The E-Sylum v7#37, September 12, 2004

[whomren at coinlibrary.com]

Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 37, September 12, 2004:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2004, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


SUBSCRIBER UPDATE

   Among recent new subscribers is Dick Gaetano, courtesy
   of Wayne Homren.  Welcome aboard!  We now have 688
   subscribers.


LAKE BOOKS UNSCATHED BY FRANCES

   After hunkering down for Hurricane Charley, numismatic
   literature dealer Fred Lake of Lake Books in Florida
   writes: "Hurricane Frances had little or no effect on our
   business. We never lost power, so emailed bids were
   probably received here.

   We were quite fortunate. There are many others on the
   Florida peninsula who were not quite so blessed and our
   thoughts go out to them.

   Our sale #76 closes on September 28, 2004 and you
   may view the sale at
   http://www.lakebooks.com/current.html "

   [We're glad the Lakes are doing well, and wish them
   and their fellow Floridians the best as yet another
   hurricane, Ivan, follows a course that could take it to
   the Florida Keys and Gulf Coast.  -Editor]


THE PURPLE HEART BAND-AIDS

   Charles Davis  writes: "The purple heart band aids were a
   response to John Kerry's ad nauseum TV ads that he has
   three of them (or at least had three of them before he threw
   them away in the 1971 protest rally in Washington) for battle
   wounds that required only bandaids."

   George Vanca of Santa Clarita, CA writes: "A few delegates
   at the Republican National Convention were wearing
   band-aids with Purple Hearts on them.  They were doing it
   not as a mockery of the Purple Heart but in response to the
   three "questionable" Purple Hearts John Kerry received in
   Vietnam as reported by the Swiftboat Veterans.

   In fairness, it should be pointed out, that the President,
   Vice-president, and their Spokespersons have all spoken
   out against the Swiftboat Veterans stance and they have
   publicly said that they acknowledge and honor Senator
   Kerry's service in Vietnam.  They have also called for an
   end to the commercials."

   Denis Loring writes: "It was indeed intended as a mockery,
   of John Kerry.  The wearers indicate their belief in the
   reports -- proven false -- that Kerry did not deserve his
   Purple Hearts because of the triviality (or non-existence)
   of his wounds."

   [So another numismatic topic begins and ends in politics.
    Lest we stir up our earlier foes of political discussions
   within these pages, I'll let the topic drop now that we have
   an answer to the original question.  My apologies to the
   several other readers who sent replies as well.   -Editor]


RARE GOLD COIN OF  COENWULF FOUND

   From a Reuters account, September 10:
   "The coin was discovered on a public footpath beside the
   River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is the first new
   Anglo-Saxon gold penny to come to light in nearly a century
   and the only known gold coin with the name of Coenwulf --
   a king who ruled over the central English region of Mercia.

   London auctioneers Spink estimate the coin will sell for
   120,000-150,000 pounds ($214,100-267,700) when it goes
   under the hammer in October."

   "It's obviously going to be far in excess of anything that the
   average guy would expect to find when he's out walking his
   dog," said Bishop.

  http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=6204583


RARE GOLD NOBLES STOLEN

   Arthur Shippee forwarded a link to this story about the
   theft of some rare coins on loan from the British Museum:

   "SECURITY has been reviewed at Manchester Museum
   after three rare coins were stolen from a display case.

   The coins, known as "Nobles", were taken from the coin
   room at the Oxford Road museum, where they were on
   display as part of a collection on a15-year loan from the
   British Museum in London.

   Two coins have since been recovered and police have
   appealed for help in tracing the one still missing.

   The Nobles, which had been in Manchester for a year,
   were minted between 1445 and 1485 as gold bullion to be
   used as army payment during the Wars of the Roses."

   "The coins, which were taken from the museum during
   opening hours on August 5, are from a collection unearthed
   in Nottinghamshire in 1966 and form part of the Fishpool
   Collection."

   http://tinyurl.co.uk/2h72


SALE / FIXED PRICE LIST SOUGHT: E.H.A. 2/2/14

   Mike Hodder writes: "John Ford used to tell me that his
   collection of Wood's Hibernias included many coins
   pedigreed to Philip Nelson's own collection. Nelson's
   collection of Hibernias seems never to have been sold
   publicly. Harry Manville notes that Charles Watters
   bought part of it in the spring of 1917 and that the balance
   went to a Liverpool museum.

   In cataloguing Ford's Hibernias for sale I've found what is
   (to me) an enigmatic reference to a sale that Fred Boyd
   noted contained Hibernias he bought that were ex Nelson
   Collection. The sale is listed only as "E.H.A. 2/2/14". The
   name that comes to mind right away is Adams' but neither J.
   W. Adams nor Gengerke note an E.H. Adams sale that late.
   Davis does not list a sale citation for an E.H. Adams' fixed
   price list of that date.

   I wonder if any readers can help throw some light on the
   citation?  If it helps, the lots Boyd bought from the "E.H.A.
   2/2/14" sale were:

   Lot 2 (Nelson 2)
   Lot 3 (Nelson 3 in silver)
   Lot 5 (Nelson 3 in copper)
   Lot 6 (another copper Nelson 3)
   Lot 8 (Nelson 7 in silver)
   Lot 10 (Nelson 7 in copper)
   Lot 11 (another Nelson 7 in copper)
   Lot 12 (Nelson 6)
   Lot 13 (Nelson 5)
   Lot 14 (Nelson 8)
   Lot 15 (another Nelson 8)
   Lot 16 (another Nelson 8)
   Lot 18 (Nelson 12 in silver)
   Lot 19 (Nelson 12 in copper)
   Lot 20 (Nelson 17)
   Lot 21 (Nelson 10)
   Lot 23 (Nelson 11 in silver)
   Lot 24 (Nelson 13)
   Lot 26 (Nelson 11 in copper)
   Lot 27 (another Nelson 11 in copper)
   Lot 28 (another Nelson 11 in copper)."


COIN WORLD SUPPLY CATALOG

   Dick Johnson writes: "Coin World's "Coin Product Guide"
   (ie supply catalog) arrived in the mail this week.  The cover
   photo was outstanding!  Although the image of old man /
   young boy is a photo cliché, it still has charm -- complete
   with pitcher of lemonade and battered porch swing. Rustic!

   There are seven pages of numismatic books offered, 71
   different titles.  I would like to learn the comments of our
   book dealing brethren among our NBS members and
   E-Sylum readers.

   Do you consider this unfair competition?  "They take away
   my potential sales" to perhaps "the more numismatic books
   in collectors' hands the better." Your comments?"


PUBLISHING TIPS SOUGHT

   Dan Gosling writes: "In preparing a manuscript for publishing
   what are the advantages and disadvantages of the various
   software programs?

   I know that many shops are more likely to be able to print
   from a Acrobat Portable Document Format (.pdf). Acrobat
   can "distill" most files into a .pdf. Would it be better to create
   the manuscript using Acrobat as well?

   The CN Journal, the monthly publication of the Canadian
   Numismatic Association is prepared using Quark. Many in
   the publishing industry use Mac's and Quark.

   Most of us are familiar with Microsoft Word and would be
   better able to focus on the creation of the content instead of
   learning a new software package.  However, there is no
   guarantee that the printer will have the same version of Word.

   I would be interested to learn what others have used and
   what experiences they have had.  Thanks!"

   Coincidentally, Ron Abler writes: "I have been writing a
   reference/catalog on/of American Independence Centennial
   Medals.  I am at the point where publishing and formatting
   considerations suggest that I should be working with a
   publisher and/or editor.  How does a first-time author go
   about seeking a publisher?  I would appreciate any and all
   advice from you and the members.  Thank you."


NAMES ON THE OLD ANS BUILDING

   Dick Johnson writes: "Since I proposed the question of
   the numismatic biblio glitteraries whose names are forever
   emblazened on the facade of the old American Numismatic
   Society building, may I be the first to respond to last week's
   second plea for the list of names?  I respond from memory.

   The oldest name is Johann Joseph Hilarius Eckhel (but just
   "Eckhel" is inscribed). Another is Edward Theodore Newell
   (just 'Newell' please, Mister Stone Engraver).  I can
   understand why these two numismatic author luminaries are
   included, but for the life of me I cannot understand why they
   put Bing Crosby's name there as well!  (Ouch!, I bit my
   tongue!).

   I cannot remember the others, that's why I asked."

   Pete Smith had the correct answer as well.  He writes:
   "The numismatist who wrote "Doctrina Nummorum Veterum"
   has a funny name, Joseph Hilarius Eckhel."

   The next name on the building is that of the "Keeper of the
   Department of Coins and medals in the British Museum.
   His Historia Numorum, published in 1887, changed the study
   of Greek coins by studying them systematically."  Who is he?


DECIMAL COINAGE SYSTEMS

   Howard A. Daniel III writes:  "I do not believe the Russians
   were the first with a decimal coinage system.  I'm away from
   home when writing this item but think the Chinese (and
   Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese) cash-style coin system
   was decimal.

   The individual coins' full weight was divided into ten (10) units,
   then one hundred (100) of the coins was another unit, and one
   thousand (1000) was another unit.  There were other
   temporary units for 300, 600, etc., but the official system was
   the 10, 100, 1000, etc.

   I have also read many articles about the "first" coins of the
   world being from the area of the Mediterranean Sea.  This
   may be true for the "Western" world, but the actual first coins
   of the entire world were made in the "Eastern" world.


AUCTION ETIQUETTE

   On the topic of bidder etiquette, Steve Pellegrini writes:
   "In his December1999 Sale #21 auction catalogue of the
   Dr.Otto Kallir Collection of German Airship Medals
   (i.e. Zeppelin medals) Paul Bosco writes under 'Bidding
   Advice' on his TERMS OF SALE page:

   "If you are consistently using the Minimum Bids as a
   bidding guide, you are either ignorant, which is curable, or
   a horrible customer, which usually is not and I will insult you
   to the death."

   I would add that Paul is getting more curmudgeonly as he
   goes along but I think more is impossible.  However as a
   fellow proud liberal lefty we cherish and guard him always."


ENGRAVER G. W. DURFEE INFORMATION SOUGHT

   The following note came to us at the suggestion of Rich
   Hartzog: "My name is Kathy Cunningham and I am
   researching a person named "G. W. Durfee" who was a
   passenger on the S.S. Republic.  I have not as yet been
   able to learn much about the person.  However, I
   believe that "G. W." may be George Washington Durfee,
   the engraver.  Additionally, if our Durfee is in fact the
   engraver, if you could direct me to information linking
   him to the SS Republic or point me to to any other relevant
   information (images or photos of him, spouse or family
   life, etc.) I would be quite grateful.  My email address is
   she_is_now at yahoo.com.  Thank you."

   Dick Johnson was also contacted, and his response
   was: "There are six American artists with the last name
   Durfee. One has the name "George H. Durfee" (who was,
   incidentally, active in Civil War times).  [Perhaps our source
   had misread the middle initial.]  This artist did a sketch of
   a CW soldier which is in the Abby Rockefeller Folk Art
   Center in Williamsburg VA. He is also mentioned in
   McMahan "Artists of Washington DC."

   There are no American coin or medal engravers with the
   last name Durfee. The nearest name is "C. W. Dury (or
   Druy) but there are no records of his vita.

   If you are certain of the spelling the person was probably
   not an engraver, but of some other profession."


FRANK STEWART COLLECTION 1792 PLANCHETS

   Saul Teichman writes: "With regard to the Judd 2 1792 silver
   center cent without the silver plug, the 2 blank planchets were
   part of Frank Stewart's collection given to the city of
   Philadelphia in 1914 and displayed at Independence Hall.

   One of the blank planchets is missing, the other is quite
   corroded.  I had it imaged along with examples of their
   J10 and J21 but I seem have misplaced it.  The image was
   not good enough to use on the uspatterns.com website.
   http://uspatterns.com/uspatterns/j21p30.html

   By the way, Frank Stewart's collection has nice date run of
   early coinage, especially of Cents, half cents and dollars."


JUDGE TO COUNTERFEITER: YEAH, SURE...

   Len Augsberger forwarded the following counterfeiting
   story from the Reuters newswire:

   "A Danish man was sentenced to 25 days in jail after
   trying to buy a pizza with fake banknotes he said his
   grandchildren had made for a game of Monopoly.

   The 57-year-old said he had rented two color photocopiers
   to make extra fake money for the regular family games of
   Finans, a Danish version of the popular board game, the
   news agency Ritzau reported on Monday.

   He said he had simply made a mistake when he tried to
   pay for pizza and ice cream with a fake 500 crown ($80) note.

   But the court, hearing that he had been carrying 57,000
   crowns worth of forged notes when he was arrested, followed
   one of the Monopoly game's instructions and told him to
   "Go to Jail."


http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/09/06/monopoly.money.reut/index.html



BUT OFFICER, HE SAID THEY WERE *REAL* FAKES...

   Then there's this report from Zhengzhou, China:  "A
   businessman in China's Henan province complained to police
   after fake currency he had purchased for business purposes
   turned out to be waste paper.

   The man, who was from Shandong province, told police he
   had paid 130,000 yuan ($15,000) to buy 560,000 yuan in
   counterfeit currency f rom a man in Zhengzhou, the provincial
   capital.

   He said that only two notes in each bundle was real fake
   currency, the South China Morning Post reported. The rest was
   only waste paper."

   http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040906-022652-5646r.htm


FEATURED WEB PAGES

   This week's featured web pages are recommended by Dan
   Gosling - they feature images of the 2004 Canadian Numismatic
   Association Annual Convention held in Toronto:

      http://www.canadian-numismatic.org/2004images.htm
      http://www.canadian-numismatic.org/2004awards.htm


  Wayne Homren
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society


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