The E-Sylum v7#32, August 15, 2004

whomren at coinlibrary.com whomren at coinlibrary.com
Sun Aug 15 21:30:24 PDT 2004


Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 32, August 15, 2004:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2004, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


SUBSCRIBER UPDATE

   Among recent new subscribers is John McCullagh.
   Welcome aboard!  We now have 680 subscribers.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY "MR. F.U.N."

   It seems like only yesterday that I attended the 100th birthday
   party for collector Bob Hendershott of Florida.   Bob turned
   106 on August 7.  Happy Birthday, Bob!


LAKE BOOKS SPARED CHARLEY'S PUNCH

   Numismatic literature dealer Fred Lake, writing just before
   Friday's hurricane hit ground near his home in St.
   Petersburg, FL, noted: "I am writing this at 11:00 AM and
   we are awaiting the storm.  It is eerily quiet as is usually the
   case before a hurricane. As far as our home is concerned,
   we are situated high enough to be out of the danger zone for
   floodwaters or tidal surge.  Our biggest concern would be
   wind damage, but we just had a new roof put on and it is
   designed to withstand some pretty high winds."

   On Saturday evening, Fred wrote: "We are relieved and
   thankful!  After spending two days preparing for the arrival
   of a powerful storm, the Tampa Bay area was spared from
   the direct onslaught of Hurricane Charley.  The path of the
   storm took it into an area of Florida that is some 100 miles
   south of our home. It was a strange coincidence that the
   name of our previous auction, The Sanibel Island Sale,
   was the location of the storm's entry into Florida. We felt
   none of Charley's punch.

   Joan and I want to thank all of you who telephoned and
   emailed us expressing your concern and good wishes as
   the storm approached St. Petersburg. It is a good feeling
   to know that we have such support from our friends in the
   numismatic community Calls and emails came from all
   parts of the world.....Puerto Rico, Europe, the Far East,
   South America and from all areas of the United States.

   Again, we are very grateful for your support."


JACOB PERKINS MINT BUILDING THREATENED

   Dick Hanscom of Alaska Rare Coins writes: "I am from
   Newburyport, MA, so I read the Daily News every day.
   Below are two links to articles about Jacob Perkins that
   might be of interest.

   http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/n/nstory.pl?slug-nhist814
   http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/n/nstory.pl?slug-nmint "

   [The first article is a good overview of Perkins'
   career, and notes: "Newburyport was host to the first state
   mint. The brick building in which the commonwealth's
   currency was printed still exists today at the rear of 14 Fruit
   Street, directly on the property line of The Historical
   Society of Old Newbury.

   The second article opens: "A local lawyer wants to make an
   apartment out of a historic building that housed the state's
   earliest mint, and if the city says he can't, he intends to
   tear it down."

   -Editor]


JOHN BURNS AT THE ANA CONVENTION

   Numismatic literature dealer John Burns is setting up at the
   American Numismatic Association convention this week.
   He writes: "It's that time of year again. I'll have booths
   434-436 at the A.N.A. in Pittsburgh Aug. 18-22 with
   approximately 5,000 pounds of  books, catalogs, pamphlets
   and more from the 17th century to brand new reference
   books (including the hot off the press 2nd edition Peterson
   Ultimate Guide to Attributing Bust Half Dollars) covering
   ancients, medieval, foreign and the good old U.S.A.
   See you there!"


NBS ACTIVITY AT THE ANA CONVENTION

   NBS President Pete Smith writes: "I hope to see many
   Numismatic Bibliomania Society members at the ANA
   convention in Pittsburgh this week.  There are a couple of
   corrections to the published schedule that affect our members.

   We have combined the NBS symposium with Scott Rubin's
   Numismatic Theater presentation. Both events will be at the
   same time in room 330 on Thursday at 1 p.m.

   Our general meeting is scheduled for Friday at 11:30 a.m.
   in room 327. We originally planned a luncheon between our
   meeting  and "The Great Numismatic Libraries of Pittsburgh"
   tour.  We were unable to get a lunch at a reasonable price at
   the convention center.  Instead, we will have a lunch on the
   bus for those taking the tour.

   It is my understanding that all spaces on the bus are filled
   with advance reservations.  At previous ANA conventions,
   this type of event has been a highlight for bibliophiles.

   We will continue to accept donations for the fund-raising
   auction during the general meeting. The sale is important this
   year because of the high cost of the special 25th Anniversary
   issue of The Asylum. If possible, plan to attend and bid
   generously.

   Several NBS officers and members are giving presentations at
   the Numismatic  Theater. I will mention Tom Fort speaking
   Wednesday at 1:00, Scott Rubin speaking Thursday at 1:00,
   and Joel Orosz speaking Saturday at 5:00.  The E-Sylum has
   previously mentioned other talks by NBS members.  Check the
   convention program."


THE GREAT NBS AUCTION

   Asylum Editor Tom Fort writes: "Most people think that the
   auction to benefit the library chair for the ANS on Thursday
   Night is the only numismatic literature sale of the ANA.  Such
   people are wrong.  Another place to get truly unique
   numismatic literary material will be the auction to benefit the
   NBS at our Annual meeting on Friday, 20 August. Among
   the items to be sold are:

  1. Christian Dekesel, "Jean Fois-Vaillant Antiquary of the King"
   Original manuscript of lengthy essay sent to The Asylum for
   25th anniversary issue. Includes a card signed by the author and
   the original zip disks with essay in MS Word format.

  2. Pete Smith, Signed original manuscript of his article on
     American Numismatic Pioneers that will appear in 25th
     anniversary issue of The Asylum. Also includes a signed early
     draft of this work.

   3. John Cunnally, Signed original manuscript, with illustrations,
     of his essay on Renaissance numismatic works. Also included
     are floppy disk and zip disk with same material that
     accompanied the manuscript.

   4. Douglas Saville, Signed original manuscript of his memoirs
       of 34 years at Spink and Son's Numismatic Book
       department.

   5. Pete Smith, Signed original manuscript of his essay

   6. Wayne K. Homren, Signed original manuscript of his
       essay on the beginnings of The E-Sylum.

   7. David Fanning, Signed original manuscript of his bibliography
       of the works of Walter Breen.

    8. Ink jet proof copy of The Asylum (meaning it is printed on
        8.5x11 paper, on one side only), Summer 2004, signed by
        E. Tomlinson Fort and Malgorzata Fort. Contains lots of
        comments on Dekesel's article by Dr. Fort who holds a
        PhD in Library Science and is the Head of Bibliographical
       Services at Falk Library, University of Pittsburgh. Comments
       and corrections by myself are more limited since I work
       more from a screen text. This lot also includes all back up
       CDs created as back-ups as work on the issue was in progress.

   9. Ink jet proof copy of The Asylum, Summer 2004, signed
       and with extensive comments by editor in chief David
       Fanning.

   10. Ink jet proof copy of The Asylum, Summer 2004, signed
         and with comments by NBS president Pete Smith

   11. Printed and bound proof copy of The Asylum, Summer
         2004. First version.

   12. Printed and bound proof  copy of The Asylum, Summer
          2004. Second version.

   13. E. Tomlinson Fort, "Barbarians within the gates: The mints
        of Norman England under David I of Scotland." Signed
        manuscript of presentation I shall be making at the ANA
        on Wednesday.

   14. "A Million Bucks." Courtesy of Wayne Homren. An
        original pack of Whitman Publishing play money from the
        1960s still in its original packing.

   15. Ink jet proof copy of The Asylum, Winter 2003. Also
          courtesy of Wayne Homren.

   16. "The E-Sylum." Printed proof pages of Wayne's
       forthcoming book that will publish the first four years of
       The E-Sylum. This consists of pages 8-27 and covers from
       January 4, 1999 through June 13 1999.

   17. An error copy of the third printing of Hal Dunn's Tokens
      and Medals Depicting the Carson City Mint. Donated by the
      author. Rather than double sided pages, the printer's assistant
      ran them as single sided. Also, one of the postcards depicting
     the mint became detached and was remounted at a slight angle.
     The author will supply a corrected copy when it becomes
     available.

   18. Another of the same.

   19.  A rather large piece of numismatic ephemera donated by
       Wayne Homren.  Measuring 52 inches long by 14 1/2 inches
       tall, it is a visual aid employed by Eric Newman at a talk he
       gave April 5, 1992 at the St. Louis, MO convention of the
       Early American Coppers club.  It is a sketch of a feeding arm
       used to move planchets into place for striking.  Dusty from
       storage but interesting.  Signed and dated in ink by Eric.

   In view of the high prices people have been paying for numismatic
   literary manuscripts at auction in recent years this may be your
   chance to bid on historic material at reasonable prices. Don't
   miss out. Remember that all funds do to the NBS. Also, those
   who cannot make the ANA, George Kolbe has agreed to act
   as the agent for any absentee bidders. George can be contacted
   at GFK at numislit.com."


1794 DOLLAR BOOK PUBLISHED

   Martin Logies writes: "I just thought the readers of the E-Sylum
   might be interested to learn of the publication of my new book
   exclusively on the topic of the 1794 Silver Dollar.

   The topic of the 1794 Dollar has been of great interest to me
   for more than the past decade, and something that has absorbed
   an enormous amount of my research efforts.  Being rather a
   numismatic bibliophile, I sought out to assemble a library that
   would include every auction sale in which a 1794 dollar
   appeared.  Thanks to Karl Moulton, the John Ford Library sale
   and others, I accumulated enough research to put together a
   picture of the surviving population of 1794 dollars.  That
   research has now been compiled into a new book -- The
   Flowing Hair Silver Dollars of 1794: An Historical and
   Population Census Study."

   The book consists of 212 pages (8-1/2" x 11" format), with
   nearly 200 separate images (many more if you count obverses
   and reverses separately), and information on every individual
   specimen of 1794 dollar that I was able to positively identify.

   The first printing (soft-cover) of the first edition will be released

   at the ANA show in Pittsburgh next week.  Hardcover editions
   are expected to be available sometime in September.  Here are
   links to a few preview pages of the book, posted on the PCGS
   U.S. Coin Forum:

http://forums.collectors.com/include/uploadbox/viewfile.cfm?files=1794%20Dollar%20Book%20cover%20image.jpg

http://forums.collectors.com/include/uploadbox/viewfile.cfm?files=1794%20Book%20table%20of%20contents.jpg

http://forums.collectors.com/include/uploadbox/viewfile.cfm?files=1794%20Book%20sample%201.jpg

http://forums.collectors.com/include/uploadbox/viewfile.cfm?files=1794%20Book%20sample%202.jpg"



ANS OLYMPIC CON AND MEDAL EXHIBIT CATALOG

   From the press release:  "A Simple Souvenir: Coins and Medals
   of the Olympic Games, by Peter van Alfen, the Margaret
   Thompson Assistant Curator of Greek Coins at the American
   Numismatic Society (ANS), is now available from David
   Brown Books. This richly illustrated catalogue of the current
   ANS Olympics exhibit at the Federal Reserve Bank, New
   York (temporarily closed as of August 2, 2004 due to
   heightened security in lower Manhattan), explores the social
   and political function of Olympic numismatics. Dr. van Alfen
   traces the history of the Olympics from its ancient Greek
   origins to the modern Olympic revival movements,
   encompassing not only the well-known IOC Olympics, but
   also the lesser-known Olympics held in Athens before 1896
   and in Much Wenlock, England, as well as the Socialist
   Olympics movements of the 1920s and 1930s. Illustrating
   over 120 objects, including ancient vases and sports
   equipment, early 20th century posters and other ephemera,
   in addition to the coins and medals, the book offers a unique
   perspective on the Olympics and its numismatic heritage.

   160p, illus., ISBN 0897222938. Hardback. Price US $50.00
   American Numismatic Society members receive a 30%
   discount

   The David Brown Book Co
   PO Box 511, Oakville CT 06779
   Toll-free: 800-791-9354  Tel: 860-945-9329
   email: david.brown.bk.co at snet.net
   Web site: <http://www.oxbowbooks.com/> enter the site,
   then  click "distributed titles", and choose  - The American
   Numismatic Society and miscellaneous publications.

   For more information contact Juliette Pelletier, Membership
   and Development Manager at: 212-571-4470 ext. 1311
   or email Pelletier at numismatics.org"


COIN COLLECTOR'S ADVOCACY GROUP FORMED

   Arthur Shippee forwarded this note from the Explorator
   mailing list:

   Collectors of ancient coins, noting the recent proliferation of
   cultural property legislation whose hastily drafted and poorly
   thought out provisions could (probably unintentionally) cause
   very serious problems for coin collectors, have founded the
   Ancient Coin Collectors Guild.  The goal of this guild is to
   foster an environment in which the general public can continue
   to confidently and legally acquire and hold, for personal or
   professional use, any numismatic item of historical interest
   regardless of date or place of origin.

   Some objectives of the ACCG are:

   * To lobby effectively against the imposition of import
      restrictions on coins of any age or place.

   * To seek, in the event of adverse legislative action, a
       federal court ruling affirming the right of individuals to
       collect objects from the past.

   * To fight for the continued existence in the U.S. of a
      free market for all collector coins.

   * To bolster legitimacy of the ancient coin market through
      establishment of a national dealer code of ethics.

   The ACCG website address is http://accg.us/.

   There has been a huge response to the announcement of
   this new advocacy group's formation, and membership of
   the ACCG is rapidly growing as coin collectors, alarmed
   about efforts to portray collecting of antiquities as immoral
   and unethical, flock to join.


COLLECTOR QUIZ ANSWER CONFIRMED

   Regarding my answer to his earlier quiz question,
   W. David Perkins writes: "Alfred J. Ostheimer is
   correct."


GAME SHOW BIBLIOPHILE QUESTION

   Mike Greenspan writes: "Some of the more erudite E-Sylum
   subscribers might already know this:

   On the "Do You Want To Be A Millionaire," quiz show which
   aired about a week ago here in Houston, one of the questions
   was, "What do you call a person who studies literature printed
   before 1500?"

   The answer: An incunabulist.  Who knew??? Certainly not I."


SCRIP FOUND AMONG OLD MUNICIPAL RECORDS

   Allegheny City, annexed to the City of Pittsburgh in 1907,
   was once a separate thriving city across the Allegheny River
   from Pittsburgh.  The area is now known simply as "The
   North Side" and is the home of PNC Park and Heinz Field,
   where the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers play.   A recent
   newspaper article discusses "Allegheny city's records [which]
   were transferred to Carnegie Library on the North Side for
   storage and largely forgotten. In 1969, the records were
   moved to the University of Pittsburgh, where they sat
   untouched for decades, most recently on 43 pallets on a
   loading dock at Hillman Library.

   "It had a roof over it, but it wasn't environmentally controlled.
   The records were filthy. It looked as if some attempts were
   made over the years to restore them, but I guess it was
   overwhelming for the resources they had at the time," said
   Jerry Ellis, one of two state archivists who have been working
   for months to restore the collection so it can be viewed by
   historians, social scientists and doctoral students. "Here's a
   19th-century collection. A complete package."

   "Under current record management laws, municipalities are
   required to keep records such as fiscal receipts for three to
   seven years. But 150 years ago, especially in Allegheny city,
   the process seemed to be to keep everything. For historians,
   it's a boon. "They had no records management," said archivist
   David W. Shoff, who is working on the project with Ellis.
   "This stuff was just kept."

    "Using a special vacuum cleaner, dry paper towels and a
   dust-gathering sponges, they've spent any free minute they've
   had cleaning the documents and indexing what is there.
   Everything is now stored on one floor in the state's archives,
   a 21-story records tower that is light-, temperature- and
   humidity-controlled. The documents are in acid-free folders
   and containers to slow deterioration. Some of the most
   critical documents, such as books of minutes, have been
   or will be microfilmed, ensuring that they'll be around for
   400 years.

   "The paper is probably good for another couple of hundred
   years," Ellis said. "Now that it's not being attacked any more,
   it'll last. You can't stop the deterioration, but you can slow it
   down."

   "Ellis said the most difficult part of processing the records
   was trying to work without getting sidetracked and fascinated
   by what they contained."

   "The centerpiece of the collection is contained in more than
   300 volumes of financial records, including two volumes of
   bond books for city streets such as California Avenue; 11
   cartons of contracts; two folders of circulation reports from
   newspapers including the Pittsburgh Gazette, a predecessor
   of the Post-Gazette; all manner of tax records, housing
   surveys, sewer assessments and auditors' records. There are
   receipts for fees paid by butchers, push cart peddlers and
   wagon vendors, and correspondence from various city
   departments including the controller. Ellis has even found scrip
   issued by banks in the 1840s."

   "For more information about the Allegheny city records, call
   the Pennsylvania State Archives at 1-717-783-3281 or go to
   www.phmc.state.pa.us."

   To read the full article, see:
   http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04224/359531.stm

   [I've contacted the archivists about the scrip that was found
   in the collection.  Perhaps someday research in the archives
   will reveal more information about the issuance and use of
   municipal scrip in the early 19th century.  Thank heaven for
   pack rats. -Editor]


NEW WEB FOR TRANSFERRING MONEY

   Dick Johnson writes: "The Federal Reserve has developed a
   new internet-based system to move money around.  But this
   money is debits and credits – not coins and currency of
   interest to numismatists.

   On an average day the Fed transfers $1.8 trillion this way.
   This is more than twice the $675 billion of total U.S. coins
   and currency in circulation (as of last count, December
  2002).

   An article in the August 15, 2004 New York Post, writer
   Hilary Kramer tells about the Fed’s new web plan. It’s
   called FedLine Advantage. Previously it did all this on a
   closed, stand-alone,  Microsoft DOS operation system
   computer network, which is said to be outdated. The
   article  discusses the obvious security concerns.

   Of concern to numismatists is the growing tendency of
   money transactions away from traditional  forms we collect.
   Are we destined for a coinless, currencyless money system?

   The article can be found at:
   http://www.nypost.com/business/18671.htm "


CARSON CITY QUARTER SPENT IN COIN SHOW STUNT

   An August 11 article in the Reno Gazette-Journal recounts
   how E-Sylum subscriber Rusty Goe spent a valuable Carson
   City mint coin to promote a local coin show.

   "The search is on for an 1877-CC Liberty Seated quarter
   minted in Carson City that is worth $300 to the person who
   redeems the valuable coin at the Nevada State Museum.

   Reno coin dealer and collector Rusty Goe purposely spent
   the quarter in Carson City last weekend to raise awareness
   for the Carson City Mint Coin Show on Aug. 28-29 at the
   state museum."

   "Goe said he made a $2.37 purchase at [a] store and paid
   with a stack of quarters with the rare coin tucked among the
   modern quarters.

   "I tried to divert the clerk's attention in the hope that he
   wouldn't just look at each quarter and he didn't," he said.

   Goe said he has the receipt that shows the date, time and
   location of his purchase. He said the transaction was
   photographed from a distance.

   "I winked into the camera then I walked out of the store,
   and we took pictures outside to use as a reference. The
   cashier had no idea what was going on," he said."

   http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/08/11/77719.php


DR. THOMAS ADDIS EMMET CONFEDERATE CURRENCY

   Fred Reed writes: "I am researching Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet
   and his Confederate Currency collection for a future article and
   understand that Mark Rabinowitz authored an article several
   years ago about Emmet's Colonial Currency collection.

   I'd like to trade ideas with Mark, but only have an outdated
   e-mail address for him.  Mark does great research and doubtless
   somebody on the E-Sylum list knows his whereabouts. If a reader
   could put me in touch with Mark, I'd be obliged.  My email
   address is freed3 at airmail.net.  Thanks"


S.O.B. NEWSLETTERS SOUGHT

   Alan Roy writes: "I have a question for the readers.  Recently,
   I received a couple of issues of the "Society of Bearded
   Numismatists Newsletter." One is Vol. 1 # 1 (cover titled
   "Learned S.O.B.Servations"), dated April 1977. Does anybody
   know when the last editions was issued?  I was hoping to
   expand my collection.  If there are any former S.O.B.s with
   newsletters, or other Society material, they are willing to part
   with, I would be very interested. They can contact me at
   aroy at theoffice.net."


ANS BUILDING QUIZ

   Pete Smith writes: "In response to Dick Johnson's question,
   I know that Sylvester S. Crosby is the only American author
   with his name in stone at the ANS. (And so the only name
   within my area of expertise).  I am not aware of a source
   with a complete listing of names."

   [Surely there is someone else out there who can give us
    more of the names.  Don't New Yorkers ever look up?
    -Editor]


U.S. MUSEUM NUMISMATIC COLLECTIONS

   Pete Smith writes; "In response to Chris Faukner's question,
   I recall an article in Coin World or Numismatic News that
   listed numismatic museums in the U.S. I don't know if I
   pulled it for my clipping file. Unfortunately my clipping file
   is a disorganized black hole where information frequently
   falls in but is infrequently retrieved."

   Fred Reed writes: "Regarding the request for a listing of
   numismatic museums, this is just the kind of listing that we
   used to compile when I worked for Coin World 25 years
   and more ago.

   The chapter on museums in the 1978 edition of the Coin
   World Almanac spans 17 pages and lists (by a quick
   count) 126  or so numismatic displays at U.S. institutions
   and another 86 or so numismatic displays at international
   institutions.

   I don't know if the current staff keeps the list up-to-date,
   but if somebody wants to take on the chore, the Coin
   World Almanac would be a good jumping off place."


HOMREN PAMPHLET AND EPHEMERA FILES

   Until recently, my pamphlet and ephemera files were
   another black hole.  In my copious "free time" over the
   last couple weeks I've organized everything into a set
   of binders to ease viewing during the August 20th tour.
   I'm glad I did - it's a breeze to find things now.  Each
   binder has a cover sheet with a title describing what's
   inside, and has a number to help keep things in order.
   Here's the list:

   1      Colonial Coinage
   2      Vlack Photos #1
   3      Vlack Photos #2
   4      U.S. Coinage Laws
   5      U.S. Mints
   6      U.S. Large Cents
   7      U.S. Coinage
   8      U.S. Commemoratives
   9      U.S. Patterns
  10      Canadian Numismatics
  11      Civil War Numismatics
  12      Hard Times Tokens
  13      Hard Times Token Photos (ex-Champa)
  14      Hard Times Token Photos (ex-Miller)
  15      Other Tokens
  16      Private & Pioneer Gold
  17      Political Tokens & Medals
  18      Other Medals
  19      Proposed Coinage
  20      Colonial Currency
  21      Lotteries
  22      U.S. Obsolete Currency
  23      Counterfeit Detectors
  24      U.S. Currency
  25      American Numismatic Society
  26      American Numismatic Association
  27      ANA Conventions
  28      ANA Convention 1994
  29      ANA Convention 1998
  30      Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society
  31      Other Numismatic Organizations
  32      American Journal of Numismatics
  33      The Numismatist
  34      Other Numismatic Periodicals
  35      Numismatic Collections & Exhibits
  36      Numismatic Americana
  37      Q. David Bowers #1
  38      Q. David Bowers #2
  39      B. Max Mehl
  40      Prospectuses
  41      Numismatic Correspondence
  42      Numismatic Literature
  43      Low's General Morelos Coinage
  44      M. N. Daycious Hoax
  45      Numismatic Supplies
  46      Coin Buying Guides
  47      Fixed Price Lists
  48      Auction Catalogs #1
  49      Auction Catalogs #2
  50      Auction Catalogs #3
  51      Auction Catalogs #4
  52      Auction Catalogs #5
  53      Auction Catalogs #6
  54      Auction Catalogs #7
  55      Audio Home Study Guide

   I can't speak for Tom, but at my house feel free to
   take photos of the library and our group.  Please save
   copies of your photos for our NBS archives and for
   a possible post-event commemorative booklet.


MORE ON THE  "E" AND "L" COUNTERSTAMPS

   Responding to Mark Borckardt's comments regarding the
   E and L counterstamps, Tom DeLorey writes:
   "Although a few old Mint dies were floating around in
   numismatic circles back in the 19th Century, the hand
   punching of the lettering in slightly variable positions would
   have made it necessary to find the precise die that struck
   this small hoard of high grade coins, and not just any reverse
   die of this type.

   Also, a private counterstamper would have had no need to
   find and use a reverse die. Judging from Brunk
   counterstamping was rather common in the 19th Century,
   and nobody seemed to mind if the coin so marked came
   out slightly bent or cup-shaped.

   As to the suggestion that a soft (as in softer than the coin)
   base could have been used, I have done a number of
   counterstamps over the years, using either an anvil or a
   block of wood as my base, and the only thing that did
   not warp was a gold Krugerrand."


COUNTERSTAMPING TRADE SECRET (NOT REVEALED)

   Dick Johnson writes: "Medal makers have been using
   punches to place dates, names, other lettering, on existing
   medals for hundreds of years.  They all face the problem
   of mashing the detail on the opposite side of the item being
   punched, as will occur when the piece is laid on some hard
   surface.   (Something in physics about “an equal and opposite
   reaction” I suppose.)  The suggestion in last week’s E-Sylum,
   of using hard woods, oak, iron wood, ebony, are just not
   realistic.

   Every medal manufacture has a thick piece of ..............
   in which he places the item to be punched to add custom
   lettering if this has to be done by punches (instead of, say,
   inscribing with a motorized engraver or engraved with a
   burin).  .............  is sturdy enough to hold the piece
   intact while the blow is imparted to the punch to sink into
   the surface of the piece, yet this material is resilient enough
   to “give” and not damage the piece on the opposite side
   (at the contraposition location).

   This is one trade secret I refuse to reveal. I’m just not
   going to tell you what  ........... is.  I personally dislike
   unauthorized counterstamping on coins, medals, tokens,
   whatever.  Yes, I know this was done in areas of the
   world where coins were scarce and counterstamping
   was done to identify pieces for use in local areas.  That
   was in the far past. Today we have enough mints
   around the world to strike coins for circulation without need
   for usurping another country’s coins by counterstamping.
   Or irrationally punching your own country’s coins.

   I will reveal this, however. For creating repousé a thin
   copper sheet is laid on a tub of tar and pitchblend. It is
   tapped with a punch to form a design.  This is the nearest
   thing to ........... being used in modern times.

   Since The E-Sylum goes on the world wide web, I don’t
   want this secret to get in the hands of hundreds of
   schoolboys who get their mitts on a punch or two and add
   their own brand of graffiti on any coins or medals. (Okay,
   you juvenile delinquents, go get a tub of tar and pitchblend
   and punch away. You didn’t learn about it from me.)"


COPPER CENTS USED IN WINE TESTING

   Dick Johnson writes: "In sixty years I have been reading about
   Lincoln Cents I thought I had heard it all.  Not so. I thought I
   had  heard of every conceivable use of a Lincoln cent for
   nonmonetary purposes.  Like substituting a cent for a burnt-out
   fuse in a fuse box, as a temporary screwdriver, a paint can
   opener, or even left over from the days of the large cent –
   placing a coin on the eyelid of a recently deceased person to
   assure the lid is shut before rigor mortis sets in.

   Well, in a story in the Indianapolis Star this week, food writer
   Patti Denton tells of a wine testing competition at the Indiana
   State Fairgrounds for the Governor’s Cup which ended August
   4th.  Thirteen judges had to test 3,644 wine entries. Judge
   Linda Jones McKee, who is president of a Pennsylvania
   winery group and has been testing wines for 12 years,
   disclosed this trick. In Patti Denton’s own words:

   ‘One of her judging tricks caught the eye of a fellow first-time
   judge.  They had a wine that was producing a strong sulfur
   smell. McKee dropped a penny in the glass, which dissipates
   some of the aroma. For that reason, McKee tries to keep
   a penny minted before 1995, when the copper content was
   higher.  Unfortunately the coin revealed some other faults the
   wine had as well, she said.’

   The next time a sommelier serves me a glass of wine that
   smells like vinegar would it help if I dumped all my pocket
   change in the glass?"

   http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/169207-4538-067.html


FEATURED WEB PAGE

   This week's featured web page is the June 10, 1999 online
   journal of Ira Glass, host of Public Radio International's "This
   American Life", where he describes an evening with money
   artist J.S.G. Boggs:

   "At the beginning of our presentation at the Art Institute,
   Boggs produced a copy of the Chicago yellow pages. He
   asked the audience for the name of a local pizza place. On
   his cell phone he called and ordered some pizzas. When
   they arrived at the theater, he asked the delivery guy up
   onstage, and tried to pay for the food with a drawing of a
   $50 bill. It was, frankly, a little uncomfortable. The guy
   delivering the pizzas suddenly found himself standing on a
   stage, lots of people watching, being asked to make a
   decision: Did he want Boggs to give him $50 in real cash
   -- or did he want the drawing instead? He broke out in a
   sweat. All the poor guy knew is that if he didn't show up
   back at work with real American currency to cover those
   pizzas he took out, he'd be in trouble.  He turned down
   the deal. It was hard not to jump in and just tell him: "You
   can make a thousand dollars here!  Take the drawing!"

   http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=29923


  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. Membership is only $15 to
  addresses in North America, $20 elsewhere.
  For those without web access, write to W. David
  Perkins, NBS Secretary-Treasurer,
  P.O. Box 3888, Littleton, CO  80161-3888.

  For Asylum mailing address changes and other
  membership questions, contact David at this email
  address: wdperki at attglobal.net

  To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum,
  just Reply to this message, or write to the Editor
  at this address: whomren at coinlibrary.com

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   send an email message with the word "Unsubscribe"
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