The E-Sylum v6#34, August 24, 2003

[whomren at coinlibrary.com]

Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 34, August 24, 2003:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


ROSENBLUM BOOK LIST

   Bill Rosenblum writes: "My Fixed Price List #33D (that's
   33 years of issuing  FPL's) contains 228 numismatic and
   related books for sale dating in publication from 1887
   (original edition of Head) to 2003. Most are from one
   library of a serious coin collector. Discounts are already
   built in but E-Sylum subscribers can take an additional 10%
   off.  You must advise us that you are an E-Sylum subscriber.
   You can find the list on our website at
   http://www.rosenblumcoins.com."


ZAVOS BOOK LIST

   Robert Zavos writes: "I am selling back issues of the Asylum
   from 1991 as well as the Harry W. Bass Numismatic Literature
   sale catalogues by George Kolbe.   At a later date I will have for
   sale most of the earlier Asylum issues back to Vol 1 No. 1.  I
   will also be selling complete sets of the Money Tree auctions as
   well as Function Associates sales.  For more information, please
   contact me at RobertZavos at netscape.net"


13TH INTERNATIONAL NUMISMATIC CONGRESS

   Ralf Boepple writes: "I will be in Madrid at the 13th
   International Numismatic Congress in September. If any
   E-Sylum readers will be there as well, I would be more
   than happy to be able to meet with them personally during
   the week, if only to shake hands and 'put a face to the name'.
   You may contact me at dosmundos at hotmail.com.
   Thanks and kind regards from Germany."


BOWERS SEEKS PHOTOGRAPHS FOR NEW BOOKS

   Coin World columnist and author Q. David Bowers is busy at
   work on two new specialized books, one to cover Morgan
   silver dollars 1878-1921 and the other to treat the series of
   $20 gold coins 1849 to 1933.   In a note to Coin World, Dave
   stated that the Morgan dollar manuscript is nearing completion
   and is expected to be finished in the third week of September,
   and the double eagle text is scheduled for a month later. Both
   will contain historical information, collecting suggestions and
   advice, market information, illustrations of dates and mintmarks,
   and other details, each volume intended to be a comprehensive
   study of the series. Whitman Publishing Company will issue the
   books for numismatic as well as mass-market distribution.

   In connection with these two books Dave is seeking to borrow
   historical illustrations relating to the design, coinage, storage,
   distribution, and any other aspects of Morgan dollars and double
   eagles, including, for dollars, distribution during the Treasury
   releases of 1962-1964. Credit will be given for any items used.

   Contact: Q. David Bowers, P.O. Box 539, Wolfeboro  Falls,
   NH 03896, or e-mail at: qdbarchive at metrocast net.


LOST GOLD OF SAN FRANCISCO

   Earlier this year a book of fiction featuring the San Francisco
   mint was published.  Written by Michael Castleman, "The Lost
   Gold of San Francisco" is a murder mystery that follows a
   shipment of misstruck $20 gold pieces that disappears during
   the 1906 earthquake and fire.  The action later moves to
   modern-day San Francisco just in time for the 1989 quake.
   For more information, see the book's web site at:
   http://www.thelostgold.com/.  The site includes links to three
   book reviews as well as the first five chapters of the text.


LIBERTY SEATED COINAGE WORKS BEING READIED

   Coin World reported that "the fifth collective volume of
   editorial matter from The Gobrecht Journal is in final stages
   of preparation.  The quarterly journal is published by the
   Liberty Seated Collectors Club, a group specializing in
   the 19th-century Seated Liberty silver coinage.  The volume
   will include 15 issues from 1995 to 2000, encompassing
   670 pages."

   The article also stated that "Gary Fortin reported his
   reference work on dimes was '90 percent complete."
   It will be on CD-ROM, maybe held in a 'book shell,'
   he said.  He said he had about 6,000 illustrations ready
   for the publication, representing about 900 coins."
   (August 25, 2003 issue, p73).


BEISTLE DELUXE EDITION CENSUS

   Also in Coin World (the August 18, 2003 issue, p54)
   is a discussion of U.S. silver references by Brad Karoleff
   in his "Designs of the Times" column.  The article discusses
   the Haseltine Type Table and M. L. Beistle's  1929  "A
   Register of Half Dollar Varieties and Sub-Varieties."
   Karoleff notes: "David Davis, President of the John
   Reich Collectors Society, is conducting an ongoing census
   of the extant leather editions.  If you own one, please
   contact me with the number of your copy.  Send details
   to the John Reich Collectors Society, P.O. Box 135,
   Harrison, OH 45030-0135."

   [My own copy is #122 of 135 produced.   I sent this
   information to Brad, and encourage other owners of
   the book to do the same.  -Editor]


CONVICT LOVE TOKENS

   Bill Fivaz wrote to say he has a copy of "Convict Love
   Tokens :  The Leaden Hearts the Convicts Left Behind."

   The article said: "The tokens were scratched in prison cells
   on to the smoothed-out surface of copper pennies, just
   36mm in circumference. Intended for sweethearts and family
   members, they carry poignant messages heavy with despair."

   Nick Graver writes: "The article on Convict Love tokens
   probably intended to say 36 mm in "diameter", as few coins
   are ever measured around the edge!    Not a big concern.
   Just showing that we are somewhat awake.  A very
   interesting issue, and I intend to send it to several friends."


EXPLORATOR EMAIL NEWSLETTER

   Arthur Shipee writes: "I get the Explorator newsletter on
   Classics, archaeology, ancient history, medieval to early
   modern history on the web, & here's a few coin notes from
   the current issue:

   An Iron Age coin hoard has been found in Norfolk:
   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/3147527.stm

   ... while a similarly-dated coin die has been found in
   Hampshire:
   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3156829.stm

   Things relevant from Esylum I forward to Explorator."


GOOGLING THE E-SYLUM

   Although the NBS web site has a search feature, you can
   also search the site using the popular search engine Google
   (http://www.google.com).   To restrict your search to just
   our site, include the following in your search string:
   "site:www.coinbooks.org"

   For example, to search the NBS web site for pages which
   reference encased postage, use the following search string:
   "site:www.coinbooks.org encased postage"


1907 CLEARING HOUSE SCRIP ARTICLE

   One of your Editor's collecting specialties is 1907
   Clearing House certificates, a substitute for paper
   money resulting from the 1907 U.S. bank panic.
   Nolan Mims, in the August 2003 issue of Numismatic
   Views, a publication of the Gulf Coast Numismatic
   Association, has an article featuring a piece of 1907
   scrip from the Second National Bank of Hamilton,
   Ohio.  The note is a $2.00 denomination.  Mims
   references a February, 1950 Numismatic Scrapbook
   article by Elston G. Bradfield on the scrip, which
   appeared in 42 states in response to the short-lived
   panic.


KRAUSE 17TH CENTURY WORLD COINS CATALOG

   In response to last week's query, Howard A. Daniel III
   writes that the 17th Century 2nd Edition of the Krause
   Standard Catalog of World Coins is in his library, so it exists,
   but Robert Laviana might have to find it in the secondary
   market or by checking with several numismatic dealers who
  also stock catalogs.  The third edition is in the works because
   Howard has worked a very little on the Viet Nam section for
   Colin Bruce."

   Joe Boling adds that the second edition was published in
   1999, and that the full title is "The Standard Catalog of World
   Coins, 1601-1700."


EXECUTIVE ORDER ON GOLD COIN AND BULLION

   As noted in the June 2, 2002 E-Sylum (v5n23),  an article
   by Mark Van Winkle in the June 3, 2002 Coin World
   pictured a great piece of numismatic ephemera - a printing of
   the 1933 executive order recalling "all gold coin, gold bullion,
   and gold certificates in the U.S.  There was some follow-up
   on this item in subsequent E-Sylum issues.

   At the recent ANA convention in Baltimore, your Editor
   picked up a reprint of the broadside "compliments of
   Delaware Valley Rare Coin Co., Inc., Broomall, PA"


A NOTE ON SCISSEL AND CLAD COINAGE

   Last week, Dick Johnson wrote that "Scissel or skeleton
   scrap is useful at a mint because it is the exact alloy formula
   as coins being struck.  It can be melted and rerolled into new
   strips for blanking  without being reformulated (tested and
   virgin metal added to give the exact ratio of two or more
   metal elements)."

   Joe Boling counters: "Not when the coinage is clad, as is true
   in many countries besides the U.S."


MARIS PLATE ARTICLE

   U.S. bibliophiles, particularly those who collect literature
   on colonial coinage, should be sure to read the August 2003
   issue of  The Colonial Newsletter.  The issue features an
   article on "The Maris Plates" by Roger A. Moore, M.D.
   and Dennis P. Wierzba.  The 32-page illustrated article
   is an in-depth study of the photographic plates from Edward
   Maris' 1881 work, "A Historical Sketch of the Coins of New
   Jersey."   The authors identify three major versions of the
   plates and trace their provenance.


BERGOS ON THE LILLY GOLD BAT TALK

   Henry Bergos writes: "I was at the Evans/Holabird/Fitch talk.
   I think it was the best presentation I have EVER heard/seen.
   I cornered Fred Holabird whom I had met previously.  I
   asked him about the Mike Hodder/Ted Buttrey "dispute". He
   didn't want to answer, saying "That wasn't today's topic."

   They used a round robin technique. As they showed slides,
   each spoke of his specialty, then moving over to give the
   next one room. I have never seen one person let alone three
   work so smoothly. Their talk was even more fun than the
   large bank deposit I made after the convention!"


TOPIC OF THE WEEK: BOOKS WITH ERRORS

   Dan Gosling's topic of the week is: "Error books or
   catalogues - examples of past mistakes - their value
   or use."

   [I'd define two classes of errors in numismatic literature -
    errors of fact, and errors in production.  Production
    errors include problems with printing, binding, labeling,
    etc.   One type of mistake is when a signature is bound
    upside down, or is missing or duplicated.  Somewhere
    I have a copy of a Redbook with an entire section
    (signature) duplicated.   I would not include binding
    variants as errors - these were intentional or perhaps
    happenstance, but not errors.  What do our readers
    think?  -Editor]


FORGIVE ME FATHER, FOR I HAVE MEDALSIN

   Speaking of errors, Dick Johnson writes: "Generally I
   collect only numismatic bloopers in print. This week I
   have an electronic blooper.  It's a doosey from the
   Smithsonian's website on their magnificent numismatic
   holdings.  The SI's collection is unparalleled and their
   attempt to describe it contained a dropped space in the
   first line of this paragraph:

   "The collection emphsizes the development of money
   and medalsin the United States. The core of the U.S.
   collection, consisting of more than 18,000 items,
   including coins of great rarity, came to the Smithsonian
   in 1923 from the United States Mint.  Among exceptional
   rarities in this section are the Brasher half doubloon, the
   1849 double eagle (first of the gold 20 dollar pieces),
   and two 1877 fifty dollar patterns.

   Other rarities are the very popular and rare 1913 Liberty
   head nickel as well as all three types of the 1804 dollar,
   and two of three known examples of the world's most
   valuable coin, the 1933 double eagle, the third of which
   recently sold for 7.6 million dollars. Among recent donations
   are the unprecedented Josiah K. Lilly holdings, consisting
   of 6,150 gold coins, including an almost complete US gold
   coin collection, a very rich Latin American gold section,
   and many of the great rarities of European gold coins, such
   as a 20 excelentes de la Granada of Ferdinand and Isabella,
   and two large and heavy 100 ducats of Austria and Poland."

   You can find this at:
   http://americanhistory.si.edu/csr/cadnnc.htm."

   [Is it "Medalsin" to mishandle or damage a beautiful medal?
    Dick also notes that "emphasizes" was misspelled on the
    same line.  Typos can creep into the best of publications.
    My secret diversion is finding spelling and grammar errors
    in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.  It
    happens more often than you might think.  -Editor]


NORRIS, GREGG & NORRIS BOOK

   Has anyone seen the book by George H. Hull on
   "The Norris, Gregg & Norris Coin and the Gold Rush
   of '49"?   I believe it was published last year.  It was
   advertised in Spring 2003 issue of The Brasher
   Bulletin, the newsletter of the Society of Private and
   Pioneer Numismatics (SPPN).


BURIAL SITES

   Regarding coins recovered from shipwrecks and other
   burial sites, Joe Wolfe of Sterling VA.writes: "This is a
   popular topic among treasure and relic hunters, only our
   discussions concern searching for relics near or inside
   graveyards and near or in graves.  It is of course illegal in
   all states to dig in a grave or graveyard to recover relics or
   coins and no responsible treasure hunter does this. There
   are a multitude of marked and unmarked grave sites on
   land in the US outside of graveyards and most no longer
   contain any remains but when marked show the spot
   where the deceased was laid to rest. It would of course
   be illegal to dig a marked grave.

   Unmarked graves where no remains have survived are
   often unknown until relics or coins are recovered. Finding a
   row of shirt or coat buttons may indicate a grave site or only
   a coat. Also finding a civil war belt plate with coins next to
   it might indicate a grave site or a pair of pants.  I myself
   found old iron nails arranged in a rectangular pattern six foot
   in length which does indicate a coffin in an unmarked grave.
   I moved away from the grave before starting to search again.
   There is no certainty a grave exists when no remains have
   survived and no coffin was used and so it is not illegal. It is
   of course illegal to dig an unmarked grave when one is found.

   Emotions run high when discussing digging for relics near
   graveyards. Nearly all treasure hunters avoid it and encourage
   others to avoid it also. When someone is seen near a graveyard
   with a metal detector they are assumed to be desecrating
   graves and present a bad image of our hobby so most treasure
   hunters avoid it.

   In the case of a sunken ship there is no certainty that remains
   stayed within the ship when it sunk nor afterwards so in fact
   the sunken vessel may contain no remains. And if it did at one
   time the remains have by now merged into the mud, dirt, and
   sand of the ocean floor. A sunken ship is not a burial site but
   merely the site of an accident. It is not a grave since no person
   was buried there. In some cases we as a society create shrines
   to persons lost in accidents or wars such as the battleships in
   Pearl Harbor but we do not treat the crushed automobile or
   bus from a traffic accident as a shrine.

   A sunken ship is not a grave nor burial site but it may be
   declared a shrine when society chooses to do so.  I say
   recover the coins and then later if there is enough interest then
   the site could be declared a national shrine if needed."


CRIME HITS THE ANA CONVENTION

   An article by John Iddings in the April 2003 issue of
   Coinage magazine about numismatics in the year 1910
   notes: "Crime hit the [American Numismatic Association]
   convention when the official photographer collected $1
   advance payments for a group photograph from several
   attendees, then promptly disappeared without taking the
   photo."


FEATURED WEB SITE

   This week's featured web site is "Art Nouveau and Art
   Deco medals" by Nicolas Maier.  It's loaded with great
   illustrations of beautiful art medals from round the world.
   Medals are arranged by artist and themes, including:
   International Exhibitions and World Fairs, Marianne - the
   National Symbol of France , and Medicina in Nummis

      http://www.finemedals.com/


  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 W. David Perkins, NBS Secretary-Treasurer,
  P.O. Box 212, Mequon, WI  53092-0212.

  For Asylum mailing address changes and other
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