The E-Sylum v11#12, March 23, 2008

esylum at binhost.com esylum at binhost.com
Sun Mar 23 18:25:16 PDT 2008


Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 11, Number 12, March 23, 2008:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.


WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM MARCH 23, 2008

Among our recent subscribers is Richard Burdick, courtesy of 
Alan Weinberg. Welcome aboard!  We now have 1,134 subscribers.

This week we open with information on several Whitman Publishing 
products, including new features appearing in the next edition 
of the classic Redbook, and a report on upcoming books on tokens 
and medals, U.S. gold, American coinage and ancient coins. Next, 
Ray Williams reports on the recent sale of duplicate books at 
the ANS.    

Several items provide follow-ups to earlier discussions, 
including courtesy signatures, deaccessioning of coins from 
the Garrett collection at Johns Hopkins, and the filming of 
'Public Enemies' at banks around the country.  My numismatic 
diary this week covers a brief visit to Brookgreen Gardens 
and other semi-numismatic sights.

In the news, Queen Elizabeth distributes Maundy Coinage in a 
venue passed over for 700 years, a rare 1878 London medal turns 
up in a New Zealand backyard, and a Czech bank note designer's 
artwork is displayed in New York.  To learn who the Devil leads 
into hell on a medal, read on. Have a great week, everyone.

Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society


NEW EDITION: A GUIDE BOOK OF U.S COINS, 62ND EDITION (2009)

[Dennis Tucker forwarded the press release for the newest 
edition of the classic Red Book, "A Guide Book of United 
States Coins" by R.S. Yeoman and edited by Kenneth Bressett.  
Whitman Publishing is accepting preorders for the book.  Here 
are some excerpts from the press release highlighting some 
new and recently added features.  -Editor]

For the 62nd edition, more than 130 professional coin dealers, 
scholars, and other numismatic experts contributed their 
knowledge under the direction of editor Kenneth Bressett, 
valuations editor Jeff Garrett, and research editor Q. David 
Bowers.

The 62nd edition includes 16 more pages than last year’s, 
with no increase in retail price. New sections cover Puerto 
Rican coins, American Arts gold medals, California souvenir 
fractional gold pieces, the 2009 Lincoln cent redesign, the 
upcoming Native American dollars, and the Blue Book as a 
collectible. The book also features expanded coverage of 
pre-federal / colonial coins, California gold, Hawaiian 
plantation tokens, Special Mint Sets, pattern coins, and 
the Libertas Americana medal.

In addition to nearly 30,000 individual coin prices in up 
to nine grades per series, the 62nd-edition Red Book showcases 
the Top 250 Auction Prices for U.S. coins. “We’ve tracked 
auctions up through the March 2008 Baltimore Coin and Currency 
Convention,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. He noted 
an increase of $34,000 compared to the 61st-edition list. 
“Last year’s 250-ranked coin sold for $276,000,” Tucker said. 
“To make it onto this year’s list, the 250-ranked coin, an 
1873-CC No Arrows quarter, sold for $310,000.”

Continuing a popular format introduced last year, the Red Book 
is available in a spiralbound hardcover format. “Sitting on 
your bookshelf, it’s an attractive and durable hardcover Red 
Book,” said Whitman president Mary Counts. “With the hidden-
spiral binding, you can lay the open book flat while you study 
your collection.” Traditional hardcover and spiralbound books 
are also available, and a leather-bound Limited Edition (3,000 
copies) will be available later in the spring.

The 62nd edition of the Red Book will debut April 8, 2008. It 
will be available online and at bookstores and hobby shops 
nationwide. In addition to the regular edition, Whitman Publishing 
is also taking pre-orders for the leather-bound Limited Edition 
of this year’s Red Book, to be released later in the spring.

$14.95 spiralbound
$16.95 hardcover
$19.95 spiralbound hardcover
$69.95 leather-bound Limited Edition

[For more information, see the Whitman web site.  Below is 
a link to the page for the spiralbound hardcover version, 
a new feature introduced last year.  -Editor]

http://www.whitmanbooks.com/Default.aspx?Page=81&ProductID=0794824951


NEW ZEALAND ERROR SPOTTED IN 'MODERN WORLD COINS' 14TH EDITION

Martin Purdy of New Zealand writes: "I've just spotted an 
error in Appendix C to the 14th edition of the Yeoman/Friedberg 
catalogue of Modern World Coins ("Mints, Central Banks and 
Agencies").

"Under New Zealand they have listed the 'New Zealand Mint' 
which, as has previously been discussed on the E-Sylum, is 
a private entity and not this country's national mint, although 
one could easily be misled by the name.  The correct issuing 
authority for current New Zealand collector issues is:

New Zealand Post
Collectables and Solutions Centre
Private Bag 3001
Wanganui 4540

"I hope they are able to correct this for the 15th edition."

[I forwarded Martin's note to Dennis Tucker of Whitman 
Publishing, who writes: "Thanks to Martin Purdy for catching 
the wrong listing of the 'New Zealand Mint' in the appendix 
of MWC. This will be corrected in the 15th edition." -Editor]

  REVIEW: 'A CATALOG OF MODERN WORLD COINS, 1850–1964', 14TH EDITION
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n07a07.html

  NEW ZEALAND MINT A PRIVATE COMPANY
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v09n19a17.html


PREVIEW OF UPCOMING WHITMAN NUMISMATIC BOOKS

Dennis Tucker of Whitman Publishing writes: "Here's a quick 
update on some of the books we're currently working on:

"Katherine Jaeger's Guide Book of United States Tokens and 
Medals is in the final stages of production and scheduled to 
go to press in a couple weeks. This book has been a lot of fun 
to work on. Its scope is amazing --- Jaeger has pulled together 
resources on exonumic Americana spanning four centuries: colonial 
tokens, die-struck merchant good-fors, art medals, presidential 
commemoratives, Civil War tokens, fair and exposition souvenirs, 
space-flown medals, transportation tokens, prison chits, arras 
tokens, etc., etc.! (If ever a numismatic book deserved TWO et 
ceteras, it's this one.) She also covers engraved, tooled, and 
otherwise altered coins (hobo nickels, love tokens, capped coins, 
and others). Most of the book's photographs, numbering in the 
thousands, came from a special arrangement with the American 
Numismatic Society. It will debut later this spring. 304 pages, 
6 x 9, full color, softcover; foreword by Q. David Bowers; 
valuations editors Steven Tanenbaum and Steve Hayden, with 
assistance from Anthony Terranova, Paul Cunningham, and others.

[So what are "Arras Tokens"?  That's a term I'm wholly unfamiliar 
with.  Can someone fill us in?  -Editor]

"The second edition of the Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins, 
1795-1933 (by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth), produced in conjunction 
with the Smithsonian Institution, will be out in about ten weeks. 
The second edition is being updated with recent auction results, 
new third-party grading population reports, valuations, and 
recent research. The first edition won the 2006 'Best Specialized 
Book, U.S. Coins' award from the Numismatic Literary Guild, and 
has been a best-seller. With gold making headlines in the 
mainstream press, and gold coins seeing strong market activity, 
I anticipate the new edition will be another popular hit.

"Another volume on U.S. gold coinage is Q. David Bowers' Guide 
Book of United States Gold Dollars, the latest in the Bowers 
Series. Readers can expect a hearty dish of everything they love 
about Dave's writing: colorful history, carefully researched data, 
and a detailed date-by-date study of every coin in the series. 
304 pages, 6 x 9, full color, softcover; foreword by David Akers; 
valuations editors Larry Stack.

"We're working on an updated second edition of Dr. Richard 
Doty's America's Money, America's Story. Doty explores the 
USA's national identity as seen through the coins, tokens, 
paper, and other money we've developed and used through the 
centuries, going back to colonial times. This is a grand book
--- the perfect volume for everyone who wonders, "Is there a 
book that covers the whole scope of American money?" Many of 
the illustrations come from the Smithsonian's National 
Numismatic Collection (where Doty is curator). 

"Most E-Sylum readers are familiar with Doty's work, and know 
of his expertise in Latin American and world history, in addition 
to that of the United States. That expertise guarantees his 
readers a solid education in our money's connections to Spanish 
America, Europe, and other regions outside our boundaries. Our 
money didn't magically start in 1792 with a little half disme! 
This has been another wonderful book to work on. It will come 
out in advance of the Smithsonian's unveiling of the newly 
restored Fort McHenry "Stars and Stripes" this summer. 256 
pages, 8.5 x 11, full color; hardcover; foreword by Q. David 
Bowers.

"This is just a quick sampling of some of the books we have 
scheduled for a busy spring and summer season. 

"In other news, I just received in our Atlanta office an 
advance copy of Harlan J. Berk's 100 Greatest Ancient Coins. 
It's always a pleasure to finally get the finished book in 
hand, after months of manuscript development, editorial work, 
image gathering, layout design, typesetting, proofing, etc. 
It's a double pleasure when the book is as beautiful as this 
one---another fine addition to the "100 Greatest" library. 
(This advance copy is one of about a dozen currently in our 
possession; the rest are sales samples and one reserved for 
author Berk. The main shipment from the printer will be 
rriving shortly, and the book will be on shelves nationwide 
next month.)"

[Many thanks to Dennis for the preview of books in the 
Whitman pipeline.  Wow!  So many books, so little time.  
But keep 'em coming!  -Editor]


ANS DUPLICATE LITERATURE SALE REPORT

Last week we published some photos taken by Mike Paradis in 
New York at the American Numismatic Society's duplicate 
literature sale. Ray Williams writes: "I had the pleasure of 
attending the Groves Forum at the ANS last week.  These have 
always been educational and fun events - this one was also!  
Making the trek to NYC by train, I decided to go in early and 
check out what books the ANS was offering in their Book Sale.  
I'm sure that many bargains were had on the previous Saturday, 
but there was much still available on Wednesday.  

"I needed to be selective about how much I bought - everything 
would need to be carried to the PATH Train to accompany me 
home.  Looking through the shelves, I was kicking myself for 
not driving my car!  Here's what I purchased:  

"Krause Standard Catalog of World Coins 1701-1800 ($5), 
Krause Standard Catalog of World Coins for a 7 year old 
friend ($5), Circulating Counterfeits of the Americas (1998 
COAC)($10), Copper Coinage of the State of NJ (Trudgen) ($10), 
AJN vol 13, 14 & 15 ($5 each), ANS Museum Notes 33 (5 copies) 
and 1, ($5 each).  There were stacks of postcards and I 
spotted an attractive card with a Noe 1 Pine Tree on it.  
These were free, but I made a donation because I took about 
30, which I plan to use.  

"The main room on the first floor had book shelves around the 
perimeter, all categorized by topic, country or time period.  
On the floor were stacks by year of the numismatist and other 
periodicals.  At the time I was shopping, there was a young 
man handling sales who was fascinating to talk to...  although 
he is not a numismatist, he is an underwater archeologist - a 
profession that seems exciting and adventurous.  

"A friend asked me why I still add to my library - there are 
so many books I have already and I won't read them all...  I 
replied that although I surely won't read them all, it's 
comforting to know they are there to refer to at a moment's 
notice."

  ANS DUPLICATE LITERATURE SALE PHOTOS
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n11a09.html


<************************** BOOK BAZARRE **************************>

DAVID F. FANNING NUMISMATIC LITERATURE offers fixed price lists on 
our Web site at <www.fanningbooks.com>. This just in: Ancient Coin 
Reference Reviews. By Dennis J. Kroh. 1993. 4to., card covers. 107, 
(1) pages. New. A fantastic reference work rating and discussing 
hundreds of numismatic references. $25 e-mail <dfanning at columbus.rr.com>

<******************************************************************>


HARRY FORMAN 1924-2008

I was sad to learn via Coin World (March 24, 2008, p44) of 
the death of Harry Forman, the longtime Philadelphia coin 
dealer.  He authored a couple of books on coin investing, but 
I was unaware of his involvement with publishing Chuck O'Donnell's 
"Handbook of Modern U.S. Paper Money" and Don Taxay's "Comprehensive 
Catalog of United States Coins."  The stories Harry could tell!  
A dealer since 1955, Harry was a fixture in the hobby for decades. 
I met him a few times over the years, mostly at ANA conventions.  

For many years before becoming a coin dealer Harry operated a 
corner fruit stand in Philadelphia.  The story goes that one 
day he was able to sell a U.S. proof set for $10, twice what 
he'd paid for it.  Having discovered that the margins were 
better in coins than fruit, he started dealing in coins.  
Harry was in the center of all things numismatic in Philadelphia, 
knowing many mint officials personally and being close with 
many of the engravers including Frank Gasparro.

Would anyone care to share some stories about Harry, and his 
associations with mint engravers and Don Taxay?

To read a Numismatic News article on Harry Forman, see:
http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=4020


NUMISMATIC BIBLIOPHILES AND THE REDISCOVERY OF NUMISMATIC TREASURES

Roger Siboni writes: "It was a busy week and I am a little 
late in getting through last week's E-Sylum which I am now 
doing with a leisurely cup of coffee. But I enjoyed reading 
the follow-up on the Washington Born Virginia piece from Alan 
Weinberg's previous post about the Baltimore Show. It struck 
me in reading the description how much fun it is to be a 
bibliophile as you can watch certain numismatic treasures be 
discovered and re-discovered again and again over time. When 
the same item is received with the same amazement and awe over 
decades and sometimes centuries, you really do appreciate what 
a special treasure it is. 

"So while I am not sure that the catalogers of the October 24, 
1984 Stack's Picker sale (which contained many of the pieces 
that George Fuld talked about in the previous week's issue of 
the E-Sylum regarding Picker's private acquisition from Johns 
Hopkins University) viewed the piece as a special presentation 
proof, they did choose to feature it on the cover of the 
catalog along with a New Jersey Copper Date Under Plow Beam, 
a Higley Copper, a New England Shilling, and an extremely 
scarce Continental Dollar....august company. It was further 
described in the catalog as a coin with out equal, needle-
sharp strike, flawless surfaces and the most important Washington 
piece in the sale. It was previously owned by Newcomer and Green.

"Anyway, one of the great enjoyments of having a library is 
to see how particular coins stand the test of time. This one 
did quite well."

  WASHINGTON BORN VIRGINIA 'MAGNIFI-CENT' VIEWED AT BALTIMORE SHOW
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n11a19.html

  ALAN WEINBERG ON ULTRA-RARITIES SPOTTED AT THE BALTIMORE SHOW
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n10a11.html


MORE ON THE DEACCESSIONING OF COINS FROM THE GARRETT COLLECTION

Alan V. Weinberg writes: "George Fuld's account of Dick Picker's 
Garrett/Johns Hopkins University private acquisitions at "Redbook 
price" (Gad!) was fascinating - certainly the first time this 
has been in print. It goes to show how one person's story in 
print can trigger the memory of another who, in turn, can write 
an absolutely entrancing account. 
 
"It is my understanding that significant early large cents - 
mostly 1794's - were also acquired privately by Dick Picker 
out of Garrett/JHU on behalf of another serious early copper 
collector. 
 
"I may well have ended up with a few Garrett/JHU colonials in 
the early 70's via Dick Picker. In one instance, I recall 
distinctly that I had a superb Maris 73aa overstruck New Jersey 
cent that Dick wanted badly for his collection. I told him I 
wanted a superb Massachusetts Pine Tree shilling in partial 
trade. Dick promptly mailed me a Gem Uncirculated shilling. 
But the Noe 8 shilling was slightly irregular on the rim and 
I returned it. 'I want something better'. Right back in the 
mail came a superb Uncirculated Noe 6 Pine Tree shilling, 
full planchet. Yup, this'll do - you bet! 

"At the time I wondered where in the world was Dick getting 
such magnificent shillings? Later I guessed the source and now 
I know. The Maris 73aa Jersey overstrike appeared in Picker's 
collection auctioned by Stack's in 1984. I still have the 
Pine Tree shilling."

[The E-Sylum is like a weekly cocktail party of some of the 
greatest numismatic researchers and collectors in the world.  
One overheard mention (such as Alan's original question about 
the Garrett collection) often triggers some wonderful accounts 
from others.  This exchange is a fine example.  Although I'd 
like to think that by now I have a sixth sense about what 
topics will generate a response, I'm right at best only half 
the time.  Some topics I think would be sure-fire turn out to 
be duds, and other thoughts mentioned almost in passing turn 
out to yield fascinating follow-up discussions.  But that's 
all part of the fun of numismatics.

So, at the risk of firing another dud I'd like to ask if anyone 
can fill us in on other early deacquisitions from the famed 
Garrett collection.  Do any of our readers have or know of 1794 
cents or other Federal coins coming from the Garrett collection 
through Richard Picker or other dealers prior to the landmark 
Bowers sales? -Editor]

  THE FIRST DEACCESSIONING OF COINS FROM THE GARRETT COLLECTION
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n10a08.html


MORE ON FEDERAL RESERVE NOTES AUTOGRAPHED BY SIGNERS

Jeff Kelley writes: "George Cuhaj provided an excellent 
explanation of autopen signatures as they might appear on 
notes sent to the Secretary of the Treasury or the Treasurer 
for autographing.  His assessment of the likelihood of a 
signature’s authenticity was as follows:

"My general thoughts are that if you have a Secretary of 
the Treasury signature, and it was not signed in person, 
then it is very probably autopen. If you have a Treasurer 
of the U.S. and it was not signed in person, it could be 
either.”

"I would agree with his assessment, but only as it relates 
to sitting Treasury officials.  If collectors are writing 
to former officials, the chances of getting a genuine signature 
increase dramatically.  While a few business leaders employ 
the autopen, it is very likely that if a note comes back in 
the mail signed by a former Treasury official it would be a 
genuine signature."

  MORE ON FEDERAL RESERVE NOTES AUTOGRAPHED BY SIGNERS
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n11a13.html


MORE ON 'PUBLIC ENEMIES' FILMING

[Last week Jeff Reichenberger mentioned the new movie "Public 
Enemies" which is currently filming at a number of locations 
around the country.  The old First National Bank building in 
Jeff's town of Oshkosh, WI will be one of those locations.  
David Kranz of Numismatic News discussed the film in his blog 
Tuesday.  Here are some excerpts. -Editor]

Big news in Wisconsin, home to the Bank Note Reporter offices, 
is that the film Public Enemies is currently shooting at 
locations all around the state. The film is about John Dillinger, 
Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson and others who were part of 
the crime wave of 1933-1934. The film is based on the book by 
Bryan Burrough titled Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime 
Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34. 

Tomorrow filming reportedly continues in my old hometown of 
Darlington, Wis. 

How is this numismatic? Well, I've been known to acquire a 
National Bank Note or two from Darlington...  And, like many 
National Bank Note collectors, I've always hoped Mark Hotz 
would swing through the town on one of his national bank tours 
for his Bank Note Reporter columns. I may have to revamp my 
1999 article on Darlington NBNs for use when the film comes out. 

Maybe I see the root of a neat exhibit here: Nationals from 
the towns where the film was shot. 

To read the complete article, see:
http://www.numismaticnews.net/watermark/PermaLink,guid,f63a362c-3e90-4ef4-9a
17-843ab9b6e000.aspx 

[Dave also asked about prop money.  There's certain to be a 
need for stage money in filming; hopefully what the producers 
come up with will closely resemble the circulating cash of the day.  

Mark Hotz has been writing a long-running series of articles 
in Bank Note Reporter featuring pictures and stories of national 
Banks around the country.  I hope someone compiles them into a 
book someday.  -Editor]


MORE COIN-INSPIRED DECORATIONS IN ARCHITECTURE

Last week Jeff Reichenberger told us about a bank building 
in Oshkosh, WI which has interesting bas-relief medallions 
depicting the obverse and reverse of the Standing Liberty 
Quarter and Walking Liberty Half Dollar.

Dave Lange writes: "When my family visited the Crayola Factory 
in Easton, PA a few years ago I spotted a bank building with a 
bas relief Standing Liberty Quarter above the entryway. I 
believe it was a 1917 Type 1, but I didn't have a camera with 
me to record it, so that may be in error."

[I was able to document two examples of such numismatic 
decorative elements on Pittsburgh, PA bank buildings.  I'm 
aware of similar decorations on the former B. Max Mehl building 
in Ft. Worth, TX, and recall a circa 1930 pamphlet somewhere 
in my ephemera files about the Chase Architrave, the entrance 
to the Chase Manhattan Bank building in New York.  If memory 
serves, this was written by Stewart Mosher.  Can anyone confirm 
this?  Can any of our New York readers confirm that the building 
exists (or better yet, provide photos? -Editor]

  QUERY: INFORMATION ON HOGGSON BROTHERS AND BANK ARCHITECTURE
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n11a17.html


MARCH 2008 STACK'S COIN GALLERIES SALE 

[The March 2008 Stack's Coin Galleries sale catalog features 
a number of interesting items - here are a few.  The sale 
includes the Naval Historical Foundation Collection of Admiral 
Vernon medals from the collection of cataloguer Leander 
McCormick-Goodheart (Stack's Numismatic Review, 1945) as well 
as a great collection of U.S. inaugural medals.  -Editor]

LOT 4598: ADMIRAL VERNON MEDAL, DEVIL LEADS SIR ROBERT WALPOLE 
  INTO HELL Admiral Vernon Medal. McCormick-Goodhart 18. Vernon, 
  Brown, Devil and Sir Robert Medal, n.d.

  37.5mm. About Uncirculated. Obv. Crown above standing figures 
  of Admiral Vernon and Commodore Brown clasping hands. Rev. 
  Devil leads Sir Robert Walpole into hell, NO EXCISE. Splendid 
  strike, wealth of bold detail.

  To view the lot description, see:
 
http://www.stacks.com/lotdetail.aspx?lsid=AN00000641&asid=AN00000152&lrid=AN
00097055 

LOT 4789: HK 835. BICKFORD DOLLAR, 18.   THIS COMBINATION COIN 
  WILL WHEN ADOPTED BW GOOD IN ALL NATIONS / HEAL ALL DIFFERENCES 
  BETWEEN GOLD & SILVER MEN / AND FULLY SETTLE ALL FINANCIAL QUESTIONS 
  / APPROVED BY ALL GOOD BUSINESS MEN; beaded border. Rv. Same 
  center inscription; between outer circle and beaded border HERE 
  IS SHOWN THE VALUE OF OUR DOLLAR IN THE COIN OF DIFFERENT NATIONS 
  OF THE WORLD; between outer and inner circles, eight links contain 
  Sterling 4.2 Francs 5.2 Kronen 3.8 Gulden 2.8 Marken 4.16 Guilder 
  2.5 Rouble 9.65 Yen 1.1; between inner circle and center, 
  INVENTED AND PROTECTED BY DANA BICKFORD. Very rare. Very Fine.

  To view the lot description, see:
 
http://www.stacks.com/lotdetail.aspx?lsid=AN00000641&asid=AN00000152&lrid=AN
00097156 

LOT 4798: MEDALLIC HISTORY OF KING LOUIS XIV
  Académie Royale des Médailles et des Inscriptions. Médailles 
  sur les Principaux Evénements do Regne de Louis le Grand avec 
  des Explications Historiques.

  Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1702. Octavo, 292 numbered pages. 
  Very Fine. Each medal in the Histoire metallique receives a 
  page to itself, topped by an engraving of each reverse, the 
  opposite side being blank. This is a sumptuous presentation 
  of the great medallic history of "Sun King" Louis XIV, whose 
  meticulously organized Academy assured a remarkable uniformity 
  of classically oriented designs. Octavo, 11¼ x8¼ inches. Spine 
  and cover are elaborately gold-stamped with traces of book 
  plate removal on the inside cover, a few calligraphic notes 
  in minute script appear on several pages from an unknown 
  early owner. 

  To view the lot description, see:
 
http://www.stacks.com/lotdetail.aspx?lsid=AN00000641&asid=AN00000152&lrid=AN
00097201 


WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY MARCH 23, 2008

This week I was on vacation with my family - we drove over 
1,000 miles, visiting Wilmington, NC, Myrtle Beach and 
Charleston SC and points in between.  Our overnight in 
Wilmington was memorable.  We had decided to wing our first 
night (last Saturday) without making reservations in advance.  
We ended up having dinner near Wilmington and stopped at three 
nearby hotels looking for rooms.  We settled on a place and 
checked in just as a near-tornado-force rainstorm rolled 
through.  I don't think I've ever seen so much rain coming 
down so hard.  We kept our children away from the windows 
until it passed.  Luckily, there was no major damage or 
flooding nearby, but I'm sure glad we weren't still out on 
the road.  Later I fired up my laptop computer and we viewed 
photos of tornado damage the day before in Atlanta.

No numismatic activity to report from this trip, however.  
The closest was when our horse-drawn carriage tour driver 
in Charleston pointed out three firemarks on homes we passed.  
I remembered first learning about firemarks from a presentation 
given by Armor Murdoch at the Western Pennsylvania Numismatic 
Society when I was a new member in the late 1980s.  Firemarks 
are plaques placed on the outside of buildings to designate 
that fire insurance had been purchased from a local fire
brigade.  They typically have the insignia or initials of
the fire company.  I have some books in my library on these, 
but I've never collected them.  Armor passed around his copy 
of Footprints of Assurance, one of the best works on firemarks.  
Do any of our readers collect or research firemarks?

Another near-miss numismatically took place Monday morning.  
We drove 15 miles south from Myrtle Beach to Brookgreen 
Gardens, a place we've discussed before in The E-Sylum.  
Created by Archer Huntington and his wife, Brookgreen is a 
sculpture garden showcasing magnificent works by America's 
top sculptors, including many who also designed coins.  But 
after visiting the welcome center my wife decided that the 
kids weren't going to like it. 

Our oldest (9-year-old Christopher) wanted to stay.  My wife 
offered (or was it threatened?) to leave the two of us there 
for the day, but wishing to keep the family intact I gave in.  
It was embarrassing, but I had to ask if they'd let us have 
our money back and leave.  A supervisor came out to talk 
with us.  He was quite gracious.  He spoke with my wife but 
she still wanted to leave.  So we got our money and left.
 
The Most Tranquil Place on Earth was no match for my wife 
and kids.  The phrase "pearls before swine" came to mind, 
but to keep peace I bit my tongue.  In the end we had a fine 
day of family fun together even though the finest piece of 
sculpture we saw was the T-Rex in the Jurassic Golf miniature 
golf course.  In my mind I quoted The Terminator: "I'll be 
back".  Someday, I hope to get the chance.

While I was gone a package arrived from Stack's.  It contained 
the final three hardbound volumes of the John J. Ford sale 
catalogs.  It's a real treat to finally have the complete 
21-volume hardbound set on my shelves.  I'm still disappointed 
that Ford's unaccounted-for Nova Constellatio silver pattern 
set wasn't documented in the sales (If anyone knows where it 
is, they aren’t talking, at least not to me).  Still, it's a 
magnificent set that I'll refer to often.  As I've said before, 
an American numismatic library is incomplete without a set of 
these landmark sales.  Does anyone know approximately how many 
of each were bound by Stack's?  Were the same number of each 
hardbound?  How many complete sets are out there now?

Over the holiday weekend my wife's sister's family visited us 
from Pittsburgh.  Yesterday we went to the Smithsonian's National 
Air and Space Museum center near Dulles Airport.  Only minutes 
from our home, I hadn't been there yet.  I had been looking 
forward to visiting there ever since seeing the Imperial War 
Museum at the former Duxford air field near Cambridge while 
on assignment in London last year.   Ensconced at the center 
are an Air France Concorde and the Space Shuttle Enterprise.  
What really stopped me in my tracks though, was the Enola Gay, 
the B-29 bomber which dropped the atomic bomb that destroyed 
Hiroshima. 

Numismatically, I noted several displays of medals, including 
groups of Apollo-11 medals and Soviet/Russian space medals.  
These exhibits were not well lighted, however, and unfortunately 
I didn't have time to linger and review the display text.  
Another case displaying a pilot uniform also showcased a set 
of four medals, but there was no accompanying text to explain 
what the medals were.  Although medals were decidedly second 
and third-class citizens in this museum, I was nevertheless 
pleased to see them there and in the public eye.   

The museum also featured a couple of elongated cent machines.  
It cost a dollar (four quarters) plus a cent to make a "squished 
penny" with one of several available designs.  Not having enough 
pocket change between us, our kids had to go without.  Installing 
a change machine nearby would probably lead to a tripling of 
elongated cent sales.

  WORKS BY NUMISMATIC SCULPTORS AT BROOKGREEN GARDENS
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v09n17a21.html 

  JOHNSON: PLAN TO VISIT BROOKGREEN GARDENS FOUR TIMES
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v09n18a13.html

  WAYNE'S LONDON DIARY 1-2 SEPTEMBER, 2007
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v10n35a14.html


COUNTERPOINT: STEEL CENTS COULD WORK

Jeff Kelley writes: "I must respectfully disagree with some 
aspects of Dick Johnson’s latest commentary about eliminating 
the cent.  He asserted that the introduction of steel cents 
would drive all existing copper and zinc cents out of circulation 
(and into Chinese melting pots) and that the Treasury would 
then have to replace the 100 billion cents that he estimates 
are currently in circulation.

"While I agree with that it is possible that the Chinese or 
another rapidly industrializing nation (perhaps India) might 
be inclined to melt down our cents for their metal content, 
there are a few things to think about. First, replacing copper 
cents with zinc cents did not lead to a wholesale smelting 
of the older copper cents – they both circulated side by side 
quite seamlessly despite the fact that the copper cents were 
worth more than one cent and more than their zinc successor.  
Second, the current prohibition on melting one cent coins 
includes a prohibition against a person exporting more than 
a certain amount of cents (and the limits are quite low – 
somewhere in the hundreds, if I recall correctly.).  Lastly, 
if all one cent coins disappeared tomorrow, the Mint would 
not have to replace all those currently “in circulation” 
simply because most do not actually circulate.  The vast 
majority of cents sit in jars, cups, trays, piggy banks, 
etc.  For many people, cents are essentially a single use 
coin – they are issued as change at the store, and it may 
be years before they re-enter the retail or banking system. 

"As for suggestions that rounding odd amounts at the register 
would make the cent obsolete, we don’t need legislation to 
implement that process. If people want, they can ask cashiers 
right now to round up their bill to the nearest nickel and 
say “keep the change”, or they can simply refuse to take the 
odd pennies in change. 

"As to the advisability of eliminating the cent, I am not 
so sure the theory that makes it appear innocuous would become 
reality for the consumer.  Eliminating the cent would require 
that some rounding be done, and I have some first hand 
experience with that.  I was living in Germany when the euro 
replaced the mark, if there was any rounding to be done (and 
there always was), the price was ALWAYS rounded upward.  I 
had friends who actually bought into the idea that it would 
somehow all even out for the consumer, that some prices would 
be rounded up and some down, but that was predictably not 
what happened.  It was foolish, after all, to expect that the 
butcher would round his prices down in order to compensate 
for the fact that the baker next door rounded his prices up.  
I experienced exactly one instance where the Euro price 
reflected an amount that was lower than the equivalent of the 
former price in marks; that was a newspaper that had raised 
its price in the months before the conversion so that it 
could round down afterward.      

"There is one important thing to think about when comparing 
the United States to other countries, and that regards pricing 
methodology.  While retailers in many other countries may make 
use of certain familiar price points (.99, 1.99, etc.), it is 
probably not as prevalent as it is in the US.  There is also 
the critical issue of taxation – many other countries impost 
a “VAT” (Value Added Tax) which is included in the stated 
price of an item, not a sales tax that is added at the register 
on top of the total.  Therefore, most items are priced such 
that the price is a round number of some kind.  Retailers and 
restaurants in many foreign countries have done this for years 
as a way to simplify the payment process and reduce the need 
for handling minor coins.  This approach would be problematic, 
however, in any US jurisdiction that imposes a sales tax at 
the register.  

"Whether or not the cent has outlived its usefulness is 
certainly a subject for serious debate, but it is important 
to consider all of the ramifications to eliminating it."

Jeff adds: "There is one reason I can think of why replacing 
copper and zinc cents with steel cents would create havoc: 
the problem of expanding the tolerances for accepting cents 
and other coins in stamp vending machines at the Post office 
and coin counting machines at banks.  Currently, these devices 
can be set to automatically reject any coin that has the 
magnetic properties of steel (at my bank, Canadian quarters 
don’t even make it down into the counting mechanism area – 
they stick to the magnets built into the coin tray).  Once 
we introduce steel into our coinage, it will dramatically 
complicate the automated validation process for coins.  
(Of course, at current exchange rates, Canadian coins don’t 
represent a loss!)."

Martin Purdy of New Zealand writes: "I've heard of lots of 
countries that have abolished their lowest denomination but 
never any that have actually revalued their one-cent coins 
to circulate as fives - if any country has, I'd love to have 
the details since it would make a great quiz question.  

"It certainly didn't happen here or in Australia, which 
simply set a deadline beyond which 1c and 2c coins would 
no longer be accepted in trade or given out as change.  The 
same was done with our 5c coins in 2006 - they were simply 
called in, not revalued.

"Velde's notion of revaluing all existing 1-cent coins to 5 
cents sounds crazy - does he really want $1 billion (or 
thereabouts) worth of "pennies" suddenly given a face value 
of $5 billion by fiat?"

[Dick wrote that Australia and New Zealand had eliminated 
their lowest denominations, but did not mention any country 
which had actually rebased their low denomination coins.  
There are many examples in history where countries have 
rebased circulating coins, usually by counterstamping them 
with a higher value. -Editor]

  DICK JOHNSON: STEEL CENTS WON'T WORK!
  http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v11n11a20.html 


QUEEN ELIZABETH DISTRIBUTES MAUNDY COINS IN IRELAND
 
Dick Johnson writes: "For the first time in 700 years 
Maundy coins were distributed in Ireland instead of England 
or Wales. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth handed out 82 pence 
in special 1p, 2p, 3p and 4p sterling silver coins – a penny 
for each year of her life – to 164 pensioners from across 
the Province.

[Thanks to Dick for pointing out this interesting fact.  
Maundy coins are an interesting topic.   I have a 1910 Maundy 
set that once belonged to my step-grandfather.  Below are 
excerpts from the news article Dick forwarded.  It's worth 
reading for its interesting detail of the pagenantry of the 
event, as well as photos taken at the ceremony. -Editor]

The leaders of the four main Churches joined together in St 
Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh for the 
event - the first time it has been held outside England and 
Wales in 700 years.

Her gifts, in red and white purses with ribbons, were 
carried on a silver platter by the Queen's yeomen, who 
bore ceremonial swords and wore red uniforms, hats with 
ribbons and traditional oversized white collars.

Pensioners who were being recognised for community work 
were selected to be handed the specially minted Maundy 
money during a cross-community service in St Patrick's 
Cathedral in Armagh.

The term "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, 
which means commandment, and is derived from the new 
commandment Jesus gave his disciples before his crucifixion, 
that they they were to love one another as he had loved 
them.

There are records of the Royal tradition on Maundy 
Thursday in Holy Week dating back to the 12th century.

During the service the Queen handed out coins to 82 men 
and 82 women, all retired, who had been selected by the 
four main denominations in Northern Ireland for service 
to the community. 

She also presented them with a separate bag containing a 
50 pence piece and a £5 coin to commemorate Prince Charles's 
birthday.

Four children, one each from Church of Ireland, controlled, 
Roman Catholic and integrated schools in Armagh, were 
selected to play a symbolic part in the service, wearing 
linen towels in remembrance of times when the monarch washed 
the feet of the congregation.

The massive dimensions of the cathedral inside combined 
with elegant choreography, traditional costumes and majestic 
choirs and musicians blended in a grandeur worthy of a monarch.

To read the complete article, see: 
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Landmark-service-treasured-by-NI.3902842.jp


RARE 1878 LONDON TEMPLE BAR MEDAL UNEARTHED IN NEW ZEALAND BACKYARD

A rare English medal uncovered in the backyard of an Upper
Hutt house will soon be on its way to the Museum of London.

Kevin Homan discovered the dirt-encrusted Temple Bar Medal 
while working with his father on foundations for the family's 
garage.

"At first I thought it was an old jar lid, then I washed it 
off with a hose. Around the edges it said that in 1672 the 
Temple Bar was erected and then removed in 1878."

The one-kilogram medal was made in 1878 from the lead roof 
of Temple Bar, which historically marked the western boundary 
of the City of London.

The gateway, made of Portland stone and dating from 1672, 
was reputedly designed by Sir Christopher Wren, architect 
of nearby St Paul's Cathedral.

Only one other of the historic medals is known to exist, a 
mint example with an original glass-covered face valued at 
500 (NZ$1247).

It is unknown how the buried treasure ended up in Upper Hutt, 
but Kevin Homan's father, Stewart, has a theory.

"My father bought this house [in 1952] after receiving an 
inheritance from two quite wealthy aunts who lived in London. 
He might have been given it and then buried it with other 
rubbish."

The Temple Bar Medal is from a collection called the City 
of London Medals, struck by the Corporation of the City of London.

Most in the series had runs of up to 450, but a notable 
exception is the Temple Bar Medal, considered extremely 
rare by experts.

To read the complete article, see:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4444363a11.html


SAINT-GAUDENS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE HOPES MINT PRODUCT FUELS INTEREST

[The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle design is getting another 
workout.  The Union Leader of Cornish, NH published an 
article interviewing Henry Duffy, curator at the Saint-Gaudens 
National Historic Site, about the new version of the artists' 
coin design being prepared by the U.S. Mint.  -Editor]

The United States Mint has announced it will recreate a $20 
gold coin designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1907, and a 
curator hopes the new version of the coin will attract more 
visitors to the famed American sculptor's former estate in 
Cornish.

Considered by many to be the most beautiful coin ever made 
in the United States, the high-relief Liberty Gold Piece, 
also known as the Double Eagle, bear the image of a woman 
holding a branch and a torch on one side.

"Liberty's torch represents knowledge, and the branch 
represents victory," said Henry Duffy, curator at the Saint-
Gaudens National Historic Site on Route 12A in Cornish. "Of 
course, the knowledge she's spreading is democracy. She's 
spreading democracy to the world." The back of the coin 
features an eagle flying under the sun. On the re-issued 
coin, the inscription "In God We Trust" will appear above 
the sun, as it did on a 1908 version of the same coin.

The design will be featured on a collectible 24-karat 
coin intended for sale to the public in 2009. Duffy said 
the mint originally planned to release the coin in 2007, 
its 100th anniversary, but original molds had been 
destroyed, which delayed the process.

Duffy said visitors to the historic site often ask how 
they can acquire one of Saint-Gaudens' coins.

"They're usually disappointed when they found out how much 
they are," he said. "This will be helpful to us to be able 
to recommend this to people, so I'm sure people are going 
to like that." Duffy said he thinks the new coins will be 
a hit among seasoned and new coin collectors and may even 
draw more visitors to the historic site in Cornish.

"There's a lot of interesting intrigue and mystery around 
these coins right now," he said.

To read the complete article, see:
http://tinyurl.com/3cv3wu

[Numismatic News commented on the planned pieforts, basically 
a revival of the ultra-high-relief Saint-Gaudens $20 design.  
I've never been a fan of dusting off old designs for new coins, 
but in this case it sounds like a winning concept, assuming 
the Mint indeed remains faithful to the artist's original 
conception. -Editor]

The dream of President Theodore Roosevelt and artist Augustus 
Saint-Gaudens to restore the artistry of ancient Greece to 
American coinage may be realized in 2009 when the Mint plans 
to strike ultra-high-relief Saint-Gaudens $20 gold pieces for 
collectors.

Now without the constraints of commerce, the Mint will attempt 
a 27mm coin with a thick planchet... The French have a term 
for a double thickness planchet. It is called piefort and 
collectors in Europe and elsewhere find coins struck on these 
planchets appealing.

The new pieces will be 24 karat, or .999 fine, eliminating 
some of the hardness of a gold coin, which in 1907 was struck 
with a .900 fine gold alloyed with copper. They will also 
contain an even troy ounce of gold, making them conform to 
the demands of 21st century collectors and bullion coin buyers.

To read the complete article, see:
http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=4024


CZECH BANKNOTE DESIGNER HAS ART ON EXHIBIT IN NEW YORK

[An E-Sylum reader forwarded this article about a New York 
art exhibit featuring the work of a Czech bank note designer.  
-Editor]

Works by renowned Czech graphic artist Oldrich Kulhanek, 
author of Czech banknotes' design, are displayed in the 
Czech Centre in New York until April 7, the organisers 
have told CTK.

The exhibition shows Kulhanek's works inspired by biblical 
motives from the past ten years.

His display in Chicago within the Prague Days cultural 
festival, where his drafts of the current Czech banknotes 
were presented, scored a great success last year.

Kulhanek has also designed postage stamps, among others, 
with a portrait of Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who was 
re-elected for another five-year term in February.

Kulhanek's works are included in the collections of the 
Library of Congress in Washington, Chicago's Art Institute, 
the Arts Museum in Cincinnati and Houston University, as 
well as in galleries in Prague, Paris, Vienna and other 
European cities.

To read the complete article, see:
http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/295/arts_in_prague/20065/


JAPANESE CASH HOARD UNCOVERED

In Japan, cash is truly king. Credit cards are regarded with 
suspicion; fat wallets are the norm. Banknotes are used even 
for big transactions. Yet even the Japanese were taken aback 
by this week's announcement of a massive bust by the tax 
authorities. Investigators arrested two sisters in the city 
of Osaka on charges of evading taxes by hoarding the equivalent 
of $56.4 million in cash.

Hatsue Shimizu, 64, and Yoshiko Ishii, 55, were said to have 
hidden the money away in Shimizu's garage. Last fall, when 
tax inspectors first raided the property, they were stunned 
to find stacks of cardboard boxes (50 in all) stuffed with 
yen banknotes. The stash is said to have weighed in at around 
1,300 pounds. Many of the wads of bills still had the original
bank bands around them; some were moldy with age. It took 
the tax bureau days to count out all of the money.

Prohibitive inheritance-tax rates are certainly the main reason, 
but other factors might be at fault as well. In the late 1990s, 
widespread fears about bank stability thanks to a nationwide 
financial crisis triggered a rush to convert assets to tansu 
yokin ("drawer deposits").

To read the complete article, see:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/123322


COINS VS. COMICS: DICK JOHNSON ON THE GREAT COMIC BOOK SCARE
 
Dick Johnson writes: "Be glad you collect coins instead of 
comic books. For one thing, you can't pick up a copy on 
newsprint without damaging the corners and bending the pages 
forever.  For another, your mother may have cleaned out your 
room and threw out all your old copies (now worth four and 
five figures).
 
"A recently published book, 'The Ten-Cent Plaque: The Great 
Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America' by David Hajdu, 
was reviewed this week on the blog HOUstone. It documents all 
the travails of comic books. It seems a self-appointed do-gooder, 
Dr. Frederic Wertham, a sort of Dr. Phil of his day who, as a 
physician and not a social scientist, firmly saw a clear and 
unbreakable link between comic books and juvenile delinquency. 
 
"Wertham’s treatise, 'Seduction of the Innocent,' quickly 
stoked an existing fire that had parent and civic groups in 
arms, leading to mass burnings of comics (which would be worth 
a fortune today), banning, and most memorably, Congressional 
hearings.
 
"Thank goodness Congressional hearings of numismatic interest 
these days are aimed at what more coins can the U.S. Mint produce 
for the burgeoning coin market. Thank goodness your mother wouldn't 
think of throwing out your old coin collection -- after all it 
was money!  Pity the poor comic book enthusiast."

To read the complete article, see:
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/houstoned/2008/03/get_lit_the_tencent_plague_t
he.php 


FEATURED WEB SITE: AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY AND ITS PREDECESSOR COMPANIES

This week's featured web site is suggested by John and Nancy 
Wilson of Ocala, FL, who write: "While researching the American 
Bank Note Company we came across this excellent site that has 
a history of Engraving and Banknote Companies that would be 
invaluable to collectors, dealers and of course researchers.  
The site is owned by Terry Cox.  We think it is informative 
and helpful.

http://www.coxrail.com/ABNCo.htm 


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