The E-Sylum v6#05, February 2, 2003

[whomren at coinlibrary.com]

Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 5, February 2, 2003:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2002, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


SUBSCRIBER UPDATE

   Among recent new subscribers are Michael Berke, courtesy
   of David Phillips, and Stephen Goldsmith of R. M. Smythe,
   courtesy of John and Nancy Wilson.  Welcome aboard!  We
   now have 523 subscribers.


UPDATE FROM Q. DAVID BOWERS

   Dave Bowers writes: "I am writing to state that I am
   overwhelmed and amazed by the calls and e-mails I have
   received regarding the sudden termination of my employment
   by the new CEO (Michael Haynes) of Collectors Universe,
   who arrived on the job on January 1.  I have had offers of
   money, assistance, help with moving, loans of books, and even
   lodging—you name it! I never expected to have such an
   outpouring from many of the largest “names” in numismatics,
   including quite a few competitors! Indeed, my e-mail file from
   well-wishers could well form a nucleus for a book, “Who’s
   Who in American Numismatics.” All of this is inspiring and
   wonderful to me, and I am extremely grateful.   Please pass
   my appreciation along to the many NBS members who have
   been a part.

   As mentioned in my earlier note to you, my research and
   writing should be okay in the future — except that my library
   of thousands of items is packed in two hastily rented premises,
   and it will be some time until I can sort everything out and
   determine my legal options.  All of this happened unexpectedly
   and, as you might expect, has caused many sleepless nights.
   Ditto for my other top staffers, Christine Karstedt and John
   Babalis.

   My spirit and my enthusiasm for numismatics and the people
   in it are as bright as ever.   I do not yet have a business identity
   or telephone, but my contact information is:

   Q. David Bowers
   P.O. Box 539
   Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896-0539
   e-mail: qdbarchive at metrocast.net

   Best wishes, Wayne, and thanks again—and to all of your
   readers!"


RED BOOK RIGHTS SOLD

   Ken Bressett writes: "Thanks for another great issue of the
   newsletter. They are always so enjoyable. Here is a bit of
   news that your readers may not have yet.  I wanted them to
   be among the first to know:

   All rights to A Guide Book of United States Coins, and all
   other Whitman books and coin supply products, have just
   been sold to H. E. Harris & Co.  The new owner has been
   in the hobby business (stamp and coin supplies) for the past
   85 years and is well known to the industry.  They intend to
   not only keep the Whitman line intact, but to expand it, and
   support the hobby in many innovative ways.

   Although I have thoroughly enjoyed my association with
   the former owner, St. Martin's Press, I am extremely pleased
   and enthused about the new direction that H. E. Harris intends
   to pursue. I will continue to edit the Guide Book and other
   Whitman products and to be involved in many new projects
   for H. E. Harris. I will continue to work at my home office,
   with the same communication contacts."


LAMASURE PAINTING INFORMATION SOUGHT

   Dave Lange writes: "The ANA is publishing a correspondence
   course I wrote on the history and coinage of the U. S. Mint.
   We would like to include (perhaps on the cover) Edwin
   Lamasure, Jr.'s familiar painting that depicts the first mint
   buildings.  This painting was commissioned by Frank H.
   Stewart in 1914 following his demolition of the remaining
   structure. The problem is that we don't know where this
   painting is currently located, who, if anyone, holds the
   copyright and whether prints of it may be obtained for
   reproductive use.  I suspect that if anyone knows it will be
   an NBS member.

   Since time is a factor, please respond directly to me at
   DLange at NGCcoin.com or to the ANA's graphic designer,
   Mary Jo Meade, at forkroad at aol.com."


ANS LIBRARY FUND 'TAX"

   In support of the American Numismatic Society library fund
   drive, numismatic literature dealers  George Kolbe and Charlie
   Davis are encouraging winning bidders in their upcoming sales
   to add a voluntary "lot tax", with proceeds going to the ANS.

   George has enclosed a notice with the mailing of catalogs for
   his sale #90 (closing February 20).  Charlie will send out
   notices with invoices for his sale of February 15th.  At my
   request, George forwarded the text of his notice for reprinting
   here in The E-Sylum:

   "Your help is needed. Those who utilize numismatic literature
   strictly as researchers, those who are bibliophiles at heart,
   and those of us who are a bit of both, owe an immense debt
   of gratitude to the American Numismatic Society and its
   magnificent Library.  The best in the world, it is open to
   serious numismatic researchers everywhere.  If you have not
   been there yourself, you have undoubtedly benefited from
   the researches of those who have.

   An endowment fund has been established, to be named the
   Francis D. Campbell Library Chair.  Those who have used
   the Library know that this is a fitting tribute to an individual
   who has personified the objectives of the Society for over
   a generation. The ultimate goal is permanent funding of this
   position. Then, the ANS will never be without a full-time
   Librarian, however difficult Frank Campbell¹s carrels may
   be to fill.

   Over coming auction sales, George Frederick Kolbe and
   other numismatic firms will request that successful bidders
   donate a set amount for each lot purchased, to help fund
   this endowment. In our case, we request that you add $1.00.
   In our February 20, 2003 auction sale, we will be pleased
   to match each dollar donated by bidders.

   Those of you interested in making direct contributions to help
   fund the Francis D. Campbell Library Chair are encouraged
   to contact the American Numismatic Society."

   It's a worthy cause, and I hope E-Sylum subscribers will
   be well represented among the contributors to the fund.
   At John Adams' invitation, I've joined the committee and
   hope to contribute to both the publicity and fund-raising
   efforts.


ALASKA & YUKON STOCKS AND BONDS PUBLISHED

   Dick Hanscom forwarded the press release for his new book.
   Congratulations!

   "Alaska Rare Coins is pleased to announce the publication of
   its book "Alaska & Yukon Stocks and Bonds."  The book is
   344 pages, printed on 8½ by 11 inch paper, soft bound with
   full color glossy covers.  It contains over 700 listings and over
   500 photos.

   Compiled by Dick Hanscom, it is the culmination of over 15
   years of data collection.   The data include place of
   incorporation and dates, color of the front and back of the
   stock, capital stock issued, description of vignette, size,
   printer and any other information that may be available.
   Prospectuses and historical photos are used to complement
   the listings.

   The stocks and bonds are fully indexed by company name
   and other key words in the company name.  Appendixes
   are provided that will aid in the identification of stocks that
   are not listed.

   The book is priced at $35 postpaid via bookrate postage.
   For delivery by priority mail, add $6 per book.  Wholesale
   prices are available upon request.

   Orders may be sent to Alaska Rare Coins, 551-B Second
   Ave., Fairbanks, Alaska 99701."


QUIZ QUESTION: ANA BOURSE START

   In what year did the dealer bourse area become part of the
   annual conventions of the American Numismatic Association?
   Do I know the answer?  Well, no, but I was hoping someone
   might.  I believe I read this bit of trivia somewhere, but have
   forgotten.

   The subject came up Thursday evening at a meeting of the
   Pittsburgh Numismatic Society, together with other volunteers
   for the 2004 Pittsburgh ANA convention committee.  ANA
   Convention Manager Brenda Bishop was in town scouting
   the convention center, hotels and restaurants.  It was a
   pleasure to have her join us and take the next steps in planning
   for the convention.


TIOLIER COLLECTION CATALOG SOUGHT

   Richard Margolis writes:  "Can the catalogue of a highly
   important numismatic collection, the publication date and other
   details of which are known from other sources, disappear
   off the face of the earth? This seems to be the case with a
   catalogue of the great Tiolier collection.  Pierre Joseph Tiolier
   was Engraver-General of France from 1803 to 1816, his son,
   Nicolas Pierre succeeding him in this position until 1845.
   Occupying this privileged  position at the Paris Mint for so
   many years they were in a unique position to put together a
   marvelous collection of essays and special strikings by
   themselves and by preceding French engravers.

   Based on information appearing primarily in Conbrouse's
   Maison de France (1845), and a few fleeting references
   elsewhere, this is exactly what they did. In 1840,  according
   to Conbrouse, a small catalogue of the Tioliers' collection
   was printed by H. Fournier (a well-known Paris publisher),
   "petit in 8o de vingt-quatre pages".  It is known from other
   references by Conbrouse to the catalogue that it contained
   at least 320 numbers. I think it highly unlikely, however, that
   the catalogue would have borne the Tioliers' name as owners
   of the collection, which was sold in 1841 to Rousseau, one
   of the two leading Paris dealers of the period.

   Unfortunately, despite having fairly exhaustively researched
   the French numismatic literature of the 19th century (primarily
   in the library of the Paris Mint, and even more extensively in
   the library of the Cabinet des Medailles of the Bibliotheque
   Nationale), I have been unable to locate a single copy of this
   catalogue, nor any reference to it anywhere, other than
   Conbrouse's mention of it.

   Apart from the small number of coins and essays that I know
   from other evidence were included in the catalogue, it must
   have listed a great many of the great rarities of the period that
   interests me (the French Revolution and Napoleon). It
   therefore goes without saying that I would give my right arm
   or any other appropriate part of my anatomy for even a
   glimpse of it. Any thoughts as to how or where to search
   further for this numismatic will-o'-the-wisp would be most
   welcome."


COBB WASHINGTON INAUGURAL BUTTONS

   Eric Von Klinger has an article in the February 10th issue
   of Coin World describing the floor action at last month's
   Stack's auction of the J. Harold Cobb collection of
   Washington Inaugural Buttons.  Great headline: "Button
   Collectors Undone by Coin Collectors in Auction."

   Cataloguer Michael Hodder's preface to the collection
   included a great overview of the literature describing
   these rare buttons, and this was also highlighted in the
   article.


2003 ROMAN COIN PRICE YEARBOOK

   Morten Eske Mortensen writes: "Following a number of
   enquiries from professional market players the owners of the
   publishing rights have agreed by special orders to produce
   an utmost and extremely strictly distributed minor number
   of the RCP Yearbooks 2003 edition.

   Printing run will be limited to 150 copies only (one hundred
   and fifty) to cover the complete world market.  The three
   volumes thus will go antiquarian from day 1.

   The 2003-Yearbooks are to be acquired through pre-orders
   only (time limit for order placements: 5 weeks).

   The order of reservations will be according to the dates of
   receiving the advance orders. (aka: first come - first serve).

   The order form is to be found at this direct link:
   http://home.worldonline.dk/mem/info/roman2003US.htm"


THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIST

   Ken Lane from Arkansas writes: "Who wrote the 1888 4-page
   pamphlet "The American Numismatist?"


1909 MONTREAL ANA CONVENTION INFO SOUGHT

   Darryl Atchison writes: "I am extremely interested in contacting
   anyone who owns any memorabilia from the 1909 A.N.A.
   convention held in Montreal.  I know of the existence of three
   different official convention photographs, a convention program
   and a convention badge.  As this was the first numismatic
   convention ever held in Canada, I hope to be able to include
   some of this material in our new  bibliography on Canadian
   numismatics as illustrations but need to locate the material.
   The text is essentially finished and will be released at the CNA
   convention in Windsor this July.  However, we are now
   gathering  illustrations for the book.

   I would also be extremely interested in hearing from anyone
   who owns a copy of a book by Neil Harris entitled 'Catalogue
   of convention badges & medals of the American Numismatic
   Association, 1908 - 1968.  I would be very  pleased to locate
   a copy for immediate purchase, and anyone with a copy can
   contact me by email at atchisondf at hotmail.com

   Of course, if there are any questions concerning our text, we
   also invite correspondence related to that as well. Thank you
   very much."

   [I'm not aware of a separately published book or pamphlet
   by Harris, but the work on ANA badges & medals was
   published serially in the ANA's "The Numismatist" from
   January 1970  through December 1973, with supplements
   in 1979 and 1989.  -Editor]


SPACE FLIGHT MEDAL

   From the Houston Chronicle, April 4, 1988: "The National
   Aeronautics and Space Administration Friday presented
   posthumous Space Flight Medals and certificates to
   representatives of the families of the fatal Challenger mission."

   "The medals and certificates were awarded to Steve McAuliffe,
   Christa's husband; Marcia Jarvis, wife of the Hughes payload
   specialist; Cheryl McNair and Lorna Onizuka, wives of NASA
   mission specialists Ron McNair and Ellison Onizuka; Chuck
   Resnik, brother of mission specialist Judith Resnik; Jane Smith,
   wife of Challenger pilot Mike Smith; and June Scobee, wife of
   commander Dick Scobee."


http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/space/archives/88/880402-1.html

   [Has anyone ever seen a Space Flight Medal, or have any
   more background information about it?" -Editor]


CONGRESSIONAL SPACE MEDAL OF HONOR

   A web search turned up another medal I was unfamiliar
   with, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.  See:

   http://www2.powercom.net/%7Erokats/medals.html
   http://www2.powercom.net/~rokats/histdeco.html#SPMDL

   "Established by Congress on 29 SEP 1969.  Awarded by
   the President in the name of Congress to civilian or military
   astronauts who, while performing their duties, distinguish
   themselves by exceptionally meritorious efforts and
   contributions to the welfare of the Nation and humanity.

   The design contains a 1/4 carat diamond at its center,
   which makes it the only US decoration with a precious
   stone.

   It is a non-military decoration and ranks after all military
   decorations.  Awardees include:

   John Glenn, 1978.
   Neil Armstrong, 1978.
   Alan Shepard, 1978.
   Frank Borman, 1978.
   Pete Conrad, 1978.
   Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, 1978 (posthumously).
   John Young, 1981.
   Tom Stafford, 1992.
   Jim Lovell, 1995.
   Shannon Lucid, 1996.
   Roger B. Chaffee, 1997 (posthumously).
   Edward H. White, 1997 (posthumously)."


FEATURED WEB SITE

   This week's featured web site is the history of the Rochester
   Numismatic Association (RNA): "America's Oldest
   Continuously-Operating Coin Club," ANA Club Member #2,
   established 1912.

      http://www.the-rna.com/history.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
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  address: sdsklow at aol.com

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