The E-Sylum v13#46, November 14, 2010
esylum at binhost.com
esylum at binhost.com
Sun Nov 14 17:24:12 PST 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The E-Sylum
An electronic publication of
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society
Volume , Number 46, November 14, 2010
**
WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM NOVEMBER 14, 2010
<#a01>
**
KOLBE & FANNING AUCTION CLOSES THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18TH
<#a02>
**
BOOK REVIEW: 2011 U.S. COIN DIGEST
<#a03>
**
COURT TRIAL LIKELY IN CASE OF SEIZED 1933 DOUBLE EAGLES
<#a04>
**
A PRIMER ON PLATING FOR ALL COLLECTORS
<#a05>
**
KILKENOMICS FESTIVAL CURRENCY: THE MARBLE
<#a06>
**
MORE ON THE GERMANY REPARATIONS COMMISSION PHOTO
<#a07>
**
MORE ON THE NORTH CAROLINA COLONIAL CURRENCY HOARD
<#a08>
**
OFFICIAL REPLACEMENT VICTORIA CROSS MEDALS
<#a09>
**
MORE ON COIN REPLICAS AND THE HOBBY PROTECTION ACT
<#a10>
**
MORE ON THE LOUIS ELIASBERG COLLECTION
<#a11>
**
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: NOVEMBER 14, 2010
<#a12>
**
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: NOVEMBER 14, 2010
<#a13>
**
SO WHAT'S A 'DEL BOY'?
<#a14>
**
DECEMBER 2010 SPINK SALE OF ANCIENT, ENGLISH AND FOREIGN COINS
<#a15>
**
IRELAND'S “BARNYARD” EURO COIN SERIES EXTENDS CLASSIC DESIGNS
<#a16>
**
TRUE STORY: THE UPSIDE DOWN COIN INSCRIPTION
<#a17>
**
FEATURED WEB SITE: MILITARY COIN COLLECTING
<#a18>
Click here to read this issue on the web
WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM NOVEMBER 14, 2010
Among our new subscribers this week is
Lloyd Wagner. Welcome aboard!
We now have 1,389 email subscribers, plus 92 followers on Facebook, including Donn Pearlman, Pierre Fricke and Donald Yarab.
First, a correction. Roger Burdette's special offer on his new Assay Commission book for readers of The E-Sylum offer is good through December 10 - see his ad in this week's issue.
OK, another correction. In last week's Wayne's Word's I mentioned "Louis Eliasberg's unique 1877-CC No Arrows Dime". Harold Levi spotted the typo - it should be 1873.
Many thanks to Leon Saryan and Wayne Schroll for assisting Oded Paz in his quest to contact Turkish numismatists.
AOL will be the death of me yet. We've always had proportionately more problems reported by AOL subscribers than any other ISP. Over the last several weeks we've been investigating a problem where a small subset of our AOL subscribers get an empty E-Sylum message or none at all.
The AOL headquarters is just up the road from my house and I pass it nearly every day. If I knew whose door to knock on I’d barge in and whack somebody upside the head. This problem is driving us nuts. It’s not all AOL subscribers, just some, and we’re having a devil of a time tracking it down. Sorry! Our email provider, Binhost, has an engineer looking into it.
This week we open with a reminder of the upcoming Kolbe & Fanning auction and my review of the Krause 2011 U.S. Coin Digest. Other topics include Dick Johnson's primer on plating in numismatics, replica Victoria Cross medals, and the Cornell hoard of colonial currency.
To learn about electroplated pewter coin replicas, Louis Eliasberg's worst condition coins, A.M. Smith's handwritten manuscript and dinner with Mint Director Ed Moy, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society
KOLBE & FANNING AUCTION CLOSES THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18TH
David Fanning forwarded this note about the upcoming Kolbe & Fanning auction.
-Editor
Just a reminder that Kolbe & Fanning's 119th mail bid auction sale closes this Thursday, November 18. Bids may be placed by mail, fax, email or phone. Phone calls will be answered until 6 pm, though bids may be left on voicemail until midnight. Fax and email bids will be received until midnight. Mail bids must be received by the day of the sale.
The sale features a wide range of numismatic literature from around the world. Highlights include the Wayne Homren collection of 18th- and 19th-century U.S. newspapers and periodicals with numismatic content, a collection of U.S. numismatic material from the Civil War years, and other works including:
the Currency Act of 1764, a rare British Parliamentary Act regulating American colonial paper money, the severe restriction of which provided in part the justification of the American Revolution
nice examples of the first two coin publications of Q. David Bowers, issued in 1955 and 1956, and specially bound combined presentation editions of both the Garrett and Norweb collection sales
a 1914 letter from S.H. Chapman to William H. Woodin, discussing plated Gable sale catalogues
Evelyn’s 1697 Numismata, which includes the earliest illustration of the St. Patrick’s coinage
the famous 1878 Adolph Weyl sale of the Fonrobert collection of over 6,000 American and Canadian coins, tokens and medals; a nice first edition, first printing of the Red Book
two of the rarest limited editions of the Red Book: the 2008 ANS sesquicentennial and 2008 NLG Bash volumes, limited to editions of 250 and 135 copies respectively
a set of the Forni reprint of Babelon’s Traité des Monnaies Grecques et Romaines
Medina’s classic 1924 Medallas Europeas Relativas à América
Cayón’s 1990-95 four-volume Compendio de las Monedas del Imperio Romano
the seldom-encountered Forni reprint of Imhoof-Blumer’s Die Antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands.
The catalogue is available on the firm's website at www.numislit.com. Bids may be placed by contacting Kolbe & Fanning at: 141 W. Johnstown Rd., Gahanna, OH 43230; (614) 414-0855; fax (614) 414-0860; df at numislit.com.
Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers LLC
141 W. Johnstown Rd.
Gahanna, OH 43230
(614) 414-0855
Cell (614) 256-8915
Fax (614) 414-0860
df at numislit.com
www.numislit.com
As a consignor I'm naturally looking forward to the sale as well. Dave's done a great job cataloguing my collection of newspapers with numismatic content. I had a lot of fun assembling the collection over the years. It's always interesting to read these contemporary accounts relating to our hobby.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
NUMISMATIC GLEANINGS FROM CONTEMPORARY NEWSPAPERS
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n42a11.html)
A CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF THE 1851 ROPER SALE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n43a13.html)
THE BOOK BAZARRE
Annual Assay Commission – United States Mint 1800-1943
4-DVD set, Roger W. Burdette, editor.
Astute collectors know the Assay Commission records are a gold mine of information about rare and mysterious coin issues. Yet, only a few privileged researchers have ever examined even small portions of these hand written volumes.
Annual Assay Commission – United States Mint 1800-1943 is available in a special first edition to readers of The E-Sylum for $25 postpaid until December 10, 2010. The regular retail price is $75. To order, send check or money order for $25 to: Seneca Mill Press LLC, PO Box 1423, Great Falls, VA 22066.
BOOK REVIEW: 2011 U.S. COIN DIGEST
The obvious comparison for Krause's red-covered U.S. coin book is Whitman's classic "Redbook", A Guide Book of United States Coins. The books do largely cover the same territory, but I've always found that different books have different redeeming features, and I think the 2011 U.S. Coin Digest has a number of things going for it. While I'm not an active dealer or collector of U.S. coins (and thus can't vouch for the valuations), I feel I could safely recommend either publication to collectors or the general public seeking basic information and pricing information on U.S. coins.
One similarity I commend is Krause's use of the combination hardbound/spiral format Whitman began offering a few years ago. The inner spiral binding allows pages to lay flat for easy consultation while viewing coins, and the hard outside binding fits well on any numismatist's bookshelf. It's the best of both worlds for a book meant to be consulted regularly.
While the Whitman Redbook has grown and grown over the years to include more and more useful information, the Krause Digest felt a little slim by comparison. However, this may partly be due to the book's clean layout. There is actually 55 pages of front material before the listings.
The chapters provide a well-organized overview for the novice collector or member of the general public attempting to identify and price coins. Chapter 1 is a very clean and simple Type Identification Guide with images of all major design types of regular issue U.S. coins from Half Cents to Double Eagles. For the unfamiliar it's a great way to begin the book - I can hear readers saying, "look - I've got one of those!"
Chapter 2 provides the same advice I give to everyone asking me about the value of their coins: "Don't clean your coins" and "Always hold your coin by the edge." The three-page discussion on "Care and Storage of Your Coins" is simple and to the point.
Chapter 3, "How to grade" is a nice photographic overview of circulated coin grades. A picture is worth a thousand words, and the twelve-page guide illustrates ten different common type coins (including Indian and Lincoln cents, Morgan dollars and Barber designs) in six grades from AU-55 to G-4.
Listings begin on p55 with U.S. Half Cents. This departs from the Redbook practice of listing chronologically, with colonial issues appearing first. In the Digest, colonial coinage starts on p202. I think this is a good choice for the novice reader who is far more likely to have U.S. circulation coins to look up.
Commemorative coins are listed beginning on p153, followed by bullion coins, mint and proof sets. After the colonial coin section are listings for U.S. Territorial Gold, Hawaii and the Philippines. Each section is differentiated by colored "tabs" at the outer edge of each page.
All in all, the 2011 U.S. Coin Digest is a useful book that I think will serve the novice well. My boss inherited some coins from her Mother recently, and I'll lend her my copy to see if it works in practice.
For more information, or to order, see:
www.shopnumismaster.com/product/2011-us-coin-digest/
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: 2011 U.S. COIN DIGEST
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n20a06.html)
THE BOOK BAZARRE
“New Edition of Whitman’s Best-Selling Paper-Money Book”
The third edition of the Guide Book of United States Paper Money (Friedberg) is now available for preorder. David Ganz says, ““If you aren’t collecting American paper money, you should be—and your library ought to have in it this essential book.” Full color, 416 pages, $24.95. Shipping in early December 2010. Preorder your copy at
www.WhitmanBooks.com
, or call 1-800-546-2995.
COURT TRIAL LIKELY IN CASE OF SEIZED 1933 DOUBLE EAGLES
An article by David Ganz, (originally printed in Numismatic News and now available on Numismaster.com) provides an update on the legal proceedings surrounding the hoard of ten original 1933 $20 gold pieces seized by the U.S. Mint.
-Editor
Resolution of the legal positions of the U.S. Mint and the descendants of Israel Switt over the fate of 10 genuine 1933 double eagle coins moved one step closer to trial on Oct. 28 with release of a 20-page decision by U.S. District Court Judge Legrome Davis Jr., from the federal court on the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
A trial would occur in late 2011 or in 2012.
Both sides have been battling since September 2004 when Switt’s daughter, Joan Langbord, and her two adult sons, contacted the Mint’s counsel, Daniel Shaver, to ask if the Mint would authenticate 10 coins thought to be genuine 1933 double eagles. The coins were sent to Washington for review.
The family acted through New York lawyer Barry Berke, who had previously negotiated with the Mint to legalize the King Farouk-Jay Parrino-Stephen Fenton specimen that sold for $7.59 million in 2002.
Israel Switt, a Philadelphia jeweler and pawn merchant, has been identified in recent years as included in the pedigree of every known specimen of the 1933 double eagle or $20 gold piece that ever surfaced. This includes a number of pieces in the 1940s and 1950s in a series of seizures or prosecutions, usually by the United States attorney in the district where the coin was seized.
The Mint declined to return the 10 gold coins, saying in essence, “sue us,” and Berke rose to the challenge, demand the coins return in court.
Berke’s pleadings laid out the case as to why Langbord and her family believed that they had the right to retain the coins and that the Mint had to seek their forfeiture, not simply retain them like a neighborhood bully. The Mint had an entirely different perspective and attempted to retain the coins as the fruit of a crime, much as a bank robber is denied the loot.
The plaintiffs basically claim the government has my coins, it took them, and we want them back. Significantly, the government now bears the burden of proof that it is the rightful owner. The problem: all through the years, the government found that when the other side had the burden, it could not be met. The shoe is on the other foot.
In the end, the Judge gave both sides a little – and Langbord’s a solid procedural victory. “The Court appreciates the uniqueness of this case. But the unfamiliar landscape does not persuade it to abandon well-established legal principles, as the parties’ briefs often suggest it should.”
Based on other cases and past practices called precedent, “the Court 1) denies the Government’s motion for leave to file Counts II and IV of its proposed complaint; 2) grants the Government’s motion for leave to file Count III of its proposed complaint; and 3) grants Plaintiffs’ motion to dismiss the Government’s claim of interest in the forfeiture proceeding.”
To read the complete article, see:
Trial Likely for Langbord 1933s
(www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=15442)
THE BOOK BAZARRE
AUCTION SALE 119 CLOSES ON NOVEMBER 18, 2010
Featuring a Diverse Selection of Interesting and Elusive Works on Ancient, Medieval and Modern Numismatics • Particularly Rich in Numismata Americana
KOLBE & FANNING NUMISMATIC BOOKSELLERS
141 W JOHNSTOWN ROAD, GAHANNA OH 43230-2700
(614) 414-0855 •
df at numislit.com
•
GFK at numislit.com
A PRIMER ON PLATING FOR ALL COLLECTORS
Dick Johnson submitted this excellent treatment on the subject of plating in numismatics. Thanks!
-Editor
Paul G. Lajoie is cataloging his extensive collection of Statue of Liberty medals in preparation of publishing a catalog of these American idol collectibles. This week he encountered a Dieges & Clust medal that was marked: "xx gold." What was the meaning, he asked, of "xx gold?"
That is an invitation for me to talk about one of the core concepts of numismatics that is so unknown to coin collectors but is such vital information for medal collectors -- electroplating. Read carefully below; there is a quiz at the end of this discussion. To answer Paul's question first, here is what I sent him:
"xx gold" means gold plated in twice normal thickness. In effect the object is left in the plating tank a bit longer than for normal plating. The actual thickness is not that different -- it acquires the gold color early in plating. Perhaps more important is the composition of the base metal. It could be anything, but probably bronze. Brass is often used because it has a similar yellow color of gold. If the gold plating "bleeds" on such a medal showing the base metal, if brass it is not obvious.
Sounds like you are hard at work on your Statue of Liberty book. That's G R E A T!
Plating is the process of electroplating, the electrochemical process of depositing ions of a metal onto a base object. In the numismatic field it means a very thin layer of one metal is deposited on another metal already shaped by die striking or casting. This is done to improve the surface metal, its color or finish.
Electroplating is accomplished by electrolysis in plating tanks. The process uses electricity of low voltage direct current in a tank filled with a liquid electrolyte. Two electrodes are required, one of which is the item to be electroplated; it is the cathode. The other, the anode, is the source of metal to be deposited. It wears away like a bar of soap; it is sacrificial, as metal ions from the anode passes through the electrolyte, they are deposited on the cathode. Once the current is turned on, ions leave the anode, enter the electrolyte, and similar ions adhere to the cathode. The longer the item remains in the tank and the current kept on, the thicker will be the deposited layer of metal.
Generally, a precious metal is deposited on a less expensive metal, but virtually any metal can be deposited on any other metal. It might require an intermediate step, however. Gold, for example, does not bond to iron or aluminum. But it can be bonded to another metal first, say copper or nickel, then that item can be plated with gold.
Copper and copper alloys (such as bronze) are relateively inexpensive metals, and they actively bond with silver or gold, so they are widely used for shaping any item to be plated with a precious metal. You might be surprised to learn all those silver-plated tableware you have been using for years are actually struck in copper, then heavily plated with silver. These have been made in America since 1847. Thank you, Rogers Brothers.
The use of electroplating in the medallic field has a very wide use; medals are frequently plated. The most obvious reason is to create a rank of award. We all know the rank of medals range from bronze, the lowest, to silver, to gold the highest. But another surprise! All those Olympic Gold Medals are not pure gold. Even the most prestigious award medals in the Olympic Games, Olympic Gold, are actually struck in bronze and goldplated!
A typical medal to be plated is fully struck up, trimmed, and cleaned. It must be chemically clean, no grease or oil must be on its surface. (There are degreasing applications and chemicals on the market.) The medal must be free of surface debris and contaminates. Chemical cleaning creates an activated surface, one that is highly receptive to tarnish, thus the item to be plated must be inserted in the electroplating tanks as quickly as possible before this tarnish begins to form.
Medals are generally plated in a batch. So a number of medals are placed on a metal rack that is lowered into the electrolyte solution.
Usually the metal being plated can be observed in twenty minutes or so. A normal coating of a thousandth of an inch might take four hours. An extra heavy coating might require eight hours or more. (In the 19th century some items were marked -- like Paul's Dieges & Clust medal -- identifying the thickness of this plating: "xx gold" meant more than normal, "xxx gold" meant thickest plating of all.)
The electroplated metal is a thin coating. It will have the same properties on the surface as a solid medal of this metal. However, since it is a thin coating it can be worn off easily. Plated medals can be given a patina or relieved finish but care must be taken not to remove any of the thin coating. Plated medals, like all fine art medals, are almost always protected with a lacquer coating as a final step.
Plated medals wear at the high points first just like solid metal medals. Often a nose on a portrait as a high point will be first to display the under composition of the plated medal. When this occurs, it is called bleeding -- the under composition, the base metal, is exposed.
Since a silverplated item looks exactly like a solid silver item, the practice of hallmarking was created for anyone to distinguish between the two. This was necessary to indicate fineness. Plated items are not required to be so marked. Thus silver and other precious items made in the 20th century and later are required by law to indicate their fineness. This was first enacted in England in 1904. Tiffany & Co observed this and pressed for a similar law in the U.S.A., enacted 1906; thus American metalworkers call it the "Tiffany Law."
Electroplating requires an experienced operator. He must control a half dozen or more variables in the process all at once. These include such factors as voltage and current density, metal composition and cleanliness of the base surface metal, composition and purity of the anode, composition of the electrolyte solution, its pH, temperature, agitation, and other chemical factors, plus other factors. Impurities in any of these affects a desired deposition. They create electroplating anomalies (a rare form of "mint errors.")
There are so many other components of electroplating that apply to numismatic items. Perhaps they should be discussed at a later time. These include partial plating -- how to plate only a portion of a medallic surface; reverse plating -- salvaging the gold from a goldplated item; bright plating -- a surface with high reflectiveness; flash plating -- super thin coating; Sheffield plate -- plating before striking; anodizing for aluminum; and test cut -- how to determine the under composition of a plated item.
The word "plate" is also used in additional ways in the numismatic and medallic field: (1) the one side of a box medal; (2) the planchet for a side-by-side die at the Paris Mint for striking their Restrike Series; (3) large plates (like dinner plates that have been embellished with medallic items), and (4) a coin or medal illustrated on a plate in a printed catalog or book.
NOW FOR THE QUIZ: The Philadelphia Mint had electrolytic tanks from 1855 until recently. Yet, they never plated a coin or medal (to my knowledge, at least). What then, did they use these tanks for?
Answer next week.
Uh, goldfish? Anybody have a better answer? Interesting question!
-Editor
KILKENOMICS FESTIVAL CURRENCY: THE MARBLE
Dick Hanscom forwarded this link to an economic festival in Kilkenny, Ireland. The festival features its own currency.
-Editor
Kilkenomics is an Economics festival which will run in Kilkenny city from November 11th - 14th 2010.
Twenty-four events, five venues, views from four continents, thousands of questions, hundreds of answers, one weekend
If you’re like us you’re finding all economics complicated and frightening in equal measure right now. What if we were to put some world class economic thinkers together with some of the best comic analytical minds available and see if they can’t make all this easier to understand in a way that is entertaining, informative and funny?
With all this talk of money, we’ve decided to introduce our own currency – after all, Ireland’s had 4 currencies in the last 40 years, so why not one more? Introducing…’The Marble’. It will have this magical quality to get more value, access special offers and buy more stuff in Kilkenny throughout the festival weekend (in pubs, restaurants, gigs, bookshops etc). For one weekend only The Marble will be strongest currency in Europe.
To read the complete article, see:
Kilkenomics Festival
(kilkenomics.com)
MORE ON THE GERMANY REPARATIONS COMMISSION PHOTO
Last week an E-Sylum reader asked for help identifying people pictured in a Library of Congress photo of "Reparations Commission with Stevenson, 6/25/29"
Tom DeLorey writes:
Apropos the picture of the 1929 Reparations Commission, the book "Lords of Finance" by Liaquat Ahamed identifies the U.S. delegates to the February, 1929 Reparations Conference in Paris as Owen Young and Jack Morgan, with Thomas Lamont as Morgan's alternate. Jack Morgan was the son of J.P. Morgan, and at the time the senior partner of J.P. Morgan and Associates. Lamont was the next senior partner. Young had been a delegate to the earlier (1923) Dawes Conference, and was an industrialist who was, at various times, President of GE and RCA.
The 1926 Conference convened in February, but was quite contentious and its results were not signed until July. The June photo was presumably taken when the delegation returned to Washington to report on the results.
There were several reparations conferences over the years. The 1929 conference is referred to as either the "Young Conference" or the "Second Dawes Conference." I would assume that the picture was taken after the delegation returned from the conference with their report. I do not know who they were reporting to, as the Stevenson who was Vice President did so from 1893 to 1897. The Stevenson who ran for President in the 1950's did not begin his government career until the FDR administration.
Perhaps this will help your reader with his research. The book does give an excellent history of the German hyperinflation period, but that occurred years before this picture was apparently taken.
Gar Travis writes:
I would surmise that the image was taken in 1929 as the man seated to the right is American financier Owen D. Young of the Young Plan.
In 1925 he was president of the St. Lawrence University and was featured on the cover of TIME magazine. It was this image I compared to the image in eSylum to confirm his identity.
www.coverbrowser.com/image/time/104-1.jpg
.
For more Young Plan information, see:
www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1372.html
.
Pete Smith writes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization
promoting numismatic literature. For more information please
see our web site at
http://www.coinbooks.org/.
There is a membership application available on the web site
at this address:
http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_member_app.html
To join, print the application and return it with your check
to the address printed on the application. Membership is only
$15 to addresses in the U.S., $20 for First Class mail, and
$25 elsewhere. For those without web access, write to:
David M. Sundman, Secretary/Treasurer
Numismatic Bibliomania Society,
P. O. Box 82 Littleton, NH 03561
For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership
questions, contact David at this email address:
dsundman at LittletonCoin.com
To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, just
Reply to this message, or write to the Editor at this
address: whomren at coinlibrary.com
Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers
(or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page:
https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum
All past E-Sylum issues are archived on the NBS web site at this address:
http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum_archive.html
Issues from September 2002 to date are also archived at this address:
http://my.binhost.com/pipermail/esylum
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.binhost.com/pipermail/esylum/attachments/20101114/cea54cc1/attachment.html>
More information about the Esylum
mailing list