The E-Sylum v6#01, January 5, 2003
whomren at coinlibrary.com
whomren at coinlibrary.com
Sun Jan 5 18:21:24 PST 2003
Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 1, January 5, 2003:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2002, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATE
Among recent new subscribers are two former subscribers
who had left or gotten lost in an email address change:
Larry Brilliant and Peter Mosiondz, Jr. Welcome back!
We now have 512 subscribers.
NBS MEETING AT FUN SHOW
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society will hold a meeting
Saturday January 11th at the Florida United Numismatists
show in Orlando, FL. The meeting will be held in Room
231C from 11:30am to 12:30pm. NBS Secretary-
Treasurer David Sklow will be speaking on the 1894
Numismatist January issue with a rare different cover.
For more information on the show, see the FUN web
site: http://www.funtopics.com
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG NUMISMATICS SEMINAR
From Gail Baker, ANA Education Director: "In August
2003, Colonial Williamsburg and the American Numismatic
Association will partner to host a very special seminar on
Colonial Numismatics. Richard Doty, numismatic curator at
the Smithsonian Institution and John Kraljevich, numismatist,
Bowers and Merena Galleries will join Erik Goldstein,
numismatic curator at Colonial Williamsburg and the
professional staff of Colonial Williamsburg for a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about 18th century
numismatics in the original 18th century setting.
Participants will view Colonial Williamsburg's foremost
collection of Colonial and Continental paper money; coinage
from the era, including extensive sets of French, Dutch and
Spanish colonial pieces; exquisite Massachusetts and New
England silver; Continental Currency, Colonial copper coins
and much, much more. Students will go behind the scenes
of the DeWitt Wallace Museum Collections and Conservation
Building at Colonial Williamsburg for demonstrations in the
state-of-the-art conservation areas, photography studios and
archives.
Williamsburg, Virginia was the capital of the colony of Virginia
from 1699 to 1780. Here, Thomas Jefferson studied law, and
later he, George Washington, Patrick Henry, and other patriot
leaders plotted America's freedom from Great Britain. Today
Colonial Williamsburg has been recreated with more than 500
restored and reconstructed buildings with historical interpreters
representing citizens from the 18th century. Colonial
Williamsburg is a living, working city. Skilled craftsmen create
items like saddles, garments and cartwheels; people actually
live in the homes you'll pass by, and real commerce takes place
within the town's many shops and taverns.
Please contact ANA Education for more information."
[This sounds like a wonderful opportunity. The seminar
dates are August 3-6, 2003. Gail's email address is
education at money.org. -Editor]
PHILIPPINE COLLECTORS FORUM PLANNED
Howard Daniel writes: "Ray Czahor (cjcpi at comcast.net) is
working on an event that is called the Philippine Collectors
Forum (PCF). It will be the first ever forum of its kind and
held during the 2003 ANA Convention in Baltimore. Many
collectors, researchers, authors and publishers interested in
Philippine numismatics and exonumia will be attending the
PCF from the Philippines, U.S., and other parts of the world.
What I would like to see is that the speaker(s) at our NBS
meeting at this convention speak about Philippine references
and sources, and that we invite the PCF attendees who are
not members to attend our meeting. And that our attending
members bring a list of the references in their libraries that
have Philippine information in them, so a comprehensive list
of all references can be started. Those not attending can
send their lists to me at Howard at SEAsianTreasury.com
and I will see that they are added to the list.
I am sure we can attract some new members from the PCF
attendees and support an area of numismatics that is closely
associated with U.S. numismatics, but largely overlooked."
MARK HOFFMAN BOOK
George Fuld writes: "I was most gratified to see the details on
Mark Hofmann in the last E-Sylum and immediately ordered
the White Salamander book from Utah Press. At $8.00 it is
a sure bargain and I am very interested in the litigation involving
Hofmann. Anyone vaguely interested in this area should get
the book. How the LDS feel about the bogus documents
is another matter. Rust and a few others including Campbell
were sure taken in by this clever counterfeiter. Again thanks
for bringing up this important matter."
[The transcripts of Hoffman's trial make a dandy tutorial on
how to construct pipe bombs. And how not to go about
delivering them... -Editor]
CRITIQUING "NUMISMATIST"
Greg Heim writes: "I just received my copy of the January
2003 "Numismatist." Here are my observations:
1) The dropping of the article "The" was unnecessary.
2) The lack of presence of columns from Dave Bowers and
Ken Bressett is a mistake unless these gentlemen chose
to discontinue writing for the publication.
3) Despite the first two items, I agree that the previous issues
of "The Numismatist" were not suited for the average ANA
member. I heard this complaint from members of my own
local coin club, who are very intelligent and advanced
collectors who told me that the articles were too specialized
or erudite for their liking. If this group of serious
collectors
says this, than what was the rest of the ANA membership
saying?
The ANA made a good decision in "lightening" the format
as "Numismatist" is the primary benefit to the majority of
ANA Members. Granted it does not bode well for members
of specialty clubs, but we can turn elsewhere for the
advanced scholarship we crave. With that said, it is important
for us to make our opinions known to Barbara Gregory that
an occasional article "from the days of old" be printed so
the publication preserves its rich tradition and integrity."
NEWS FROM THE U.K: 2002 TOKEN CONGRESS
Paul Withers writes: "At the beginning of November my wife
and I attended the 2002 Token Congress, held in Cheltenham.
For those who are interested in 'paranumismatica', i.e., struck
or cast bits of metal that have served a purpose of one sort or
another, from money to tool checks, to a representation of
money for fruit picked, and just about everything else that you
can think of, this event is a must. From 2.30 on Friday
afternoon through until we finished lunch on Sunday, it was a
whirl of events, beginning with a visit to Gloucester museum,
which was followed by lectures and talks, and a bourse and
we were kept gainfully employed.
As well as selling at the bourse, I was able to get around and
found some items for our collections and some several bits
for resale.
With an attendance of around 100 - nobody stayed still long
enough for me to count all the legs twice and divide by two,
this was a record. Only one visitor from the US this time;
someone who had stayed on after Coinex.
The event was ably organised by Barry Greenaway and his
wife Di. Sadly, since then Barry has died and will be sadly
missed by those who collect tokens. Barry was a dealer
who was not known widely abroad, but found many
interesting pieces for interesting specialist collectors, tracking
down elusive material. He was also a tireless worker for
charity, which few people knew.
The expertise available at the event is astonishing, with dealers
such as Alan Judd, John Whitmore, Nigel Clark, Gavin Scott,
and Richard Gladdle present, to mention but a few. Authors
present, besides ourselves, included Alan Henderson, Michael
Dickinson, Alan Judd, Yolanda Courtney (Stanton), Andrew
Andison, Bryce Neilson, Alan and Noel Cox, Bob Lyall,
David Magnay, Gavin Scott, and, of course, Gary Oddie,
editor of the Token Corresponding Society Bulletin, who hit
us with some interesting research which has enabled him to
re-attribute several 17th century tokens previously thought
to have been from St. Ives, Cornwall, but which are quite
clearly St. Ives, Cambridgeshire."
NEW PAMPHLET: KRUGER POND IMITATIONS
Paul Withers continues: "We chose the 2002 Token Congress
to publish 'Kruger Pond Imitations'. Now whilst publishing is
not exactly a new event for us, this was is a first inasmuch as
our pamphlet is entirely illustrated with digital images and
printed on a laser printer, instead of our more usual offset-lith
machine. The quality is, we believe, comparable with, and
may even be superior to that which can be achieved by
traditional methods. Interestingly, the phone number of one
of the advertisers in our little pamphlet has changed since he
sent us the text for his advert, so we were able to change the
number for the second printing.
A copy of 'Kruger Pond Imitations' was sent to the British
Museum. An e-mail came back from the Department of
Coins & Medals thanking me for it and saying that it would
be useful, but it caused a problem, as they couldn't decide
where to file it !
O.k., so you try : Forgeries ? No, because they are not;
indeed the pieces themselves, for those that do not know them,
clearly state that they are 'imitation'. They are not fantasies
either. Jetons seems to be the best place, because they were
almost certainly used as counters. Is this a wise decision,
because clearly they do not really fit into the traditional 'jeton'
category? In one of the most used sections of our little library
(4,000 volumes, and growing) we have a 'paranumismatica'
section, where everything that isn't straight currency / coinage
goes. What do other bibliophiles think ?"
NEW BOOK: RAISING THE HUNLEY
Coincidentally, after writing Sunday's note about the Edward
R. Hamilton bargain book lists, a fresh copy of their catalog
arrived in the mail Monday. In it I found a copy of "Raising
the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the
Lost Confederate Submarine" by B. Hicks & S. Kropf.
(Ballantine, 301pp). At $16.95 it wasn't discounted much
from the $25 retail price, but it was only published in March
2002. Amazon and Barnes and Noble offer the book for
slightly more, and "used" copies are already appearing for
sale as low as $11.
We discussed the Hunley in the E-Sylum in May and June
2001 (v4, nos 22-24). Lt. George Dixon, the sub's
commander, carried with him an engraved $20 gold piece,
which was found in the ship's wreckage.
I ordered a copy of the book for $11.50 from another
dealer and it arrived Friday. It contains a section of color
photos, including a shot of the famous gold piece. Another
item of numismatic interest is pictured:
"It was copper, about the size of a half dollar, and it was
stuck to the back of the first officer's skull. On one side was
a relief profile of George Washington, just like a modern
quarter, and on the other side was a name: Ezra Chamberlin.
The medallion was the sort of thing a young soldier in the
Civil War bought with his own money to help identify his
body in case he were killed; it would be a half century before
the advent of official dog tags. These medallions were made
by private merchants and sometimes even sold on the sidelines
of battlefields. It was stamped with enough information to
cause the biggest uproar of The Hunley's excavation so far.
Ezra Chamberlin had entered service early in the war --
September 6, 1861 -- as a private in Company K of the
Seventh Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers. The scientists
were speechless. Could it be true? -- a Connecticut Yankee
on a Confederate sub?"
For a picture of the item and more information, see
http://www.hunley.org/main_index.asp?CONTENT=IDTAG
http://www.thehunley.com/Crew/chamberlin.htm
http://www.qvcc.commnet.edu/brian/KHS/chamberlin/chamberlin.html
DEALING WITH REPORTERS
Gar Travis writes: "Early this morning (December 31st) I was
awakened by a phone call from the Charlotte Observer
(Charlotte, North Carolina) seeking information about United
States currency issues. Reporters just "kill" me with their
questions. They have all the resources, but lack the knowledge
to utilize their research capabilities. This fellow said he found
my name on the Internet, associated with the ANA and wanted
to know if the Federal Reserve ever issued a million dollar
silver certificate and if so where to find information in its regard.
Of course I directed him to visit the web site of the Bureau of
Engraving & Printing, where information could be ascertained
about the largest denomination issued, $100,000 featuring
Woodrow Wilson (an inter-bank transfer currency of the late
1930's) http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/118 and
that perhaps contacting the Federal Reserve Bank in Charlotte
would yield additional answers to his inquiry about United States
currency issues and he said: "There's a Federal Reserve Bank in
Charlotte? Really?" Yes, a branch office of the Federal Reserve
Bank of Richmond.
http://www.rich.frb.org/generalinfo/visitors/charlotte.html
Well....at least he knows the Internet exists."
KENNETH RENDELL
Regarding last week's item about document dealer Kenneth
Rendell, Len Augsburger writes: "Remarkable. I was in
Manhattan a couple weeks ago, walking down Madison in
the upper 70s, and there was a manuscript and autograph
shop I passed by that I thought would be nice to include on
a tour with family and friends. I thought no more about this
until later when I couldn't recall the name of the establishment.
Until now, when I saw the Rendell name and recognized it!"
FRANK LAPA
Following up on last week's discussion, Bill Rosenblum adds:
"Frank Lapa was convicted of murder and has passed away.
(I believe while he was in jail.) If my brain was working at a
better pace I could come up with more details, such as who
he murdered. It's a shame that we remember the criminal and
not the victim (who was a customer of mine!). My excuse,
other than the aging process, is that my two grandchildren
(2 & 5) have been visiting the past week and I'm into Dr.
Seuss, dinosaurs and bunny rabbits this week rather than
numismatics.
Happy New Year to you and all the E-Sylum readers."
Neil Shafer writes: "Just a few comments about Frank Lapa.
I knew him rather casually for a number of years- sometimes
stopped into his shop in Chicago I believe, bought some coins
and a little paper from him. He was certainly knowledgeable
in several areas of numismatics. But I never saw an
individual who could get so furiously angry at something or
someone in a twinkling; Frank could do that. He was
convicted of killing Ray Yablun and spent years in prison.
Hobby New Year to all!"
Rich Hartzog writes: "His wife, Joan, was an early member
of TAMS, and on the 1966 ANA Convention Committee,
in Chicago; as well as a graduate of the Roosevelt University
Numismatic courses; and a contributor to French Emergency
Tokens, 1914-22. I believe she is still alive, in California."
Tony Tumonis writes: "Regarding Frank Lapa the Counterfeiter,
one of his more common counterfeits was the (1345-1382)
Silver Denar of Poland/Lithuania featuring the Spearpoint and
Cross on the obverse and Columns of Gediminas on the reverse.
To an experienced numismatist it was an obvious fake, for the
artistry was not near an original. However, someone new to
the field could possibly be duped. I don't think his fakes were
that good."
Scott Semans writes: "I've heard a number of secondhand
stories about Frank Lapa, his behavior at coin shows, the
murder, and his time in jail, but perhaps others can relate
these. While in prison, he produced a revised version of
his Kandy Kings of Ceylon, © 1986, in 8.5x11 spiral bind,
though I'm not sure he ever marketed this edition.
I have a 3x scan showing 5 Lapauanian items from my black
museum and would be happy to send the scan to anyone
wanting a copy. The Russian piece is Feodor Alexievitch,
not a particularly rare item. The clumsy Lithuanian wire
piece is Vytautas, 1384-92, Vilnius Mint and I'm not sure
if this is a fantasy or a known type. The others are modern:
Cambodia, Danish E India Co. and British E. India Co.
The last is actually a fairly common type. He also produced
and actively marketed an Andaman Islands token. When
visiting another dealer I saw a roll of Thailand 4 Att 1876
that had come from Frank, all brilliant UC and with edges
so sharp you could have shaved with them. The dealer
returned them, and I have never seen this piece on the
market, but they must still be out there somewhere, and
it's a very scarce type in UC.
He liked to copy things that were obscure, not necessarily
of great value. None of the pieces in this scan are
particularly deceptive to someone familiar with the real items,
but I do recall the Thai pieces as being pretty good, except
for the sharp edges.
[Scott's email address is SSemans at aol.com. -Editor]
Paul Schultz writes: "There was an article on Lapa's
activities in The Numismatist several years ago. From the
note I wrote in my copy of his Russian Wire Money book,
it was November 1996, p1346-1348, "The Other Side of the
Coin" column by Ed Rochette. The heading for the column
was "Murder Most Unconventional."
There is also a postscript in a letter to the editor, February
1997, p127. I seem to remember that Lapa spent less time
in jail than one might have expected (a few years?) and then
died relatively soon after being released from prison."
[A search of the Numismatic Index of Periodicals (NIP) at
the Harry Bass Foundation web site brought up the following
listings for Lapa
(see http://www.harrybassfoundation.org/search_numlit.asp).
One reference is to the Numismatic Scrapbook, and the others
are to The Numismatist.
BOOK REVIEWS\ Vatican City 1929 (Frank A. Lapa)
\ANA\Vol.82\1969 SEP\Pg.1241
BOOK REVIEWS\ Russian Wire Money (Frank A. Lapa)
\ANA\Vol.80\1967 SEP\Pg.1143
BOOK REVIEWS\ Check List Of Siege And Necessity
Issues, 16th-20th Century (Frank A. Lapa)
\ANA\Vol.81\1968 MAY\Pg.607
BOOK REVIEWS\ Kandy Kings Of Ceylon (Frank A. Lapa) ]
\ANA\Vol.82\1969 FEB\Pg.174
[SHIPWRECKS & TREASURE TROVE].\ The other side of
the coin: the unlucky oysterman of Willapa Bay (Edward C.
Rochette) \ANA\Vol.104\1991 OCT\Pg.1632-34\ill.
GENERAL\ Lapa, Frank \Scrapbook\Vol.35\1969 SEP\Pg.1348
-Editor]
Bob Leonard adds "I attributed some Roman coins for Frank
Lapa when he had an office in downtown Chicago around
1964-5, and still have a number of foreign coins that I
purchased from him at various times (including some Russian
wire money which I believe to be genuine). Frank was an
artist and had a drawing board and drafting instruments, etc.
in his office. A number of his paintings are still around. He
issued several price lists.
As far as his other forgeries are concerned, the only one that
comes to mind is a square copper piece purporting to be from
the Andaman Islands, which he "discovered" in the early 1970s.
But I believe there are others, as Bill Rosenblum says. Perhaps
a list is available somewhere; if so, it should be published.
The story of his arrest is rather long, but briefly, Chicago coin
dealer Ray Yablun disappeared August 13, 1975 after leaving
Chicago, on his way to Los Angeles to attend a coin convention.
I can't find clippings on the balance of the story, but a body was
discovered a few weeks later which was identified as that of
Yablun by a finger ring, and informants appeared who said that
Lapa killed Yablun with an ashtray stand. Lapa sold a 1795
eagle that was supposedly Yablun's property in a Wilshire
Boulevard coin store the same day Yablun vanished, and
Yablun's "denim leisure jacket" (old-time coin dealers were
such fashion plates!), empty wallet, and several business
checks were found in a trash can in the same block as the
coin shop the same day.
On the basis of this evidence and testimony from Lapa's
"accomplices," he was convicted of Yablun's murder and
sentenced to prison in California.
But I have always wondered whether Lapa was framed.
My friend Bob Greinstein, who now works for Harlan Berk,
visited Yablun's store the day after his disappearance and
found "no coins" there (there must have been some coins).
Lapa claimed that the 1795 eagle was consigned to him
(he was Yablun's "employee and West Coast agent, having
moved his office to Beverly Hills from Chicago) and not stolen.
Yablun was accompanied on the flight by a "Mr. Van Cleef,"
though he was supposed to be traveling to Los Angeles to
meet with a customer of this name; L.A. police concluded
that the name was phony. Was the battered body, identified
only by Yablun's ring, really his? Were the "witnesses" to
his murder truthful? Did Yablun clean out his store, arrange
for a body and witnesses -- then ditch his wife, frame his
employee, and skip? Who was Van Cleef?
Lapa is the author of three booklets, Russian Wire Money,
Check List of Siege and Necessity Issues, and Kandy Kings
of Ceylon 1055-1295 A.D., all self-published and nicely
illustrated by him personally. He thus joins a short list of
authors of numismatic books who have served time in prison,
others being Walter Breen, Robert H. Burnie, and Lynn Glaser.
Perhaps there are more.
Lynn Glaser is an especially sad case; the dust jacket of his
Counterfeiting in America (1968) says that he published his
first numismatic article when he was 15. In the early 1960's
he was a frequent contributor to the Numismatic Scrapbook
and Numismatic News. But according to Miles Harvey's
The Island of Lost Maps (Random House, 2000), Charles
Lynn Glaser served seven months for map thefts around 1975;
in 1978 he was arrested for further thefts, pled guilty, and
served six months more; he pled guilty again in March 1992
to mutilating a copy of the 1628 edition of Munster's
Cosmographica, by cutting a map out of it; out on probation
less than a month later, he was discovered in the stacks of
Lehigh University, wearing surgical gloves and carrying a
hammer -- not the usual accouterments of a library researcher.
(We fervently hope that he does not return to numismatics!)."
PORTLAND, OREGON BOOK HAUNTS
Steve Pellegrini writes: "With a little patience many
if not most modern books can be found at discounted
prices. In Portland we have an outlet store which sells the
thousands of books and periodicals which regularly get cleared
from the public library system. The bookstore is located in a
retired Public Library building and is stocked with shelves
complete with sets of References, rare old archives from the
Oregon Historical Society, biographies, literature -- something
for everyone. On one shelf is a 50 year run of 'National
Geographic at .25 an issue - with a thick hardback Index for
an extra 5.00. One gem I managed to pick up here was a
matching set of Will Durant's 'History of Civilization.' Ten
volumes, so nearly unused that they still smell of printer's ink
and glue. They were tagged at $3.00 a book or $20.00 the set.
Also here in Portland is 'Powell's New & Used Books' which
bills itself as the largest bookstore in the world. It's a small
city of discounted books where you can easily lose an entire
afternoon on the browse. Book bargains are everywhere."
Larry Gaye adds: "I do want to comment on John
Dembinski's missive regarding full retail prices. I too refuse
to buy retail and have done so for a long time.
I am fortunate enough to live in Portland, Oregon and have
Powell's in my backyard, well almost, only about a half mile
away. I continually haunt the stacks for deals.
Some of my best buys have been there. Whether it's
numismatic literature or just plain "stuff," I love the books
I find there. I have made exceptions to my rule. I purchased
a signed first edition of both The Sparrow, and The Children
of God by Mary Doria Russell; two of the most compelling
stories I have ever read. I needed almost six months to lapse
before I could read The Children of God , the sequel to The
Sparrow. These are two amazing books.
If any of you are planning on coming to Portland for the 2004
National Money Show plan a little extra time to visit Powell's.
It's quite easy to get to from the convention site. If you want
directions just contact me and I'll be happy. I'll be easy to find;
I'm the show chairman. See you here in 2004."
[The American Numismatic Association's National Money
Show will be in Portland, March 26-28, 2004. The summer
convention will take place in Pittsburgh, PA August 18-22,
2004, and I'll be chairing that event. Like Larry, I hope to
see many of you at the show.
I attended the 1998 summer convention in Portland, and
visited Powell's while I was there. It is indeed a pleasant
place to browse for books. If memory serves, it was enroute
to Portland that my plane stopped in St. Louis where none
other than Eric Newman boarded. I quickly switched seats
and spent the rest of my journey swapping numismatic yarns
with Eric. The chance to catch up with old friends is the best
feature of any convention. -Editor]
DO THE RIGHT THING: PAY FULL FREIGHT!
Steve Pellegrini writes: "I've been following the "Why Do
Books Cost So Much?" discussion for the last few weeks.
I feel that one consideration hasn't been mentioned. When
it comes to Numismatic Books I'm of an entirely different
mind. I always make an effort to buy numismatic books
directly from their author - when it's possible. In this way
I've accumulated all of Christopher Eimer's books and
quite a few others from favorite authors sprinkled through
my bookshelves. Right now I am eagerly waiting the
publication of Dick Johnson's book on the American
numismatic artists and artisans who've produced our tokens,
coins and medals. I wouldn't even consider buying this book
from anyone other than Dick himself. This type of book that
we enjoy and treasure so much is the result of years of
exhausting, expensive research, endless hours of organization
and writing, followed by all the thankless tasks of publication -
editing, correcting, re-writing - negotiations and little
diplomacies with sloppy printers and unenthusiastic publishers.
All for little or no recompense.
For the pleasure these books give me, I feel I owe their authors
a measure of support and loyalty. It seems ungrateful and a
little shameful to wheedle a copy from these tiny editions for
less than full freight. Or to try to out wait these dedicated men
and women until their book ends in the remainder bin where it
can be picked up on the cheap."
COIN BOOKS FROM HEAVEN
This week I read a draft article Len Augsburger wrote
for The Asylum, and his intense research efforts reminded
me of one time a tiny bit of research yielded a real prize
for my library.
In 1991 looked up an obituary of George H. Clapp. It
mentioned names of several offspring. I picked up a phone
book and found a listing. I called and found I was speaking
to a family member. I explained who I was and that I was
interested in any books or ephemera relating to coins. He
said there was nothing left in the family, but took my address
just in case.
A few weeks later, I stopped at my house after my father's
funeral. In the mailbox was a package from the gentleman
I spoke to. I opened it and found a copy of Clapp's 1931
book on the cents of 1798-1799. It was inscribed by
Clapp to his secretary. It was sent without insurance in
an unpadded envelope, but arrived OK.
I called to profusely thank him and offer to pay for it, but
even after telling him it was a valuable book, he insisted I
keep it. So I did. I figured someone in heaven was
keeping an eye out for me. Thanks, Dad.
FIRST SLABBED COIN?
Tom Fort, editor of our print journal, The Asylum, writes:
"My family and I recently returned from a much-needed
vacation in lovely Key West, Florida. While there we visited
the famous house where Ernest Hemingway lived through
much of the 1930s. During the tour we were shown the
swimming pool that his wife had built for him while he was
away covering the Spanish Civil War. The pool cost $20,000,
a colossal sum at the time, especially when you consider that
the Hemingways paid only $8,000 for the property. When
Hemingway came home he saw the pool and loved it, that is
until he saw the price tag. According to our guide he shouted
at his wife for wasting all his money and told her that she might
as well take his last cent. He reached into his pocket, pulled
out a penny and stuck it into the still drying concrete before he
stormed off. His wife was very amused by this outburst and
put a clear plastic cover over the coin where you can still see
it today. By the way, Mrs. Hemingway was a rich heiress --
she paid for the pool out of her own money."
FEATURED WEB SITE
This week's featured web site is a fine excuse for all of us
to head to warmer climes -- The Numismatic Museum of
Aruba. "The Numismatic museum was established on
November 13, 1981 and lodges the private collection of
Mr. J. Mario Odor and is the first Numismatic museum
established on Aruba. The museum contains over 35,000
different pieces covering over 400 countries."
http://www.visitaruba.com/facts/general/musea/numismatic.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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