The E-Sylum v6#06, February 9, 2003
whomren at coinlibrary.com
whomren at coinlibrary.com
Sun Feb 9 19:40:10 PST 2003
Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 6, February 9, 2003:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2002, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATE
Among recent new subscribers is Robert Laviana, a former
subscriber returning to the fold. Welcome back! We now
have 527 subscribers.
DAVIS SALE CLOSING FEBRUARY 15
Charles Davis writes: "Our sale of numismatic literature
consigned by the American Numismatic Society and others
closes next Saturday, February 15. An on-line version may
be seen at
http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/adimg/davis.htm
while photographs are available at
http://members.aol.com/numislit."
ANA LIBRARY ADDITIONS
Nancy Green, Librarian of the American Numismatic
Association, writes: "Thanks for sending the E-sylum. I
enjoy reading it but don't always have time to respond to
items. I thought readers would like to know that books
recently added to the ANA Library are listed on our
website at http://www.money.org. Click on "What's new"
for a list of the titles added in January. This will be updated
each month. The books are recently added, not necessarily
recently published."
CENTRAL AMERICAN NUMISMATIC CONFERENCE
Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr .writes: "The Central American
Numismatic Association has posted all of the papers given
at their last conference on the following web site.
http://www.museosdelbancocentral.org/numismatica/ponencias.html
MISATTRIBUTION OF TIOLIER SALE
Ted Buttrey of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge writes:
"In the last issue of The E-Sylum Richard Margolis asked
about the Tiolier collection catalogue, which is unfindable.
I wonder if there has been some confusion in the reference.
There was a Tiolier sale in Paris, 18+ Jan 1836, held by
Wateau & Chaumont auctioneers (Frits Lugt, Répertoire
des Catalogues de Ventes Publiques, vol.2 1826-1860
[The Hague, 1953] No.14188). The catalogue ran to 22pp.
and 1000 lots, largely books but also 14 lots of "Monn. Méd",
which of course could have included a number of pieces per lot.
Richard Margolis replies: "I am very familiar with the catalogue
of Tiolier material that you cite from Lugt. Indeed I located a
copy of this in one of the Paris libraries, using as I recall,
information in Lugt as to its location. This was of course the
catalogue of an auction sale, whereas the 1840 catalogue which
was the subject of my inquiry was not. The latter was a listing
of the heart of the Tiolier holdings prepared the year before
the collection was sold to Rousseau, and is completely different
from the catalogue you refer to. But I thank you for your efforts
on my behalf."
FRENCH LIBRARY LINKS
Alan Luedeking writes: "In response to Mr. Margolis' plea
regarding the Tiolier collection catalogue, I have little to offer
except the following interesting link to a list of all French
libraries that are on-line. Perhaps Mr. Margolis will find what
he desires by searching through all of them, with no further
loss of body parts than some skin on his mouse-clicking
finger. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/France.html"
FROSTPROOF SALE
Fred Lake's current sale is named "The Frostproof Sale".
Wondering if perhaps Fred ran out of room and was
storing books in a freezer, I contacted him. Fred writes:
"I have named sales that do not have a "key" consignor
after names of cities here in Florida. Frostproof is
actually the name of a town in Central Florida."
FRENCH PUBLICATION IDENTIFICATION SOUGHT
Gar Travis writes: "I have a French ancient coin text in my
library, titled NUMISMATIQUE ANCIENNE.
I have a JPG image file that I can send to anyone wishing to
assist, who may happen to know the year of issue of the text
and by what person or organization. The size of the card cover
/ hand sewn booklet is 10" x 6 1/4". The covers are not intact
or attached and some internal pages are loose. The plates, of
which there are twelve (12), are all intact and each are as if
center pages 20" x 6 1/4". My email address is
oldmoney at coastalnet.com"
LAMASURE MINT PAINTING WHEREABOUTS
David Lange writes: "I'd like to thank those persons who
furnished information about the Lamasure painting of the first
U. S. Mint buildings. Ron Guth was quite helpful in providing
some facts, and he has given permission to publish his
response:
"You might try contacting Craig Whitford about the Lamasure
painting. I know that he made reproductions of the image on
postcards and that, at one time, he was interested in re-creating,
in miniature, the early U.S. Mint and its machinery, so he may
know where the painting is currently located.
By way of coincidence, I just purchased a Frank Stewart
publication that contains information about the Mint, printed
closer to the time of the actual demolition than his book was.
If you are interested, I'll let you know if there is any different
or new information contained therein, when the book arrives.
At the Philadelphia ANA, I visited Congress Hall, hoping to
see the Stewart collection on display. Unfortunately, the
collection has been put in storage and, except for a few
pieces on display at the Philadelphia Mint, is essentially
inaccessible. Stewart must be rolling over in his grave!"
Craig Whitford was indeed helpful, as he provided the
following: "In regards to the whereabouts of the Lamasure
painting of the first mint....its last known location was in the
Independence Hall Collection.
In the May 1977 issue of Coinage magazine in an article
titled "Home of Our First Mint" by Thomas W. Becker,
he notes the following:
"In 1967, I was elated to find the Lamasure painting
stacked away in the basement of the First National Bank
Building in downtown Philadelphia. I had gone with Charles
Hoskins on the recommendations of Eva Adams, then Director
of the Bureau of the Mint. ..Together, Hoskins and I set up the
cameras and lights, took careful meter readings, and closely
inspected the painting....Looking over my research notes
dictated after the work in Philadelphia that November of 1967,
I find this notation: "The Lamasure painting is a pastel (water
color) measuring 34 7/8 inches across the top and 24 inches
up and down both sides. The painting is on thin cardboard, one
solid sheet, and the entire piece of material is now in a very bad
state of repair..."
I have nice copies of the postcards in color of the Lamasure
painting which Frank Stewart produced if you would like one
for use as an image. I also, during 1986, commissioned a local
artist to "recreate" the Lamasure image with a few changes. The
commissioned oil painting is 24 x 36 and I have images of it
available for reproduction as well."
Dave Bowers writes: "The Lamasure painting was hanging in
the foyer of the 4th Philadelphia Mint when I was there on
April 2, 1992 (100th anniversary of the 1792 Mint Act),
when a special ceremony was held. Possibly it is still there.
The "other" well-known 20th century painting, a fanciful scene
of the striking of the 1792 half dismes, was commissioned by
Jim Kelly, Dayton (later Englewood), Ohio, dealer, active
from the 1940s through the 1970s."
NBS President Pete Smith writes: "The Philadelphia Mint has
a small Interpretive Center above the Gift Shop. I believe I
saw the original Lamazure painting there when I visited the
Mint in 2000.
Stewart reproduced the painting in color in two sizes for
calendars he distributed. If David Lange cannot get permission
to copy the original painting, he may wish to contact me to
reproduce one of the Stewart calendars. The calendar is an
item I exhibited in Philadelphia in 2000."
Q, DAVID BOWERS: IRON MAN
George M. Vanca of Santa Clarita, CA writes: "Regarding
Dave Bowers and his sudden termination by Michael Haynes
of Collectors Universe, I will sum it up succinctly:
Dave Bowers is the IRON MAN of Numismatics. He has
touched the lives of countless men, women and children. He
will rise above this temporary setback and come back better
than ever!"
THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIST
David Crenshaw writes: "In the last E-Sylum, Ken Lane asked,
"Who wrote the 1888 4-page pamphlet "The American
Numismatist?" Well, Ken, Dr. George F. Heath issued the
pamphlet. The word “American” was dropped from its title in
subsequent issues. This publication eventually became the
official journal of the American Numismatic Association. “The
Numismatist” saw minimal change over the years until its recent
makeover including a change in name to “Numismatist.”
Jess Gaylor submitted this reference: "The American
Numismatist, Vol. I, No. 1. Paterson, NJ, September, 1886"
NBS Board member Joel Orosz sets us straight about both
publications: "If Mr. Lane is referring to the first magazine by
that name, it was published only from September, 1886 to
December 1887, when its name changed to The Collector's
Magazine. Its publisher was Charles E. Leal, of Paterson,
New Jersey. I wrote a detailed article on this periodical in my
"Printer's Devil" column in The Asylum, for Winter of 1997.
In it, I question the conventional wisdom that Leal's periodical
prompted Dr. George Heath, of Monroe, Michigan, to drop
the "American" from his initial title for "The Numismatist", which
was "The American Numismatist".
WAR CENTS: AN 1886 PERSPECTIVE
Jess Gaylor added: "In the same issue ("The American
Numismatist", Vol. I, No. 1. Paterson, NJ, September,
1886) is the following article, written by its editor C. E. Leal:
WAR CENTS
Small change became so scarce in 1862 that store-keepers
and other persons began to issue this private currency to supply
the deficiency; and they continued to coin them in immense
quantities until 1864, when the Government, to protect itself,
was compelled to prohibit their further coinage or circulation.
The first coinage of War Cents, or Tokens, or Store Cards, as
they were sometimes called, took place in Cincinnati where
nearly 900 varieties were issued, fully three times as many
varieties as any other city issued except New York. A number
of other Western cities soon followed the example of Cincinnati,
but it was not until the early part of 1863 that New York began
to issue the famous Lindenmuller cents, of which there were
more than a million coined; these were followed by the
Knickerbocker tokens, consisting of many varieties. Altogether
there were between 600 and 700 varieties issued from New
York City. Ohio issued about 1300 varieties from 100 different
cities and towns, more than any other state issued; New York
State comes next after Ohio, with over 900 varieties.
When the Government stopped the coinage of these tokens
there were upward of 20,000,000 of them in circulation, but
there are in all probability not more than 1,000,000 in existence
at the present time. In my estimation War Cents comprise one
of the principal branches in Numismatics, and should occupy
a prominent place in the cabinet of every American collector.
It is impossible now to obtain a complete collection for any
sum of money; but $25 or $30 should buy a very good
collection for an amateur.
(An so dear readers, even if the Hetrichs and the Guttags and
the Fulds had not come upon the scene, just look at the wealth
of information we would still have concerning Civil War
Tokens)"
WORD DEFINITION: CHIT
Chick Ambrass writes: "I was reading a paper money auction
catalogue, and the heading was Military Payments and Chits.
I went through the entire section, and saw nothing that was
labeled a "Chit". Any idea what a "chit" is?" I later came
across one reference saying a "chit" is a signed paper voucher.
[Word definitions are a perennial subject in The E-Sylum,
so let's hear what our readers say. I always thought a "chit"
was a paper or cardboard token having some redemption
value - like a token, but not made of metal. I didn't think it
had to be signed. What say you, E-Sylum readers?
-Editor]
NASA SPACE FLIGHT MEDAL
Gar Travis and David Klinger both recommended this page
for more information on the NASA Space Flight Medal:
http://www.wwmeinc.com/products/american/usm402_a12.htm
OTHER SPACE MEDALS
Martin Purdy writes: "Here's another one, unrelated, from a
quite different source: the paper insert with the "Apollo 8
Space Medal" produced by the Historical Medal Society of
Australia and New Zealand in 1968 states that
"Sterling silver medals were presented to each of the three
American Astronauts.
"Colonel Frank Borman, of the U.S. Air Force, commander.
"Captain James Lovell, of the U.S. Navy.
"Major William Anders, of the U.S. Air Force.
"In addition, nine scientists and technicians who were directly
responsible for the flight were each presented with a sterling
silver medal."
I am currently researching the Historical Medal Society of
Australia and NZ, and wonder whether these twelve silver
medals were indeed presented, how the presentation was
made and whether it was ever documented. The silver
versions of all of the HMSANZ medals were supposed to
be for presentation only, with only the bronze and, later,
aluminum and gilt medals being made available to the public,
though I suspect that this restriction was relaxed at some stage."
1909 MONTREAL ANA CONVENTION
Regarding last week's query about the 1909 ANA
Convention in Montreal, Tom DeLorey writes: "Please pass
along to Mr. Atchison that David T. Alexander of Stack's has
written about the acrimonious 1909 ANA presidential election
campaign, which culminated at the Montreal convention, and
may have some original source material of interest.
Please tell him also that the Thomas Elder tokens sometimes
attributed to the 1909 Montreal convention, which I listed on
pp. 1620-22 of the July, 1980 The Numismatist as more likely
dating to 1914, have still not been shown to have been issued
before 1914 despite my request for such evidence."
HARRIS & CO AND MARKETING
Regarding the sale of the "Red Book" to H. E. Harris & Co,
David Lange writes: "This is very good news. As an avid
collector of coin boards, folders and albums, both old and
new, I've watched the Whitman titles lose ground over the
past three or four years, due to lackluster marketing and
product development. Harris has been very aggressive in
both areas, and it will be fun to acquire yet another series
of Whitman folders with the Harris imprint.
In the few years since the introduction of statehood quarters
there's been quite a boom in coin folder/album production.
It's unlike anything seen since the early 1960s. Assembling a
complete reference collection of all makes, titles and editions
is a relatively inexpensive, yet challenging hobby. So far, I
haven't encountered anyone else attempting to do this, though
there are a handful of people seeking complete sets of the
Raymond/National and Library of Coins albums."
FEATURED WEB SITE
This week's featured web site is Scottish Banking,
recommended by Andy Lustig. "This site has been created
by the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers. The
Committee is the representative body of the four Scottish
clearing banks." The section on the history of Scottish
Banknotes should be of particular interest.
http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/
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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