The E-Sylum v18#07 February 15, 2015

Sun Feb 15 19:44:21 PST 2015

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The E-Sylum

  An electronic publication of
  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

Volume 18, Number 07, February 15, 2015
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WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM FEBRUARY 15, 2015
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KOLBE & FANNING HOLDING FEB. 28 ONLINE SALE
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NEW BOOK: MEDALLIC ART OF THE ANS, 1865-2014
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NEW BOOK: KUSHAN, KUSHANO-SASANIAN, AND KIDARITE COINS
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BANK OF CANADA SOUVENIR BOOKS
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BOOK REVIEW: COINAGE IN THE ROMAN ECONOMY
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GEORGE CUHAJ JOINS ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL AUCTIONS
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JEREMY CHEEK RETIRES FROM MORTON & EDEN
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BRUCE BARTELT ON THE MONEY MAKER, BOTTLE TOKENS, ST. ELIGIUS
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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 15, 2015
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HOMESTEAD NATIONAL MONUMENT QUARTER LAUNCH
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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: FEBRUARY 15, 2015
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ANS PARTNERS WITH HATHITRUST 
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THE PARIS MINT'S WAVY COIN DESIGN
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ON THE TYPES OF COIN EDGES
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THE ARAGON BALLROOM ENCASED FRANKLIN HALF
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FERROTYPES FROM LINCOLN'S SECOND CAMPAIGN SOUGHT
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SOME INTERESTING MEDALS: FEBRUARY 15, 2015
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THE O K VENDER GAMBLING MACHINE TOKEN
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BANK OF AMERICA $5000 COLOR FACE PROOF
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OFFICIALS ACCUSE ARTIST OF PRINTING COUNTERFEIT MONEY
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LARGE HOARD OF ANGLO SAXON COINS DISCOVERED
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HUNGARIAN MINT STRIKES WOODEN MEDAL
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EROTICISM ON ANCIENT COINS
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DENVER MINT WATER MAIN BURST
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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 FEBRUARY 15, 2015

New subscribers this week include:
Nicholas Weiss and
Daniel Salzer.
Welcome aboard!
We now have 1,820 subscribers.

This week we open with a reminder from literature dealers Kolbe & Fanning, two new books, and articles on some older ones.
Other topics include auction house personnel changes, bottle return tokens, wavy coins, coin edges, ferrotype  Lincoln campaign items, a large hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins.

To learn more about St. Eligius, the Dr. Edward Maris sale (H.P. Smith, 1886), medallic art of the American Numismatic Society,  Coinage in the Roman Economy and the Queen’s numismatist, read on.   Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

KOLBE & FANNING HOLDING FEB. 28 ONLINE SALE

Here's an update from Kolbe & Fanning on their upcoming online sale.
-Editor

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers have announced that their February 28 online sale has been posted, and that bidders may browse the sale’s contents through the firm’s online bidding portal at 

auction.numislit.com. 

This is the first in what is expected to be a series of smaller online numismatic book auctions held by Kolbe & Fanning in addition to their traditional printed and public auctions. The Feb. 28 sale focuses on North American numismatic literature, and features 380 lots ranging in estimated value from $20 to $2000. All lots are illustrated and feature the full descriptions collectors have come to expect from Kolbe & Fanning.

Some sale highlights include:

Deluxe leather-bound presentation editions, limited to ten copies each, of both the 1986 Robinson Brown and 1989 Jack Robinson large cent sales conducted by Superior (lots 337 and 339, respectively).

Sale catalogues of W. Elliot Woodward, including plated copies of his 1885 J. Colvin Randall sale (lot 374) and his masterly All the Kingdoms of the World sale of 1884 (lot 372).

A substantial group of catalogues of the New Netherlands Coin Company, including many early sales (lot 255).

George Clapp’s visually impressive work on the cents of 1798 and 1799 (lot 112).

Original plated catalogues of the 1909 Henry Jewett sale (S.H. Chapman, lot 98), the 1913 Sargent sale (S.H. Chapman, lot 102) and the 1913 Malcolm Jackson sale (United States Coin Company, lot 349).

A copy of the scarce catalogue of the Dr. Edward Maris sale (H.P. Smith, 1886), with two of the photographic plates (of six called for), both featuring New Jersey coppers and both annotated by F.C.C. Boyd (lot 292).

The online sale is available now for browsing and absentee bidding at 

auction.numislit.com. A PDF of the catalogue can be downloaded for the convenience of the reader through the firm’s regular website at 

www.numislit.com. While bidders are encouraged to bid through the online platform, bids may be submitted through the traditional methods as long as any such absentee bids are received by Kolbe & Fanning by the day before he sale. Absentee bids may be placed directly online at any time prior to the lot being sold. On Saturday, Feb. 28, beginning at noon eastern time, the sale will be conducted as a live internet auction.

Customers who have participated online in any of Kolbe & Fanning’s recent sales will be familiar with the process. Others are encouraged to set up an iCollector account through auction.numislit.com and see for themselves how easy it is. Bidders wishing to participate in the live sale are strongly encouraged to register in advance.

Any questions may be directed to David Fanning at 

df at numislit.com or by phone at (614) 414-0855. We look forward to your participation.

NEW BOOK: MEDALLIC ART OF THE ANS, 1865-2014

The February 2015 issue of the American Numismatic Society's Enews announced the publication of a new book on the Society's medals.
-Editor

Medallic Art of the American Numismatic Society, 1865-2014
by Scott H. Miller
hardcover, illus.
ISBN-13: 978-0-89722-335-5
List price: $150 (plus S&H)
Member price: $105 (plus S&H)

During the past 150 years, the American Numismatic Society has been a leader in the publication of art medals in the United States. Generally employing the finest medalists available, the Society has set an example few can match. In addition, with the exception of the United States Mint, no U.S. entity can boast so long and distinguished a contribution in this area. Founded in 1858, the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society, as it was known from 1864-1907, believed the issuance of medals to be a part of its mission from the earliest years of its existence.

Author Scott H. Miller includes 60 medals issued by the ANS between 1865 and 2014 along with two COAC medals and the 1910 Actors’ Fund Medal, all accompanied by color photographs. Many entries are supplemented by artist’s sketches and archival photographs as well as the stories behind each issue. Four Appendixes include recipients of some of these medals as well as the list of dies, hubs, galvanos, and casts of ANS medals in the ANS’s own collection.

Expected ship date: Spring 2015

For more information, or to purchase, see:

http://numismatics.org/Store/ANSMedals

NEW BOOK: KUSHAN, KUSHANO-SASANIAN, AND KIDARITE COINS

Another book announced in the February 2015 issue of the American Numismatic Society's Enews is a catalogue of coins of the Kushan Empire in the ANS collection.
-Editor

Kushan, Kushano-Sasanian, and Kidarite Coins.
 by David Jongeward and Joe Cribb with Peter Donovan
 2015
 List price: US$150
 ISBN-13: 978-0-89722-334-8 Hardback, 1 vols, 414pp

The Kushan Empire was a vast inland empire that stretched across Central and South Asia during the first to fourth centuries AD. The origins of Kushan dynasty continue to be debated, and precise dates, especially for the late Kushan kings, remain elusive, but the coinage reveals the Kushan dynasty as a major force in the cultural and political history of the ancient Silk Road.

Kushan coinage began c. AD 50 with issues of the first Kushan king, Kujula Kadphises(c. AD 50-90). The first Kushan coins were based on Greek, Scythian and Parthian coin designs already current in the territory of present day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Under Kujula Kadphises’ son Wima Takto (c. AD 91-113) and grandson Wima Kadphises (c. AD 113-127) the coinage system was gradually centralized to serve the entire Kushan empire, stretching from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to northern India. Gold and copper denominations were established during the reign of Wima Kadphises which were maintained through the reigns of ten more kings until the demise of the Kushan empire in the mid-fourth century AD.

This catalogue presents all the Kushan coins in the American Numismatic Society, with selected illustrations, detailed descriptions and commentary. The production system of Kushan coinage is presented with major revisions of chronology and organization compared with previous publications. This presentation has been based on the latest coin-based research, including die studies and site find analysis. The coins are classified by ruler, metal, mint, production phase, denomination, type and variety. Introductory essays present the historical and cultural contexts of the kings and their coins. All the ANS gold coins and a selection of copper coins are illustrated. This catalogue also features two series of coins issued by the Kushano-Sasanian and the Kidarite Hun rulers of former Kushan territory because they followed and adapted the Kushan coinage system.

The authors intend this catalogue to be a tool for scholars and collectors alike for understanding, identifying, and attributing these fascinating coins that represent four centuries of Central and South Asian ancient history.

Expected ship date: Spring 2015

For more information, or to purchase, see:

http://numismatics.org/Store/Kushans

BANK OF CANADA SOUVENIR BOOKS

Paul R. Petch of Toronto submitted this article on Bank of Canada Souvenir publications.  Thanks!
-Editor

The Bank of Canada has a group of six souvenir books that they have published in addition to their many technical (economics and business) publications. One of these souvenir books, “A History of the Canadian Dollar” by James Powell was reviewed in these pages in the September 23, 2012 issue of The E-Sylum.  The other series of five are also worth a look.

“The Bank of Canada: An Illustrated History” features interesting images and anecdotes about Canada's central bank and its place in Canadian society from 1935 until the present.
Published to commemorate the Bank's 70th anniversary, this souvenir book depicts the history of the Bank through descriptive text, photographs, and reproductions of cartoons, newspaper clippings, posters, and other artifacts. Soft cover, 116 pages (2005).

“The Art and Design of Canadian Banknotes” offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at the demanding world of bank note design, highlighting the beauty of Canada's bank notes and celebrating the engraver's art. Soft cover, 124 pages (2006).

“More than Money: Architecture and Art at the Bank of Canada” takes you on a tour of the head office complex, highlighting interesting features of architecture, interior design, and decoration, as well as elements of restoration and preservation. It also features pieces from the Bank's art collection. Soft cover, 128 pages (2007). It is now a bit dated since a major renovation got underway in 2013.

“Beads to Bytes: Canada’s National Currency Collection” explores money and the role it has played, and continues to play, in society, through the lens of Canada's National Currency Collection. The Collection is an extraordinary repository of coins, bank notes, and related paraphernalia from around the world. Soft cover, 124 pages (2008). It generally covers the history of numismatic study in Canada, making it one of the most interesting books in this series.

The fifth and final book, “By All Accounts” presents a portrait of the Bank from the perspective of outside observers, showing how Canadians have perceived the performance of their central bank over the decades through the eyes of those who monitor its work on the public's behalf. Soft cover, 128 pages (2010).

While it is bad news to bibliophiles that all of these books are no longer offered in print, they are available for download in PDF format. I have placed them on my iPad and they make for highly enjoyable reading with no loss of quality.

For download, visit 

http://www.bankofcanada.ca/publications/books-and-monographs/bank-canada-souvenir-books/ for English and 

http://www.banqueducanada.ca/publication/livres-et-monographies/serie-livres-souvenirs-banque-canada/ for French.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

NEW BOOK: A HISTORY OF THE CANADIAN DOLLAR

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n40a05.html)

BOOK REVIEW: COINAGE IN THE ROMAN ECONOMY

Mike Markowitz wrote a book review for CoinWeek on  Coinage in the Roman Economy by Kenneth Harl.  It opens with a wonderful description of why we numismatic bibliophiles love books, and why others ought to as well.
-Editor

I’m always a little embarrassed when CoinWeek describes me as an “ancient coin expert.”

I know some of the real experts–people who’ve built up an encyclopedic database of numismatics over a lifetime, neatly organized and cross-indexed for instant access in their brains. I am awed by their abilities, but my brain doesn’t work that way.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to. I may not have all the information in my head, but I know where to find it. I have the books right here.

Normal people (those who are not coin geeks) often ask, “Why do you need so many damn books?”

It’s a fair question.

In Classical numismatics, as in so many other fields, we often find ourselves drowning in information but starved for context. Collectors experience a flood of ancient coins, beautifully imaged and meticulously described on dealer web sites or arriving in the mailbox with each season’s surge of new auction catalogs. But it’s not always easy to find resources that help us understand what these coins meant, and how they worked.

Coinage in the Roman Economy by Kenneth Harl provides that context.

Harl’s book is a scholarly work intended for academic readers. It assumes a basic familiarity with ancient history, but it’s also an accessible source for the kind of information that collectors of Roman and related coins need to know, to understand exactly what it is that we collect with such passion.

Here's another small portion of review.  Be sure to read the complete article online.
-Editor

Harl, Kenneth W. Coinage in the Roman Economy: 300 BC to AD 700. Johns Hopkins University Press (1996). 472 pages.

Packing a thousand years of economic history into a little more than 300 pages of text is a masterful accomplishment. While it’s not light reading, especially for beginners, the prose is lucid. Clear black and white plates illustrate 267 coins mentioned in the text. There is a glossary of English and Latin terms, and an Appendix explaining Roman weights and measures. A well-organized “Select Bibliography” fills 46 pages, providing a reliable guide to the current and classic literature of Ancient Roman numismatics in English, French, Italian and German.

The only feature I missed was a list of tables, since the tables scattered throughout the text provide a wealth of useful information. For example:

Table 3.1 Silver Bullion and Coin Available to Roman Mint 201-151 BC

Table 5.3 Standards of Alexandrine Tetradrachmae, Egypt 73-30 BC and AD 19-68

Table 9.3 Estimated Military Expenditures, AD 6 – 235 (in millions of denarii)

Coinage in the Roman Economy is a book every serious collector of Roman coins should consider. It belongs in your high-traffic reference library, on the shelf with David Sear’s Roman Coins and Their Values and David Vagi’s monumental two-volume Coinage and History of the Roman Empire (which I hope to review in a future “First Read”).

Kenneth Harl (B.A. Trinity College, M.A, Ph.D Yale) is a professor of history and Fellow of the American Numismatic Society. He has taught Classical and Byzantine history at Tulane University since 1978. He is also the author of two compact, inexpensive handbooks for archaeologists on Roman and Byzantine coins commonly found at dig sites in Turkey.

To read the complete article, see:

Coinage in the Roman Economy by Kenneth Harl, Ph.D.

(www.coinweek.com/ancient-coins/first-read-coinage-roman-economy/)

Markowitz helpfully included a link to the publisher's web site, where the book has been marked down for its list price of $73 to just $25.
-Editor

For more information, or to purchase, see:

Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700

(https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/content/coinage-roman-economy-300-bc-ad-700)

GEORGE CUHAJ JOINS ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL AUCTIONS

Longtime E-Sylum contributor George Cuhaj has pulled up stakes and headed east to join E-Sylum sponsor Archives International.   Congratulations to all.  See their ad elsewhere in their issue for more information on their latest auction.
-Editor

Dr. Robert Schwartz, President of Archives International Auctions is pleased to announce that Mr. George Cuhaj will be joining Archives International Auctions LLC as Vice-President of Cataloging and Consignor relations.

Mr. Cuhaj brings forty years of collecting experience to the firm. For the past twenty years he has been the editor of the Standard Catalog of World Coins and Standard Catalog of World Paper Money series at Krause Publications in Iola, Wisconsin. Prior to that he was with Stack’s Rare Coins and the American Numismatic Society as their first computer systems operator in the early 1980s.

 He is past president of the American Medallic Sculpture Association; An allied professional member of the National Sculpture Society; and, a Fellow of both the American Numismatic Society and the Royal Numismatic Society. He also holds life memberships in the ANA, CSNS and TAMS. 

 He has had articles published in The Numismatist; The Medal (publication of the British Art Medal Society), and several regional publications. His art medals have been exhibited at the international exhibitions sponsored by FIDEM.

Archives International Auctions is located in Ft. Lee NJ. Their current auction information and catalog can be located on the website at 

WWW.ARCHIVESINTERNATIONAL.COM. They can be reached at 1-201-944-4800 or by email at 

info at archivesinternational.com. 

JEREMY CHEEK RETIRES FROM MORTON & EDEN

Morton & Eden sent out this press release earlier this week.
-Editor

Jeremy Cheek, the Queen’s numismatist, has announced he is to retire from his position as a specialist valuer at London-based international coins and medals auctioneers Morton & Eden.

However, despite having reached his 65th birthday last year, Jeremy will still be seen on the auction circuit, making himself available to collectors for consultation, valuations, viewing and bidding at auctions on their behalf and providing expert cataloguing for auctioneers when required.

“Experience counts for a lot. It is a precious asset that people value highly and coin people never stop, so I suppose I should call this a semi-retirement,” Jeremy said.

Jeremy joined the staff of Morton & Eden in 2008 at a time when they were associatd with Sotheby’s. His numismatic career started with the well known firm of B. A. Seaby Ltd and  subsequently spent 12 years with coin dealers and auctioneers Spink & Son Ltd who also advised Christie’s on coin valuations for many years. Spink held auctions in Christie’s London galleries and jointly with Christie’s overseas.

He will continue in his position as Honorary Numismatic Advisor to the Royal Collection, which he helps curate at Windsor Castle and is currently writing a catalogue of the coins and medals in the Royal Collection.

Jeremy can be contacted by telephone on 0777 3872686; via his website, www.jcheekcoins.com or by email at Jeremycoin at aol.com.

THE BOOK BAZARRE
RENAISSANCE OF AMERICAN COINAGE:  
Wizard Coin Supply is the official distributor 
for Roger Burdette's three volume series that won 
NLG Book of the Year awards for 2006, 2007 and 2008. 
Contact us for dealer or distributor pricing at
www.WizardCoinSupply.com .

BRUCE BARTELT ON THE MONEY MAKER, BOTTLE TOKENS, ST. ELIGIUS

My kids had four basketball games last weekend, leaving much less time for E-Sylum work.   Among the items I didn't manage to get into the last issue were these notes on various topics from reader Bruce Bartelt. Here they are!  Thanks.
-Editor

 Money Maker Secret 

I saw your item regarding the “Money Maker” in the last issue and had to reply “I had one of those!” (as was titled a book on baby-boomer toys I saw somewhere).  Actually I think it was my older brother who owned the trick counterfeiting tool.  The mechanism by which it worked I thought was clever - but like a good magician, I won’t reveal the secret.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

HEY KIDS, WANT TO COUNTERFEIT MONEY?

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n05a30.html)

 Bottle-Redeeming Tokens 

The discussion on food stamp tokens and the plastic versions illustrated reminded me of a couple grocery-related tokens in my collection.  A local Milwaukee food chain used similar tokens when redeeming the deposit on returned bottles.  I obtained these in 1981 and 1983.  Another obscure path in paranumismatica.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:

FOOD STAMP CHANGE TOKEN INFORMATION SOUGHT

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n04a06.html)

THE HISTORY OF FOOD STAMP CHANGE TOKENS

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n05a11.html)

 The Saint Eligius Medal 
And going way back to the discussion of the St. Eligius medal,
I remembered this from an old Numismatic Scrapbook advertisement, 1966 (attached).  I liked the medal, but only eventually purchased one at a small show in Indiana in the early ‘70s (for less than a dollar).  

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

MORE ON THE SAINT ELIGIUS MEDAL

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n45a21.html)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 15, 2015

 Determining the Highest Value Banknote 
Last week David Pickup asked:

I was wondering what the highest value currency unit is. I do not mean the largest denomination e.g. Million Dinars but the value of the unit itself. I looked online and cannot see anything. I think the lowest value is the Iranian currency. Any ideas?

Pete Smith writes:

England issued a L100,000,000 banknote.  A problem with determining the highest value banknote is that often the high value notes were never actually used in commerce.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 8, 2015 : What is the Highest Value Currency Unit?

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n06a08.html)

BRITAIN'S 1M AND 100M POUND BANKNOTES

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n04a22.html)

 How Long To Fold and Unfold a Dollar Bill? 
Ron Abler writes:

Regarding the item on the man who paid his taxes in folder dollar bills, how does one fold 600 dollar bills that require six minutes each to unfold?  I’m thinking that folding normally takes longer than unfolding, and I have never seen an origami-ed dollar bill so complex that I couldn’t unfold it in a lot less than six minutes.

Good question.  The authorities may have been "rounding up" or plain exaggerating the time required; on the other hand, a really tightly folded note might take some time to reverse.  It would have been helpful to see a picture of one of the folded notes.
-Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

TEXAS MAN PAYS TAXES IN FOLDED DOLLAR BILLS

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n06a20.html)

 A Virtuous Woman's Epitaph 
David Powell writes:

I thought that readers might enjoy the following snippet, which appeared in several English provincial newspapers on 30 or 31 December 1808:

"A stonemason at Colchester was lately employed by a tradesman there to engrave the following epitaph on his wife:—“A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband.”—The stone, however, being narrow, he contracted the sentence in the following manner: "A virtuous woman is 5s to her husband.”—The tradesman refuses payment for the stone, the engraver sustains his charge, and the matter stands for the Quarter Sessions to determine."

HOMESTEAD NATIONAL MONUMENT QUARTER LAUNCH

As regular readers know, I like to report on the U.S. Mint's new coin launch ceremonies.   I guess I wish this had been a regular practice from the beginning of our nations coinage.  Wouldn't it be great to have been there to see (and go home with) the first examples of classic coinage?  Here are some images and captions the Mint published from the latest launch in little ole Beatrice, Nebraska.
-Editor

Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley accepts first strike Homestead National Monument of America quarters from United States Mint Associate Director of Manufacturing David Croft at the launch ceremony in Beatrice, Nebraska, on Feb. 10, 2015.  The coin is the 26th release in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.  U.S. Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

Children proudly display their new quarters after the Homestead National Monument of America quarter launch on Feb. 10, 2015, in Beatrice, Neb. The coin is the 26th release in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.  U.S. Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

More than 2,500 people filled the Beatrice High School gymnasium for the ceremonial launch of the Homestead National Monument of America quarter on Feb. 10, 2015, in Beatrice, Nebraska.  The coin is the 26th release in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.  U.S. Mint photo by Sharon McPike.

WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: FEBRUARY 15, 2015

It's been a busy couple of weeks.  I've spent a lot of time working on the Newman Numismatic Portal project.  I've been talking with Barbara Gregory at the American Numismatic Association about their project to digitize The Numismatist, and have also been working with librarians Kendra Johnson and David Hill at the ANA and American Numismatic Society.  I've also been drafting user requirements documentation with John Feigenbaum, and staying in touch with Len Augsburger, Roger Burdette and Joel Orosz.

Between that and my kids' four basketball games last weekend, I was unable to put forth my usual effort on last week's E-Sylum.  But some of the submissions that fell through the cracks appear in this week's issue.

Tuesday night was a fun diversion.  After work I drove to the Maggiano's restaurant at the Springfield Mall for the February meeting of my Northern Virginia Numismatic Social group, Nummis Nova.   Tom Kays was our host for the evening.   I quickly ran into Wayne Herndon and Eric Schena as I dashed over into the mall for a quick Valentine's Day purchase - I needed a nice gift bag for the necklace I'd bought my wife.

Back at the restaurant several of us cooled our heels in the waiting area while our table was being set up.  I had a big box full of preordered Girl Scout Cookies my daughter Hannah was selling for her troop.  Thanks, guys!

After much fussing we were finally seated.  I ended up near Eric, Tom and Steve Bishop and David Schenkman.  Julian Leidman held court at the opposite end.  Rounding out our group were Gene Brandenburg, Mike Packard, Joe Levine, Ron Abler and Jon Radel.  Aaron Packard, Roger Burdette and Lenny Goldberg were unable to make it.

We decided to go "Family Style" and the wait staff brought out dish after dish of Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna and Salmon for sharing.  That was on top of some great appetizers and a prelude to dessert.   We all ate far too much, but it was very good and the staff was great.

I bought a couple medals and some rare books on tokens.   One medal was the 1989 Pittsburgh ANA convention medal by John Mercani.  The other was a Swedish Carnegie Hero Fund medal.  Sorry, no pictures - the Carnegie medal was an eBay purchase and the listing has since been taken down, and I forgot to grab the images.

The token books I brought were:

Bushnell, Charles I.,	An Arrangement of Tradesmen's Cards, Political Tokens, also Election Medals…  1858

Bushnell, Charles I.,		An Historical Account of the First Three Business Tokens Issued in the City of New York, 1859

Satterlee, Alfred H.,		An Arrangement of Medals and Tokens, Struck in Honor of the Presidents of the U.S., 1862

I also brought another rarity written by a Mint Director:

Snowden, James Ross, The Coins of the Bible and its Money terms, Enlarged edition, 1862

Here are some of the obsolete notes Dave Schenkman brought, starting with a recent heritage FUN sale purchase.

Butter Cup Silver Mining Co.

 Coosa Navigation & Coal Mining Co.

Dave adds:

This one didn’t come from the Heritage sale. Virginia Obsolete Paper Money lists three denominations from the company; this one is unlisted.

Dave also asked me what I knew about Joseph Barnet, and I steered him wrong.   I thought he was an early collector of Civil War tokens (early as in post-Civil War).  I thought for sure we'd find a bio in Pete Smith's American Numismatic Biographies.  I checked after the meeting, but no such luck.  I also checked John Lupia's Numismatic Mall site and came up empty.    So tonight on a hunch I reached over to my library shelf and grabbed a familiar blue volume - Dave Bowers' book on American Numismatics Before the Civil War 1760-1860.  Here's what I learned:

Perhaps the next impetus occurred in the 1930's and 1940's when New York City dealer Joseph Barnet became especially active in Civil war tokens.

So Barnet was a dealer, and came along much later.  Dave writes:

I have a token in an envelope with Edgar Adams' printed on the flap. Barnet’s name is written beneath that. I’m trying to determine whether the token was obtained by Adams from Barnet…

I spoke with Eric Schena on a number of topics.  He writes:

The dinner was great as always thanks to the company! I had a fantastic time chatting with you at the dinner regarding the "Franklin Hoard" book and "California Coiners & Assayers." 

Pioneer and Territorial gold coins have been something I have been enthralled about since I first saw a Red Book in the 1970s. Since my cataloging work for Stack's Bowers has included a number of such coins, it's been a genuine thrill to be able to write about them. 

Here are pics of two items I had with me. First is an orphanage token from Barium Springs, North Carolina.  The piece was issued for the Barium Exchange store at the Presbyterian Orphan's Home located in Iredell County, just south of Statesville. It was founded in 1891 and is still in operation as the Barium Springs Home for Children. The Exchange was started in 1924 and the tokens (which I am told are quite scarce) may have been in use soon after.  Here is what was recorded in the "Minutes of the One Hundred and Eleventh Annual Sessions of the Synod of North Carolina" held October 14-16, 1924 regarding the creation of the Barium Exchange:

"The only new enterprise effecting the entire institution inaugurated during the year, is the starting of the ''Barium Exchange" system of pay and expense. A full description of this is in the current issue of the Barium Messenger. Suffice it to say here, that this system was set up after months of careful planning, in which the matrons, department heads, and older boys and girls gave counsel. It is designed to more fully train for actual conditions of life that will meet our young people leaving this institution. This has been in active operation for six weeks, and while it still has many imperfections, the good results are already manifest to a most encouraging degree." 

I don't know of any other tokens that specify "Orphan" or "Orphanage" on them, to I'd love to know if there are more such pieces. 

The second item is actually a gift from Dave Schenkman to my wife, Heather: it's a crematorium tag from Johnson Crematorium. It's undated, doesn't specify a town, unholed, and appears it hasn't been in the retort (oven) like many of them are. Heather and I did some researching and we think it's from a now-defunct funeral home in Naples, Florida. Unlike some of the pieces Heather wrote about in her TAMS article, this one may have been placed outside the retort. A neat variety!

I'd never seen or heard of an Orphanage token before.  Can anyone confirm the existence of others?
In keeping with the gallows humor of the crematorium tag, I noted that the orphanage name would be an unfortunate one for a nursing home: "Bury 'em" Springs.

It was another great evening.  Some of the guys followed me out to my car and bought out the remaining extra Girl Scout cookies I had with me.  Hannah and her troop thank you!

THE BOOK BAZARRE 
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