The E-Sylum v16#15 April 14, 2013

Sun Apr 14 20:27:21 PDT 2013

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The E-Sylum

  An electronic publication of
  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

Volume 16, Number 15, April 14, 2013
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WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM APRIL 14, 2013
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JOHN BURNS COIN SHOW SCHEDULE  APRIL-MAY 2013
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NEW BOOK: U.S. SHELL CARDS 1867-1880
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NEW BOOK: GUIDE BOOK OF CIVIL WAR TOKENS
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NEW BOOK: COLLECTING WORLD COINS, 1901-PRESENT, 14TH EDITION
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THE MARCH 2013 MONETA ISSUE HAS BEEN PUBLISHED
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QUESTIONS ABOUT THE KARL GOETZ ORIGINAL DIES AND HUBS
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COINWEEK ON E-SYLUM AND SWIATEK'S 1981 COMMEMORATIVE BOOK
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QUERY: HARRY RAPP'S EXTENSION OF WOOD'S  COMMEMORATIVE BOOK
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ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL BANKNOTE AUCTION CLOSES APRIL 16, 2013
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THE  NEW BEDFORD HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY WHALE MEDAL
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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 14, 2013
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THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT'S 1893 COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION EXHIBITS
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ODIUM NUMISMATICA: CONTEMPORARY POLITICS IN NUMISMATICS
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WATCH FOBS AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS 
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SYLVESTER SAGE CROSBY’S PERSEVERANCE PREVAILS
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ERIC NEWMAN’S 1866 FIVE CENT LINCOLN JUDD-487 PATTERN
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QUERY: NEW ORLEANS MINT SILVER DOLLAR RECEIPT INFO SOUGHT
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1906-D DOUBLE EAGLE STRUCK BY DAVID H. MOFFAT
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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: APRIL 14, 2013
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THE HARVEY STACK INGOT COLLECTION
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THE BITCOIN BUBBLE
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1640 BAY PSALM BOOK TO BE AUCTIONED
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JAMES JOYCE COIN QUOTATION ERROR
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LATVIA'S WRITER-THEMED COIN DESIGNS
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THE 500 EURO ‘BIN LADEN’ BANKNOTE
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ARTICLE COVERS PALESTINE CURRENCY BOARD NOTE SALE
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THE FUNDAMENTAL UNITS: BIG PHOTOS OF LITTLE COINS
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VIDEO DISCUSSES ELIMINATION OF THE CANADIAN NICKEL
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FEATURED WEB PAGE: CIVIL WAR TOKEN SOCIETY
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Click here to read this issue on the web

To comment or submit articles, reply to 
whomren at gmail.com

WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM APRIL 14, 2013

First, Happy Birthday to my sweet and talented daughter Hannah, who turned nine today.   New subscribers this week include 
Ray Lockwood. 
Welcome aboard!
We have 1,643 email subscribers, plus 224 followers on Facebook.

This week we open with a note from literature dealer John Burns on his upcoming coin show schedule, and three new books.
Other topics this week include the Karl Goetz dies, Harry Rapp's book on U.S. commemoratives, the Treasury Department's Columbian Exposition exhibits, (and I never thought I'd write this) the Winklevoss twins.

To learn more about the Thomas Edison of Canada, a banknote payable in gold dust, the Schwaab fob, the New Bedford Horticultural Society medal and Odium Numismatica, read on.   Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

JOHN BURNS COIN SHOW SCHEDULE  APRIL-MAY 2013

Numismatic literature dealer John Burns is a fixture at many coin shows around the U.S.  He forwarded his latest itinerary.
-Editor

John H. Burns will be on an EPIC book selling jaunt as follows:

April 18-21 Chicago International Coin Fair,   Rosemont IL
April 24-27 Central States,                              Schaumberg IL
May 2-5     Early American Coppers,              Newark OH
May 9-11   Pa. Association of Numismatists, Monroeville PA
May 16-18 Garden States,                             Somerset NJ

3000 Pounds of numismatic literature (as certified by the Philly union at last year's ANA)!!!!   Visit, talk and hopefully buy some and I'll show up at the next shows.
Nos morituri te salutant.

NEW BOOK: U.S. SHELL CARDS 1867-1880

Dave Bowers forwarded this update on his upcoming book on U.S. Shell Cards.  Thanks!
-Editor

I am putting the finishing touches on my manuscript for a new book, U.S. Shell Cards 1867-1880. These are advertising tokens, often with a coin motif on one side and a commercial message on the other, that fit neatly into the post-Civil War era. Although scattered features about them have appeared in the TAMS Journal and elsewhere, this is the first book-length study and the only study that delves into how they were made and distributed.

As of the last counting there are 1,658 pictures, including full color images of over 700 different varieties, plus 108,582 words. I am now working on rarity ratings and 
a schedule of estimated values. If a reader has one or more shell cards, Dave would be pleased to hear from you. Ditto for any information about purchase prices and valuations, except for the recent sales by Stack’s Bowers Galleries.

The late Steve Tanenbaum quipped, “A common shell card is one for which two are known!” Indeed, many are unique. The largest institutional collection is that of the American Numismatic Society, comprising slightly over 100 different. The Society has cooperated in the project and has provided many images.

As this will be a specialized book in the token field, Dave adds that if a suitable publisher is found, he will give a grant or subsidy so that the book can be a quality production in full color, on fine paper, and, equally important to him, bear a price that is affordable.

Dave can be reached by e-mail at qdbarchive at metrocast.net or by regular mail at Box 539, Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896

NEW BOOK: GUIDE BOOK OF CIVIL WAR TOKENS

The shell card book isn't the only book Dave Bowers has in the works.  Here's an article from his Stacks-Bowers blog on his upcoming  Guide Book of Civil War Tokens.
-Editor

I have been interested in Civil War tokens for a long time. My fascination with them dates back to the 1950s when I first learned about them and set about buying examples. I soon met Dr. George Fuld, who at the time was with MIT in Massachusetts. From George I bought several thousand duplicates, a trading stock, most of which were soon offered for sale by Empire Coin Company, which I conducted in partnership with Jim Ruddy.

Fast forward to more recent times, today the Civil War Token Society (check the Internet) publishes the Civil War Token Journal with advertisements, historical articles, research findings and more. Believe it or not the annual membership fee is just $15, for which you get four copies of the journal.

Scheduled for release in mid summer is the Guide Book of Civil War Tokens, to be published by Whitman. I researched and wrote this, completing it last year. This will describe hundreds of different token issuers and illustrate different dies.

Today in 2013, Civil War tokens offer many interesting opportunities. Great rarities -- tokens for which fewer than a dozen are known -- can be purchased for a few hundred dollars each, sometimes even less! Compared to federal coinage, the field is relatively undiscovered. The number of active participants is probably in the low thousands.

Concerning Civil War tokens in general, these were mostly the size of contemporary one-cent pieces. Beginning in July 1862, when the outcome of the Civil War was uncertain, cents disappeared from circulation. Citizens preferred hard money to paper, and by that time gold and silver had long since been absent from commerce. Now, there was no federal money with which to buy a newspaper, get a haircut, or ride a horse-drawn streetcar. Stepping into the void were private individuals who commissioned cent-sized tokens to be struck, usually in copper, but sometimes in brass. Millions of these were soon in circulation and were widely used. Over 1,000 merchants issued them with their advertising and other inscriptions. In addition, large numbers of patriotic tokens were produced -- with flags, cannon, ships and other motifs.

To read the complete article, see:

>From The Desk Of Q. David Bowers: Civil War Tokens In The Spotlight

(stacksbowers.com/Blogs/from-desk-of-q-david-bowers-civil-war.html)

THE BOOK BAZARRE 
Buy the latest edition of must-have
coin reference books .
Click to shop.

NEW BOOK: COLLECTING WORLD COINS, 1901-PRESENT, 14TH EDITION

This week Krause Publications announced a new edition of  Collecting World Coins, 1901-Present.
-Editor

Author: George S. Cuhaj
SRN: U3686
Price: $44.99 ($46.99)
ISBN: 9781440236181

>From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Collecting World Coins, 1901-Present, presents the most comprehensive country-by-country, fully illustrated listing of 20th and 21st century coins used in everyday commerce.

The vast majority of private collections and family accumulations consist of circulating coinage, making the 14th edition of this catalog the finest and easiest reference to use. Collecting World Coins is the perfect book for beginner to expert collectors and dealers who are simply interested in circulating coins found around the world. Features include:

Up-to-date and complete Euro Coin images and values as well as 30,0000 images for easy coin identification. 

Perfect book for beginner to expert collectors and dealers who are simply interested in circulating coins found around the world.

Detailed description of coins with dates and mintages, metal, weight and current value.

For more information visit:

www.sellcoinbooks.com/world-coin-books/collecting-world-coins

THE MARCH 2013 MONETA ISSUE HAS BEEN PUBLISHED

Editor Serge Pelletier writes:

The March issue of moneta is now available at www.ons-sno.ca. We apologize for the delays in posting.

In this issue: 

Hobo nickels: 100 years on [Steve WOODLAND]

Duck & Company [Serge PELLETIER]

The commemorative coins of the Fifth Republic – Part 1: The 1-franc coins [Wilfred LAUBER]

The man who chained lightning [Chris FAULKNER] 

Happy reading!

Moneta is the journal of the Ottawa Numismatic Society.  As always, there are some nice articles here.  I especially enjoyed Chris Faulkner's piece, which is about Thomas Ahearn, "the Thomas Edison of Canada" and his electric oven.   Below are two tokens illustrated in the article, provided at my request by Serge Pelletier.  Thanks!
-Editor

To read the issue online, see:

www.ons-sno.ca/page39.html

For more information on the Ottawa Numismatic Society, see:

www.ons-sno.ca/home-en.html

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE KARL GOETZ ORIGINAL DIES AND HUBS

Jorg Lueke writes:

I am a little perplexed by the sudden appearance by so many of the Goetz dies.  One imagines if the dies had been acquired legitimately at some point in the past the manner of acquisition and their sudden appearance would be better documented.  While I don't collect these particular medal I would greet with some dismay news that the Monnaie de Paris suddenly released the dies of all the works of Daniel Dupuis.

Howard A. Daniel III writes:

The auctioning of the original Karl Goetz dies is a disaster for numismatics.  They should be defaced, even in a minor way, so anything struck from them will be easily seen.  And it appears the ownership trail is in question and this needs to be resolved before the dies are auctioned!   And will known Chinese minters be banned from the auction?

Jorg Lueke writes:

There's still a big gap in information that may never get reported after this dispersal.  How did this many dies leave the mint, who owned them and why are they being sold?  Is it a museum deaccessioning?  The Goetz family selling?  Some other private owner?  I understand that providing those details can easily negate the anonymity of the seller which is unfortunate since it leaves us with a potentially permanent gap in knowledge.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

KARL GOETZ ORIGINAL DIES AND HUBS OFFERED BY HERITAGE

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n14a14.html)

COINWEEK ON E-SYLUM AND SWIATEK'S 1981 COMMEMORATIVE BOOK

Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker published an article in CoinWeek Friday that gave a nice shout-out to The E-Sylum.   Thanks!  The admiration is mutual - CoinWeek is one of the best online numismatic publications around, with original, interesting, and sometimes thought-provoking content.  
-Editor

*For those of you who don’t know, Wayne Homren is the editor of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society’s weekly  e-publication, the E-Sylum, which is always chock-full of fascinating information and reader commentary. Visit http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum/index.html for more information.

First of all, thank you for the work you do every week.  Hubert and I are big fans of your eclectic, almost omnivorous newsletter. The E-Sylum is a frequent source of inspiration, constantly pointing out fruitful new avenues for us and our writing. Also, we collect books on coins just as avidly as we collect the coins themselves. So we were thrilled – THRILLED – at the handful of recent mentions and excerpts we’ve garnered.

Predictably, this inspired us to do even more thinking on the topics we’d already addressed. And before we get to the crux of our piece, let’s just say that there must be something in the air regarding the legalization of gold and gold-related numismatic collectibles. No sooner had we readied the Herb Hicks article for submission to Coinweek but the E-Sylum featured a bit on Grover Criswell and his efforts to legalize gold medallions.  Maybe we should go for the trifecta and write a piece on James Blanchard?

Anyway, back to that crux. In the February 24, 2013 issue of the E-Sylum, you included an excerpt from our then-recent piece on Anthony Swiatek’s 1981 volume on classic commemoratives (“Booker T. On the Tarmac: A Story about First Coinvestors”). That excerpt really made us feel like we were on to something. We don’t care who knows it – validation is nice.

The CoinWeek article discussed some of the blatant marketing promotion text inserted into Swiatek's manuscript by publisher Stanley Apfelbaum.  I wrote: I am shocked - SHOCKED - to discover marketing going on in the coin business!!
In this article, Morgan and Walker wonder how a book with such a blatant commercial focus could win a hobby award.
-Editor

We have no doubt that experienced and sophisticated collectors aren’t surprised in the least by the blatant promotion that exists in such books as Swiatek and Breen’s commemorative opus. Modern collectors also have the benefit of hindsight and can see the far-off price predictions in that volume for what they are: hopelessly detached from current levels. Mind you, some of these projections were actually met before the commemorative bubble burst, so we’re not indicting the authors and publishers on those grounds, but one thing sticks in our craw. The Encyclopedia won the 1981 Numismatic Literary Guild award.

As a hobby, are we so jaded and cynical that such self-promotion in what advertises itself as a reference book is okay? Is it acceptable that such things are ignored by institutions within the hobby? Does everyone kind of assume that collectors are all on the same level, and can figure things out for themselves? Or do we assume that the gullible and less-experienced among us deserve to be taken in, and that maybe they’ll know better next time?

A book can be quite useful despite marketing content or emphasis.   I’m not sure I’d be so hard on NLG for praising it, but Morgan and Walker raise a valid question.  I remember being pleased to get my copy of the book, and learning a lot about the U.S. Commemorative series from it, despite the odd style and occasional marketing spew.   I haven't seen Swiatek's new 2012 book, but would welcome a reader's review of it.  Thanks again to Morgan and Walker for their kind words about The E-Sylum.
-Editor

To read the complete article, see:

An Open Letter to Wayne Homren

(www.coinweek.com/commentary/opinion/an-open-letter-to-wayne-homren/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

FIRST COINVESTORS AND THE SWIATEK-BREEN COMMEMORATIVE BOOK

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n08a15.html)

QUERY: HARRY RAPP'S EXTENSION OF WOOD'S  COMMEMORATIVE BOOK

Speaking of books on U.S. Commemorative Coinage, here's an interesting item about early 20th century books on the topic.

Bruce H. Smith writes:

I purchased this book in 1988. The seller told me that it was from the library of Harold Bowen, who I understand was an authority on Michigan Scrip. Other than a reference to an ANA article on coinage of the Danish West Indies written in 1941, I've not been able to locate any information on Harry W. Rapp. A large amount of work must have gone into the book's creation, but as it's typed, I don't know how it might have been reproduced other than having a few carbon copies. The plates appear to be from Wayte Raymond catalogs. I'd be grateful for any information on the book or its author.

I don't know how Harry Rapp comes into the picture, but the American Numismatic Society published Howland Wood's book The Commemorative Coinage of the United States in 1922.  I don't have a copy for comparison.  The ANS published an update by David M. Bullowa titled The Commemorative Coinage of the United States 1892-1938 in 1938 (Numismatic Notes and Monographs No. 83).  I have that one on my shelf, and in it Bullowa devotes the volume to Wood, who passed away that year.  He writes that Wood's 1922 work was the "point of departure" for his study.

Interestingly, as shown in the image above, the  title page reads as follows:

THE COMMEMORATIVE COINAGE
OF THE 
UNITED STATES
by
HOWLAND WOOD
 1892 TO 1922
----
REVISED AND EXTENDED
from
1922 TO 1939
WITH CHARTS
by
HARRY W. RAPP

Bruce adds:

I did have a copy of the Wood monograph at one time. My best recollection was that this book was an exact copy, but I no longer have the Wood book to refresh my memory.

Perhaps Rapp was working on a manuscript unawares that Bullowa was doing the same.   Can anyone tell us more about Rapp and his book?

ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL BANKNOTE AUCTION CLOSES APRIL 16, 2013

E-Sylum sponsor Archives International's latest auction is coming up on Tuesday.  Here's their press release.  Some neat items in this sale - check it out.
-Editor

Archives International Auctions will offer 1,176 lots of U.S. and worldwide banknotes, scripophily and security printing ephemera at auction on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 at 10 a.m. (EDT) in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The auction will offer live gallery, phone and Internet bidding at www.archivesinternational.com.

We are fortunate to have another outstanding offering of numismatic treasures that rarely if ever cross the auction block, including two different unique banknotes, a U.S. Legal Tender $10 Series of 1890 Presentation Proof as well as a 1906, 2 Silver Pesos, Philippine Islands Presentation Proof,” stated Dr. Robert Schwartz, president of Archives International Auctions.

The auction is packed with rare and desirable banknotes including 34 rare Chinese banknotes and over 650 different foreign banknotes. Also included are dozens of U.S. Colonial, Obsolete, Large and Small Type and National banknotes.

The scripophily section will include 220 lots of stocks and bonds (banking, mining, railroad, foreign, etc.), for every level of collector. Included is a John D. Rockefeller Signed Standard Oil Company Rarity as well as a 1795, North American Land Company Founder’s Share signed by Declaration of Independence signer, Robert Morris.

The catalog is online on their website and also as a virtual catalog.

The next auction is scheduled June 4th, 2013 at their offices in New Jersey and will include a wide variety of banknotes, scripophily and coins.

Previews are scheduled for Thursday, April 11th until the day of the sale by appointment. To pre-register for live Internet bidding, log on to the Archives International website, at 

http://www.archivesinternational.com
.

Here are a few lots that caught my eye.   There are many interesting items of all price ranges.   I especially like the obsolete note payable in gold dust.
-Editor

Lot 209 Siege De Lyon, 1793 ND Issue Banknote

Lot 578 Philippines, ND (1944) Victory Issue Star Note

Lot 941 Miners Bank of Savings of Alta - California, Payable in Gold Dust, 18xx (ca. 1850-60)

THE  NEW BEDFORD HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY WHALE MEDAL

Last week I asked:

If anyone can answer this I'll be really impressed.  John Kraljevich's ad last week pictured a close-up image of a whale.   I wondered what coin or medal this was taken from.  Does anyone know?  Any guesses?

Pete Smith writes:

Attached is an image of the New Bedford Horticultural Society medal. It is struck in silver at 46 mm diameter.
I hate to admit how easy this was to find. It is listed on JK's website.

Cheater!  Cheater!   Actually, there's nothing wrong with that. 
I'm impressed with research skills that start with the obvious before marching headlong into the obscure.   But who knows the piece from memory?   

Jonathan Brecher writes:

It's a local-ish subject for me. New Bedford was something like the whaling capital of the world, so the image is appropriate.   I have one other sale record (Paul Bosco 11/20/2000, lot 755), and it's also in Harkness's book on society medals.
It would be a much more challenging question if you waited until AFTER John removed the medal from his online inventory!

Dick Hansom  writes:

I know I have seen it before, but don't remember where. My guess is a commemorative medal from New Bedford, Mass.  Two of my searches on eBay are whale and whaling.  I think maybe the whale with harpoons is part of their city seal.

Paul Bosco  writes:

See Paul J. Bosco Auction #22, 11/20/2000, lot 755 (obverse Photo’d). New Bedford Horticultural Society. Founded 1903. 45mm silver, by Braxmar. Engraved date of awarding: 1930. This is the catalog most famous today for its inclusion of the Yoachum Dollar.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 7, 2013 : Quick Quiz: Find That Whale!

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n14a12.html)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 14, 2013

 Wall Street Journal Features New Doty Book 
Dennis Tucker writes:

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