The E-Sylum v17#19 May 4, 2014

The E-Sylum esylum at binhost.com
Sun May 4 19:04:52 PDT 2014


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The E-Sylum
  
  An electronic publication of
  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society


Volume 17, Number 19, May 4, 2014
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WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM MAY 4, 2014
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BRUCE PERDUE WINS ANA PRESIDENTIAL AWARD
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LAKE BOOKS MAIL BID SALE #118 CLOSES MAY 6, 2014
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KOLBE & FANNING OFFERS RECENT WORKS
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GREEK NUMISMATIC LITERATURE SALE JUNE 2014
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NEW BOOK: MODERN WORLD PAPER MONEY, 20TH ED
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BOOK REVIEW: GRADING GUIDE FOR EARLY AMERICAN COPPER
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BOOK REVIEW: COINS OF LITHUANIA 1386 - 2009
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ENLARGING POLYMERS AND COUNTERFEIT DETECTION
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ON SHIPPING COINS TO SIBERIA
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MORE CAVE PAINTING ART IN NUMISMATICS
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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 4, 2014
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QUERY: NUMISMATIC PERIODICAL INDEXES SOUGHT
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QUERY: STUDY OF ENGRAVING STYLES SOUGHT
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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CUT A DIE?
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THE GEORGE WASHINGTON NATIONAL LIBRARY
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HARVEY STACK ON NUMISMATIC PEDIGREES
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THE GRANBERG CONTINENTAL DOLLAR IN SILVER
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THE BOYD-NEWMAN 1792 SILVER CENTER CENT
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COLORADO 'IN GOD WE TRUST' MONUMENT
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POLYMER BANK NOTE SUPPLIER INNOVIA GROUP BOUGHT
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DE LA RUE DESIGNS BANKNOTES TO DEFEAT COUNTERFEITERS
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ANTI-COUNTERFEITING COLOR-CODED MICROPARTICLES 
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AUSTRALIA'S FIRST BANKNOTE MAY COME TO AUCTION
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ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS BOB EVANS' RETURN TO THE SS CENTRAL AMERICA
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FUND BETS AGAINST CENTRAL AMERICA EXPEDITION
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NOAH WEBSTER’S AMERICAN ENGLISH
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HOBO NICKELS: I VILL AND JASON'S UNCLE
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CUOMO-MUST-GO OVERSTAMPS CIRCULATING IN NEW YORK
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RARE ALBERT MEDAL SOLD AT AUCTION
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BRITISH ARMY DOG AWARDED DICKIN MEDAL
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SIR JOHN HOUBLON £50 BANKNOTES BEING RETIRED
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COINS STRUCK FOR 2014 GLASGOW GAMES
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SCOTLAND CONSIDERS CURRENCY CHOICES 
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RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN AND BELARUS PLAN JOINT CURRENCY
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THE MOORE PENNY BANK REFERENCE COLLECTION
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HORSE FEED PURCHASED WITH COUNTERFEIT BILLS
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FEATURED WEB PAGE: THE VICTORIA CROSS
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Click here to read this issue on the web
			
	

Click here to access the complete archive
	
To comment or submit articles, reply to 
whomren at gmail.com

		



WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM MAY 4, 2014






Our new subscribers this week include 
S. McPike of the U.S. Mint, 
Matthew Wittmann, and
Jura Iwlew.
We have 1,724 email subscribers.


Last week's issue with the lead article on John Adams winning the Huntington Award was a big hit.  Ray Williams forwarded it to all the colonial coin collectors in Yahoo groups, and Ben Weiss added a link to it on the Medal Collectors of America web site.  


Favorite reader comment of the week: "Although your wife might disagree with me, I think you do everything right." - Fred Michaelson.


Happy Star Wars Day - May the Fourth be with you.
This week we open with an award for one of the E-Sylum crew, numismatic literature sale notes from Fred Lake, David Fanning and Ursula Kampmann, and two book reviews.


Other topics include cave paining art in numismatics, periodical indexes, engraving styles, Newman colonial sale highlights, the Cuomo-Must-Go overstamp and the 'In God We Trus' monument.

 
To learn more about enlarging polymers, the first bi-metallic U.S. coin, color-coded microparticles, Hobo nickels, crazed psychos, the Victoria, Albert and Dickin medals, read on.   Have a great week, everyone!


Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum




	
BRUCE PERDUE WINS ANA PRESIDENTIAL AWARD



 
In Part 3 of his Central States Numismatic Society Convention Show Report Charles Morgan writes:


 [American Numismatic Association] President Dr. Walter A. Ostromecki, Jr., was present at the CSNS Public Meeting to award incoming CSNS President Bruce Perdue with the ANA Presidential Award. Those in attendance congratulated Bruce on receiving what is the third highest award the ANA bestows upon its members.





Congratulations to Bruce, who among the many hats he wears is that of NBS volunteer webmaster.   Thanks to Bruce's tireless efforts our site and E-Sylum archive is regularly updated and scrubbed of typos committed by Yours Truly.   Thanks to his Sunday night efforts, those who read E-Sylum via Facebook or an RSS feed have ready access to their issue when Monday morning rolls around.
-Editor



To read the complete article, see:

Central States Numismatic Society Convention Show Report: Part 3

(www.coinweek.com/featured-news/central-states-numismatic-society-convention-show-report-part-3/)



	
LAKE BOOKS MAIL BID SALE #118 CLOSES MAY 6, 2014


Fred Lake forwarded to following reminder of his upcoming May 6 literature sale.
-Editor



This is to remind you that our mail bid sale #118 of numismatic literature closes on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at 5:00 PM (EDT). You may view the 477-lot catalog at 

www.lakebooks.com/current.html and bids may be placed via email, fax or telephone until the closing time.


The selections from the libraries of Jay H. Cline and Harry Warren feature many Special Edition Redbooks including ones presented to contributors and special leather bound issues, a long run of the John J. Ford catalogs, a number of Bowers & Merena hard-bound sales, books on Paper Money, Tokens and Medals and some bulk lots of scarce older catalogs.


Good Luck with your bidding,   Fred


Lake Books
PMB 118
6822 22nd Ave. N
St. Petersburg, FL 33710-3918
727-343-8055  FAX: 727-381-6822



	
KOLBE & FANNING OFFERS RECENT WORKS


David Fanning forwarded this note about his firm's stock of recently published numismatic works.
-Editor



 
Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers have been increasing the number of new publications we carry on our website for immediate purchase. A few examples of recent numismatic books available from K&F include:


Parsley, Donald L. UNITED STATES EARLY HALF DOLLAR DIE VARIETIES, 1794-1836. The new fifth edition. $85.00


Biaggi, Elio. DALLA DRACMA GALLO CELTICA AL MARENGO NAPOLEONICO. Three volume set, housed in matching slipcase. $500.00


Nilsson, Harald. ERIK WALLERS SAMLING AV MEDICINHISTORISKA MEDALJER. Beautifully illustrated in color. $110.00


 
Tully, John A.N.Z. THE ISLAND STANDARD: THE CLASSICAL, HELLENISTIC, AND ROMAN COINAGES OF PAROS. Numismatic Studies No. 28 by the ANS. $100.00


Siboni, Roger S., John L. Howes and A. Buell Ish. NEW JERSEY STATE COPPERS: HISTORY, DESCRIPTION, COLLECTING. The long-awaited work. $215.00


Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum. GREECE 7. THE KIKPE COLLECTION OF BRONZE COIS. VOLUME I. With 126 full-page plates depicting 1233 coins. $119.00


Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum. TURKEY 5. TIRE MUSEUM VOLUME 1: ROMAN PROVINCIAL COINS FROM IONIA, LYDIA, PHRYGIA AND, ETC. With 40 plates of coins with facing descriptions.	$100.00


 
Vecchi, Italo. ITALIAN CAST COINAGE. The new standard reference. $90.00


Taillard, Michel, and Michel Arnaud. ESSAIS MONÉTAIRES & PIÉFORTS FRANÇAIS 1870-2001. A new work from Éditions Gadoury. $70.00


If your only experience with Kolbe & Fanning is with our auctions and mail-bid sales, please take a few minutes to check out our website at 

www.numislit.com. Well over 1,000 new and used books are available at fixed prices and can be searched or browsed by category. We look forward to hearing from you.



	
GREEK NUMISMATIC LITERATURE SALE JUNE 2014


Ursula Kampmann submitted this preview of the upcoming sale of numismatic literature on Greek coins.  
-Editor



If there is anything in the world that puts the BCD collection of ancient Greek coins in the shade, it is the BCD library, which is by far the largest privately owned library on Greek numismatics that ever existed. The collector, who has been documenting every written remark about Greek numismatics in it for several decades and who gladly makes this treasure of knowledge accessible to interested academics, has now entrusted the young company Auctiones GmbH with auctioning some intriguing duplicates in their eAuction 28. As of 16 June 2014, all 227 lots can be viewed online, at www.auctiones.ch, and it is also possible to place pre-bids. The actual electronic auction will start on 29 June at 7 p.m. sharp. 


As is to be expected of a bibliomaniac like BCD, among the duplicates the expert discovers any number of very interesting rarities, items highly useful and important, with publication dates as early as the 19th century until today. Not surprisingly, the focus is on the ancient period (Greeks, Celts, Romans, Byzantines) but nevertheless, there are some interesting publications available that deal with medieval and modern coins and medals. 


The range covers a larger number of languages because BCD collected virtually everything published related to the topic. Hence, it contains many English publications but likewise German, Italian, French, Russian and Greek ones, not to forget such language exotics like Rumanian and Hungarian. The offer comprises die studies, monographs, collections of essays, coffee-table books, offprints, and auction sale catalogs, that all have one thing in common: there is something special connected with them.



Let us take, for example, lot 7, the Transactions of the International Numismatic Congress held in London in 1936. The copy available here, offered for CHF 30 – although no book lover will seriously expect to get the book for as low a price – was once owned by the famous numismatist Willy Schwabacher who, in the year of the congress, had just been barred from the DAI excavations in the Kerameikos in Athens because of his Jewish extraction. 


When the transactions of the congress were published in London in 1938, Schwabacher also happened to be at London where he had been able to flee to. He continued his career first in Copenhagen, then after another flight in Stockholm as friend of Gustav VI Adolph, King of Sweden, who not only had a great interest in archaeology but also collected coins. Thus, these transactions tell us their own story in addition to the academic articles it contains. 


And that is something. BCD who – and everybody who owns the catalogs of his coin collection can vouch for the truth of that – never abstains from voicing his sincere opinion, describes the contents as follows: “Apart from Sir George Macdonald’s Presidential Address on what was then the last Fifty years of Greek Numismatics”, [contains this book] the kind of articles that can only produce a feeling of despair when one compares “then” with “now”; there are many more interesting and useful scholarly contributions on practically every branch of numismatics, including medals.” 


Another impressive bibliophilic rarity is an edition of the sought-after monograph written by Friedrich Imhoof-Blumer on the coins of Acarnania from 1878, which the former owner made unique by its binding: there is an original stater from Acarnania depicting the bull-headed Acheloos on its obverse embedded into the leather-bound cover. 


Or just think of the immense oeuvre of unforgotten Leo Mildenberg who is represented by a couple of very special testimonies of which the lion’s share has been widely unknown so far: cases in point are a magnificently written article on Greek fractions from 1964 or the catalog of an exhibition of the Zurich Museum of Arts and Crafts from 1949 behind which Leo Mildenberg was the driving force. 


So much more could be said about all the books offered for sale in this auction. Anyone not just fond of coins but likewise of books will find something to his liking in eAuction 28 of Auctiones GmbH, something that is going to enrich his library and that will make his eyes sparkle with joy. 
Make sure of paying www.auctiones.ch a visit after 16 June 2014. Further information is available at Auctiones GmbH, P.O. Box 673, 3000 Bern 8, Switzerland; phone: +41313113948, email: info at auctiones.ch


7. [London Congress] J. Allan, H. Mattingly and E. S. G. Robinson (eds.), Transactions of the International Numismatic Congress organized and held in London by the Royal Numismatic Society, June 30 - July 3, 1936 on the Occasion of Its Centenary. London 1938. 8vo (17x23cm), green linen with gilt spine letters; 490 pages, 27 plates. Spine ends worn. Very Good. Estimate: 30 CHF.








8. Le Numismate. Bulletin Périodique. Accompagné d’un catalogue de médailles et monnaies grecques, romaines, du moyen age et des temps modernes avec indication de leurs prix. Années 1862-64. Paris. 8vo, quarter black leather, gilt spine letters; 220 pages + 3203 catalogue numbers + 2558 catalogue numbers, etc., 7 plates of engravings. Good. Estimate: 100 CHF.


23. Stack’s. New York, 20 - 22 January 1938. Reinhold Faelten Collection of Ancient Coins. 2169 lots, portrait frontispiece, 94 pages, 27 tissue-guarded plates. Prices realized list. 4to, quarter tan leather with embossed brown spine letters. Some margin discoloration to last plates, not affecting photos. Near Fine. Estimate: 45 CHF.








96. Barclay V. Head, History of the Coinage of Boeotia. London 1881. 8vo, dark green cloth, gilt letters; 99 pages, 6 plates.  Originally published as “On the Chronological Sequence of the Coinage of Boeotia” in NC ser. III, vol. 1. Binding slightly split at spine, hinges cracked. Good. Estimate: 35 CHF.


101. F. Imhoof-Blumer, Die Münzen Akarnaniens. Wien 1878. Original offprint of the article appearing in NZ X (1878). 8vo, full tan leather, dark brown letters, with a genuine AR stater depicting the head of Achelous embedded in the front cover. 186 pages, 3 plates. Newly bound, still in binder’s wrap. Fine. Estimate: 100 CHF.



THE BOOK BAZARRE
OVER 500 NUMISMATIC TITLES:  
Wizard Coin Supply has over 500 numismatic titles in stock, 
competitively discounted, and available for immediate shipment.  
See our selection at 
www.WizardCoinSupply.com .




	
NEW BOOK: MODERN WORLD PAPER MONEY, 20TH ED


Krause Publications has announced the publication of a new edition of their Standard Catalog of World Paper Money - Modern Issues 1961-Present.
-Editor




A new edition of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money - Modern Issues is now available from Krause Publications.


A network of more than 80 international paper money collectors and dealers work with editor George S. Cuhaj to ensure that the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money - Modern Issues, is the most comprehensive resource available for proper identification, description and valuation of modern world bank notes. All circulating paper bank notes worldwide are included in this one-of-a-kind catalog.



Completely analyzed and updated pricing.

Extensively illustrated with hundreds of new or improved images.

Numerous previously unlisted varieties, including specimens, are now featured.

Expanded descriptions allow less experienced users, speculators or estate appraisers to correctly identify notes.

Proper identification, description and valuation of modern world bank notes. All circulating paper bank notes worldwide are included in this one-of-a-kind catalog.



For more information, or to order, see:

2015 Standard Catalog of World Paper Money - Modern Issues, 20th Edition

(www.shopnumismaster.com/2015-standard-catalog-of-world-paper-money-20th-edition-grouped)



	
BOOK REVIEW: GRADING GUIDE FOR EARLY AMERICAN COPPER




Grading Guide for Early American Copper Coins
by Bill Eckberg, Bob Fagaly, Dennis Fuoss, Ray Williams
 Early American Coppers, Inc.
2014
192 pages
 ISBN 978-0-615-91186-1


Appropriately in time for this week's convention of the Early American Coppers Inc. (EAC), their new grading guide has popped to the top of my review stack.
Since I'm no expert in the topic I'll keep my remarks from the bibliophile's perspective.


The long-awaited book fully describes the process of grading early American copper coins as practiced by collectors who specialize in them. "EAC Grading" is distinct from, and typically more precise and stringent than grading by third-party grading services and auction houses.


The book became available to EAC members at their convention in Colorado Springs, CO, May 1-4, 2014 and will be available to the public beginning tomorrow.


The cover price is $54.95 plus $5 P&H. EAC or C4 members in good standing get a $5 discount. Members purchasing the book at the EAC convention will pay only $45. All proceeds from the book will go to EAC to support its educational and outreach activities.


The rationale for EAC grading is laid out in the Introduction:


Because copper coins were the money of the people and (unlike gold coins) were heavily used in commerce, because they are heavy and soft, and because copper is more reactive to oxidation than silver or gold, they received more wear and damage than early gold and silver coins. Because their relative value did not fluctuate like that of gold and silver coins, they were less subject to mass meltings during their time of circulation. Thus, many stayed in circulation until they were unrecognizable due to wear or corrosion.


The different grading standards early copper specialists use from the commercial standards in the rest of US numismatics, and the different way they account for damage to coins from that used by the rest of numismatics adds an extra level of complexity and concern for those who might wish to collect these endlessly fascinating coins. This book addresses that complexity and concern by thoroughly describing the grading standards and processes used by specialists in the field and comparing them to the commercial standards and processes used in the rest of numismatics, with the goal of making copper collecting easier, more enjoyable and more fulfilling for all.


Grades from About Good to Mint State (and higher Mint State grades, where such coins exist) of nearly all series are illustrated by full color photos twice the diameter of the coin.




The Guide is not without humor, as exemplified by this illustration from p16 captioned, "While there are many ways to record a coin’s
grade, this is definitely not the way to do it."


The Introduction also provides a useful history of coin grading in the U.S., including the Sheldon numerical “Grades” from 1 to 70, Photograde, and the third-party grading services.


Chapter 2  outlines the EAC Grading Guidelines, summarized as follows:


An EAC grade usually consists of two grades. The first refers to the sharpness or degree of wear
on the coin, i.e., the technical grade. The second is a net grade after accounting for any post-strike
impairment(s) to the coin, i.e., the market grade. If there is a single grade, that means the coin has
no significant impairments, and the net grade is the same as the sharpness grade. Commercial
grading does not give separate sharpness and net grades, but provides a single overall grade.



The full-color images are extremely helpful; a great example is the color set on pages 18-19.    







Chapter 3 delves into Authentication, and the meat of the book is found in chapters 4-6 on the grading of Confederation Era Coppers, Half Cents and Large Cents.   Confederation Era Coppers include New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont coppers, Massachusetts Cents and Half Cents, and Fugio Cents.


The Grading Guide easily passes my back-of-the-book test.   Appendices beginning on p145 (of the 192-page book) constitute a full 25% of its content.  
Appendix I "provides some details pertaining to die clash, die breaks, and die state in the context of grading, for specific large cent varieties."  These short notes, arranged by date and Sheldon variety, seem very useful, pointing out specific features and other diagnostic clues to varieties.


Appendix II is a concise 3-page compilation of Photo Credits for the book's wonderful images, many of which are used courtesy of Ira and Larry Goldberg, Heritage Auctions, Stacks-Bowers Galleries, or individual collectors including Mike Packard, Neil Rothschild and Alan Weinberg.


The ten-page Glossary is useful for far more than just grading, covering relevant numismatic terms from A-Z including 
Annealing,
Cherrypick, 
Dentils,
Die Clash,
Medal alignment, 
Oxidation,
Patina,
Re-engraving
Undertype, and
Verdigris.


And such early copper-specific terms such as 
Booby Head,
Nichols Find, 
Silly Head, and
Whist Match.


Here's one example definition:


Happening: a party or meeting at which specialists share particular coins and information about them; from the first Half Cent Happening, which took place in 1976 in Ann Arbor, MI. Such events are now held at every EAC Convention and are dedicated to colonials, half cents, large cents and bust silver coins



And here's a term I don't think I'd heard before:


 Keg Mark: nick on the surface of a coin that could have resulted from contact with other coins in a keg that was used to store the coins before they went into circulation.



QUICK QUIZ: without consulting the book, who can provide a definition for the term "Gynandroid" ?


In summary, it's an easy call to highly recommend this book to any collector or dealer in early U.S. copper coins, as well as to general students of U.S. numismatics.  There's a lot here for everyone to learn.   Bill Eckberg informs me that over half of the print run has already been sold, so don't miss out - if you have any interest at all, order your copy soon.


For more information, or to order, see:

www.eacs.org




	
BOOK REVIEW: COINS OF LITHUANIA 1386 - 2009


Yosef Sa'ar forwarded this information from the WorldofCoins.eu forum about a new book by Eugenijus Ivanauskas. Thanks!  I added some details from the web site offering copies of the book.
-Editor




Coins of Lithuania 1386-2009. A Catalogue


ISBN:  97899557721613
Paperback:  408 pages
Author:  Eugenijus Ivanauskas
Year:  2009
Language:  English
Price: LTL350.00


This is a very comprehensive on Lithuanian coins.  407 pages with pictures at 1:1 scale.  Provides mint,  diameter, weight and rarity as well as value for some coins.  The book was written in English and only 500 copies were printed 100 of which are on a very high quality paper. 
I was fortunate to trade for one of the 100.  


  The book is laid out in chronological order by ruler and smallest denomination to largest.  There are also pages containing much of the history of the coins.  Which includes reasons certain things were done and even who ran the mint at the time and the die sinker.  


To order, see:

Coins of Lithuania 1386-2009. A Catalogue

(www.ehobbex.com/node/7284)


To read the complete discussion, see:



(www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=27212.msg175786#msg175786)









	
ENLARGING POLYMERS AND COUNTERFEIT DETECTION


Bob Van Arsdell submitted these thoughts on implications to the hobby of enlarging polymers, reported here by Dick Johnson last week.
-Editor



The post about the "enlarging polymer" offers a solution to a counterfeit detection problem I've been working on.


I have a 1887 Victoria Crown which appears to be a good quality lost wax casting. It even has the sprue phonied up as a "rim ding". The only problem is the coin is full weight (within the remedy of the 1870 British Coinage Act), and the diameter of the coin looks OK (within a few 100s of a mm of what would be expected). However, if it's a lost wax casting, it should be 2-3% underweight and the diameter should be similarly undersized.


By using the enlarging resin, and soaking it only long enough to increase the mould 3%, the problem of differential shrinkage is solved.



I don't see how mentioning the name of the product could somehow "let the cat of the bag" in this day of instant access to everything. The company's website shows coins being made.


The sooner that authenticators know about this material, the better. Up to now most would assume that lost wax castings have to be underweight and undersized. That old crutch no longer holds, folks.



I agree with Bob that withholding the company's name is probably unnecessary, but I'll respect Dick Johnson's wish and not mention it here.  I did locate the firm's web site and watched their product video.  I captured the above image where the narrator is holding a Morgan dollar in one hand and a greatly enlarged copy in his other.    


Bob's note solves one additional mystery for me - the material expands in water at a known rate, so to expand something by a given amount, you remove it from the water at a precise time.  This still allows for some variability, but at a decreased level of inaccuracy.
-Editor



To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE MEDALS!

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a12.html)



	
ON SHIPPING COINS TO SIBERIA



Chris Fuccione writes:


I saw the piece about the thirteen year old collector in Siberia looking for coins for his club.  One place I would suggest that they check out is the American Numismatic Association Young Numismatist program, because they know how to encourage and support collectors that age and they might have some ideas of Russian coin clubs that they can join and support.  


I also found on the internet a website for  The Russian Numismatic Society (RNS).  It is a US-based club for collectors of Russian coins.  From how their website looks I'm not sure how active the club is but there is contact information.  The officers of the club might be able to steer them in the right direction.





www.money.org/explore-the-world-of-money/young-numismatists.aspx



www.russiannumismaticsociety.org



Justin Perrault writes:


Unfortunately there are any number of restrictions on what can be mailed through USPS, one of which is foreign currency.  See the following link for international restrictions:

http://pe.usps.gov/TEXT/IMM/ps_013.htm#ep1603920
.


Now I'm not saying a delivery would not get there, it just runs the risk of seizure.  This regulation is probably in place to keep large amounts of cash from being transferred illicitly, not the occasional numismatic specimen, but that is all up to the postal inspector to decide.  Otherwise, there is always UPS or FedEx, if they deliver to such remote locations, but I could only imagine at what cost that would come.




Thanks, everyone.  So who's game to give it a try?  Perhaps a club could set up an exchange with the Siberian club, sending minor modern coins and (postal inspectors willing) receive some Russian pocket change in return.
-Editor



To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 27, 2014 : Siberian Club Seeks Coin Donations

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a08.html)



	
MORE CAVE PAINTING ART IN NUMISMATICS



Greg Adams writes:


You asked about medals with Cave Painting art… 
How about these from the Medallic Arts, National Park Series?





 Mammoth Cave, KY medal




 Gila Cliff Dwellings, NM medal





 Capitol Reef, UT National Park medal



Greg adds:


There are also a couple of NCLT coins from Niue and Palau that come up when you search on eBay.



To purchase national Parks Medals at the Northwest Territorial Mint, see:

Store : National Park Medallions

(medallic.com/store/national_park.html)


Yossi Dotan writes:


You ask about cave painting art medals. I know of one such coin, also a Finnish one. The image of the coin is attached, downloaded from the web site of the Bank of Finland. 
I described the coin as follows in my book Watercraft on World Coins, Vol. I: Europe, 1800-2005.











50th Anniversary of the End of World War II
KM-79	2000 markkaa 1995 .900 gold
The obverse features two elk boats. The somewhat mysterious comb-like motif is based on prehistoric Scandinavian and Karelian rock carvings dated to the later Stone Age. Some archaeologists believe that the carvings depict prehistoric boats with an elk head as a figurehead (probably made of wood); however, no remains of such boats have been found and the interpretation is conjectural. The reverse features a fishing net based on a prehistoric Finnish rock painting. The symbolism of the obverse and reverse designs is difficult to interpret and there is nothing on the coin to indicate that it was struck to mark the end of World War II. In Finland this war with Germany, the so-called Lapland War, ended on 25 April 1945.



To read the complete web page, see:

Commemorative coins

(www.suomenpankki.fi/en/setelit_ja_kolikot/markat/pages/juhlarahojen_lunastaminen.aspx)


To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

MORE ON THE FINLAND 10 EURO LITERACY COIN

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a16.html)



	
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 4, 2014


 Ed Moy on the Mint Directors' Conference 
Former Director of the U.S. Mint Edmund Moy writes:



If you are blessed to become a director of a government mint, you automatically become a member of the Mint Directors' Conference (MDC). The MDC has a formal conference once every two years hosted by a member (during my years, it was in South Korea hosted by KOMSCO and in Australia hosted by the Royal Australian Mint). It's a chance for the directors and staff to gather and share best practices and learn about trends. The MDC also meets informally once a year during the World Money Fair held in Berlin, Germany in February, where discussions usually revolve around governance and membership. 


As the director of the largest mint in the world, the United States is expected to provide leadership to the MDC and its opinion carries a lot of weight with the members. While I took that responsibility seriously, I took the view that fostering thoughtful discussion and consensus decisions was the leadership legacy I wanted to leave. As a result, I developed deep relationships with mints that had a similar philosophy like the Royal Mint, Monnaie de Paris, the Italian Mint, Royal Australian Mint, and the Japan Mint. 


I was privileged to be part of this august group of public servants and miss seeing the many friends that I made regularly.



To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

FEATURED WEB SITE: MINT DIRECTORS’ CONFERENCE 2014

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a26.html)


 More on Lincoln Cent Dates  
Dave Lange  writes:


The article about lettering and numeral styles of the Lincoln Cent reprinted from Slate reminded me of a column I wrote some years ago for The Numismatist that is now available on the NGC website. There were several installments, but this is the one on Lincoln Cents.



To read the complete article, see:

DANCING WITH DATES, PART ONE

(www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?NewsletterNewsArticleID=525)


To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

LINCOLN CENT TYPOGRAPHY DESIGN HISTORY

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a11.html)


 More on Hussey's Private Message Post  
Rich Hartzog writes:


In the book Philatellic Forgers: Their Lives and Works, issued by Linns, there is an article on George A. Hussey.  Some of the info:


Hussey was an American who operated a local independent post in New York City from 1854 until about 1873.  Realizing the interest that prevailed among collectors of postmasters' stamps, carriers' issues, and local stamps in the 1860s, he purchased, whenever possible, the dies and plates of these issues in order to prepare reprints from them.  If these could not be obtained, he forged the stamps.



There are four long paragraphs on Hussey.  Note the date differences in this article vs. Werner Mayer's dates.  [1840s - Editor]



To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 27, 2014 : Hussey's Private Message Post

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a08.html)


 Rochester Public Market  Wooden Nickel Token 
Regarding the "wooden nickel" style  SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) token discussed earlier, Nick Graver  writes:
 


The Rochester Public Market web site illustrates one token.




Only one side of the token is illustrated, but the original article had no illustration at all.  Thanks!
-Editor



To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

ROCHESTER PUBLIC MARKET ADOPTS WOODEN TOKENS

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n17a18.html)


 An Odd Elk Counterstamp 
Dick Hanscom writes:


 
I have had this odd elk counterstamp for over 30 years. It is on a French 1790-M 1 Sol.
The lettering appears to be W (raised period) H-C (H joined to C).  It appears that the tops and bottoms of the legs of the H are joined. Perhaps there is more here than meets the eye.
Any thoughts from E-Sylum readers would be appreciated.




Interesting piece.  Can anyone help?
-Editor


 Training Learning Banknotes 
Dave Ginsburg forwarded this eBay auction lot:


100 Dollars 100Pcs The United States Bank of America Training Learning Banknotes UNC


Replica Not legal tender!!!


This is ornamental learning favorite commemorate appreciate supplies,Not legal tender, This is not in circulation. Please read the description as good before buying.








To read the complete eBay listing, see:

100 Dollars 100Pcs The United States Bank of America Training Learning Banknotes

(www.ebay.com/itm/100-Dollars-100Pcs-The-United-States-Bank-of-America-Training-Learning-Banknotes-/111337670388)










Archives International Auctions, Part XIX



 
U.S. & Worldwide Banknotes, Scripophily, Security Printing Ephemera, "The Tasmanian Devil Collection" of rare Australian & New Zealand Banknotes and Further Selections from the Hamtramck Collection.



May 20, 2014 




Highlights include:


Lot 33 Commonwealth of Australia, Reserve Bank, ND (1974) Issue $50 Specimen Banknote

Lot 494 Bank of America, 1879 Specimen $10,000 Clearing House Certificate

Lot 589 Accelerating Steam Navigation Co., 1852 Issued Stock Certificate - Obsolete Look-A-Like










ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL AUCTIONS, LLC
1580 Lemoine Avenue, Suite #7 
Fort Lee, NJ 07024 
Phone: 201-944-4800 
Email: 

info at archivesinternational.com



WWW.ARCHIVESINTERNATIONAL.COM

 





	
QUERY: NUMISMATIC PERIODICAL INDEXES SOUGHT



Bruce W. Smith writes:


In my library I have a Xerox copy of an index to Coin Collectors Journal, second series, published 1930's to 1950's, by Charles M. Johnson. Do any of our E-Sylum readers know when and where this was published? It appears to cover Volumes 1 through 20, but I didn't copy the title page or cover. I don't remember now where I found this in the first place.


          And while we are on the subject, does anyone know of a listing of indexes to numismatic periodicals?  


          Also, does anyone know where I can find a set of Numismatic Bulletin, published by the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society? Is it still being published? I would like to buy or borrow the issues before 1970. 
Thanks.




Can anyone help?  I don't think I have that particular index.  The title page may have the publication information.


Indexes are very valuable to researchers.  The late Harry Bass recognized this and created NIP, the Numismatic Index of Periodicals.   
Included are both the first series 
Coin Collector's Journal, 1875-1888, by Scott Stamp and Coin Co. and the second series, 1934-1954, published by Wayte Raymond.


Unfortunately, when Harry died the project languished and hasn't been kept up to date.  But the American Numismatic Association took it over from the Bass Foundation and hosts the static database on its web site.
-Editor



To search NIP, see:

Harry W. Bass, Jr. Index

(nip.money.org/NumismaticIndexes_list.asp)



	
QUERY: STUDY OF ENGRAVING STYLES SOUGHT


Pete Smith has a question for E-Sylum readers.  Can anyone help?
-Editor



During the period of 1968 to 1971, I worked as a cartographer. That is a person who draws maps. For some maps the lettering was added with strips of tape that contained lettering. Some lettering was done with dry transfer lettering. Some were lettered by hand in ink.


The ink lettering was done with a template and a stylus that followed the form of letters in the template. Various typefaces were available in various sizes.


I have ordered awards that have engraved plates. I pick the style I want from printed samples of the available type faces. I believe that the engraving is then done by a tool that follows the letters in a template, much like the lettering that we did on maps. The text on a plate that I order in Minneapolis might appear identical to another produced by a similar machine anywhere in the country.


At the recent Central States show, I talked with Mike Bean, former plate engraver with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. He showed me an example of very small printing done from an engraved steel plate. I suspect that steel plate engravers used some type of similar guides.


I am not familiar with the history of such engraving. There may have been a time when letter engraving was done by hand with no guide. I suspect there was a period of time and transition between early guides to whatever system is used today. When did these changes occur?


I wonder if anyone has attempted a study of the engraving on coins, medals or love tokens. If it hasn't been done, perhaps somebody could write a book with examples of engraving that will identify the period when engraving was done and the method that was used.


Is there a way to tell if engraving was done free-hand or done with the assistance of a template? Can a style of lettering be used to date the item that is engraved? Can the style of lettering identify where or how the engraver was trained?   Perhaps some reader of The E-Sylum can provide this information.


To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:


ON COMPARING HAND-ENGRAVING STYLES

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a07.html)


LINCOLN CENT TYPOGRAPHY DESIGN HISTORY

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a11.html)



	
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CUT A DIE?


Dick Johnson submitted this excellent answer to the question, "How long does it take to cut a die?"
-Editor



This is in answer to Paul Bosco who asked the question in last week's E-Sylum of how long does it take to cut a die. He responded to Peter Betran's comments in the previous week on Alan Weinbergs's original article.  I guess you could call this a "thread" in internet parlance.
 

How long depends on many things: type of die, skill of the engraver, size of the die, complexity of the die and how fast the customer wants the die completed (or items struck from a die).
 

A hand engraver might engrave a die in a day's time, or longer considering conditions mentioned.
 

A diesinker could "cut a die," that is, using only letter punches could finish a die of all lettering in an hour or two. This might surprise token collectors that many of the tokens in your collection were knocked out -- two sides and struck -- in a morning's time, provided it was struck in a soft composition, like aluminum  Cheap stuff.
 

A die with a relief device might require several days to engrave the device, then another day to sink that device, and another day to add letter punches, say four or five days total.
 

A hand controlled machine cut die (also called a tracer controlled die) -- as with a Gorton -- requires either a drawn design or a pattern cut in plastic. Then the machine operator hand controls the placing of the cutting tool by following the outline of the frawing, or the edges in plastic. He also determines the depth of cutting by hand controls. He must be skillful as any slip of the cutting tool could ruin a die and he would have to start all over. He literally forms all detail and all lettering. Even so a skilled machine operator could do one or two dies a day.
 

A modelled die, that is one made from a sculptor's model, not counting his time -- formerly took three days to make a metal pattern,  say, for a 3-inch medal, and three more days on the Janvier pantograph.  Now an epoxy pattern can be modeled in an hour or so, but is allowed to cure before placing it on a reducing machine or cutting a die by computer, saving another two days.
 

Formerly, when working with sculptors, we told clients we needed a minimum of six-week turnaround time. That gave a sculptor ample time to design and model. Say two weeks to create a design in their mind, even while working on something else, and a week to model  each side. Now it takes somewhat less using an epoxy instead of a metal pattern.
  

In the 19th century when most dies were hand engraved it may have been less than a day's time. But remember it was a 12-hour work day then, six days a week.
 

I just finished  a study of the Lovett family of engravers with the cooperation of Dave Baldwin and Katie Jaeger, both Lovett experts. The 2-year period just prior to the Civil War, say 1860-61 were their most active.
 

Robert Lovett Junior in Philadelphia cut 87 pair of dies, Robert Senior cut 7 pair, while in New York, George Hampton cut 184 pair and John D, cut 16.
 

Although there was a lot of muleing and use of a favorite device punch over and over I estimate the four engravers created about one die a day, a pair in two days.


To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

ON COMPARING HAND-ENGRAVING STYLES

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n18a07.html)



	
THE GEORGE WASHINGTON NATIONAL LIBRARY


American Numismatic Society librarian (and NBS Board member) Elizabeth Hahn Benge submitted this report on her recent visit to the newly opened library at Mt. Vernon.  Thanks!
-Editor




I was in D.C. this week at a library conference, where I gave a paper Friday on the topic of “Coinage, Politics, and Power: Preservation grants at the library of the American Numismatic Society.”


I had the opportunity to spend the day Thursday at George Washington's Mount Vernon and got a tour of the library from the head librarian and archivist, Mark Santangelo. (Mark was previously the long-time librarian of the Greek and Roman Art department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is where we became friends, as I also worked there for 3 years). 


Mark has been at Mount Vernon since 2012 and oversaw the construction and opening of the new library there, which is absolutely beautiful. I’m attaching some photos from my visit: there is a reading room with a lot of natural light, a nice rare book room (which includes two cases of Washington medals!) with collections that include letters of George and Martha Washington, books from Washington’s original library, among many other treasures. 








The last photo is Mark standing in front of a portion of Washington’s original library and a sculptural enlarged version of Washington’s bookplate (which appears in volumes from his collections). One of the treasures of the collections is George Washington’s copy of Acts Passed at Congress… (1789) , which sold at a Christie’s auction in June 2012 for almost $10 million!
Visitors can purchase a beautiful facsimile copy of this work at the bookstore.








www.christies.com/lotfinder/books-manuscripts/washington-george-president-united-states-first-congress-5584777-details.aspx



Items in the library are searchable in their online library catalog, and anyone familiar with the ANS library catalog will find a lot of similarities (they use the same library system called Koha):



librarycatalog.mountvernon.org/cgi-bin/koha/opac-search.pl?q=coin&x=-559&y=-728



There is a lot of information on their website so I’ll include some links here and encourage readers to reach out to Mark if interested!



www.mountvernon.org/library



www.mountvernon.org/library/staff



As a final note, it makes a fun day trip from D.C. as it is only about a
30 minute drive from the city in a very scenic area of Virginia and you can also tour Mount Vernon itself, which is steps away from the library.



The library was still under construction on my last visit to Mount Vernon.   I'm glad to hear that Washington medals are on display, and I'll look forward to seeing them sometime.
-Editor










	
HARVEY STACK ON NUMISMATIC PEDIGREES


In his recent blog posts, Harvey Stack discussed the value of numismatic pedigrees. Here are some excerpts.  As an example, Harvey discusses the Adams family collection, sold by the firm in multiple sales in the 1970s. 
-Editor








Last time I mentioned the collection of the Adams family of Massachusetts. By the early l830s the members of the family had accumulated thousands upon thousands of documents, showing history and events from our early colonial days, through the War of Independence and the early days of the Industrial Revolution in the 1830s.


A depository was established in the recently endowed Massachusetts Historical Society. Many documents, books, coins and currency were placed there for those who wished to study and learn more about the development of the United States of America. The massive collection of coins was given to the Society by John Quincy Adams, along with letters, documents and notes saved from earlier days. 


The coin collection was carefully housed in large wooden library type cabinets, fitted with drawers to accommodate the extensive collection. The collection included American coins and currency, from pre-colonial days up to about the time of John Quincy Adams, as well as foreign pieces. The collection itself revealed a lot about the economic development of America and reflected the world coins that were available to the members of the Adams family.


For many decades the collection resided in the care of the Society and was available for collectors to examine and scholars to study. However, there was no special curator and the care of the coins was not always well attended to. In order to limit the coins’ exposure to various elements, it was decided to store the collection in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, (currently known as The Museum of Fine Arts or MFA).


In the mid 1960s it was discovered that funds were needed to preserve and restore many of the rare history related documents from the Adams Family and other sources. The cost for the project was immense, so the curators of the MFA, under the leadership of Cornelius Vermuele (a senior curator of Antiquities and Numismatic items), recommended that since the coins are rarely if ever seen, they be sold to provide the funds to preserve the important papers of early America.


In the late 1960s, after Stack’s was chosen to sell the Adams Family Collection coins, my cousin Norman Stack and I went to Boston and were taken down to the area where the coins were stored. We worked with the curators to select a representative collection that could be retained for display purposes, if so desired, in the halls of the Society.


We then made an inventory, packed the coins carefully, and sent them in a large group of special trunks to New York for cataloging and eventual auction. The entire Stack family was thrilled to handle this great American numismatic treasure, realizing the historical importance of its link to the Adams family. It was like being a part of history knowing that for over 150 years these coins had remained first in one family and then housed under their direction in one of the oldest museums in America.


The collection was so vast that we used several catalogs to sell them at Public Auction. Each of the lots were put into 2X2 envelopes, stating it was from the Massachusetts Historical Society Collection sold at public auction, then the date of the sale and the lot number. On the rear flap of the envelope it said Stack’s New York.


By putting the name of the society, the date of the sale, the lot number, and the auctioneer on the envelope, we established the pedigree of each coin being sold. If the new owner retained it with the coin, this envelope provided a way for the pedigree to continue into the future. Those who attended our first sale in 1970 and the sales that followed speak of the historical importance of the offering and how the retention of the pedigree added to both pride of ownership and the coin’s value.


Since then, many catalogs (ours as well as others) offering coins from this historical collection, have noted the envelope to enhance value of the coin.


As a final note, the documents that were preserved and saved by the Massachusetts Historical Society became a source for an extensive book about the Adams family. In turn, this book led to a series on Public Television that told the story of the Adams family as revealed by the documents saved and kept by the Society.


Working with and cataloging the coins from the Adams Family Collection and learning about the historical items the Adams family passed on, was among the most exciting and satisfying happenings of my numismatic career.


To read the complete articles, see:


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