Jr., which purchased at a Kolbe auction some years
ago. I don't know the names of any of the previous owners,
but obviously that one of them had a fascination and enjoyment
of the series because it has many notes in blue and red ink
concerning rarity, pedigree and so forth. Of course it would be
nice to own this book in mint condition also."
Martin Purdy writes: "I used to write or stamp my name in all
of my books, or affix an adhesive bookplate, together with
the date and place of purchase. I've lost the habit, mainly
because I've been acquiring books at a faster pace than I can
keep up with, but I do find when I pull an earlier acquisition
off the shelf and see where I was when I bought it, or when
it was bought, it adds to my appreciation of the book, or
makes me think, "goodness, have I had it that long and still
not read it?"
I enjoy the bookplates of earlier owners, or their signatures
and dates, regardless of whether they were well known or
not - you can see where your book has been, how far it's
traveled, etc. I would think twice about writing in the body
text of a book (except, perhaps, to mark some egregious
error!), but inside the cover or on the flyleaf is another
matter altogether.
My 1815 edition of Lempriere's Classical Dictionary has
an Indian ink signature of "John W Marshall, 65th Regt.",
a printed bookplate, presumably of the same owner, a
rubber stamp and handwritten label of other members of
the Marshall family, and one other signature. I'm rather
reluctant to add mine after what seems such a long interval
since the last entry, so there is no evidence of my
ownership yet!"
MONEY THAT NEVER WAS
The following message can to me thought my web site,
and I'm sure it's a familiar query to the coin dealers among
us: "Can you tell me anything about a 1840 Bank of the
United States note for one million in gold?" My answer:
If the serial number is 711, it's a fake - no such thing ever
existed, but there are fantasy replicas that have been
made over the years and sold as souvenirs.
Coincidentally, Michael Orzano's "Beginner's Workshop"
article in the November 18, 2002 issue of Coin World
address the very issue of the replica and fantasy notes
that blanket the land. The article is a useful desk reference
to for those who regularly field such queries. A very similar
article by Orzano was published previously in the November
22, 1999 issue.
MUSEUM / COLLECTOR DEBATE RAGES
So much for "last words". The museum/collector
discussion continues, this time with several jabs at
curators who misappropriate artifacts (or allow
misappropriation to happen through indifference or
incompetence). Present company excepted, naturally.
While the instances cited are unfortunate, I believe
they are intended as examples of what can happen,
and certainly do not apply to all museums.
Ed Krivoniak writes: "It's about time that someone spoke
out against museums and archaeologists. I have very little
respect left for either. It has become a practice over the last
few years for museums, libraries and historical societies to
sell off their coin collections to pay for other acquisitions. The
Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh is a case in point. Not only
did they sell the collection but they did it poorly. Look back
through your auction catalogs to find many other culprits.
As far as the archeologists are concerned, I know of 2
accumulations that have been sold in Pittsburgh in the last
10 years where the items came from archaeologists. The first
was a collection of Egyptian relics including a mummified
cat and the second was a collection of late medieval to early
modern Islamic coins. One group came from a retiring
archaeologist and the other from the estate of an
archaeologist.
Personally I once sold a book about General Sherman's march
written by his aide decamp. Where did I find it? In the garbage
in front of the Monessen Public Library!
At least the relic or coin hunter is honest in trying to locate
these items for a profit and not like the museums and
archaeologists who betray the public's trust."
[Although Ed's implication is that the items in the
archaeologists' collections were misappropriated property,
there is of course no way to know that. The items could
have been acquired quite legitimately.
As for the Carnegie coin sales, I can attest to how poorly
the sales were handled. The encased postage stamps,
which may have come from the collection of local collector
Earl Coatsworth, were auctioned in London. It's hard
enough to find collectors of these rare items here in the
states, but retail bidders were nonexistent in London.
Through a dealer who attended the sale, I purchased a
rare Ellis McAlpin 5 cent for a mere 95 dollars. It's an R9
worth in excess of $1,000. I assume my dealer friend
bought most or all of the rest of the encased pieces at
similar bargain prices. The museum is currently in
financial straits and had to lay off three curators. -Editor]
Dave Bowers writes: "Concerning public museums with
coins, it has been my very long term experience and
observation that if a museum has a NUMISMATICALLY
KNOWLEDGEABLE curator who is also honest (which
is usually the case), all is well, and the collection can flourish
and be an asset to the public as well as to numismatists.
However, if there is an interregnum in which there is not a
NUMISMATICALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE curator,
then there may be a problem, as things tend to "walk."
A number of years ago our company received a nice letter
from a state university, enclosing an inventory of its coin
collection compiled years earlier. On the list were many rare
and important pieces. The collection was long sealed in a vault
and had not been inspected in recent times. A representative
of my company hopped on a plane, met with the university
official in charge, and together they went to the vault for an
inspection. When the vault was opened there was JUST
ONE COIN remaining, a 1922 Peace silver dollar!
I could relate MANY more such stories. In case it might be
relevant, the same situation occurs with other "collectibles"
that are kept by museums, if the curators are not
knowledgeable in that particular area. I am interested in
meteorites and a few years ago my wife and I donated a
nice collection of these to Harvard University (their most
important acquisition in this field since 1882), the minerals
and meteorites being well curated by Dr. Carl Francis and
Bill Metropolis, both prominent in their fields and both
personal friends. They, too, have "stories" to share about
minerals and meteorites ONCE (but no longer) in various
museum collections without experts in this field--the meteorites
and minerals "walked."
Similarly, any member of the Manuscript Society (of which I
have been a member since 1958) knows the many dozens of
stories about autographs, signatures, etc., once in public
libraries and museums, but not carefully curated, that have
"walked." Indeed, almost every issue of the Manuscript
Society Newsletter has a new story in this regard.
Recently I visited a prominent public library and found in
file folders over $100,000 in historical obsolete currency.
I paid for Xerox copies of each note (to record the serial
numbers) and suggested to the curator that these, if
discovered by someone with less than honest motives, might
"walk." He said he would make his own set of Xerox copies
and put the originals in the library's vault.
In summary, for a museum to have a successful numismatic
holding of great importance, and to hold it, this should take
place:
The coins should be attributed, photographed (easy enough
to do electronically these days), and an inventory should be
made of them.
There should be sensible precautions regarding those who
have access to the specimens.
The curator in charge should have basic numismatic knowledge,
or take steps to secure same, or should enlist the services of
an independent consultant or friend of the museum in this
regard."
BOULTON BOOK: THE LUNAR MEN
Here is an excerpt from a recent Wall Street Journal
review of a new book relating to Matthew Boulton.
We numismatists know of him as a coiner, but his
interests and accomplishments were far broader than
just that.
"The phrase "lunar men" sounds other-worldly, but it is far
from that. It refers to a group of 18th-century British savants
in and around Birmingham, England, a provincial city that
by 1765 had become a center for the investigation of nature.
Meeting at one another's houses on the Monday nearest the
full moon -- to have light to ride home by -- they developed,
among other things, the new technologies that helped
transform England from an agricultural nation to an industrial
power. Jenny Uglow's "The Lunar Men" (Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 588 pages, $30) gives us a compelling account of
these extraordinary polymaths and of the world in which they
lived.
The friends whose curiosity "changed the world" were the
potter Josiah Wedgwood, the physician-poet Erasmus
Darwin, the metalware manufacturer Matthew Boulton,
the Scottish inventor James Watt and the minister Joseph
Priestley. Men of business and affairs, they were at the
same time engrossed by science. They operated as a sort
of industrial research group, discovering methods of
manufacture and facing soon-to-be-familiar problems
of patent infringement, free trade and labor unrest."
ANS SLIDE COMMENTARY SOUGHT
Geoff Bell writes: "I was wondering if through our newsletter
we might be able to help solve a problem. The Canadian
Numismatic Association Library had a flood two years ago
and we have been unable to locate commentaries for two
slide series purchased from the ANS several years ago. I
have written them on several occasions but haven't received
a response. The commentaries we lost were to the slide series
entitled " Money in America" and "Coinage of the Americas".
Can anybody out there get me a photocopy of these or know
where we might locate them? As CNA Librarian, I would
love to patch this hole in our slide program. If you can help,
please e-mail me at: gbel at nb.sympatico.ca"
JULES REIVER'S WARTIME EXPERIENCES
Monday was Veteran's Day, and I thought of my friend
Julius "Jules" Reiver of Wilmington, DE. I visited with
Jules and his wife Iona on many an evening several years
ago while traveling in Wilmington on business. Jules is
one of the finest numismatists in the country, and those
evenings are among my most pleasurable hobby memories.
So I gave him a call and spoke to both Jules and Iona
for a while. Those who don't know Jules well may not
be aware of his WW II experiences. As the commander
of an anti-aircraft unit he trained British troops on
the use of new American weapons, led his men onto
Omaha Beach on D-Day, and his unit played a key role
in turning the tide against the Germans in the Battle of the
Bulge. He was interviewed by war correspondent Ernie
Pyle and after the war, the role of "Lieutenant Colonel
Daniel Kiley", which was modeled after Reiver, was
played by Henry Fonda in the 1965 film, "Battle of the
Bulge." The Hollywood version bore only a slight
resemblance to reality, but 'That's Entertainment".
According to Jules, real life being the mess it is, what really
happened that day was a series of errors that would
have turned the war movie into a comedy. First, understand
that when aimed horizontally, anti-aircraft guns make dandy
anti-tank guns. Dispatched to guard a key fuel depot,
Reiver's unit came within yards of an advancing German
tank unit. One of his units' guns had become mired in the
mud and they were using vehicles to pull it out.
The roar of the enginess as they strained to pull the stuck
vehicle apparently fooled the Germans (who weren't yet
within sight) into thinking there was a larger unit of
Allied tanks awaiting them. So they turned away. Had
they advanced, Reiver's hamstrung unit could not have
stopped them. As it turned out, that one wrong turn was
a key turning point in the battle, and thus a key turning
point in the war for Europe.
A VISIT WITH B. MAX MEHL
An article by Q. David Bowers titled "A Visit with B. Max
has been published on the Bowers and Merena web site.
Here are a couple excerpts. Follow the link to view the
complete article.
"Unquestionably, B. Max Mehl, of Fort Worth, Texas, was
America's most colorful dealer during the early part of the
present century. Born in Lithuania in 1884, Mehl came to
America at an early age. As a teenager he became a clerk
in a shoe store, perhaps intending to make this his life's
business. But an interest in numismatics intervened, as did
a flair for advertising and public relations."
"It wasn't long before Mehl was issuing his own monthly
magazine, attending American Numismatic Association
conventions with regularity, and conducting mail bid
"auctions." Many fine collections started coming his way,
including the James Ten Eyck holdings in 1922, one of the
finest American coin cabinets ever dispersed.
"In 1931 Mehl announced that he had spent $18,500 for
a single advertisement to sell his coin book, The Star Rare
Coin Encyclopedia and Premium Catalogue, to readers of
the American Weekly Sunday magazine."
http://www.bowersandmerena.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=3641
AND MORE WORD VARIANTS
Bob Fritsch writes: "Continuing the discussion of other terms
for 'numismatist', I just ran across this little comment from the
Swiss National Bank: "The worthless 5- and 2-centime coins
might possibly have collector's value. Unlike numismaticians,
antique shops or banks, the SNB does not deal in worthless
coins."
http://www.snb.ch/e/banknoten/noten.html?file=muenzen/content_muenzen.html
[An item in the November 19, 2002 Numismatic News begins:
"Self-proclaimed "artmatist" Tim Prusmack has compiled five
of his Money Masterpieces into the Hi-Five Prestige Edition
set..." #Artmatist" is a new one on me, as was "numismatician".
You've got to love The E-Sylum for expanding one's vocabulary.
Where else but a dictionary or encyclopedia would you see
these words or phrases in a single place? -- microphotograph,
interregnum, progeny, Sonny Bono, polymaths, doubloons,
Looney Tunes, and mummified cat?
FEATURED WEB SITE
This week's featured web site is recommended by Ed
Krivoniak. It is the story of Finnish currency from 1860
to the Euro, from the Virtual Finland site.
http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/money.html
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
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