The E-Sylum v7#41, October 10, 2004
whomren at coinlibrary.com
whomren at coinlibrary.com
Sun Oct 10 17:58:18 PDT 2004
Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 41, October 10, 2004:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2004, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATE
Among recent new subscribers is Ivory Reinert, courtesy
of Nolan Mims. Welcome aboard! We now have 694
subscribers.
LAKE BOOKS SALE 76 COMPLETE
Fred Lake of Lake Books writes: "After a one week
delay caused by Hurricane Jeanne, our sale #76 has
been completed. You may view the complete prices
realized list on our web site at:
http://www.lakebooks.com/archive.html
Once on that page, just scroll down to sale #76 and
you will see the two links (PDF or Word) that will
allow you to view the list.
Our next sale (#77) will be held on December 7, 2004
and will feature selections from the library of John M.
Ward, Jr. (EAC #74) and a continuation of offerings
from the fine library of Robert Doyle."
MICHAEL GRANT OBITUARY
[An obituary of prolific numismatic author Michael Grant
was just published October 8, 2004. Here are some
excerpts. -Editor]
"Professor Michael Grant, who died on Monday aged 89,
was a don at Cambridge, Professor of Humanity (Latin) at
Edinburgh, and vice-chancellor at the Universities of
Khartoum and Queen's, Belfast, but was best known as a
prolific populariser of ancient history who published nearly
50 books on the Greeks, Romans and early Christianity."
"As well as scholarly publications on the coinage of Rome
(he was a distinguished numismatist), he produced biographies
of Julius Caesar, Nero, Herod, Cleopatra, Jesus, St Peter
and St Paul; accounts of the literature, history, art, mythology
and social life of Greece and Rome; and found time to
examine the Middle Ages and ancient Israel."
"Michael Grant was born in London on November 21 1914,
the only son of Colonel Maurice Grant, who had served in
the Boer War and later wrote part of its official history, before
covering the Balkan Wars for the Daily Mail and rising to
become an obituarist - though he was sacked for failing to get
up in the night to update Kitchener's obituary in 1916. His
mother Muriel was of Danish stock, and descended from
Jorgen Jorgensen, who staged an unsuccessful coup in
Iceland in 1809."
"He received many academic awards and prizes from
numismatic societies. His Who's Who in Classical Mythology
(with John Hazel, 1973) won the Prima Latina. His most
recent book was Sick Caesars (2000). He was president of
the Virgil Society (1963-66) and of the Classical Association
(1978-9). His club was the Athenaeum. He received the OBE
in 1946 and was advanced to CBE in 1958."
To read the full obituary, see:
http://tinyurl.com/3tto7
ANS GROVES LECTURE SCHEDULED
From the press release: "The American Numismatic
Society presents The Groves Forum Lecture by Mr.
David E. Tripp "1933 - The Paper Trail"
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
6:00 pm Reception
6:30 pm Lecture
At the ANS, 96 Fulton St. (enter at 140 William St.)
Followed by dinner at 8:00 pm at the 14 Wall Street
Restaurant, 31st floor Penthouse ($50 per person)
To RSVP, please contact Juliette Pelletier at
(212) 571-4470 ext.1311
or pelletier at numismatics.org"
FIRST CONFEDERATE CURRENCY COLLECTOR?
At last, an answer to our quiz. Dave Hirt writes: "I have an
answer to the E-Sylum question of the first Confederate
paper money collector. It is Alonzo Brock of Richmond, Va."
[Correct! -Editor]
COENWULF COIN FETCHES RECORD PRICE
[Another E-Sylum reader bags a big one! -Editor]
"An Anglo-Saxon penny fetched £230,000 at auction
today – breaking the world record for a British coin."
"American collector Allan Davisson bought the gold coin,
found with a metal detector near the River Ivel in
Bedfordshire in 2001.
It is the only known coin to bear the name of King
Coenwulf of Mercia and to show a clear regal design.
It weighs 4.33g and is similar in size to the modern one
pence coin."
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3592839
Another article on the topic:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/beds/bucks/herts/3721964.stm
MEDIEVAL COIN HOARD FOUND IN FRANCE
Arthur Shippee pointed out this note on a coin hoard
being offered by Spink: The Pimprez Hoard
"This remarkable hoard, deposited c.1140, was discovered
by chance in the grounds of a house in the small town of
Pimprez (Oise), near Beauvais, 50 kilometers north of Paris,
in 2002."
"The Pimprez hoard consists of 569 silver coins and 12
silver ingots, comprising 446 English pennies, 374 of Henry I
(1100-1135) and 72 of Stephen (1135-1154) and 123
continental pennies and bracteates, mainly from the mints of
Metz, Liege, Maastricht, Treves and Zurich. There were no
royal French coins.
The ingots are unusual in a hoard of this period. They vary in
weight from 9.95 to 223.26 grams and amount, in total, to
rather over half the bullion value of the hoard.
The English pennies are struck in excellent silver and show
little sign of wear from circulation, though many, particularly
the crude coins of Henry I’s last issue, type XV (1125-35),
are of the typically poor workmanship of the 12th Century.
The earliest coin is a London mint cut halfpenny of Henry I’s
excessively rare type VIII, struck around 1113, but the
glory of the hoard is the remarkable group of 24 pennies of
Henry I’s very rare type XI, the famous and distinctive
‘double inscription’ issue, dating from around 1115."
http://www.spink.com/news/current_news/4018b.asp
EZECHIEL SPANHEIM, NUMISMATIST?
According to an article in the Daily Collegian of New
England, a history professor is in Europe doing research,
and he is looking for information on a man named
Ezechiel Spanheim, whom he believes was a numismatist.
"Brian W. Ogilvie, Associate Professor of History, has been
conducting research in Europe on a $40,000 Fellowship for
University Teachers from the National Endowment for the
Humanities and a fellowship at the Columbia University
Institute for Scholars at Reid Hall in Paris.
His work centers on his hypothesis that the culture of
17th-century diplomacy encouraged reconciliation between
erudition and polite society.
"In a nutshell, diplomats were not professionals in the 17th
century. That is, there were no schools that trained diplomats,
no civil service in the modern sense, and the like. They were
often recruited from the ranks of scholars, because Latin was
still the language of international law and it was also still used
for negotiation. So there were a lot of diplomats who were
scholars."
More specifically, Ogilvie is gathering information on Ezechiel
Spanheim, a numismatist (coin studier), scholar and diplomat.
Ogilvie believes that Spanheim's unique role in European culture
will offer a glimpse into the changing nature of the era (and
validate his hypothesis). An obstacle in this is the fact that
although he was famous in his day, he is now almost forgotten.
"I have asked a few dozen historians who are specialists on
early modern European history whether they have heard of
Ezechiel Spanheim and almost always, the answer is no."
To read the full article, see:
http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/06/41636f8449b0c
[So ... can any of our readers help? -Editor]
MICKLEY A PHILADELPHIA STATIONER?
Terry Stahurski writes: "As usual, another excellent edition
of The E-Sylum. I was wondering if any of the readers
know if Joseph Mickley, of Large and Half Cent restrike
fame, ever worked as a stationer in Philadelphia. Thanks
and keep up the fine work."
NEW LOOK FOR THE MICH-MATIST
E-Sylum subscriber and numismatic author Michael Marotta
is the new editor of The Mich-Matist, the official quarterly
publication of the Michigan State Numismatic Society. The
format has changed "from 5.5 x 8 inches to 8.5 x 11 inches,
and from full-page to two column..." Michael is also
responsible for the clubs web site. "The Club's online
presentation will become the primary medium in a few
years. The print version of the Mich-Matist will become
the secondary medium. This change will be gradual, but it
is inevitable." For more information on the organization,
see http://www.michigancoinclub.org/
NICKEL DESIGNER JAMIE FRANKI
The October 7th Charlotte Observer published an interview
with Jamie Franki, designer of one of the new U.S. nickel
reverses. Here are are few excerpts:
"A piece of Jamie Franki's art might be in your pocket next
spring. Franki, a Concord illustrator, is helping to rejuvenate
the image of the lowly nickel with his tribute to the American
buffalo."
"Franki's American bison design will appear on all nickels
minted between spring and fall of next year. About 800
million of the coins will be struck, many grabbed by collectors.
The rest will become part of the roughly 18.9 billion nickels in
circulation.
Franki, who teaches illustration at UNC Charlotte, thought he
might be designing a quarter when he was among more than
33,000 people who downloaded applications to join a new
U.S. Mint coin program for artists. But after he was chosen,
he was invited to draw for the nickel. His American bison
image was one of three selected from among 144 designs for
next year's two-nickel series.
"I let loose with this sort of Ric Flair nature boy whoop," he
said. "This has been such a fabulous way for me to finally be
patriotic and do what I do best."
"It's already drawing positive reviews. David Sklow, a
researcher for the American Numismatic Association, has
seen only the sketch but likes what he sees. "If it comes out
like it's depicted, I think it'll be the nicest of the group," he
said.
Franki, who grew up in Syracuse, spends his spare time
refurbishing his historic home and collecting antiques. He has
worked as a professional illustrator for publications including
Stock Car Racing Magazine and InBusiness Magazine for
more than 15 years."
"He can't imagine better exposure for his work. "It's a tiny,
widely circulated piece of public art and everybody knows
what it is," he said. "How cool is that?"
To read the full article, see:
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/9855277.htm
COUNTERFEIT DIMES FOUND IN CIRCULATION
In previous issues we noted how rare it is for counterfeiters
to target circulating coinage. One example of this was the
case of Francis Leroy Henning of New Jersey who made
counterfeit Jefferson nickels.
On October 6th the Cherokee County Herald (Alabama)
reported that counterfeit dimes had shown up in circulation.
The article pictures several of the spurious coins alongside
genuine pieces.
"The Centre Police Department warns residents about
counterfeit dimes that have been circulating in the area.
Investigator Arlon Reed with the Centre Police Department
said the fake dimes have been discovered in at least two
local establishments with almost 30 dimes being discovered
at one location. “They were taken in while a customer
purchased food or other convenience items,” said Reed.
“They are made of copper and aluminum. Every one of them
have a mold. They appear to have some type of silver or
aluminum paint.” According to Reed, these coins are not the
same silver color as a true dime and some have mold marks
like bubbles on them. Some have smooth sides, others have
ribbed sides."
"Law enforcement agents remind counterfeiters that
manufacturing forged dimes carries the same penalty as
counterfeit money in any other denominations."
To read the full story, see:
http://tinyurl.com/4o5gb
JERRY REMICK INFORMATION SOUGHT
Martin Purdy writes: "I'm curious to know how author
Jerry Remick is, or even if he is still alive. He is a member
of the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand, but we
have not heard from him for a number of years now. The
last letter that we had from him (1999?) said he was unwell,
but we know nothing more."
COIN PRESSES
Regarding Dick Johnson's submission on the history of coin
presses, Michael Schmidt writes: "Somewhere in here they
missed the development of the roller press, and I can't say
for sure at the moment without tracking down references,
but the early tree coinages were struck on a roller press, not
a screw press. He may be right about the Pine Tree coinage,
but it wouldn't surprise me if it was struck with the roller
press as well."
Howard A. Daniel III writes: "I had a major hole in my
library with no copy of "The Art and Craft of Coinmaking;
A History of Minting Technology." I own a sample
cash-style coin for Emperor Tu Duc of Viet Nam made
from an Uhlhorn press and wanted to have the background
information on how it was minted in my library. The E-Sylum
comes through again with information about a book where I
can write a much more complete article about another
Vietnamese coin!"
CANADA AND THE QUEEN
From the October 3, 2004 issue of The E-Sylum:
". . . the year 2000 Canadian coins had a portrait of the
Queen that was used in Great Britain between 1985 and
1997. Why are they still using that? Would the Royal
Canadian Mint not have already adopted the current portrait,
seeing that Canada is in the Commonwealth?"
In response, Gary Dunaier writes: "I, too, have wondered
why Canada (and some other countries) had not changed
the portrait of the Queen to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait
introduced in 1998. Canada finally adopted a new portrait
of Her Majesty beginning in 2003, designed by Canadian
artist Susanna Blunt. Being an American, I had no idea why
Canada was allowed to not only *not* use the
Rank-Broadley portrait, but create their own.
The irony is that I prefer the Canadian design over the British
version. In my opinion, Rank-Broadley's portrait makes the
Queen look like a scowling old lady, whereas Blunt's version
presents Her Majesty in a classy, dignified manner befitting
someone of her age.
Here's a link to the Royal Canadian Mint's website page
about the new design:
http://www.mint.ca/en/news/photo/photo+login/effigy0602.htm
NEW PAPER MONEY – SCANNED, PHOTOCOPIED
AND REPRODUCED IN NUMISMATIC LITERATURE
Dick Johnson writes: "I haven’t done it yet, but if you try to
photocopy a new U.S. twenty or fifty dollar bill on a new
photocopy machine, up pops a message that you should visit
an anticounterfeiting website:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?ld=041005ED-Rules
Scary that the photocopy machine knows what you are
copying? Well, they tell me it is a new technology that is
built into the machine triggered by images built into the new
paper money.
The machine technology was developed by Digimarc, which
calls itself a "global leader in digital watermarking."
Headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon, the bulk of Digimarc’s
business is making drivers’ licenses more secure.
Our Bureau of Engraving and Printing worked with a group
formed by the national banks of U.S. and ten other countries.
Formed in 1993 and originally called SSG-2 the group is now
called the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group. It was
CBCDG which commissioned Digimarc to create the technology.
In 2003 the United States Treasury gave $2.9 million for this
project. Everyone, however, is pretty closemouthed about all
the technology involved, as perhaps they should be.
Copy machines made by Kodak, Ulead and Hewlett-Packard
now have the new copy machine technology. It is not mandatory
yet for all makers of printers, scanners and copiers to include
this capability, but it is being pushed by the big eleven national
banks (from Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and of course
the U.S.).
Makers of graphic manipulation software, notably Adobe
PhotoShop and Jase Printshop Pro, have also embedding the
technology. I’m told the image just doesn’t come up if you try
to copy new currency of these nations with this software.
My question is how this will affect the publication of numismatic
paper money literature? The U.S. law requires all reproductions
of legal currency be either smaller (less than 3/4 the size of the
original) or larger (more than 1 ½ times the original size) but it
cannot be double sided. Formerly it was restricted to black-and-
white only, but reproduction in color is now allowed.
The law originally had the caveat these restrictions could be
waived for "numismatic or educational purposes." Forty-five
years ago when I was editor of Coin World I subscribed to
INTERPOL for their publication of all new currency as it was
placed in current use. Illustrations of this currency was
airmailed to subscribers (fastest dissemination at the time).
This was to inform banks, and currency exchanges to keep
up-to-date with new legal paper tender around the world.
This was the only example I knew of educating the public
about paper money (other than obvious notices in news
publications).
If numismatists cannot scan images of paper money in the
future with this anticounterfeiting technology prohibiting
coping, how will the numismatic field be able to publish
paper money books and articles? Must we save one of
our old copiers for this purpose?
Here is an early British story on the subject:
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applications/0,39020384,39119018,00.htm
"
SOME CLINT HESTER INFORMATION FOUND
In last week's issue, Ron Guth wrote: "Here's a question
for your readers: The name Clint Hester shows up in
pedigree chains for the 1884 and 1885 Trade Dollars and
I've seen the claim that he was the consignor of those
coins to the Menjou sale, possibly with other rarities.
Does anyone know from whence that claim arose and
whether or not it is true?"
In response, David Gladfelter writes: "Clinton William
Hester's obituary appears at 72 Numismatist 535 (1959).
He lived in Los Angeles and was a "physiotherapist to the
motion picture industry." He was a native of Lincoln, NE,
a World War I veteran who received a bronze Victory
medal and the great seal of Nebraska for his service. He
was a consignor to at least two Kosoff sales (according to
Gengerke) but is not mentioned in the Menjou catalog.
The 1884 and 1885 trade dollars have typically terse
(for the time) Kosoff descriptions with no pedigree info
whatsoever. Hester was apparently a regular customer of
Kosoff's as I have at least one library edition sale catalog
with his name on it. He was a frequent exhibitor at coin
shows, and if he owned the trade dollars they would
doubtless have been exhibited by him. Someone may
remember having seen them in one of his exhibits. In a
quick look through John Willem's book on the trade
dollar one does not find mention of Hester. This is a
start."
BOOK ENVY: THICKEST NUMISMATIC TOME?
Pete Smith writes: "I recently acquired a thick new book.
As I looked around my library this appeared to be the
thickest book in my collection. This got me wondering if
it is the thickest numismatic book ever published.
May I suggest that E-Sylum readers report their suggestions
for thickest book based on number of pages. Perhaps later
we will establish categories such as American or foreign,
antiquarian or modern, etc.
I will withhold my title until we get a few more submissions.
Let's start the bidding at a thousand pages. Can anyone
beat that?"
[I have my own guess as to which book Pete is referring
to. I told the author at the recent ANA convention, "it
takes a big man to write a big book!" It weighs in at
1,041 numbered pages.
My shelves hold two volumes though, each of which is
nearly twice as thick as that one, . But they may not meet
Pete's criteria. They are the 1980 and 1981 volumes of
The Numismatist, each bound in a ridiculously large single
volume. I purchased them as part of a uniformly-bound
partial set.
So, E-Sylum readers, what are your nominations for
thickest numismatic book? -Editor]
THE EARLIEST MONEY
Regarding our previous discussions about the earliest use
of money, Reid Goldsborough writes: "It's crucial when talking
about early money and early coinage to keep in mind the
difference between the two. In last week's E-Sylum the
statement was quoted from a 30-year-old book that "It is
generally conceded that China preceded the West in the
invention and use of money." The evidence doesn't support
this.
Not all money is in the form of coinage. Money has been used
from the beginnings of civilization, in one form or another
(seashells, beads, obsidian, and so on), to serve one or more
of the functions of money (store of wealth, medium of exchange,
and standard of value), and from before civilization as well.
C. Opitz provides a comprehensive discussion of primitive
money in his book An Ethnographic Study of Traditional
Money: A Definition of Money and Descriptions of Traditional
Money, First Impressions Printing, Ocala, 2000. D. Schaps
offers an excellent analysis of the transition from primitive
money to coinage in his book The Invention of Coinage and
the Monetization of Ancient Greece, University of Michigan
Press, Ann Arbor, 2004.
On the other hand, the question of the first coinage is still, to
some extent, undecided. There's simply not enough firm
archeological evidence to make unassailable conclusions,
though according to my reading what evidence there is
continues to point to Lydia as the most likely source of
coinage as we commonly understand it."
UNSAFE DEPOSIT BOXES
If you're like many of us who store numismatic collections in
bank safe deposit boxes, the following news item from the
Associated Press will give you nightmares.
"Safe deposit boxes from a bank branch in Hong Kong were
taken away and crushed as scrap metal, leaving customers
angry at the loss of their valued possessions, executives
acknowledged Wednesday.
Embarrassed bosses at Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd.
say they will repay customers for their losses after 83 boxes
filled with valuables were removed Saturday by a contractor
during renovations, then dumped and compressed in a
junkyard."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_3235847,00.html
BOOK QUOTE
"Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history
is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and
speculation at a standstill." (Barbara Tuchman)
[Thanks to the October 8th issue of NewsScan Daily.
-Editor]
FEATURED WEB SITE
This week's featured web site is about the Electrum Lion
Coins of Ancient Lydia (before Croesus):
http://rjohara.net/coins/lydia-electrum/
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
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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
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