The E-Sylum v7#28, July 11, 2004

whomren at coinlibrary.com whomren at coinlibrary.com
Sun Jul 11 18:50:59 PDT 2004


Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 28, July 11, 2004:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2004, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


SUBSCRIBER UPDATE

   Among recent new subscribers is William David Coe,
   courtesy of David Phillips.  Welcome aboard!  We now
   have 668 subscribers.


ANNIVERSARY OF BRYAN MONEY SPEECH

   On July 9, 1896, William Jennings Bryan's  "Cross of Gold"
   speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago
   caused a sensation  with his denunciation of supporters of
   the gold standard. Bryan went on to win the party's nomination.
   From the George Mason University "History Matters"
   web pages:

   "The most famous speech in American political history was
   delivered by William Jennings Bryan on July 9, 1896, at the
   Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The issue was
   whether to endorse the free coinage of silver at a ratio of silver
   to gold of 16 to 1. (This inflationary measure would have
   increased the amount of money in circulation and aided
   cash-poor and debt-burdened farmers.)  After speeches on
   the subject by several U.S. Senators, Bryan rose to speak.
   The thirty-six-year-old former Congressman from Nebraska
   aspired to be the Democratic nominee for president, and he
   had been skillfully, but quietly, building support for himself
   among the delegates. His dramatic speaking style and rhetoric
   roused the crowd to a frenzy.  The response, wrote one reporter,
   "came like one great burst of artillery."  Men and women
   screamed and waved their hats and canes.  "Some," wrote
   another reporter, "like demented things, divested themselves of
   their coats and flung them high in the air." The next day the
   convention nominated Bryan for President on the fifth ballot."
   http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5354/

   The political debate over Bryan's proposal led to the production
   of numismatic items now called "Bryan Money"   In the July
   1926 issue of The Numismatist Farran Zerbe published "Bryan
   Money Tokens of the Presidential Campaigns of 1896 and 1900
   Comparative and Satirical," the standard reference for Bryan
   Money for decades.  Fred Schornstein's 2001 work updated
   and replaced the Zerbe catalog.

   Is anyone aware of an online exhibit of Bryan Money?  I was
   unable to locate any. -Editor


E-SYLUM & NUMISMATIC THEATRE

   Richard Margolis writes: "I, too, will be giving a Numismatic
   Theatre talk in Pittsburgh.  The subject will be the famous
   French Monetary Competition of 1791, based on original
   research and on my many years of collecting this series, and
   profusely slide illustrated.  It will be concerned to a great extent
   with the medallists who entered the competition, actually two
   separate competitions in 1791, the ultimate winner being
   named Engraver-General of France. Three of the engravers
   were responsible a few years earlier for the Comitia
   Americana series of medals, which will also be illustrated.

   The talk is scheduled for Thursday, August 19 at 3:00p.m..
   The ANA, in its infinite wisdom, has scheduled my talk
   opposite the general meeting of the Medal Collectors of
   America, which will insure that those most likely to be
   interested in the subject matter will be elsewhere, so there
   should be plenty of seats."

   [E-Sylum subscribers are very well represented among
   Numismatic Theatre speakers.   For the full convention
   schedule, go to the American Numismatic Association's
   web site at: http://www.money.org/conventiondept.html
   With so much going on simultaneously at the show,
   scheduling is a herculean task and I don't envy those who
   have to do it.  I do know the ANA staff does its best to
   accommodate every club and speaker's requests, but
   oftentimes it's not until the full schedule is published that
   conflicts can be seen.  -Editor]


SUPPLEMENTAL ANA CONVENTION WEB PAGES

   If you'll allow me to put on my hat as General Chairman
   of the convention for a moment, I'd like to point out a
   resource our local committee has put together for
   conventiongoers.  The show is coming up quickly, and
   those of you still finalizing your plans should find some
   of the information of use.  To supplement the American
   Numismatic Association web pages, we've developed
   a set of additional pages on the web site of PAN,
   the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists, one of
   the three host clubs.  The web address is:
   http://www.pancoins.org/ana/

   The web pages have additional information about parking,
   public transportation, and restaurants in the area, ordered
   by proximity to the convention center.  Of particular interest
   should be the Tours section, which has information about
   convention tours and special events, such as the two tours
   we've arranged with the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks
   Foundation to local sites of numismatic interest.  Finally, there
   are links to web sites with a wide range of information on
   other things to do and see while in the city.  The convention
   will be held August 18-22 at the new David L. Lawrence
   Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.  With just five weeks
   to go, it's time to finalize your plans.  I hope to see many of
   you there.

   One thing all of you can do to help our fellow conventioneers
   is to publicize these web pages so they can benefit as many
   people as possible.  There is a link from the ANA convention
   web page, but not everyone will find it or even know to look
   for it.  Please forward the link to everyone you know who is
   thinking of attending the convention.  Ask your local club
   secretary to publish it in your next newsletter, or place the
   link on your club or personal web sites.  We have some readers
   in the numismatic press, and a mention of the link in an upcoming
   newspaper or e-newsletter issue could benefit many
   readers.  Thank you for your assistance.  Again, the link is:

   http://www.pancoins.org/ana/


BARRELS OF MONEY

   Regarding last week's question about the "Barrels of Money"
   painting, Harry Waterson writes: "There is a wonderful catalog
   entitled: "Old Money: American Trompe L'Oeil Images of
   Currency", Nov. 11 - Dec. 17, 1988.  Berry-Hill Galleries,
   Inc., NY, NY.  It contains a very good essay by Bruce W.
   Chambers who notes that Victor Dubreuil did up to seven
   images of Barrels of Money. This exhibition had four of them,
   two from private collections, one from Brandywine River
   Museum and one from the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg,
   Florida.  This exhibition was a joint effort of the Berry-Hill
   Gallery and the Federal Reserve System's Fine Arts Program,
   Mary Anne Goley, Director.

   The foreword of the catalog speaks of the Federal Reserve's
   support for "...the formation and development of a distinguished
   fine arts program.".  Such was not always the case with our
   government institutions.  According to the essayist, one of the
   Barrels of Money paintings was seized and destroyed by the
   Secret Service in accordance with the provisions of the 1909
   anti-forgery act.

   Since Mary Anne Goley participated in the Berry-Hill Exhibition,
   she should know if the Feds Barrels of Money is one of the four
   exhibited there or is new to the room.

   PS. Wouldn't it be a grand conceit if the Treasury Dept. failed to
   destroy their Barrels of Money and just recycled it over to the
   Federal Reserve?"

   [If I took the time each week to consult my own library, I
   wouldn't ask so many questions.  But hearing everyone's
   responses is half the fun of editing The E-Sylum, and we usually
   learn something new that isn't already in print.   I've got the
   Berry-Hill catalog and agree that it's a wonderful resource on
   this interesting genre.  - I'll check out the essay.  -Editor]


WAGNER MEDAL CORRESPONDENCE

   Ken Schultz writes: "Below is an item I happened across that
   I think our subscribers will find interesting. My correspondence
   has been with Mr. Brian Parkhill at Bauman Rare Books in
   Philadelphia.   My hope is that our illustrious readership will
   jump on board with other fascinating tidbits related to this!
   Thanks."

   [While we generally do not publish individual for-sale items,
   when an important item worthy of discussion appears, we'll
   make an exception.  This is certainly an interesting item, so
   here goes.  We'd love to hear reader comments.  The asking
   price is $20,000.  -Editor]

   WAGNER, Richard. Autograph letter signed. Bayreuth:
   September 8, 1876.

   Leaf measures 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches, folded to form
   two leaves.

   Autograph letter signed by Wagner discussing his design for
   a medal, with drawings in pencil by Wagner of the design
   featuring the three central mythic objects of the Ring cycle.
   The letter reads:

   "Dear old friend, My wife told me that you have kindly
   agreed to design for Loharpt(?) in Vienna a drawing for a
   little medal which I want to distribute at my staged festivals
   to participants. Would you be so kind; I suggest the
   Nibelungen ring pierced by Wotan's spear and Siegfried's
   sword. On the cover some words like: To his festival
   companions Richard Wagner 1876 or something similar.
   Be so kind as to drop me a word about this if you really
   want to go to the effort. How happy I was to greet you
   again before one of my works. Hope you enjoyed it.
   Heartfelt greetings. Your old friend, Richard Wagner."

   The drawings on the recto include three renderings of the
   medal's image along with an individual image of the sword
   and various decorative flourishes. In 1876, 28 years after
   it was first conceived, Der Ring des Nibelungen was
   first performed in its entirety at the Bayreuth opera house
   built specifically to its needs. Performed in three complete
   cycles in August, the Ring's last performance preceded this
   letter by only one week. The three mythic objects that form
   Wagner's design are the central objects of the cycle: the
   quest for the ring is the motivation of the story, the God
   Wotan derives all his power from the spear, and Siegfried's
   sword is what finally destroys the spear and through it the
   powers of the gods."


CLEARING HOUSE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE

   Another fascinating numismatic item up for sale is a
   letter archive of the Los Angeles Clearing House
   Association 1907-1908 containing over 100 pieces of
   correspondence relating to the financial panic of that era
   and the issuance of Clearing House Certificates as a
   currency substitute during the panic.  The archive is
   lot 2576 in the upcoming Smythe auction no. 240,
   July 24, 2004.


MILLION CENT FOLLOWUP

   Bob Fritsch writes: "As an interesting sidelight to the Million
   Pennies (OK, cents) article, there was serious discussion on
   the Elongateds discussion group about buying the hoard and
   distributing it among the members.  The hoard was entirely
   bronze cents, and those are highly desirable to the knowledgeable
   elongated collector.  Nobody had the $10K to buy the coins
   though, so the thread died.  The guy finally found a bank that
   would take them at no extra charge."

   The Daily News published a follow-up story on July 8:
   "The frustrated collector of a million pennies found a buyer to
   relieve him of his burden: Vons/Pavilions agreed to purchase
   the coins and donate half to charity.

   After a Daily News story last week about his quandary, the
   Granada Hills resident was deluged with media interview offers
   from around the world and requests for his lowly coppers."

    "When the dust settled, England agreed to an offer from
   Safeway Inc., owner of Vons/Pavilions supermarkets.

   On July 15, Safeway will send out armored cars for England's
   20,000 rolls of coins. They will then be transported to a
   Pavilions in Burbank, which will convert them into cash."

   "One guy wanted to buy a million pennies to pay off his
   lawyer. Another wanted them to pay his federal taxes. A
   woman called to say she needed them to avoid foreclosure
   on her house.

   TV, radio and print media called from as far away as
   London and Canada to cash in on the Granada Hills collection.
   England was even featured on an Iranian radio station."

   http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~2261364,00.html


BANK-RELATED COLLECTIBLES

   The June 2004 issue of Numismatic Views, edited by E-Sylum
   subscriber Nolan Mims for the Gulf Coast Numismatic
   Association, has a nice article by Nolan on associated
   collectibles of interest to bank note collectors, including
   postcard views, old checks, stock certificates, coin banks,
   and advertising and promotional items issued by the bank.
   Naturally, he also mentions bank histories, noting, "Many
   banks have books written about them, particularly if they
   have been in existence for a long time."  He goes on to list
   some of the histories written about Alabama banks.


2009 CENT IDEAS FLOW

   Dick Johnson writes: "Gary Dunaier had the greatest idea for
   the 2009 Lincoln Cent!  Return to those days of yesteryear
   with the original Wheat Reverse by VDB.  Use Victor Brenner's
   original galvano pattern dieshell!  The one in which his full name
   is signed on the lower reverse, not just the VDB initials.

   This dieshell still exists in the Philadelphia Mint die vaults. I
   held it in my hand in 1972 (centennial year Brenner's birth)
   when a group of Brenner fans held a centennial exhibit of
   Brenner's coins and medals at the Chase Bank Money Museum
   then in New York City's Rockefeller Center.  We asked Mint
   Director Eva Adams if she could send something for this
   exhibit.  She did!  She sent Frank Gasparro the original
   Brenner cent plaster models and the original copper galvano
   dieshells for both obverse and reverse made from those
   plaster models!

   Frank was most gracious. Before he let us put the items
   behind the wall of glass in the exhibit room he allowed each
   of us to have our photos taken with him, the original models
   and dieshells. Then he signed autographs all day long for the
   public. Certainly a highpoint of my life.

   Unfortunately Frank had to return them to the Mint vaults after
   this one-day Saturday showing. (The exhibit continued for
   several more weeks however.)  But Frank told us this was the
   first time the models and dieshells had been outside of Mint
   vaults since the 1910 Exhibition of the Contemporary Medal,
   also in New York City, at the American Numismatic Society.

   I also would like to see Brenner's reverse with his name signed
   in full in script like on the original model for the 2009 Cent.
   Great Idea, Gary!  Can we carry your idea one step further?
   Can only 484,000 be struck at San Francisco -- with "S"
   mintmark obviously -- this was, of course, the original 1909
   mintage.  And 27,995,000 struck at Philadelphia.  And
   unlimited striking at the Denver Mint (since it didn't strike any
   cents until 1911).

   If someone at the U.S. Mint is reading this, would you kindly
   reserve front-row seats at the Philadelphia Mint  First-Strike
   Lincoln Cent Centennial Ceremony for Gary and me?"

   [This could be fun if the Mint has any imagination. -Editor]


QUIZ ANSWERS: ROYAL NUMISMATISTS

   Only one response to last week's quiz question about the
   famous royal numismatists of history:

   Gar Travis writes: "This question really depends on what
   Royal Society you are determining as producer of Royal
   Numismatists. Of course there are those of England, Canada,
   Australia and New Zealand, who have royal numismatic
   societies of note.    For England one the greatest of all Royal
   Numismatists would be John Lee founding president of the
   Royal Numismatic Society of London in 1838. This society
   would become the Royal Numismatic Society.  The British
   Numismatic Society has given us many numismatists of note,
   who have been acclaimed by royalty, such as Graham Dyer,
   O.B.E. , curator of the Royal Mint Museum at Llantrisant,
   Wales.    There are so many others, that I dare not name one
   lest I miss another worthy of praise."


THE  PRONUNCIATION OF FECIT

   Jess Gaylor writes: "I thought I would confuse the issue with
   the word fecit  - why don't we just call it a fatchit and not
   confuse laymen as myself?"

   Dick Johnson writes: " I like criticism.  Thanks to Ron Ambler,
   Ken Berger and Martin Purdy for your comments in regard to
   my item on the correct pronunciation of “fecit,” the Latin word
   found on medals in full or, more often, abbreviated in as many
   ways as you can cut up the word.

   I learn from your comments.  (Always amazed at E-Sylum
   readers’ total knowledge!)  I took for my authority Webster’s
   Unabridged Third Edition (the one that weighs eleven pounds
   and is missing its spine from 50 year’s overuse).  It revealed to
   me the FEE-sit pronunciation. My Oxford Abridged and
   Cassell’s Latin dictionaries were no help whatsoever. Thus I
   thought this was the only English pronunciation.

   FAY-chit does sound better, as all three of my critics pointed
   out, than FEE-sit. I will note both in future writing. (Sorry,
   Martin, I didn’t get the joke of the British comedy skit. You
   got a better funny?)

   [I believe the mispronounced word was "alibi" -Editor]


IKE DOLLAR HOARD ON EBAY

   I guess everything *is* bigger in Texas, where a man has
   upped the ante on the million cent hoard with a four and and
   half ton pile of Eisenhower dollars.  From the man's press
   release:

   "More than twenty years ago, a Texas man's casual hobby
   of throwing aside Ike dollar coins as he ran across them,
   eventually turned into a monstrous collection that he's selling
   as one lot on eBay. The coins, legal tender though they haven't
   been produced by the U.S. mint for more than a quarter
   century, weigh an amazing 8,750 pounds ... almost four and a
   half tons."

   "Aside from the weight, he thinks the most interesting thing
   about the collection is an accumulation of facts he compiled
   about the 175,000 coins. For instance, he says that  if they
   were placed vertically in one single stack, the coins would
   soar 1,458 feet high.  "That's 472 feet taller than the Eiffel
   Tower ... more than two and a half times the height of the
   Washington Monument, and two hundred feet taller than the
   Empire State Building." He also says if they were laid side by
   side on the ground in a straight line, they would be longer
   than 73 football fields end-to-end."

   http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040709/daf010_1.html


MORE DIM-WITTED BANK ROBBER STORIES

   This week's "News of the Weird" column highlights two
   more nominees for the "Least Competent Criminal"
   awards:

   "Andre Lamar Henderson, 30, was arrested after allegedly
   robbing a Madison Bank branch in Norristown, Pa., in June
   and coming away with $50; his holdup note had demanded
   "all your hundreds and fifties," and, as the teller later said,
   there was lots of money in the drawer but unfortunately for
   Henderson, no hundreds and only one fifty.
   [Associated Press, 6-15-04]

   And Knute Falk, 54, allegedly robbed a Bank of America in
   Beaverton, Ore., in June but was arrested when his getaway
   was delayed; he had demanded a bank customer's car keys,
   walked out, then returned after a minute or two, with his
   mask off, to ask the customer which key opens the door.
   [Associated Press, 6-18-04]

   http://www.newsoftheweird.com/


FEATURED WEB SITE

   This week's featured web site is an article by Mish Webster
   which first appeared in the June 1999 issue of Coin News,
   about Augustin Dupré and the Hercules 5 Francs Piece of
   France.

   http://frenchcoins.tripod.com/Dupre.htm


  Wayne Homren
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society


  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a
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  There is a membership application available on
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