The E-Sylum v10#16, April 22, 2007

esylum at binhost.com esylum at binhost.com
Sun Apr 22 20:28:44 PDT 2007


Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 10, Number 16, April 22, 2007:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2007, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM APRIL 22, 2007

Among our recent subscribers are Don Kagin, James F. Driscoll, 
Fred Weinberg, Jerri C. Raitz, Steven Schor and Rick Ormandy.  
Welcome aboard!  We now have 1,103 subscribers.

This week's issue is top-heavy with our number one subject, numismatic 
literature, opening with a brief update on the latest Lake Books sale 
and the official publication announcement of the much-awaited new book 
on 'Comitia Americana and Related Medals'.  Next up is more information 
on 'Civilian Camp Money of World War II', a recommendation in favor 
of a recent book on Chinese coinage, a review of 'The Moneybucks Handbook' 
by Ray Balsbaugh and a review of a new Virtual Catalog online format 
being used by Bowers and Merena auctions.  Periodicals are discussed 
as well, including The Brasher Bulletin and the ANA Journal.

In the research query department we have more anecdotes on opening 
the pages of uncut books and an emphatic response on conserving wooden 
numismatic items from Anne Bentley of the Massachusetts Historical 
Society.  Also, Ron Guth seeks new information on Waldo Newcomer.  

Medals have been a popular topic of late, and this week brings news 
of the sale of the second-awarded Victoria Cross and an article 
mentioning the enigmatic "Rats of Tobruk" relic medal.  More modern 
amateur medal-makers have Dick Johnson in a tizzy, but for me the 
highlight of this issue is a follow-up piece on the curious 
bullet-struck Lincoln Indian Peace medal in the collection of the ANS.

Rounding out the issue are topics as diverse as coin dominoes, Bill 
Wyman's metal detector endorsement, making cents of steel, and the 
1840 discovery of the famed 'Castine deposit' coin hoard.   And to 
learn why Dave Bowers needs a Magnetophone player, read on.  Have a 
great week, everyone.

Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society



LAKE BOOKS SALE #88 CLOSING APRIL 24

Fred Lake of Lake Books writes: "Our mail-bid sale #88 of numismatic 
literature closes on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 5:00 PM (EDT). You 
may view the sale at http://www.lakebooks.com/current.html
 
Bids may be made by email, telephone, or fax until the closing time. 
We hope that you will find some items of interest in the 392-lot 
catalog."


BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: COMITA AMERICANA AND RELATED MEDALS

George Kolbe forwarded the following release about the new book 
by John Adams and Anne Bentley:

"George Frederick Kolbe/Fine Numismatic Books is proud to announce 
publication of a major new reference work on early American 
historical medals:

"Adams, John W. & Bentley, Anne E. 'Comitia Americana and Related 
Medals: Underappreciated Monuments to Our Heritage.' Crestline, 
California: George Frederick Kolbe Publications, 2007. 304 pages, 
illustrated throughout in color. 9.75 x 6.75 inch format. Bound 
in full linen with a leather spine label, lettered in gilt.

"Price per copy: $135.00 plus $10.00 shipping in the United States 
and $25.00 elsewhere.

"Extremely well-written by two highly respected scholars, the work 
covers in great detail the 'Comitia Americana' medals approved by 
Congress to commemorate significant victories during the American 
Revolutionary War and the officers who achieved them. Also covered 
are the 'Diplomatic Medals' created by Thomas Jefferson and the 
celebrated 'Libertas Americana' medal, the brainchild of Benjamin 
Franklin. 

"The volume is brim full of original research and documentary evidence, 
and is written in an engaging manner. Following Acknowledgments and 
an Introduction are chapters devoted to the various emissions of each 
of these historic medals, accompanied by superb color illustrations 
and useful footnotes. 

"Also included is an exhaustive, most useful bibliography, along with 
an index. The remarkable color illustrations of the medals themselves 
were produced by Meridian Printing utilizing a technology called 
stochastic screening. This costly process produces superbly-detailed 
illustrations that allow for enlargement of detail under magnification, 
producing much the same result as actual photographs. Beautifully 
designed and finely printed, 'Comitia Americana and Related Medals' 
is both a visual and an intellectual delight.

"Orders may be sent to George Frederick Kolbe, P. O. Box 3100, 
Crestline, CA 92325-3100 USA.

"A few comments received from early recipients of the book follow:

"Alan M. Stahl, Curator of Numismatics, Princeton University Firestone 
Library: 'a signal achievement in the bibliography of the American 
medal, one that I hope will have the effect of establishing this series 
as one of the most important in the field.'

"Michael J. Hodder, noted numismatic researcher and cataloguer: 'What 
a marvelous book! You've outdone yourself this time
You've tackled a 
daunting project and crafted a landmark that will be on our shelves 
for a generation and more.'

"Richard Margolis, highly respected, longtime numismatic dealer and 
collector: '
splendidly researched
I've spent much of the weekend 
reading and learning from it.'"


MORE ON 'SILENT WITNESSES: CIVILIAN CAMP MONEY OF WORLD WAR II'

Steve Feller forwarded a nice writeup of the new book written by he 
and his daughter Ray on the Civilian Camp Money of World War II.  
Here are some key excerpts:

"The book spans the time period 1933 to almost 1950 and includes German 
concentration camps, ghettos, internment camps from all sides, and 
displaced persons camps. Nearly a thousand illustrations are used and 
they are in full color.

"Camp money from the Second World War is an enormously broad topic. 
In the book the focus is on the civilian camps. This book is divided 
first according to types of camps, and second, when appropriate, 
according to the power behind the camp: Axis, Allied, or Neutral.

"For the book as a whole, money is known from: Australia, Austria,
Canada, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, India,
Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Netherlands 
East Indies, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, 
Switzerland, Tanganyka, United Kingdom, and the United States.

"This volume is much more than a catalog as the camps are described 
In much detail, much more than has ever appeared in the numismatic 
press. The book is available from BNR Press for $35 + handling ($4 to 
U.S., Canada and Mexico; $8 elsewhere; $15 airmail). A special 
edition of the book is available, please enquire. Please contact 
BNR press at: 132 East Second Street, Port Clinton, Ohio 43452-1105-04, 
or by phone at 1-419-732-6683, or by email at: 
bnrpress at papermoneyworld.net."


BOOK RECOMMENDATION: DAVID HARTILL'S CAST CHINESE COINS

Nick Leshkow writes: "I am trying to do some research on about two 
dozen ancient Japanese and Chinese coins.  I would like to both 
attribute and price the coins.  I need for the books to contain 
photographs or drawings; and of course be written in English.  I 
was hoping you could recommend appropriate books and where I might 
buy or borrow them."

[I asked one of our resident experts for advice, which appears 
below. -Editor]
 
Scott Semens writes: "Books to identify and price Chinese and Japanese 
cash?  Two years ago I would have given you three or four titles, with 
a paragraph each on strengths and weaknesses, but today there's a 
simpler answer:  CAST CHINESE COINS by David Hartill, list price $50 
but often discounted.  It's in English, has a finding list for 
attribution, and a good rubbing (arguably better than a photo for 
this series) for each entry.  There is a rarity scale with a rather 
imperfect "conversion" into money.  

"As with modern foreign coins, you are going to get only an approximate 
market value from ANY catalog; settle for a ballpark idea.  Hartill 
lists the commonest Japanese types in the same format, but you can find 
more detail about anything you are likely to have in the Standard Catalog 
of World Coins (Krause & Mishler), century editions, which include 
reasonably accurate market prices as well.  There are levels in both 
the Chinese and Japanese series unplumbed by these Western works, to 
the point where mint and approximate date CAN be determined for many 
pieces if one delves into specialized works, which are usually not in 
English.  But this rarely affects market value, especially on casual 
finds.  Stick with Hartill, and Krause-Mishler, both accessible works."


WHERE TO ORDER LATEST SCHOEN WORLD COIN CATALOGUE

Martin Purdy forwarded a link to the current edition of the Schön 
World Coin Catalogues on the German Amazon web site (www.amazon.de), 
which we'd been having trouble locating.

To order the book from Amazon.de, see:
http://tinyurl.com/2zshnk 

  SCHOEN WORLD COIN CATALOG DISTRIBUTOR UPDATE
 http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v10n15a28.html


BOOK REVIEW: THE MONEYBUCKS HANDBOOK BY RAY BALSBAUGH

After meeting the author at the recent Charlotte ANA convention, 
Howard Daniel suggested that I review 'The Moneybucks Handbook for 
Minting Errors & Die Varieties' by Ray Balsbaugh for The E-Sylum.  
I hadn't heard of the book before, but it's in its third printing and 
according to the author "PCI, ANACS, and other grading companies are 
now using the MB numbers in The MoneyBucks Handbook as a reference for 
die varieties and minting errors. They are putting the MB numbers on 
the upper right front of the coin slabs."  I asked Ron Guth, President 
of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), but he hadn't heard of 
the book yet either, and neither had Dave Lange of NGC.

What one can't help but notice is the commercial nature of the book - 
just after the table of contents is a page promoting MoneyBucks Coin 
Auctions with instructions for finding the author's sales on Yahoo 
Auctions.  There are also full pages scattered throughout the book 
advertising the auctions. As the author notes in his introduction, 
"some of the coins remain in my personal collection, while others 
have been sold or are currently available for sale."

This explains the odd title - until I saw the book I was perplexed 
about what "MoneyBucks" had to do with errors and varieties.  Of course, 
the competing "Cherrypickers' Guide" is an equally oddly titled book 
where only the subtitle reveals the true subject: "... Rare Die Varieties 
of United States Coins".  

The book's scope overlaps the Cherrypickers' Guide but is primarily a 
subset.  On page xvii the author states: "The main theme of this book 
is hub doubled varieties known as doubled dies."  Both books offer short 
descriptions of each listed error alongside photos.  But it's the photos 
that caught my eye in The Moneybucks Handbook, and not in a good way.  
While many are indeed quite usable, others... not so much.

A review by Matthew High on the Amazon site is spot-on in my opinion.  
He writes: "My biggest gripe is about the printing quality of the book. 
One of the primary purposes of this book is to help identify die varieties 
and errors. Some of the pictures are decent, but a majority of them are 
too muddy, too pixellated, too small, or just plain too damn useless. 

"For a book where the quality of the pictures is all-important, the 
publisher did a very poor quality on the printing job itself... For 
several of the pictures, the contrast is too low to make out the relevant 
details (such as trying to see that D mintmark below the S). Many of the 
pictures are completely unnecessary -- such as including a picture of the 
coin inside a slab -- the coin itself being nothing more than a dark 
circle. What's the point in showing the slab?"

The photo quality differences between the two books are evident right on 
the covers.  The fourth edition Cherrypickers' Guide has six high-quality 
close-up images of doubled letters, dates and mintmarks, clearly 
illustrating the quality of images to be found within.  The cover of 
the MoneyBucks Handbook has a number of poorly cropped and somewhat 
washed-out images of complete coins.

Experienced variety collectors may well have use for both books in 
their library, but as a casual collector, I'll stick with the Cherrypickers'

Guide.  See the link below for my earlier review of the latest edition.

I've always admired variety collectors for their deep knowledge and 
attention to detail. I've never been one, so I'm not even close to being 
an expert on the topic; I probably couldn't spot an obvious hub doubling 
if you blew up an ultra-high-resolution image to the size of my eight-year 
old son.  So I'll stop my review here; perhaps some of our more 
knowledgeable readers can pick up where I've left off.

To view the MoneyBucks Handbook and reviews on eBay, see
http://tinyurl.com/39poc3

To view the MoneyBucks Handbook and reviews on Amazon, see:
http://tinyurl.com/3a7ps3 

  BOOK REVIEW: CHERRYPICKERS' GUIDE, FOURTH EDITION, VOLUME TWO
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v09n39a10.html


Ray Balsbaugh writes: "As the author of The MoneyBucks Handbook, I 
have attempted to add a book to the numismatic community that will add 
to the enjoyment & education of old and new collectors of die varieties. 
The book has increased in size from the 2nd Edition to the 3rd Edition 
by doubling in size to 365 pages and over 900 pictures. The one Amazon 
review quoted was for the old 2nd Edition, & many pictures have since 
been updated. The book has been financially successful with all three 
publications having sold over 3,000 copies including over 200 copies 
sold at the recent Charlotte ANA to the public and wholesale to coin 
shop owners nationwide. There are 12 pages set aside in each book to 
sell to advertisers to offset costs and I make no apologies for this 
commercialism.

"It is not a hardback book, there are no color pictures in the book, and 
the pages are not photo paper slick so that the price stays low.  The 
books have been sold for $22.00 on eBay & Yahoo for years with hundreds 
sold and no negative feedback (searchword on eBay: moneybucks). The 60x 
pictures have the same quality as the Breen's book and as the pictures 
in the VAM book. 

"This book features all the major varieties and many of the minor 
varieties with large sections on Large Cents, Bust Halves, and there 
are current accurate prices for variety coins up to and including 2006. 

"And finally, this book has been reviewed in Numismatic News, Coin World, 
Coins Magazine, and over a dozen newspapers. In the last 5 years, I have 
personally attended hundreds of coin shows in a 10 state area in and 
around Ohio to sell the book and do book signings that have been 
advertised in advance in Coin World and Numismatic News. 

"I appreciate the opportunity to have it reviewed. It is also available 
for retail and wholesale from the Publisher at 1-888-280-7715."  

[I'd like to thank Ray for providing the review copy and his followup 
comments on my review.  I had already cut out parts of the Amazon review 
that seemed overly critical about the photo quality - it makes more sense 
now that I see that review was about the previous edition.  This is why 
I provide drafts of my reviews to the publishers for comment.   I've cut 
a few more lines from that quoted review, but let others stand.  I do 
believe, for example, that the photos of slabs add little to the book.  

As for the commercialism, The Cherrypickers' Guide also has several 
pages of ads (as do many other recent numismatic books), but those ads 
are largely from people other than the author; it was the self-promotion 
aspect of this book that stood apart.  No, there's nothing wrong with 
that, but it's worthy of note in a review.

As I stated, I am not terribly well qualified to review a book on 
varieties, and have said nothing on the books appropriateness in that 
regard.  As such I would welcome thoughts from our readers.  -Editor] 


BOWERS AND MERENA DEBUTS NEW ELECTRONIC VIRTUAL CATALOG FORMAT

Tim L. Shuck of Ames, IA writes: "I received an email from Bowers and 
Merena that might be of interest vis-à-vis the discussion of printed 
versus digital numismatic catalogs. Their catalog for the just opened 
May 2007 St. Louis Rarities Sale is available in a new Virtual Catalog 
online format, and as a downloadable pdf file. It took me less than 
five minutes to download and save the 96 page, 22.4 Mb catalog file, 
using a broadband connection.

"Of course, most auctions are already now viewable online, often with 
robust search tools, but this version has the look of a printed catalog, 
with tools for page turning, page-by-page navigation, table of contents 
navigation, zooming either by page or via an inset magnifier window, 
and a link for bidding. Whether this online format is better than others 
will be a matter of preference, or possibly functionality as the clarity 
of zoomed images did not seem to be as good as others I’ve seen.

"Of more interest to me was the fact that I could download this catalog 
as an Adobe .pdf file. Not only a less ‘shelf-intensive’ way to store 
catalogs for those of us who keep them, but the .pdf format also allows 
sophisticated searching via Adobe Acrobat, for me a faster and more 
reliably consistent access method than using the Internet. Obviously a 
downloaded .pdf is not a DVD, though more preferable I now think, and 
likely won’t tempt those who want a printed version. But it is an 
interesting development that I have not previously seen, and if nothing 
else may indicate that formats other than the traditional printed 
catalog are indeed being looked at."

To view the Bowers and Merena virtual catalog online, see:
http://www.bowersandmerena.com/catalogs/13030/VirtualCatalog.htm 

[The new virtual catalog format is pretty nice, despite the hokey fake 
"page flipping" noise and graphic each time you go to the next page.  
This is akin to the fake shutter sound a number of digital cameras make 
to simulate the old style cameras most of us grew up with.  But the 
sound does serve a purpose.

Flipping pages online was fairly fast for me, but not a fast as 
physically flipping through the pages in a hardcopy.  After downloading 
the complete catalog to my PC, page flipping was naturally much faster 
and I found it a very acceptable way to browse. You can set the 
magnification level, so I chose to pan out to see two complete pages 
side-by-side for flipping, and when I stopped at lot of interest I 
zoomed in.  Also, the page-flipping noise and visual feature did not 
appear here, which for me, made viewing the downloaded copy a better 
experience.  Nice!

It will be interesting to see if other numismatic firms pick up on 
this new format.  It does seem like a net improvement in the reading 
experience.  If not THE answer to the problem of storing the plethora 
of modern auction catalogs, this is at least a major step along the 
way.  

Perhaps someday instead of asking a numismatic researcher "what's 
in your library" we'll ask, "what's on your hard drive?"  -Editor]


NATIONAL COIN BOOK WEEK REACTION

Tony Tumonis of Tucson, AZ writes: "I think the idea of having a 
National Coin Book Week is a great idea.  If we started a grass roots 
movement proposing to work with all the Coin Clubs around the country, 
I think it would be a wonderful success.  We could solicit support 
from organizations like the ANA and ANS, as well as dealers and the 
major hobby publications.  Coin Clubs could gather volunteers to spend 
time at their local libraries during the week putting together displays 
and exhibits and answering questions.  The ANA, ANS and hobby publications 
could help in promoting and advertising the idea.  The dealers could 
assist with advertising and perhaps contribute funds and/or books 
towards their local libraries.  It's a great way to promote education 
in numismatics."

[Tony is a candidate for the American Numismatic Association Board of 
Governors.  Regarding Tom Denly's note about a current governor who 
professed to not reading the major weekly hobby newspapers, Tony adds 
"I agree with Tom Denly that anyone that desires to serve on the Board 
of the ANA needs to know how the industry feels.  Our hobby publications 
publish the news so their readers can make informed decisions."

"I'm sure everybody running for the Board is sincere in promoting 
Education and assisting the ANA in moving forward.  For the last 100 
years the ANA has fulfilled its charter in promoting education and 
will continue to do so long into the future." 

I've limited my excerpts of Tony's remarks to those dealing with 
reading and education, key focus areas of The E-Sylum.  Issues of 
ANA membership retention, volunteer participation and the ANA Club 
Representative program are beyond our scope, but like Tony, I urge 
everyone to read the candidates' platforms carefully and learn where 
they stand on the key issues before voting.  -Editor]


THE BRASHER BULLETIN

One American Numismatic Association Governor who couldn't be accused 
of not reading is our new subscriber Don Kagin, who edits the exceptional 
Brasher Bulletin, the quarterly newsletter of the Society of Private and 
Pioneer Numismatics (SPPN).  I've been a member of SPPN for many years, 
and under Kagin's editorship the publication has gotten even better.  
Each issue is filled with interesting original or reprinted articles 
on the topic.  Contributors include top researchers in the field, such 
as Dan Owens, Robert Chandler and Fred Holabird.  For more information 
on SPPN, contact info at kagins.com.

The Fall / Winter 2006 issue includes an article by none other than 
Mark Twain, a newspaper article he wrote for the San Francisco Call 
on October 2, 1864. 'The Last Hitch at the Mint' describes bureaucratic 
snafus that had caused workers at the Mint to miss many of their 
paychecks.  

[By the way, one of my many unfinished numismatic writing projects is 
a paper on Twain's friend, famed American author and poet Bret Harte.  
Harte worked by day in a position at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco, 
and he was likely Twain's source of information for his article.  
-Editor]


ANA JOURNAL WINTER 2007 ISSUE

This spring marks the second year of the American Numismatic Association's 
ANA Journal, a quarterly publication devoted to advanced studies in 
numismatics.  Some articles were produced from the Maynard Sundman/
Littleton Coin Company Lecture Series presented at the ANA World's Fair 
of Money® every summer.

The Winter 2007 issue is out.  In it, Carlos Jara explores "Costa Rican 
Provisional Gold Issues of 1825." Jara has written a number of books on 
Central American coinage and particularly enjoys the Chilean pre-decimal 
series. Also featured are "Eisenhower Dollar 'Talon Heads' and Other Die-
Clash Artifacts" by Rob Ezerman, Brian Vaile, David Golan and Gary Hoop, 
and "Dexter's 1804 Rara Avis," Mark A. Ferguson's overview of J.V. 
Dexter's specimen of the 1804 dollar. 

An annual subscription to the series is $65.95, with individual 
copies regularly priced at $21.95.

ANA Journal currently is seeking articles displaying original 
numismatic research. For submission guidelines or for more 
information, call 719-482-9814 or email anaj at money.org.  


NOAH WEBSTER'S NOTES ON ANCIENT COINS

Arthur Shippee writes: "By accident, I came across a catalogue of 
Lame Duck Books, their #84, of manuscripts &c. (Boston, 
http://www.lameduckbooks.com). The following item may be of interest 
to E-Sylum readers:

"#235.  Webster, Noah (1788 - 1843).  Holograph mss.  Holograph sketch 
for an article on ancient coinage, unsigned.  These were brief notes 
for inclusion in a reference work....  One-and-two-thirds sides of a 
single 9x7...loss of a few letters.  $1250"

[Would anyone have any idea of what reference work the article 
might have been published in?  -Editor]


MORE ON OPENING VIRGIN BOOKS

David F. Fanning writes: "Regarding the question from Ray Williams 
in the E-Sylum, George Kolbe is right about not using a razor or 
other very sharp knife. What I would add, though, is that the knife 
you use should not be serrated. Use a fairly dull, plain kitchen knife 
with an unserrated edge (almost every knife we own has at least small 
serrations--when I finally found an unserrated one in our kitchen, 
I confiscated it for my library).

"Lay the book on a table in front of you. Insert the knife between 
the pages from the bottom, with the blade facing the uncut pages. 
Starting at the bottom of the uncut pages, draw the knife lightly up 
against the uncut pages, going just a bit at a time. You'll get the 
hang of it, but don't be surprised if you goof up a page during the 
learning process. You might want to practice on a folded piece of 
paper first."

Allan Davisson writes: "Greg Campbell of Campbell-Logan Binding 
gave me a knife designed for the sole purpose of cutting uncut pages. 
It is very sharp with a rounded dull tip. The cut is clean (which 
has not always been the case when I used a dull edge in the past) 
and the blunt tip meant that I did not make any errant cuts."


ON CONSERVING WOODEN NUMISMATIC OBJECTS

Anne E. Bentley writes: "To answer Ron Abler's query regarding how 
to handle the wooden objects in his collection, oiling would be the 
worst possible thing he could do to them!  In 25 years as conservator 
at the Massachusetts Historical Society, believe me, I saw the horrible 
results that ensue from such treatment on wooden objects.  These ranged 
from the discoloration (usually splotchy, thanks to difference in 
grain) to major splits (from introduction of a liquid, forcing open 
the grain), to mold (the combination of oil and humidity on wood 
creates spectacular colonies under "proper" conditions) to warping.  

"Most importantly, once introduced, oils and waxes on wood can never 
be reversed.  We have always just dusted the pieces and tried to keep 
them in stable relative humidity, to avoid extreme changes in moisture 
within the wood.  This has been very effective in maintaining our 
wooden pieces.  If you have to contend with a humid climate, you can 
create a drier micro-climate by storing your wooden pieces in container 
with silica gel packs to regulate the relative humidity.  I hope this 
helps Mr. Abler to decide on the course he plans to take with his 
collection."


WALDO NEWCOMER INFORMATION SOUGHT

Ron Guth writes: "I drooled when reading George Fuld's description of 
Waldo Newcomer's coin cabinet.  I've been a big fan of all things Waldo 
for quite some time.  In my humble opinion, he is one of the great, 
unsung heroes of American numismatics.

"The article prompted a couple of questions for Dr. Fuld concerning 
Newcomer:

1. Is there confirmation that Waldo actually committed suicide?
2. Where was he buried?
3. Is a copy of his will available?
4. Is it possible to obtain an image of the coin cabinet?
5. I'll join Milton Lynn's chorus: Is Waldo's coin cabinet for sale?

"Finally, I'd like to recommend that Dr. Fuld put his reminiscences 
to paper.  He has so much unique information (names, places, coins, 
collections, events) up in his head and it would be exciting to hear 
and read them."


MAGNETOPHONE PLAYER SOUGHT TO UNLOCK NUMISMAIC RECORDINGS

Dave Bowers writes: "I recently came across two Magnetophone (wire 
recorder) type recordings, on small spools, dating some years ago; 
one of John J. Ford, Jr., discussing the 1861 CSA cent dies circa 
late 1950s the other of a Professional Numismatists Guild meeting 
held in 1963. Question: does anyone have a unit that could play 
these and put them onto a CD?"

To view a picture of a Magnetophone, see:
http://www.recording-history.org/HTML/wire4.php 

[Undoubtedly someday these E-Sylum e-mails and web pages will be 
equally as obsolete at Dave's Magnetophone recordings.  By then I'm 
sure we'll all have electronic copies of every photo and word ever 
written about numismatics on a quantum nanochip conveniently 
implanted in our posteriors. -Editor]


SPINK SELLS SECOND-AWARDED VICTORIA CROSS MEDAL

According to a Reuters news report, "An early Victoria Cross 
awarded for a daring raid on Russian enemy couriers during the 
Crimean War was sold for 155,350 pounds at auction in London on 
Thursday.

"'The fact that this is the second Cross ever awarded is quite 
important, particularly as it's such a rare decoration. The soldier 
had an amazing life and the story of how he won it was spectacular,' 
a spokeswoman for auctioneers Spink said."

"The medal sold on Thursday was awarded to Lieutenant John Bythesea 
who volunteered with William Johnstone in 1854 to intercept a crucial 
dispatch from the Tsar to the Baltic fortress Bomarsund, which was a 
Russian military stronghold."

To read the complete article, see:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL1943698720070419 


RATS OF TOBRUK MEDAL INFORMATION SOUGHT

The Sydney Morning Herald this week published a story about a reporter's 
visit to the Libyan city of Tobruk, which was a focal point for Australian 
servicemen in World War II.  The article mentions a medal created by the 
soldiers.

"A pilgrimage to the bustling Libyan city turns up poignant reminders 
of Australian soldiers in the siege of Tobruk, Anthony Ham writes.

"Few names resonate through Australian history like Tobruk. It is a 
place that has become central to our understanding of who we are as 
Australians. Like Gallipoli, it is a battlefield where the legend of 
the Anzacs was forged. And like the Somme it is a place where thousands 
of Australians lie buried."

"... with the soldiers hunkered down in trenches and in caves such as 
these, a Radio Berlin announcer dismissed the Australians as the "rats 
of Tobruk", drawing a parallel with rodents burrowing underground. 
Designed to bolster German propaganda and destroy Australian morale, 
the name was instead quickly adopted by the Australians as a badge of 
honour. One of the most famous photos of the siege shows a Bren gun 
carrier adorned with the words "Rats to you". The Australians also 
amused themselves by designing an unofficial medal from the metal 
of a downed German plane with a rat as its centrepiece."

To read the complete article, see:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/africa/rats-to-you/2007/04/18/1176696918167.html 

[Has anyone seen or heard of the unofficial medal the article 
speaks of? Not the modern commemoratives as seen in the following links, 
but an original, made-by-a-soldier-from-a-captured-plane medal?
-Editor]

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-battles/ww2/tobruk.htm 
http://www.answers.com/topic/rats-of-tobruk 


JOHNSON: AMATEUR MEDAL DESIGNERS LACK MEDAL KNOWLEDGE

Dick Johnson writes: "San Antonio, Texas has a Fiesta every Spring. 
This year it runs for ten days, April 20-29. Over 100 events are 
scheduled in a city-wide party that is family friendly. Lots of Fiesta 
merchandise is created, posters, T-shirts, hats, pins and medals that 
are sold in a special street-front store. Great so far.
 
"Also every year the local newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News, 
conducts a contest for citizens to design a Fiesta Medal. The 2007 
winners were announced this week (April 19), illustrated in the paper 
and all contest entries are shown on the Internet. It exemplifies the 
complete lack of knowledge of what the public (at least in Southwest 
Texas) thinks is a medal.
 
"This year's winner was a three-part fabrication that would be better 
called a jewelry item than a medal. For the most part "medal" entries 
are more like "decorations," to be worn. Most have a header, and a 
cloth drape attached to a pendant (the actual "medal" part). 
 
"The accompanying news story accurately described this year's medal 
creations: 'Once again, readers rallied the glue guns, glitter and 
so many more crafty ingredients to create an army of homemade medals 
that overwhelmed the senses. From shoe fetishes to sticky tongues, 
this year's pin-on platoon proved that, as always, imaginative 
medal-makers seize the day.'
 
"'Glue guns?' 'Glitter?' 'Crafty ingredients?'  Saint-Gaudens is 
rolling over in his grave! Traditional medal makers please stop 
flinching. It's all just good clean fun. (And maybe someday a real 
medal designer could emerge from this sand box kindergarten activity?)
 
"If you would like to see these imaginative "medal" creations go to 
this URL and click on 'Slide Show:'"
 
http://www.mysanantonio.com/salife/stories/MYSA042007.01P.fiesta.medals.e230
89.html 


EXCELSIOR COPPER, OTHER COLONIALS OFFERED IN STACK'S FORD XVIII SALE

While there are plenty of very interesting and important coins and 
medals in the upcoming Stack's sale of the John J. Ford collection, 
one of my favorites is the 1787 Excelsior copper, which the catalog 
entry calls "One of the very finest known specimens of this rare 
and evocative issue, finer than all but a few of the dozen or so known."

"There are few more evocative series than the New York Excelsior coppers, 
struck in small numbers at the same time New York was considering a 
contract copper coinage like other states in the region. No contract 
was granted, but several different varieties exist, types that were 
probably conceived as patterns but then struck in somewhat larger numbers 
just to exact some profit. The New York Arms die is interesting, relating 
these to the Brasher doubloons that were likely authored by the same 
engraver. The Indian die, however, has received extensive comment over 
the years, particularly since it is rare in every form and every marriage 
known. The legend LIBER NATUS LIBERTATEM DEFENDO is translated as "born 
free, I defend freedom," a slogan that befits its era even if the Indian 
it depicts was nearly completely removed from the urban East by that point."

"From Thomas Elder's sale of the Peter Gschwend Collection (purchased 
intact by William H. Woodin, then consigned to Elder), June 1908, Lot 87; 
F.C.C. Boyd Collection; Boyd Estate to New Netherlands Coin Company on 
April 25, 1958; John L. Roper Collection; our sale of the Roper 
Collection, December 1983, Lot 275."

To view the complete lot listing, see:
http://www.stacks.com/lotdetail.aspx?lrid=AN00061375 

[I asked Stack's cataloguer John Kraljevich about his favorites in 
the sale.  He writes: "I have many favorites in this sale -- the two 
Sommers Island pieces both have awesome pedigrees; the two pence is 
Parsons-Norweb and I discovered that the shilling is ex. Murdoch, 
which is an extremely rare U.S. pedigree. I also rather like the 
UNIQUE and newly discovered Broad Axe Higley too!"  Below are links 
to the lot descriptions. -Editor]

ca. 1616 Sommer Islands shilling - Large sails variety
http://www.stacks.com/lotdetail.aspx?lrid=AN00061377 

ca. 1616 Sommer Islands shilling - Small star variety
http://www.stacks.com/lotdetail.aspx?lrid=AN00059870 

1739 Higley Copper - Broad Axe variety
http://www.stacks.com/lotdetail.aspx?lrid=AN00061734 

 
MORE ON THE ANS' UTE CHIEF'S LIFE-SAVING LINCOLN PEACE MEDAL 

Web site visitor Dave Lanara writes: "Yesterday I discovered the 
E-Sylum story on the American Numismatic Society's Lincoln peace medal 
with the Indian/bullet and was stunned beyond belief.  The reason is 
that I have been searching for this medal for over twenty years. It 
was part of a huge number of artifacts that belonged to a Denver 
businessman who wrote an account of his acquisition of the medal 
in the 1870s.  Are you interested in the details that seem to be 
lacking in the ANS records?"
 
  HEAP BAD MEDICINE: UTE CHIEF'S LIFE-SAVING LINCOLN PEACE MEDAL        
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v09n33a28.html 
 
[I said yes in a heartbeat.  Here's the story, 
copyright 2007 David A. Lanara.  -Editor]

"There is an Indian Peace medal in the ANS collection that is 
very special.  One of the original Lincoln peace medals, it bears 
the scar of a bullet strike at two o'clock on its reverse, with a 
major portion of the bullet still imbedded.  According to the ANS 
site, this medal was obtained from an Ute Indian who said it was 
"bad medicine."  

"J. Sanford Saltus purchased the medal in 1917 and donated it to 
the ANS, where it has resided ever since.  A note with the history 
was supposedly attached to a box in which it was received, but that 
note has been misplaced, rendering the complete history of the 
medal unknown.  
 
"My interest in the medal began in 1980, when I was researching 
the man who obtained it from the Ute Indian.  John P. Lower was 
a Denver gun dealer from 1876 through to his death in 1917. He 
wrote an article for the Denver Republican in 1913 that described 
the circumstance surrounding the acquisition of the medal and 
several others.  Here is the actual text of that portion of the 
article."
 
"...I was [the Ute Indians'] trader for many, many years.  I was as 
fair and honest with them as with their white brothers.  For this 
kindness they brought me their rare and beautiful furs, and many curios.  
It was in this manner that I was given the information that Washington, 
Ute chief, was the possessor of one of the original Washington medals.  
This rarity had come out here in the far West through the channels of 
Indian trading, warfare, and bloodshed.  Early in the 50s, Washington, 
then a young buck, with another name, took this medal from the neck 
of a dead Arapaho after a battle with a war party at Whisky Gap, Wyo.  
After he had worn it for some time he was given the name of Washington 
by Indians and whites alike.  He was a grand old chief.  I opened 
negotiations for this medal in 1872 and did not secure the coveted 
relic until 1876.
 
"I had it in the store and kept it locked carefully away.  Among 
the men that were my regular visitors was Emil Grainier, a wealthy 
mining man engaged in the business of mining at Atlantic City, Wyo.  
He saw that medal and literally talked me out of it. I sold it to 
him for $50, the price of the stuff that I had traded old Chief 
Washington for the medallion.  Shortly afterward he left for Paris, 
his home.  He advised me that he had stopped in Washington, called 
upon the treasury department, and the Smithsonian institution and 
had the authenticity of the piece proven.  The Smithsonian offered 
him $1,000, which he refused.  Then, when he showed it to the 
historical academy of France, they immediately offered him $2,500, 
and kept on increasing their offer until the figures went into the 
five thousands.  The last time that I heard from him, this piece 
was his most treasured possession.  These medals were the most 
valued of all things in the mind of the Indian.
 
"I have here in my safe four of the rarest Indian medals that are 
in existence.  Two of Lincoln, one of Andrew Johnson and one of Grant.  
The story of how I acquired them all would fill a volume in itself.  
I doubt if there is a like collection anywhere else in the world.  
Each one has its peculiar associations and history. (Authors note: 
It is probable that J. Sanford Saltus obtained all of these medals 
after Lower's death.)
 
"Of course, I consider the Honko, Ute chief medal of Lincoln, my 
prize curio.  At 2 o'clock on the medal you see the greater part of 
an ounce ball imbedded.  It is bent from the shock of the impact of 
this bullet.  It was at the battle of Cheyenne Wells that the Utes 
and Arapahoe-Cheyennes met in deadly conflict.  During the engagement 
Honko was struck by a ball and after some weeks he came into the store 
and said to me, after showing me the bent silver medallion:  "Heap bad 
medicine.  Bullet him knock me dead.  Squaw poured heaps and heaps of 
water over me.  No dead after two hours dead.  No want.  Much bad 
medicine.  Trade!"
 
"After the usual dickering and argument I received the prized piece.  
I consider this relic the most valuable of any in the entire world.  
It is the most valuable to any collector on account of the unusual 
circumstances that surround it.  There is no like medal in existence.  
There never will be another.  In years to come its value will be greater 
than the Washington relic.  The letter that accompanies the medal vouches 
for the absolute worth and authenticity of the near death of a famous 
Indian chief."  (The letter referred to was written by an Indian scout 
named Clarke who witnessed the battle and the recovery of the chief.)"
 
Dave adds: "I hope you have enjoyed this lost piece of numismatic 
history.  Mr. Lower's vision of the medal's future has come true."
 
To view the ANS museum catalog entry for the medal, see:
http://64.81.216.220/cgi-bin/showobj?accnum=1917.161.1


HIGH RESOLUTION MEDAL IMAGES AVAILABLE

Ben Weiss writes: "The web site describing my collection of Historical 
and Commemorative Medals has been recently modified to include high-
resolution images of all the medals. Those with high speed Internet 
connections can readily download these images from the web site. 
There are also lower resolution images for those who have slower 
Internet connections, such as dial-up. The site is an attempt to put 
the Medal into the broader context of Art and to briefly explain the 
historical period associated with each medal. I hope this will allow 
all those interested in Art and History to explore these topics 
through the wonderful world of Medallic Art."

The site can be accessed from the following link: 
http://www.historicalartmedals.com/


AUGUST FRANK A MANUFACTURER, NOT A DISTRIBUTOR

Last week I asked, "Can anyone locate an August Frank advertisement 
listing pop-out coins for sale?"  Dick Johnson writes: "Did you think 
August Frank sold these items to the public?  Most medal manufacturing 
firms prior to The Franklin Mint they manufactured these items for 
their clients, who in turn sold to the public.

"Be that as it may, I would also love to see any August Frank 
advertisement from 1892 (when August Frank himself came to America 
and started his diesinking business) through 1973, when his sons sold 
the business (incidentally, they kept the part of the business that 
manufactured water sprinklers)!"
 

CASTINE AND THE OLD COINS FOUND THERE

John and Nancy Wilson pointed out the following item published on the 
web site of the Wilson Museum of Castine, Maine.  The Wilson Museum 
Bulletin (vol 4, Nos 24-25) reprinted an article by Joseph Williamson 
first printed for the Maine Historical Society in 1859 titled "Castine; 
And the Old Coins Found There", about a coin hoard discovered in the 
town in 1840.

"Upon finding the first coin, which proved to be a French crown, Capt. 
Grindle and his son commenced digging away the earth around the rock, 
and by the time it was dark, had possessed themselves of eighteen or 
twenty additional pieces. They then abandoned the search, intending 
to renew it on the following day. That night a severe snow storm 
occurred, which covered the ground, and rendered further investigations
during the winter impracticable. 

"Early in the spring they resumed the examination. On the top of the 
rock, embedded in the mass, one or two coins were found, and upon striking 
a crowbar into the declivity, and grubbing up the alders, they came upon 
a large deposit, numbering some four or five hundred pieces of the 
currency of France, Spain, Spanish America, Portugal, Holland, England, 
and Massachusetts. Mr. Grindle’s wife held her apron, which her husband 
and son soon loaded with, as she afterwards remarked, “the best lapful 
she had ever carried.”"

"Most of the coins were French crowns, half-crowns, and quarters, all 
of the reigns of Louis XIII. And Louis XIV., and bore various dates, 
from 1642 to 1682."

"A large part of the money, numerically considered, consisted of the 
old Massachusetts or Pine Tree currency, of which there were fifty or 
seventy-five shillings, and nearly as many sixpences."

"The next largest proportion consisted of the clumsy, shapeless 
Spanish coinage, commonly called “cob money” or “cobs,” and sometimes 
“cross money,” from the figure of a cross, which always characterizes 
it."

http://www.wilsonmuseum.org/bulletins/spring2003.html 
http://www.wilsonmuseum.org/bulletins/summer2003.html 

[Sydney P. Noe wrote about the hoard in the American Numismatic 
Society's Numismatic Notes and Monographs, no. 100, "The Castine 
Deposit: An American Hoard".   Dave Bowers also covered the subject 
in his book, "American Coin Treasures and Hoards". -Editor]


NEW AOL WEB GAME SHOW BASED ON SERIAL NUMBERS OF U.S. DOLLAR BILLS

Time-Warner unit AOL (the former America Online) offers video 
entertainment on its web site.  One new show has a numismatic tie-in.  
According to a Tuesday, April 17 press release, "AOL will introduce 
five new programs that will launch on AOL in the fall of 2007 and early 
2008 in partnership with leading production companies, including Mark 
Burnett, DreamWorks Animation, Endemol, Madison Road Entertainment, 
Stone & Co and Telepictures.

"“Million Dollar Bill” – You may already have a winning ticket in 
your wallet! Contestants play daily online games to reveal serial 
numbers of U.S. dollar bills in active circulation.  Top players 
compete on TV, and viewers at home play along for a chance to win 
a million dollars.  It launches Q1 '08."

To read the complete article, see:
http://press.aol.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1216 


MORE ON THE ALASKA STATE QUARTER DESIGNS

Regarding the Alaska State Quarter designs, Dick Hanscom writes: "I 
was on the commission to select designs. We looked through 800+ design 
concepts, mixed, matched, etc. and forwarded five to the Mint.  We got 
the five back, eliminated one completely, made changes and the results 
are what you see.  Our role is pretty much over now and it is in the 
governor's hands.

"The descriptions of the designs are not correct as we did not put 
"Denali National Park" on any of the quarters, but we did put the 
mountain "Denali" (known to you outsiders as Mt. McKinley). That was 
how the mint described the designs; we corrected them, but they 
apparently did not get the message."

[Dick also provided links to some web sites relating to the coin 
designs.  -Editor]
 
This was the website for the commission:
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/alaska_coin.htm 
 
Commission members:
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/alaska_coin_commission_members.htm 
 
This is the governor's new website:
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/alaska_coin.php 


CANADIAN CENTS ARE MADE OF STEEL; SHOULD THE U.S. DO LIKEWISE?
 
Dick Johnson writes: "One proposed solution to the rising cost of 
coinage compositions is for the U.S. Mint to do what Canada has done 
- strike the cent in steel. But consider the disadvantages. Steel is 
difficult to strike and they remain magnetic forever. Heaven forbid 
you dropped one on a computer disc.
 
"This came to mind reading an article in a newspaper from Whistler 
Canada this week. Reporter Paul Ruiterman reveals the Royal Canadian 
Mint produces their cents at .7 of a cent each. That was new to me.
 
"But he also writes of his travails with the lowly cent. He doesn't 
pick them up, he feels forcing the cents on the public is an unnecessary 
government scam (even at a .3 cent seignorage), and he dumps them in a 
donation jar when receiving them in change.
 
"His unstated solution is to abolish the cent. Yes, other countries 
have already done this, he states, and he won't be the last to mention 
it. 
 
"But if the U.S. began striking American cents in steel - or any other 
substitute composition - it still doesn't alleviate the problem as 
Ruiterman indicated in his article:  The cent has outlived its 
usefulness and is destined to be eliminated."
 
To read the complete article, see:
http://www.whistlerquestion.com/madison%5CWQuestion.nsf/0/A42EE063D6FB709888
2572C20063A12F 


ROLLING STONE BILL WYMAN PUTS NAME ON METAL DETECTOR

In 2005 we noted in The E-Sylum that Rolling Stone Bill Wyman had 
developed an interest in old coins and artifacts.  He co-wrote a book, 
'Bill Wyman’s Treasure Island' with his friend Richard Havers. Now we 
learn, Wyman is promoting a metal detector model.

"Most rock stars normally put their names to normal things, endorsing 
guitars, drums and keyboards. Like I said most rock stars - but not 
ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, for he has decided to put his name to 
a metal detector.

"The Bill Wyman Signature Detector is, according to the press release, 
a metal detector with one thing in mind - 'to make the experience of 
metal detecting fun, easy and accurate.'"

To read the complete article, see:
http://tinyurl.com/295rna 

  BILL WYMAN: COINS BETTER THAN STONES
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v08n18a30.html


VIDEO: 10,000 COIN DOMINOES

Wanna watch 10,000 standing-on-edge coins go down like dominoes? See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Bje2VkEvM 


FEATURED WEB PAGE: HOW MONEY IS MADE VIDEO

This week's featured web page is "How Money Is Made," a video from 
How Stuff Works about the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the 
production of U.S. paper money.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/money-video.htm


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