The E-Sylum v7#30, July 25, 2004

[whomren at coinlibrary.com]

Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 30, July 25, 2004:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2004, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


SUBSCRIBER UPDATE

   Among recent new subscribers is are Anne E. Bentley, Curator
   of Art of the Massachusetts Historical Society, courtesy of John
   W. Adams, and Edward Perkin of Allentown, PA, courtesy of
   Wayne Homren.   Welcome aboard!  We now have 675
   subscribers.


CLEVELAND COIN-WISE COLUMNIST DIES

   Dick Johnson writes: "Numismatic author and coin columnist
   Leon T. Lindheim died July 17, 2004 in Warrensville Heights,
   Ohio. He was 92.

   He undertook  writing a weekly coin column ‘Coin-Wise’ for
   the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the 1960s and continued this
   for nearly 30 years. The column was syndicated from 1966 to
   1978 to other American newspapers. He was also author of
   “Facts and Fictions About Coins,” a book published in 1967.

   Infrequently he wrote an article in The Numismatist “Fifty
   Years Ago In The Numismatist,” 1970-1984.  He was active
   in the numismatic community, served on the 1970 U.S. Assay
   Commission and was treasurer of the Numismatic Literary
   Guild in the 1970s and early 1980s.

   A banker for his entire business career, he joined the
   Continental Bank after graduating from Dartmouth College in
   1934. He rose to vice chairman of Continental before it merged
   into another Cleveland area bank, after which he retired in
   1976. He was a trustee of the Cleveland Better Business
   Bureau, treasurer of a religious organization and officer in
   several community groups.

   He was an early supporter of the Kovels, also of Cleveland.
   The husband-and wife team – Ralph M. and Terry H. Kovel
   -- are experts on collectibles, authors of a dozen books, and
   seen by many on their weekly cable TV collectibles show.

   On a personal note, I attribute my collecting of Tiffany medals
   to Leon, spurred by an item in his 1967 book. This occurred
   at a time when I was employed by Medallic Art Company,
   and looked for another high-quality medal producer’s works
   to collect. I knew Leon for thirty years and had visited him in
   his home on occasion. He consigned to my medal auctions
   and was an insightful numismatic writer.

   His obituary in the Cleveland Plain Dealer is at:

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/109031585056643.xml



FAST RESULTS FROM ENGLISH TRADE DIRECTORIES

   Bob Merchant writes: "I want to thank Larry Mitchell for his
   submission about the English trade directories that have been
   digitized and placed online by the University of Leicester.  I
   have already been able to attribute several British
   countermarked coins in my collection using this web site!  If
   something like this could be done for the U.S.A. it would be
   of tremendous value for countermarked coin (and trade token)
   research.  Here is the link again for those who haven't yet
   visited (and bookmarked) this important web site:
   http://www.historicaldirectories.org/"

   [Bob's response arrived about 24 hours after the publication
   of last week's E-Sylum.  Fantastic!  -Editor]


UNSOUGHT FAME FOR OLYMPIC MEDAL COLLECTOR

   Bill Malkmus writes: "Your story (via the AP) about the San
   Diego coin collector's Olympic medal collection did not come
   as a complete "scoop" to me.   I had been to a meeting of the
   San Diego Ancient Numismatic Society three days earlier at
   the home of an unnamed (at least, by me) collector.  He told
   us that he had loaned his Olympic medal collection to a local
   museum for display, under condition of absolute anonymity.
   He was startled to awake and find his name on the front page
   of the local paper, and soon began receiving phone calls from
   various parts of the world.  He did, by the time of the meeting,
   seem to have grown accepting (if not appreciative) of his fifteen
   minutes plus of unsought fame.  (I hope I'm not making it worse
   for him.)  The moral of the story is DON'T accept casual
   assurances of anonymity under such circumstances!  (And he
   does keep his collection in a safe deposit box when he is not
   working on it or displaying it.)"


THE ENIGMATIC "E" AND "L" COUNTERSTAMPED QUARTERS

   The July 2004 issue of the John Reich Journal, official
   publication of the John Reich Collectors Society, features
   an extensive two-part article by Ted McAuley detailing his
   theories on the unusual "E" and "L" counterstamps found on
   the obverse of many 1815 and 1825 U.S. quarters.  He
   makes a very interesting case for the coins' origins with the
   Harmony Society of Economy, Pennsylvania, source of the
   famous Economite Hoard of early 19th-century coinage
   dispersed beginning in 1881.  He writes:

   "I believe that the "E" and "L" countermarked quarters of
   1815 and 1825 originated at the Harmonist Community of
   Economy, Pennsylvania.  The dates of 1815 and 1825 were
   highly symbolic for a community whose daily religious
   underpinnings relied heavily on symbolism, and represented
   the founding dates of their last two settlements (Harmony-
   on-the-Wabash and Economy).  Dates would symbolically
   distinguish between "veteran" (1815) and "novice" (1825)
   membership in the Society during the Great Schism of 1832."

   "I believe the "E" represented either "Economite" or "Economy",
   while "L" represented either "Leonite" or "Leon".

   "The coins probably served as voting tokens during the
   pivotal "showdown" recalled by Jacob Henrici - a vote that
   determined whether the loyalists (Economites) or the
   seceders (Leonites) commanded the allegiance of the majority
   of Harmonist members."

   [The journal has published several articles on these interesting
   coins over the years, at a level of detail only a specialty
   publication can provide.  If you collect early U.S. coins, a
   subscription is a must.  See http://www.jrcs.org/ for more
   information. -Editor]


NEWSDAY ARTICLE ON MONEY CHANGES

   A lengthy article on the changes U.S. coins and currency are
   undergoing appeared in the July 25, 2004 issue of Newsday.
   Here are a few excerpts:

   "Crooks and collectors, not sentiment, are remaking the face
   of America's money."

   "... the $716 billion in bills and coins circulating globally today
   have been dramatically overhauled to thwart counterfeiters
   and to attract a whole new generation of coin collectors. For
   the past five years, the U.S. Mint has introduced a new quarter
   every 10 weeks.

   At the same time, the $5, $10, and $20 bills have been
   revamped. The design of the nickel was changed this year for
   the first time in 66 years, with more changes due next month,
   and in September, new $50 bills will be introduced. The
   money looks different, feels different, and more changes are
   planned.

   But it has not been easy."

   "It is politically charged and fraught with history," said Philip N.
   Diehl, former director of the U.S. Mint. "Inside the Washington
   beltway, a coin is a round piece of utilitarian metal. But outside
   the beltway, it's a tremendous symbol of power. They each
   have a political constituency behind them."

   "Henrietta Holsman Fore, director of the U.S. Mint, which
   produces 12 billion coins each year at facilities in Denver and
   Philadelphia, calls the makeover "the Renaissance in coin and
   medal design."

   "The decision in 1996 to honor states by redesigning the quarter
   unleashed a pent-up demand for more variety in coins. "The
   changes are long overdue," said Eileen Ribar of Merrick and
   editor of two coin collecting newsletters.

   "Coin enthusiasts saw this year's 200th anniversary of the
   expedition by Merriweather Lewis and William Clark as
   another opportunity and are introducing a new "Westward
   Journey" nickel each six months this year and next. They
   commemorate some aspect of the historic voyage -- the
   1803 Louisiana Purchase and treaty with Indians, and the
   Missouri River keelboat Clark designed, for example.

   But Virginians were miffed that one of their landmarks,
   Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, was being displaced.
   Local congressmen and then Gov. George Allen mounted a
   spirited campaign that included schoolchildren's traipsing
   through Capitol offices brandishing copies of the Bill of
   Rights to make their case. Congress and the Treasury
   Department relented and agreed that in 2006, at the end
  of the two-year Lewis-and-Clark cycle, Monticello would
   return to the back of the coin.

   Changes in coin design generate interest from localities and
   lobbyists for specialty metals, King said, especially since the
   cost of zinc, nickel and copper have risen 32 percent, 48
   percent and 74 percent, respectively, in the last year alone."

   "Ever persistent, Castle has introduced another dollar coin
   proposal that would feature the head of the presidents, starting
   with Washington and following the sequence of presidents
   each year. The bill has been passed by King's committee and
   awaits action by the full House. The Senate has yet to consider
   the idea. "These are no-win situations," said Diehl, "high risk
   with no upside, so leaders tend to avoid them like the plague."

   "The other proposal for a new coin design has been raised in
   the aftermath of Reagan's death by Grover Norquist, who has
   coordinated a decade-long effort to commemorate Reagan
   and is advocating the Reagan dime or replacing Hamilton with
   Reagan on the $10 bill. "We want something that could be
   accomplished in less than a year," he said recently. By his
   reckoning, the Treasury secretary could direct either change
   with an executive order. "A monument on the Mall would take
   25 years, and another face on Mount Rushmore. Well ... ."

   To read the full story, see:
   http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-biz-bzcov0725,0,4030925.story


CHASE MONEY MUSEUM FATE

   Chris Faulkner writes: "In Dick Johnson's piece on resurrecting
   Victor D. Brenner's wheat cent mention is made of the Chase
   Money Museum (in 1972). Can someone tell me what happened
   to that museum and its collection?  Is it still intact?  Mothballed?
   Sold or dispersed? "

   [Alas, the Chase Manhattan Money Museum was dissolved.
   One of its high-profile specimens went to the American
   Numismatic Society - Eric P. Newman persuaded the bank to
   donate its 1804 dollar to the society.   A group of checks with
   presidential signatures went to the National Numismatic
   Collection at the Smithsonian.   Can our readers fill us in on
   more background about the collection and its dispersal?
   -Editor]


A PIG IN A POKE

   W. David Perkins writes: "Among other items, I recently
   acquired the bid sheet of a prominent early silver dollar
   collector (active in the 1950s and 1960s) for M. H.
   Bolender’s 196th Auction Sale,  November 12, 1959.
   Lot 1000 in this sale was titled “PIG IN A POKE.”  I had
   not seen a reference to “A Pig in a Poke” (lot) prior to this.
   The description for Lot 1000 reads:

    “The Pig in a Poke”.  This means something big in a bag or
   sack, and you do not know what is in it.  When I was a young
   dealer half a century ago, a New York dealer who conducted
   coin auctions, would occasionally disrupt the regular sale
   proceedings and sell a “pig in a poke” on the floor to room
   bidders.  Here is one for my mail bidders.  Only this brief
   description do I give.   There are more than 100 U.S. coins
   from half-cents to silver dollars, from good to uncirculated, no
   bids entered below $50.  the catalogue value is over $200.
   This lot is unconditionally guaranteed to be satisfactory to the
   buyer, just the same as every lot sold in all Bolender sales.
   Any lot in my sales may be returned within 30 days, for a full
   refund of the purchase price, plus shipping costs.  Now I’m
   hoping somebody can get a bargain.  Of course, nobody may
   inspect this lot.  That would spoil the fun.

   I don’t have the prices realized for this lot.  If any of our readers

   have this prices realized list, I would appreciate learning what
   it sold for."

   Bolender references copying this concept from a “New York
   dealer” about 50 years earlier, thus the year was approximately
   1909.  Can anyone provide the name of this NY dealer?  Has
   anyone come across references to any auction lots referred to
   as “The Pig in the Poke?”

   Bonus Question:  There were four pages of bids for this sale.
   The bidder appears to have been the successful bidder for Lot
   1327, a 1795 “draped bust centered” U.S. Silver Dollar with
   Brasher Counterstamp.  The bid was $216.26 [if someone
   has prices realized for this sale I’d also appreciate learning
   the winning bid amount for lot 1327.]   What was the name of
   the “prominent collector?”  Hint, this collector was the subject
   of a talk I gave at the NBS Annual Meeting a few years ago
   at the Philadelphia ANA Convention."


ANA CONVENTION INFO UPDATED

   As the American Numismatic Association convention
   approaches and attendees make their final plans, the
   web pages the local  committee put together may be
   useful.  We've updated the restaurant section, and just
   for Myron Xenos we made sure to include a nearby
   Greek restaurant.  The pages also describe the tours in
   detail, and I want to personally invite E-Sylum subscribers
   to sign up for the walking tour of numismatic and historical
   sights in downtown Pittsburgh.  I'm still working on my
   own convention schedule, but expect to be able to join
   the group.  The web address for the supplemental
   convention web pages is:
   http://www.pancoins.org/ana/


RARE SERIAL NUMBER 1 NOTE FOUND

   A newspaper in New York's Hudson Valley reported
   some interesting numismatic finds during some recent
   promotional appraisal events.

   "According to Pandaleon, a man brought in a collection
   of about 80 U.S. banknotes and German inflation currency
   from the Weimar Republic in the 1920s. He had bought the
   collection for $500 but when he went to sell it the dealer
   said he'd overpaid and offered him only $200.

   "He actually had two Federal Reserve test notes from 1957
   that were worth $1,000 apiece." Pandaleon said. "On the
   same day a husband and wife from Union Vale came in with
   a collection of old coins and paper money. It turned out there
   was a 50 cent piece from the 1820's that was in mint condition
   and worth $7,000. Those were two exciting events."

   "The next appraisal on July 4 was the big one. Pandaleon said
   a lady brought in two Morgan silver dollars to be appraised.
   There are lots of them around so it was nothing momentous,
   until he noticed she had a five-dollar bill in an envelope she
   figured was worthless.

   "Lo and behold it was a 1929 Type 1 National Bank note
   with the serial number 000001," he said. "It was from the first
   sheet that went through the press. The note is incredibly valuable
   with a minimum value of $10,000. At auction it could bring as
   much as $50,000."

   "The nice part about the note is the story behind it," Pandaleon
   said. "The woman who brought in the note is 83 years old and
   her husband is in a nursing home. It is found money and could
   be very helpful to them."

   To read the full story, see:
   http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12419015


AUTHOR PAYS RECORD PRICE FOR U.S. DIME

   E-Sylum subscriber Rusty Goe, author of "The Mint on
   Carson Street" recently paid a record-breaking price for
   the unique  1873-CC No Arrows dime.  A story about
   his purchase appeared in the July 16 issue of the Reno
   (Nevada) Gazette-Journal:

   "There’s not a dime’s worth of difference between some
   10-cent pieces.

   But the one-of-a-kind, 1873 dime acquired last week by
   Reno coin shop owner and coin collector Rusty Goe isn’t
   one of them.

   Goe paid $891,250 for the coin, made 131 years ago at
   the historic Carson City Mint. He said he got a good deal.

   “I’m ecstatic, elated. It’s the ultimate experience,’’ Goe said.

   After paying a record price for any dime made in the United
   States, he said his South Virginia Street shop became a
   celebration site for customers and friends.

   “The atmosphere in our store was festive. It was like having
   the winning team in the World Series or the winning horse in
   the Kentucky Derby,’’ Goe said.

   Goe, who recently completed a book on the history of the
   Carson City Mint, said the acquisition is particularly satisfying
   because it was made in the capital city."

   "No other coins without arrows from 1873 in Carson City
   have surfaced over the years, Goe said.

   Goe said two Philadelphia coin dealers were the first owners
   of record of the piece he acquired. He said they made their
   ownership known about 1910. In 1915, Goe said, the coin
   was sold at auction for $170."

   "Bidding at last Friday’s auction opened at $550,000, and
   Goe said he went to $775,000 before he was able to secure
   the coin. The sales price includes a 15 percent auction
   company fee — bringing the total to $891,250."

   "Up to now, the most a U.S.-made dime has fetched is
   $825,000 for an 1894 coin minted in San Francisco."

   To read the full story, see:
   http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/07/16/75765.php


PAQUET PHOTO SOUGHT

   Pete Smith writes: "I received a request for a photo of
   Anthony Paquet. Can any E-Sylum reader provide a
   photo or provide the source for a photo?"


COLONIAL NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED

   Editor Gary Trudgen forwarded a release about the latest
   issue of  The Colonial Newsletter.  Here are some excerpts:

   The August/December 2004 issue of The Colonial Newsletter
   (CNL) has been published.  This issue is 128 pages in length
   and consists of a feature paper, a technical note and a letter
   to the editor.  The length of the feature paper made it necessary
   to publish a combined or double issue.  The next CNL issue will
   appear in April 2005.

   The feature paper, authored by Dr. Louis Jordan, studies the
   Lord Baltimore coinage and money in early Maryland.  His
   paper is meticulously researched and well written.  Lou explained
   his thinking and what he tried to accomplish when he undertook
   this research project. In part, Lou says:

   "To answer the question as to why the coinage was produced I
   needed to investigate three general topics, namely: how daily
   exchanges were conducted in the period before the coinage was
   proposed, the circumstances surrounding the production, issuing
   and usage of the coinage and finally, how daily exchanges were
   conducted in the decades after minting ceased, when Baltimore
   silver disappeared from circulation."

   "The Technical Note by Byron Weston and Clem Shettino
   presents another new discovery in the 1785-dated series of
   counterfeit halfpence.  A new die variety has been found which
   combines two previously known dies in the series and is labeled
   Newman 51-85A.  Currently three obverse and four reverse
   dies are known.  A chart is presented illustrating the known die
   pairings and highlighting the new discoveries since Eric Newman
   cataloged the series in 1988.  Also, based on die break evidence,
   striking sequence is discussed and the potential for new
   discoveries within the series is considered.

   Finally, a Letter to the Editor from Dr. Roger Moore is published
   concerning the pre-Federal errors paper authored by Dr. Philip
   Mossman which appeared in our last issue.  Dr. Moore praises
   the paper for its complete analysis of the entire minting process.
   He continues by observing that New Jersey coppers seem to be
   found with fewer minting errors than the other coinages of the
   era.   He also provides photos of two examples of New Jersey
   error coins that he has found, one being a triple error specimen.

   CNL is published three times a year by The American
   Numismatic Society, 96 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10038.
   For inquires concerning CNL, please contact Juliette Pelletier
   at the preceding postal address or e-mail pelletier at amnumsoc.org
   or telephone (212) 571-4470 ext. 1311."


CREDIT CARDS OVERTAKE CASH & CHECKS COMBINED

   On July 23, The Wall Street Journal published an article about
   the rise of credit cards and the slow demise of cash.  Here
   are some excerpts:

   "Whenever state trooper Michael Poupart pulls over a speeding
   motorist on I-94 in Wisconsin's Kenosha County, he offers to
   take Visa or MasterCard debit and credit cards right there on
   the side of the road.

   Drivers initially look puzzled, until the trooper explains he has a
   card swiper onboard. "Then they say 'OK,' and hand over the
   card," he says. "They'd rather deal with it right there."

   Trooper Poupart is one reason the nation passed a watershed
   last year. For the first time, Americans used cards -- credit,
   debit and others -- to buy retail goods and services more often
   than they used cash or check in 2003."

   "The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman went completely
   cashless earlier this year. The Navy issued MasterCards to all
   5,000 sailors aboard. On payday, seamen insert cards into a
   machine that electronically loads money stored onto each card.
   They then use the cards for all onboard purchases.

   The Navy estimates sailors on the Truman buy 250,000 soft
   drinks monthly. When it was a cash ship, somebody had to
   collect half a ton of quarters each month from all the Truman's
   vending machines. Those coins then had to be redistributed.
   Now it's all settled electronically.

   An added benefit: Shipmates can use the same cards while
   visiting nightclubs or movie theaters on shore, as well as to
   send money home. The Navy has even put a swiper by the
   door of the chapel as a substitute for the Sunday church-
   service collection plate, says Cmdr. Boyle McDunn, a
   chaplain aboard the Truman."

   "Some Christians see the pervasive use of plastic as part of a
   dark biblical prophecy. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian
   Broadcasting Network, has said that plastic may signal the
   cashless society of the end times foreshadowed in the Bible.
   Mr. Robertson's network accepts contributions from
   supporters on both Visa and MasterCard."


A DICTATOR-NUMISMATIST: DUVALIER OF HAITI

   Alan Luedeking writes: "While this may not strictly qualify as
   "royal", it's near enough I guess:  Haiti's one-time absolute
   dictator and President for Life Baby Doc Duvalier was an
   avid numismatist; it is said that scheduling an interview with
   him could take months; but if a coin dealer or someone
   called regarding a coin, they would be patched right through
   or granted an immediate interview.  The same applies with
   me!"


OTHER NUMISMATIC ROYALS

   Michael Knight writes: "Other Royal Numismatists to add
   to the list published 18 July are:

   George III of England (born 1738; King 1760-1820).
   George's collection included the cabinets of earlier antiquaries
   such as Rev Andrew Gifford (see Sylloge Coins of British
   Isles No 34 page xxxii).

   Queen Christina of Sweden (ruled 1632-54, when she
   abdicated; died 1689).  According to Gregory Brunk's
  'Merchant Countermarks on World Coins'(1989) page 12
   she was a keen collector of coins and medals.  She may
   have been responsible for marking coins with a small
   crowned C, or this may have been the mark of another
   Royal collector King Charles I of England (ruled 1625-49).
   His collection was sold by the Commonwealth after his
   execution, and Queen Christina bought pieces from this
   collection.

   Brunk also notes another countermark used by a titled
   collector.  Polish Count Emeric Hutten-Czapski used a
   microscopic C, circling his count of arms circa 1870s."


$1,000 BILL MAGICALLY REAPPEARS

   An article on the July 17 North County Times of  San
   Diego,  CA reports that "A local magician witnessed
   some magic after misplacing his treasured $1,000 bill
   when it was returned days later by an honest spectator."

   "The $1,000 bank note went out of print in1934 ----
   the same year Johnson's bill was printed. Today, the
   obsolete bill is valued at $1,500 by collectors, Johnson
   said.

   In the magic act, Johnson hands the bill to audience
   members while he explains the bill's history and estimated
   value while stressing that wealth and happiness are life's
   true treasures.

   Johnson then makes other currency "magically" appear
   from the bill including silver dollars. But while the money
   increases, the $1,000 bill remains visible.

   According to Johnson's recollection, in the frenzy of
   switching props, the bill got misplaced ..."

   But the prized possession turned up at the feet of Tracy
   Williams, Paulson Court Reporting employee, and her
   father Ed Irvin, both of Mira Mesa. The two, enjoying the
   afternoon picnic, found the bill on the ground.


http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/07/18/news/inland/22_24_407_17_04.txt



PAINTINGS OF MONEY

   Hadrien Rambach of Spink writes: "Regarding paintings of
   money, some of the readers may find it funny to look at the
   following web-site, where a painter (Charles Ellis) chooses
   coins as subjects of some of his paintings…

   http://www.cellis.net/index2.html"

   [The paintings is question are not trompe l'oeil, but large
   stylized portraits of a single U.S. coin, such as a Morgan
   silver dollar, 1793 cent, or 1838 D gold piece. -Editor]


http://www.mychurchandtown.com/rockvillecentre/ourladyofthemiraculous_pointlookout/



SPOTTING DOCTORED PHOTOS

   Electronic images are wonderful for publishing information
   about numismatic items.  But have those photos of auction
   lots been doctored?  The New York Times this week
   published an article about how digital photo forgeries can
   be unmasked.

   "It used to be that you had a photograph, and that was the
   end of it - that was truth," said Hany Farid, an associate
   professor of computer science at Dartmouth College who
   is a leader in the field. "We're trying to bring some of that
   back. To put some measure of guarantee back in
   photography."

   Over the last three years, Professor Farid and his students
   have become experts at forgery, making hundreds of images
   that look authentic but have in fact been digitally tweaked.
   License plate numbers are changed. A single stool standing
   on a checkerboard floor is suddenly a pair of stools. Dents
   on a car are wiped away with a few mouse clicks.

   The skillful tampering disturbed the images in ways that the
   human eye could not detect. But Professor Farid says his
   algorithms can spot them and sound the alarm.

   For example, when two images are spliced together - like
   the picture of a shark attacking a helicopter that has
   circulated around the Internet in the past few years - one
   or both of the original pictures usually has to be shrunk,
   enlarged or rotated to make the pieces fit together. And
   those changes, no matter how artful, leave clues behind."

   "In the long run, however, any method for preventing fraud
   may eventually come up short, most researchers in the field
   acknowledge.

   "At the end of the day, the person doing the tampering has
   the easier job. And they'll win," Professor Farid said. "We
   can't stop tampering. We can simply make it harder."

   To read the full article, see:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/technology/circuits/22next.html?8cir


SAN FRANCISCO ASSAY OFFICE EXPLOSION

   Found while searching for other things was a contemporary
   account of an explosion in G.W. Bell's assay office building.
   Bell's business is described in Dan Owens' book,
   "California Coiners and Assayers."  Bell operated in San
   Francisco from 1854-1866.  Bell was killed in the explosion
   at the age of 49 on April 16, 1866.    Owens' book reprints
   several newspaper accounts of the "terrible calamity."

   The next time you're shipping books and the clerk asks you
   if the package contains any banned materials, remember this
   incident, which illustrates why it's not a good idea to ship
   nitroglycerine by mail...

   "On Monday, 16th inst., in San Francisco, at fifteen minutes
   past one o'clock, P.M., an explosion took place in the
   storeroom back of Wells, Fargo & Co.'s building, in G.W.
   Bell's assay office, adjoining California Street, which
   demolished everything with a circuit of 40 or 50 feet, including
   the whole interior of Bell's assay building, the storeroom and
   west portion of Wells, Fargo & Co.'s building, the back
   portion of the Union Club Rooms, and other apartments in the
   vicinity.

   The explosion was powerful as to shake the earth like an
   earthquake for a circuit of a quarter of a mile.  Every window
   in California Street, between Montgomery and Kearney, was
   demolished, and panes of glass were shattered ever as far as
   Third Street, a distance of half a mile.  For some time after the
   explosion it was impossible to tell the cause of the calamity.
   Some asserting that it was a barrel of acid in the Assay Office;
   others said it was a steam boiler in the rear of the office; and
   others, that it was some kind of explosive material stored in
   the yard of Wells, Fargo & Co.  It has since been ascertained
   to have been caused by Nobel's blasting oil, or nitro glycerine,
   a  new explosive five times more powerful in its effects than
   powder.  A box containing this liquid had arrived by steamer
   from the East, and when landed upon the wharf was found to
   be in a leaking condition.  It had been shipped as general
   merchandise, and none were aware of the dangerous contents
   of the box.  It was sent to the office of Wells, Fargo & Co.
   and placed in the rear of the building, among the unclaimed
   freight, where Mr. Webster, the freight clerk in the New York
   department of the Express office, and Mr. Havens, freight
   clerk of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, went to
   examine that in connection with another package claimed to
   be in a damaged condition.  The last seen  of these gentlemen
   alive, they were standing near the box, with several other
   employees, having tools as if about to open the box.  It is
   supposed they made the attempt, when the explosion took
   place by concussion, which resulted in a terrible loss of life
   and destruction of property.

   [The remainder of the article includes some graphic
   descriptions of the carnage, which I won't reprint here.
   To read the full article, see:
   http://cprr.org/Museum/Newspapers/Nitroglycerine.html ]


HOW TO WIN A BRONZE MODEL

   Dick Johnson writes: "I missed a gem for my collection
   of numismatic typos in print. This appeared in the June 2004
   'Reader's Digest': in an article on How to Get Lucky:  "But
   research suggests athletes who win bronze models are
   actually happier."  Happier than what?  Winning a bronze
   medal?

   It was only on reading the Letters to the Editor in the July
   issue did I discover this. It was submitted by Kathleen
   Wilson from California, who is still giggling."


WHERE MEDAL COLLECTORS WORSHIP

   Not a typo, but also in the category of "found while
   looking for other things"  is Our Lady of the Miraculous
   Medal Church, on 75 Parkside Drive in Point Lookout,
   NY:


http://www.mychurchandtown.com/rockvillecentre/ourladyofthemiraculous_pointlookout/



WHAT WOULD WILLIE SUTTON THINK?

   The Rocky Mountain News of Denver, CO reported a
   unique bank robbery attempt:

   "Police caught a man suspected of robbing a bank Friday
   morning, six minutes after he did a brief striptease and ran
   from the area only to circle back by the scene of the crime.

   Merle Hatch, 42, was arrested shortly after 10 a.m. in front
   of the Compass Bank, 655 Broadway, police spokesman
   Sonny Jackson said.

   Hatch is accused of walking into the bank about 10 a.m.
   and demanding money from a teller, police said.

   After walking from the bank, police said, Hatch stripped off
   all his clothes except for a pair of jogging shorts and tennis
   shoes and ran from the area with cash in hand.

   The bank employees who saw the quick change called police
   and gave them a fresh description of the bandit, Jackson said."

   "Jackson said the man was good-natured about the arrest."

   "He said, 'Awwww, you got me,' " Jackson said.

   "He thought he had a good disguise."


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3043443,00.html



FEATURED WEB SITE

   This week's featured web site is the Royal Coin Cabinet of
   Sweden.  "The Royal Coin Cabinet is a specialized museum
   with a national responsibility in areas such as the history of
   money and finance as well as medals."

      http://www.myntkabinettet.se/Engl.htm


  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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