The E-Sylum v7#49, December 5, 2004
whomren at coinlibrary.com
whomren at coinlibrary.com
Fri Dec 3 13:57:18 PST 2004
Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 49, December 5, 2004:=20
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.=20
Copyright (c) 2004, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
EARLY PUBLICATION
This issue of The E-Sylum has been published early to=20
accommodate your editor=92s travel schedule and a very
sick home computer. Have a great weekend, and keep your
submissions coming.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATE QUESTION
John Isles of Hanover, Michigan writes: =93Thank you! =20
Great newsletter, as always. The best things in life=20
Are free. Well, at least, that saying fits this fact!
Please excuse me for reporting a small misgiving about=20
your section "Subscriber Update". Why don't you mention
_all_ the new arrivals? If one is singled out, the=20
others will feel excluded; and maybe some readers will=20
know other arrivals better.
Just a thought; please forgive, and keep up the good=20
work.=94
[In the old days, I processed every subscription change
by hand, updating a mailing list on my own computer. =20
When we moved to the mailing list service provided by
Binhost.com, those duties were partially automated. =20
Although people do still email me with requests (which=20
I process via binhost), a number of people go through
Binhost independently, so people can come and go from=20
the list without my involvement. As an administrator=20
of the mailing I can of course see the list and do=20
notice new email addresses, but I don=92t have the time=20
to follow-up to learn subscriber names (lack of time
was a big reason for automating it in the first=20
place. I do acknowledge subscribers that I=92m aware=20
of.
While on the topic, we should also note that the=20
subscriber count number Binhost gives us is probably=20
inflated, because I don=92t think it takes into account=20
email addresses that no longer work. We could review=20
and purge the list on occasion, but just haven=92t=20
bothered to do so yet. So 700 is a maximum number;=20
the reality the number is probably smaller. -Editor]
NBS MEETING AT FLORIDA SHOW
Fred Lake writes: =93There will be a meeting of all=20
interested Numismatic Bibliomania Society members at=20
the Florida United Numismatists 50th Anniversary Coin=20
Show being held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday,=20
January 15, 2005 at 11:30 AM in the convention center.=20
Our scheduled speaker has unfortunately had to withdraw=20
due to another commitment and if you would like to give
a short (20 minutes, or so) talk at the meeting, please
let me know (fredlake at tampabay.rr.com) and your name=20
will appear in the convention program. Audio/Visual
aids are available. The meeting is usually quite=20
informal and we hope to see many of our members and=20
potential members there."
LAKE BOOKS SALE #77 CLOSING SOON
Fred Lake writes: "Lake Books reminds everyone that=20
their mail-bid sale of numismatic literature #77 closes=20
on Tuesday, December 7, 2004 at 5:00 PM (EST). The sale
may be viewed at http://www.lakebooks.com/current.html.=20
Bids may be placed by telephone, email, or FAX prior to
the closing time. The sale features selections from the
libraries of John M. Ward, Jr. (EAC #74) and Robert=20
Doyle (Part II)."
SPY PIGEON=92S MEDAL FETCHES =A39,200
Last week we discusses the Dickin medal, and the following=20
article recounts the latest specimen to be sold, where we
learn of an unnamed collector seeking to acquire all the=20
Dickin medals issued to pigeons. Four down, 28 to go:
=93A prized bravery medal awarded to a spy pigeon which flew=20
vital intelligence out of occupied France during the=20
Second World War was sold at auction today for =A39,200.
The rare PDSA Dickin Medal was awarded to Commando the=20
pigeon for his heroics helping British secret agents
unearth Nazi military tactics.
The medal =96 the equivalent of the Victoria Cross for=20
animals =96 is one of only 60 awarded to the true beasts
of war.
It was auctioned by Spink of London today on behalf of=20
The grandson of the pigeon=92s owner and bought by a=20
British collector who already has three such medals=20
awarded to pigeons and is aiming to get all 32 issued.
A spokeswoman for the auction house said: =93It was a good=20
sale and a crowded room so we=92re very happy.=94
To read the full article, see:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3D3824504=20
ARTICLE DISCUSSES ELIASBERG COINS
The Associated press published a story this week
About the upcoming Eliasberg auction:
=93When rare coin expert John Kraljevich holds a=20
2,400-year-old gold coin in his hand, visions of=20
centuries of drama, even intrigue and mystery=20
fill his head.
Kraljevich and colleagues at a Wolfeboro company
are getting plenty of those visions lately, as=20
they examine a treasure expected to fetch at least
several million dollars at auction next spring.
"We=92ve got piles and piles of them around here,"=20
he said of the coins being examined at American=20
Numismatic Rarities.
Kraljevich, the company=92s director of numismatic=20
research, said the 2,800 coins from fabled collector
Louis Eliasberg are drawing so much interest because=20
they include a huge variety from around the world=20
and have been hidden away in a bank vault in=20
Baltimore for more than 40 years.
Usually, he said, someone assembles a collection,=20
holds it for 10 or 20 years, then puts it up for=20
sale or auction. Parts of this collection were on=20
display in the 1960s, but much of it was put away=20
and essentially forgotten.
It includes gold coins from ancient Greece and Rome, =20
an extensive collection of gold from Latin America=20
and rare items from Japan.
[Now referring to Dave Bowers...]
=93He said the current generation of collectors had no
idea such a vast amount of rare items existed, let=20
alone that it was going to come on the market
"It=92s just a fantastic collection, sort of like King=20
Tut=92s Tomb or Ali Baba=92s cave," he said.=94
=93"It=92s dramatic," he said. "There=92s a reason why=20
hidden gold treasure is a theme in so many movies.=20
The idea of a golden treasure is one of those
evocative images that anyone can identify with."
Eliasberg, a prominent Baltimore banker and=20
philanthropist who died in 1976, bought most of the=20
collection in the 1940s, and added to it into the=20
mid-1970s. Part of it drew tens of thousands of=20
spectators when on display at the Smithsonian Museum
in 1960. Elisasberg=92s family recently decided to put=20
the collection up for auction.
Several dozen of the coins will be displayed at the=20
Baltimore Coin & Currency Convention, this week and=20
during the New York City International Numismatic=20
Convention, in mid-January. All 2,800 coins will be=20
auctioned in New York City on April 18 and 19.=94
To read the full article, see:
=20
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/334/region/N_H_experts_sorting_examining_=
:.shtm
l=20
SPINK SALE THANKS
Regarding our recent mention of a new numismatic=20
literature sale by Spink, Douglas Saville writes:=20
=93Many thanks for mentioning the sale of this major=20
library. We have received many requests for the=20
Catalogue. This will be mailed out in February.
With all best wishes and we reckon you do a great
job in keeping us all in touch with what goes on in=20
numismatic literature.
HOW A DEDICATED BIBLIOPHILE ACQUIRED A KEY JAPANESE REFERENCE
The following is an excerpt from Joe Boling=92s
account of his numismatic adventures, reprinted
from the Tuesday November 30, 2004 issue of the
MPC Gram (Number 1217):
=93Shortly after arriving in Germany I had an
opportunity to buy the complete eleven-volume set=20
of the Zuroku Nihon no Kahei, lavish silk-bound
large-format books that had been published one at
a time in Japan for the past several years. Charlie
Warner in Tokyo had a set for $750. I did not have
$750. I had to go to the Chase Manhattan branch in
Heidelberg and take out a loan (it probably ran 8-10
months) to get the funds to pay for the books, but
they were worth every dime. I used them a lot over=20
the next 25+ years, taking care to always handle=20
them with clean hands and to repack then in their=20
original glassine wrappers and cardboard cases=20
before every change of station. They were still
like new when I transferred them to the ANA two=20
years ago. ANA had one set in the rare book room=20
already - from Rev Coole. Rare book room books=20
do not circulate - you have to go to Colorado to=20
look at them. Nancy Green agreed that if she got=20
my set, then she would allow one set to be loaned=20
by mail, so if you are looking for something
exotic in Japanese numismatics, there is a=20
resource that not many collectors have at their=20
fingertips.
[Nancy Green showed me the Coole set when I visited=20
American Numismatic Association headquarters last
year. Many thanks for Joe for making his set=20
available to researchers. Few bibliophiles are so
dedicated as to take out a loan for book purchases,
and not nearly enough of us make significant donations
to our hobby=92s key libraries. =96Editor]
WALL STREET JOURNAL COIN INVESTMENT ARTICLE
Rich Jewell writes: =93Some of your readers may have=20
missed this article in the Wall Street Journal:
=93Investors Flock to Coins Amid Rising Metal Prices=94
=93Rare coins are starting to attract investors more at
home with stock brokers than coin dealers.
The interest in coins comes as sophisticated investors
are increasingly looking for assets outside of the U.S.
stock market, which many market observers expect to=20
post only modest gains during the coming year. In buying
rare coins, individuals not only acquire a collectible=20
asset, but they are also getting exposure to precious=20
metals.=94
[Like locusts, periodic hordes of outside investors
descend on the numismatic hobby in search of outsized
returns. Once enough of them get burned, the horde
retreats. The article seemed well-balanced, pointing
out the pitfalls as well as the potential benefits of
investing in numismatics. =96Editor]
BOOKS: WEIGHING HEAVY ON HOMES?
Last week Nick Graver asked: =93Since average homes are=20
built for typical room occupancy, most book collections
place a much heavier strain on them, long term. Have
homes sustained cracks or damage due to the weight of
collections?"
Alan Luedeking writes: =93My advice to Mr. Graver: Choose
not to locate your numismatic library, your waterbed=20
and your grand piano on the second floor.
David Davis writes: =93I am not sure if I have ever seen=20
anything either written or discussed on the subject.=20
It would seem prudent to anyone designing a new home=20
to let their architect know about the size of their=20
library and method of storing books. As I keep almost
all of my books in barrister bookcases that are=20
relocatable and of different heights due to the ability
to stack same, I designed my bonus room (soon to be my
library, I hope) over the garage to carry 125 lbs.=20
square foot instead of the typical 50 to 60 used for=20
conventional homes. I used barn trusses instead of=20
residential trusses. The fact that most bookcases are
located on the periphery of a room which are more likely=20
to be over weight bearing walls or beams probably saves=20
most floors. Such problems are the reason most=20
remodellers have to be very cautious when asked to=20
remove walls in older houses.=94
Granvyl Hulse writes: =93My house is a 130 year old fifteen=20
room two and a half story wooden building. It was in the=20
attic that I stored the Numismatic International library
until recently. About ten years after I took on the job=20
as NI Librarian, and before I had my cataract operations,=20
my late wife called me into the living room on the first
floor, and pointing to the ceiling, asked me if I saw=20
anything unusual. One look with my glasses off and I=20
headed to the lumber yard and picked up two eight by=20
eight inch eight foot long beams. One was placed in the
basement, and after jacking up the cross beam on the
living room ceiling the second was placed directly above
the basement beam.
The weight of the books in the attic was literally
forcing the house to sag inward. I am happy to say that
I have had no further problems, but if my wife had not=20
spotted the living room ceiling sagging we, and the=20
library, would have eventually descended into the=20
basement.
Joe Boling writes: =93When Fred Schwan built his=20
(then-new) house in Port Clinton, he had a full wall=20
(floor to high ceiling with ladder) book case installed.=20
As he loaded it, the wall began to sag and crack. The=20
solution was to go under the house and install wedges=20
on the foundation pilings that were supporting that=20
wall.
=20
Books are not the only load-creator. Safes also create
massive floor loads. One reason I could never live in
a condo is that there are none that will support my
two-ton safe (that was the weight before it was filled)=20
not to mention the problem of getting it to any floor=20
above the ground level - it has to come in through a=20
garage with no steps).=94 =20
BATTY COLLECTION REFERENCE FOUND
Darryl Atchison writes: =93Here is a response I received=20
from Michael Knight on my query concerning D.T. Batty's=20
collection. I thought I would share this with our other
readers since Batty was such an important and interesting=20
cataloguer.=94 Michael writes,
"The report of sale of his collection in 1910 comes from=20
Manville & Robertson 'British Numismatic Auction Catalogues
1710-1984' (1986) on page 375. Where it states "Collection
reportedly dispersed c1910; Canadian material formerly in=20
the collection of DT Batty, the numismatic compiler=20
included in sale 1902-29"
When you look under sale 29 in 1902 section, it is not=20
the correct sale. Correct sale reference is 1902-31 for
Glendining 11-13 June "originally collected by the late=20
DT Batty..1131 Canadian coins and tokens..".
I suspect that collection was sold way before 1910, and
the 1902 sale was by original purchaser of Canadian Group.
Batty was touting his collection for sale as early as=20
1895. In that year WJ Davis published 'The Token Coinage=20
of Warwickshire'. In the adverts at the back is one from=20
Batty, announcing that he is distributing his private=20
collection, mostly in mint condition, each numbered as=20
described in volumes 1 and 2 of his work. He would be=20
glad to have enquiries for specialities, series or=20
counties. He mentions he also wants to sell his Canadian=20
tokens (interestingly he says it contains nearly 2,000=20
tokens). His West Indian and Rosa Americanas will be=20
offered shortly in one lot.
So I guess that there is no sale catalogue for the other
elements of his collection, as Batty was using his book=20
as the sale catalogue and it was sold in parts.
Hope this helps"
ALEXANDER AS HERAKLES
Michael Marotta writes: =93In The E-Sylum, Vol.7, Nu. 48,
November 28, 2004, William Bischoff wrote: To clinch
the argument [about Afghan kings], consider the fact=20
that even the portraits of Alexander were initially=20
understood (if that is the right word) as pictures of
a god in his [Alexander's] image: up to that time the
Greeks had not pictured mortals on their coinage."
That depends on what we mean by "Greek" and what we=20
mean by "mortal." The Greek National Museum has a coin
of the Persian satrap Tissaphernes that is an obvious=20
portrait in the style of an Athenian "Owl." That coin=20
comes from 400 BC. Other Carian and Lycian governors=20
asserted their independence about 350 BC and struck=20
coins carrying their own images, among them Perikle=20
and Mithrapata. (For these and others, see Sear
=93Greek Coins and Their Values=94, for instance.) Contact
between these "eastern" peoples and the Greeks went=20
back to the time of the Illiad. Herodotus came from=20
Halicarnassus, the site of the tomb of Mausallos. =20
About 350 BC Artabazus of Phrygia hired Athenian=20
mercenaries in his quest for independence -- if not=20
the Persian crown. When defeated, he found refuge at
the court of Philip of Macedon. Philip betrothed his
"other" son, Arrhidaeus to the daughter of Pixodoros,=20
the younger brother of Mausallos. So, there was attested
contact between the Macedonians and the Carians. =20
Therefore, Alexander must have known that some men on
the rise put their own portraits on coins. In parallel
with all of that, Macedonian coins also carried portraits,
representations, and portrayals of the kings as Herakles=20
(Amyntas II and Perkkidas III) and as Zeus (Philip II). =20
Much of this hinges on the distinctions between Macedonian
and Hellenic traditions, a subject of intense debate=20
today just as it was 2500 years ago.
Bischoff's point is both subtle and ponderous. In the=20
instances of the satraps, they simply put their own faces
on coins. The Macedonian kings took the perhaps expedient=20
route of allowing their images to be used as the models=20
for gods. Whether Alexander considered himself divine=20
is often questioned. The fact is that he hosted symposia
to rationally discuss his divinity four years before
the priests at Siwah declared him to be the son of Amon.=20
All of that was laid out in "Portraits and Representations=20
of Alexander the Great" which I co-authored with Ann M.=20
Zakelj, for the July 2002 issue of The Celator. More=20
recently, I delivered an update to that work at the=20
recent conference "Coinage and Identities in the Ancient=20
World" sponsored by the Nickle Arts Museum of Calgary=20
(Nov. 4-6, 2004). This was a judged, peer reviewed=20
paper. Also speaking at that conference were Andrew=20
Meadows of the British Museum, Shailendra Bhandare of
the Ashmolean Museum, Haim Gitler (Israel Museum) and=20
Edinburgh University's emeritus, Keith Rutter. Until=20
The middle of the 20th century, our thesis, that=20
Alexander purposely portrayed himself as Herakles, was
assumed to be true. Even in our age of doubt, it is
not dismissed out of hand by all serious scholars.=94
DEPARTMENT STORE COIN SHOP PUBLICATION
Chris Faulkner writes: =93While sorting through a box=20
of numismatic literature this Sunday morning that had
been sitting in my basement for longer than my wife=20
likes to remember, I came across an interesting=20
little booklet. It belongs with the ongoing=20
reminiscences that people have been offering about=20
coin shops in department stores. The booklet is=20
entitled "Catalogue and Price List of Gold Coins"=20
and it was put out by the Coin Department of the=20
J.L. Hudson Company store in Detroit, at 1206 Woodward
Avenue. The date of publication is 1957 and the=20
booklet cost 50 cents. It is 6" x 9" with yellow card=20
covers and black lettering. There are 31 pages and=20
four plates (an inset on the front cover, the inside=20
and outside back cover, and the next to last page). A
total of 890 gold coins from Afghanistan to Venezuela,=20
ancients to moderns, are given numbered entries, while=20
United States gold is listed separately by denomination.=20
The terms and conditions of this fixed price catalogue=20
State that "All coins in this list are offered subject
to prior sale."=20
What strikes me today is what a remarkable inventory=20
of world wide gold coins this catalogue represents,=20
including some extremely rare items: a Belgian 1912=20
100 franc piece; an 1824 Great Britain 2 pounds (the=20
Murdoch specimen); an 1825 Great Britain set of plain
edge proofs of the 2, 1 and =BD pound coins; a Great=20
Britain proof half sovereign of 1821; an 1871 5 peso
(pattern?) for Honduras struck at Philadelphia; a=20
five denomination Japanese set struck for exhibition
at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial; a similar set
for 1877; the Hawaii 1883 =BD, =BC and 1/8 of a dollar=20
struck in platinum and the 1884 =BD and =BC struck in gold;=20
a U.S. 1861S $20.00 with Paquet reverse.
All of the foregoing rarities list at over $1000. On=20
the other hand, one could get an aureus of Nero in AU=20
for $200.; a 1795 U.S. $10.00 gold in AU for $375.;=20
a 1796 in UNC for $400. Needless to say, none of this=20
was pocket change even in 1957, whether at the high=20
or the low end. Dazzling, actually.
I'm not sure how I ended up with this little price
list, since I'm not from Detroit, have never been to=20
this store, and don't collect gold. An interesting=20
item, though.
RADIOACTIVE NUMISMATICA?
Ken Berger writes: =93The article about paper preservation
was interesting. I found an even more interesting one,=20
although it is not related to numismatics. In the 28=20
November 2004 issue of PARADE, there's an article about=20
Madame Curie. The article stated that " ... Madame=20
Curie's workbooks, letters and personal diary - which=20
had been banned for more than half a century -were being
released. Some of these documents had been sealed=20
because they still bore traces of radioactivity. Until
the recent past, when Marie Curie's physicist=20
granddaughter decontaminated most of these papers,=20
anyone who wanted to read a Curie document at the=20
Biblioteque Nationale had to sign a medical release." =20
Besides the still available neutron-irradiated dimes of
the 1950s & 1960s, does anyone know of any numismatic-
related items which are unavailable because of=20
radioactivity?=94
[There was a recent news story about an Asian banknote
confiscated because it was found to be radioactive.
I had trouble getting to the web site a search engine=20
referred me to, and didn=92t publish the piece. Perhaps=20
one of our readers and locate the reference for us.
-Editor]
BANK MACHINE SPEWS FAKE CASH
On December 2, Reuters published a story about an=20
incident at an automated teller machine owned by Toronto=92s
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce:=20
=93Instead of distributing C$20 bills, the machine, located
in the Maritime province of New Brunswick, spat out=20
colorful bills used as incentives at Canadian Tire Corp.=20
hardware stores.=20
"The Canadian Tire money was contained within a bulk of=20
regular currency, and it was apparently loaded into one=20
of our bank machines," said CIBC spokesman Rob MacLeod.=20
The bank has refunded the money, issued apologies and
started an investigation into how the incident, on Monday,=20
occurred, MacLeod said.=20
To read the full story, see:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3D6978308=20
LIVING IN A MEDAL HOUSE?
Dick Johnson writes: =93No! They built a metal house.=20
But this is a doozie for my numismatic bloopers in
print collection. From the November 17, 2004 Victoria=20
Texas Advocate:
"Ranchers Jon and Mary Jo Poole moved into their=20
"metallic" home in May. Jon explains that the decision=20
to build a house entirely of medal [sic] was for economy=20
and efficiency. While Mary Jo jokes that the house has=20
no "curb appeal," the Pooles say they are very pleased
with their new quarters."
http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/local/local/story/2349926p-2720633c=
.html
LINCOLN CENT RECOMMENDED AS TIRE TREAD GAUGE
Dick Johnson writes: =93It has long been known to use a=20
Lincoln Cent in a way never imagined by its creator=20
Victor D. Brenner 95 years ago. That is: to measure=20
the remaining depth of tread on auto tires while still
mounted on the car. California law specifies the=20
minimum. Auto club executives still recommend using=20
the cent to test this. A December 1, 2004 article=20
states how:=20
"Place a U.S. penny, Lincoln's head first, into several=20
tread grooves. If part of Lincoln's head is covered=20
by tread, then more than 2/32-inch tread depth remains.=20
When taken care of, tires can last a long time -- often=20
40,000 to 80,000 miles, depending on the application,=20
said Steve Mazor [California auto club engineer]."
Full story:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?
ndmViewId=3Dnews_view&newsId=3D20041201005071&newsLang=3Den
NUMISMATIC EUPHORIA
Joel Orosz writes: =93I am sure that you are familiar with
the ever-changing ways in which spam artists attempt to=20
evade spam filtering programs. Recently, I have noticed
that one way that seems to be somewhat effective for the
spammers is to employ a pair of somewhat esoteric words
in the subject line. A quick check of my spam filter=20
reveals subject lines of "dank bravado," profane brine,"=20
and one I find enticing and unfortunate all at once,=20
"decolletage delay." =20
In late November, a subject line turned up in the spam=20
filter that caught my eye: "numismatic euphoria."=20
Having experienced such an emotion from time to time,=20
I suspended my disbelief and released it from the spam=20
quarantine. Naturally, the message had nothing to do=20
with numismatics--or for that matter, euphoria--but rather
focused on the possibility of securing a 2.9% mortgage. =20
I did get a chuckle, however, about "numismatic"=20
turning up on the spammers' list of exotic words. And=20
now I'll know not to release messages with a numismatic=20
subject from quarantine--with the possible exception of=20
any with the subject of "numismatic decolletage"!=94
FEATURED WEB PAGE
This week's featured web page is an article by Mike
Marotta on the Neutron Irradiated dimes produced by the
Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
http://www.coin-newbies.com/articles/irradiated.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. 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
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