The E-Sylum v18#23 June 7, 2015
The E-Sylum
esylum at binhost.com
Sun Jun 7 19:09:23 PDT 2015
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The E-Sylum
An electronic publication of
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society
Volume 18, Number 23, June 7, 2015
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WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM JUNE 7, 2015
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WERNER STENSGARD OFFERS NUMISMATIC LITERATURE
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NEW BOOK: MERCURY DIMES, STANDING LIBERTY QUARTERS, AND LIBERTY WALKING HALF DOLLARS
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NEW BOOK: CHECK LIST OF UNITED STATES AND CANADIAN COINS
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NEW BOOK: THE LONDON MINT OF CONSTANTIUS & CONSTANTINE
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NEW BOOK: XXI CENTURY COINS OF NEPAL 2015
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BOOK REVIEW: COIN COLLECTING ALBUMS V1
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FELT PLATE IMAGES USED TO MAKE WYATT COPIES
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COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG'S NUMISMATIC COLLECTION
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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JUNE 7, 2015
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MISSING PRINTS FOUND AT BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
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NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS AS EVENTS
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CUT-CANCELLED TREASURY CHECKS 1819-1834
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SECOND U.S. MINT TREE RELIC
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MORE ON THE COREY'S OINTMENT COUNTERSTAMP
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NEW RESEARCH ON THE EVERMAN COUNTERSTAMP
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MAKING MONEY WITH JEFFERSON NICKELS
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MORE ON OBVERSES AND REVERSES
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BALTIMORE'S WASHINGTON MONUMENT TIME CAPSULE OPENED
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SELECTIONS FROM NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS SALE 57
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SELECTED CIVIL WAR TOKENS FROM STEVE HAYDEN
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HEEREN FAMILY BACKGROUND ON THE COLUMBIA SHIELD
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QUERY: WERE TOKENS USED IN THE KALAUPAPA LEPER COLONY?
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DIX NOONAN WEBB SEPTEMBER 2015 AUCTION SALES
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BALDWIN'S OFFERS WATERLOO MEDALS
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SELECTIONS FROM PRESIDENTIAL AUCTION #85
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QUERY: WHAT DOES THIS MEDALET'S INSCRIPTION MEAN?
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SOME RECENT COIN DESIGNS: JUNE 7, 2015
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QUERY: AUSTRALASIAN BANK CHEQUE INFORMATION SOUGHT
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MAO CHIN MARK MAKES A VALUABLE ERROR BANKNOTE
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2015 CURRENCY CONFERENCE A RETROSPECTIVE
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G7 MINISTERS VISIT GERMANY’S ANCIENT COIN COLLECTION
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EXHIBIT EXPLORES MEDALS OF LOUIS XIV
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KÜNKER 2015 SUMMER AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
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CHINESE BUSINESS BUYS CAR USING 660,000 COINS
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FEATURED WEB PAGE: SCOUTING THEME MEDALS
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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 JUNE 7, 2015
New subscribers this week include:
Bob Yarmchuk,
Ken Fritsch, and
Hugh Cloke.
Welcome aboard!
We now have 1,846 subscribers.
This week we open with a Swedish dealer's numismatic literature offering, four new books and one review.
Other topics include the Wyatt copies, Treasury checks, event auctions, U.S. merchant counterstamps, Civil War tokens, leper colony tokens, the Columbia Shield, Waterloo medals, a Chalmers Shilling love token, and Australasian bank cheques.
To learn more about Fred Zinkann's patterns, the coins of Nepal, obverses and reverses, coin collecting albums, the Chautauqua Movement, Eureka Pile Ointment, 1815 Large Cents, gold Pistoles, the Grover Cleveland satirical inaugural token, and exploding bomb medals, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
WERNER STENSGARD OFFERS NUMISMATIC LITERATURE
Book dealer Werner Stensgard submitted this note about his numismatic literature web offerings. Thanks.
-Editor
I'm an antiquarian bookdealer in Sweden specialized in numismatic and history. The readers of The E-Sylum could most likely be interested in my stock. Right now there´s about one hundred books online. Searchable here..
http://www.antikvariat.net/search.cgi?qx=new&sq=ste&la=sv&cu=sek&ht=ft&bg=FFF8DC&bg2=DEB887
(Yes, it looks like something made in DOS from the early nineties). A complete new database and website is in the making and will be launched soon. Then I will add a few hundred titles of numismatics as well as pictures. When the new website is launched it will be advertised in other media as well. So take a look now before others get the news.
Don’t hesitate to send me inquiries regarding numismatics, old books and manuscripts. The complete stock will never be online so send me an email of your interests.
Also see my website
www.wernerstensgard.se
Users are presented with a search box. Just hit ENTER to initiate an empty query, and the system will return a list of all available books (about 150 at this writing).
Happy Hunting!
-Editor
NEW BOOK: MERCURY DIMES, STANDING LIBERTY QUARTERS, AND LIBERTY WALKING HALF DOLLARS
Dennis Tucker submitted these thoughts about a new Whitman book on three popular U.S. coins. Thanks!
-Editor
Reflections on Whitman Publishing’s New Guide Book of Mercury Dimes,
Standing Liberty Quarters, and Liberty Walking Half Dollars
by Dennis Tucker
The first volume of the “Bowers Series” of numismatic references—the Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollars—was published in 2004. As of early 2015 that initial volume plus the ones that followed it have comprised more than 5,000 pages of information on U.S. copper half cents through gold double eagles, Proof sets, commemorative coins, tokens and medals, and other numismatic collectibles. To that impressive lineup, volume 18 adds three of the most popular U.S. coins ever minted—the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty quarter, and the Liberty Walking half dollar.
The popularity of these three coin types has long been on our radar at Whitman Publishing. How could it not be? Collectors have bought thousands of Whitman blue folders and albums to save one coin from every date and mint. We get phone calls and letters asking about the coins and their die varieties, how to grade them, and how much they’re worth. Until now, we’ve referred our readers to the Guide Book of United States Coins (the hobby’s “Red Book,” which covers every U.S. coin series), to various books that describe grading or that study one or another of the individual coin types, or, for more detailed exploration of die varieties, to the Cherrypickers’ Guide. Now collectors have another standard reference, one that brings everything together in a single resource: the Guide Book of Mercury Dimes, Standing Liberty Quarters, and Liberty Walking Half Dollars.
The decision of how to present these coins to the hobby community wasn’t lightly made. Our intent with the Bowers Series is to study the most popular coin types in books that are affordable, logically organized, and valuable to the reader. These goals brought certain questions to the fore. By 2014, we had no Bowers Series book on dimes, one on quarter dollars (the Guide Book of Washington and State Quarters), and one on half dollars (the Guide Book of Franklin and Kennedy Half Dollars). Would it make sense to create a Guide Book of Mercury and Roosevelt Dimes, covering the last 100 years of that denomination in a single reference? And what to do with the Standing Liberty quarter? Modern quarters, of 1932 to date, were already accounted for, and we knew we would be covering Barber silver coins (dimes, quarters, and halves) all together in a single upcoming volume. That left the Standing Liberty quarter somewhat orphaned—a relatively short series spr
ead over a span of 15 years, comprising fewer than 40 major date/mintmark varieties, certainly not enough to fill their own 300-page book. A similar question lingered for half dollars, with the Bowers Series already covering that denomination from the present day back to 1948.
I believe our final decision—to present these three coins together in a single volume—is a sound one. Mercury dimes, Standing Liberty quarters, and Liberty Walking half dollars were all part of the elegant “Renaissance of American Coinage” (as Roger W. Burdette termed it in his award-winning book series), the early-1900s rebirth of great U.S. coin design. All three were workhorses of American commerce in their heyday, which spanned from 1916 into the 1940s, from a world war to a gilded age of progress, then through the depths of an unprecedented economic depression and a second global conflagration.
The motifs of these working-class coins are widely ranked among America’s greatest numismatic designs. They speak to the viewer in a way that the older, grim-faced Barber coins never did, in a way that today’s modern presidential-portrait coinage certainly doesn’t. Their appeal is not just the sentimental feeling they invoke, and it’s not just the vibrancy and action of their designs; it’s a combination of everything about them, their ineffable sense of history as well as their old-fashioned but still very robust physicality. We look at them and we think, This is the United States of America.
If a Grandpa of a certain age had a cigar box or candy dish that he tossed his pocket change into, chances are good it held a few of these silver pieces. Today they are commonly found in inheritances of old coins—perhaps studiously assembled and proudly displayed, perhaps jumbled haphazardly with vintage bus tokens, World War II ration tokens, and other pocket change. To the community of active hobbyists they are solid “collector” coins, sought by thousands of enthusiasts. Casual collectors fill the holes in their blue folders, eagle-eyed specialists seek out the scarcer die varieties, and deep-pocketed aficionados compete to build the finest registry sets.
For all these reasons—the historical connection of the three coins, their representation of an important generation and era, their unique place in the wider world of American numismatics, and their longstanding popularity among coin collectors and the general public—we decided to combine them into a single standalone book for collectors and historians.
Naturally the perfect author for this subject was Q. David Bowers himself, the “Dean of American Numismatics,” after whom the Bowers Series is named. The most widely published numismatic author and researcher of recent generations, Bowers marshals his resources to bring his readers technical, historical, and market-oriented knowledge unavailable in any other single book. The Guide Book of Mercury Dimes, Standing Liberty Quarters, and Liberty Walking Half Dollars is the culmination of more than 50 years of research and study, designed to immerse you in the world of these fascinating coins, make you a smarter and more savvy collector, and prepare you to build the greatest coin collection possible.
A Guide Book of Mercury Dimes, Standing Liberty Quarters, and Liberty Walking Half Dollars
By Q. David Bowers; foreword by Roger W. Burdette
Debuting on the 4th of July, 2015
ISBN 079484314-X
Perfectbound softcover, 6 x 9 inches
320 pages
Full color
Retail $29.95 U.S.
These are tough choices for a publisher to make. It's a lengthy title for one book, but the alternatives are also sub-optimal. It think it does make sense to group these coins together, for many of the same reasons Dennis cited. And Roger Burdette is the ideal person for writing the foreword, given his deep background in researching and writing about the creation of these great classic coins. I'll look forward to the book.
-Editor
For more information, or to order, see:
A Guide Book of Mercury Dimes, Standing Liberty Quarters, and Liberty Walking Half Dollars, 1st Edition
(www.whitman.com/store/Inventory/Detail/A-Guide-Book-of-Mercury-Dimes-Standing-Liberty-Quarters-and-Liberty-Walking-Half-Dollars-1st-Edition+079484314X)
NEW BOOK: CHECK LIST OF UNITED STATES AND CANADIAN COINS
Dennis Tucker forwarded this press release about a new product for U.S. and Canadian collectors. Thanks.
-Editor
Whitman Publishing announces the release of the new Check List and Record Book of United States and Canadian Coins, a resource to help collectors keep track of their coins. The 272-page perfectbound book debuts June 30, 2015, and will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide. In the meantime it can be preordered online, including at www.Whitman.com, for $9.95.
The Check List and Record Book of United States and Canadian Coins is a convenient way to keep track of a coin collection. Its 6 x 9–inch size packs a large amount of information into a handy resource that can be carried in a pocket or bag, or stored in a safe deposit box. Collectors take the book to coin shows and shops while they’re on the hunt for new numismatic acquisitions, checking each box as they add a coin to their collections or upgrade to a better specimen. The book also has room to write notes on when and where various coins were bought, their grades, pricing, and any other information the collector wants to record.
The Check List and Record Book features actual-size illustrations of each coin type, complete mintage records for circulation-strike and Proof coins, and coin-by-coin listings of every date and mint. The coins covered include U.S. half cents through gold double eagles, 1790s to date; classic and modern commemorative coins; government-issued commemorative sets; Proof sets and Mint sets; Canadian coins from the 1850s to date; and silver, gold, and platinum bullion coins. There are sections to keep track of collections of Hard Times tokens; Civil War tokens; other tokens and medals; Hawaiian coins; Puerto Rican coins; coins struck for the Philippines under U.S. sovereignty; misstrikes and error coins; and American Arts gold medallions. The Canadian chapters cover large cents; small cents; five-cent pieces; silver and modern coins; commemorative issues; dollar coins; and bullion pieces.
“Keeping an accurate inventory of your coins is one of the most important things you can do as a collector,” says Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “Not only does it help you organize and build a better collection, it can also be useful for tax and insurance purposes, and as a valuable record for your children and grandchildren to learn about your collection.”
The new Check List and Record Book covers coins and coin sets up through 2015, with extra space to keep track of later coins.
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Check List and Record Book of United States and Canadian Coins
ISBN 079484365-4
Perfectbound softcover, 6 x 9 inches
272 pages
Retail $9.95 U.S
For more information, or to order, see:
Check List and Record Book of United States and Canadian Coins
(www.whitman.com/store/Inventory/Detail/Check-List--Record-Book-of-US-Coins-and-Canadian-Coins-+0794843654)
NEW BOOK: THE LONDON MINT OF CONSTANTIUS & CONSTANTINE
Author Lee Toone writes:
I now have details of the publication of my book. Spink are now taking preorders and delivery will be at the end of June.
Congratulations! Here's the basic information from the Spink site.
-Editor
The London Mint of Constantius & Constantine
by Cloke, H. J. & Toone, L.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER.
This book is a comprehensive catalogue and survey of the output of the London mint from AD 296 when Constantius I invaded Britain to wrest the 'Britannic Empire' from Allectus, to its closure in 325 when his son and successor, Contstantine I, began to shift his power base to the East/ During this period the London mint was responsible for a vast output of Roman coinage.
The authors of this book have expanded the number of known London types from the 617 recorded in Volume VI and VII of The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC), to 1,037, 90 per cent of which are illustrated on plates facing the catalogue tables in sylloge format.
Supported with historical background narratives, indices, and a concordance with RIC, the catalogue also includes a hoard census which lists numbers of coins for each type found in four major hoards. This enables an objective rarity value to be assigned to each coin type.
This book proposes to become the standard reference work on the London mint for years to come and invites the reader to become part of the on-going construction of this catalogue as new types are discovered and recorded.
Our Price: 50.00
Hugh Cloke received his Ph.D. in literature from the University of Chicago and was, for forty years, a faculty member and administrator at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. His research and teaching interests focused on the role of Roman ruins in the works 18th and 19th-century American writers and visual artists and extended to coinage through the chance purchase of a small Constantinian bronze for his son in 1992. Over the intervening twenty years his interests in the coinage of the Tetrarchic period have evolved from collecting to researching their history and constructing a narrative that makes these objects intelligible. The present work is the result of a six-year collaborative effort with Lee.
Lee Toone has been involved in numismatics for over forty years. For the last thirty of these he has concentrated on Roman numismatics and numismatic books. He is now a full time numismatist and owner of Hookmoor Ancient Coins. He has previously published several papers on the London mint of Constantine. He is currently working on a collectors’ guide to Romano-British coinage that will be a much needed update to Gilbert Askew’s The Coinage of Roman Britain. He would be grateful for any contributions of new material towards this project.
For more information, or to order, see:
The London Mint of Constantius & Constantine by Cloke, H. J. & Toone, L.
(www.spinkbooks.com/product.php?xProd=537&xSec=47)
NEW BOOK: XXI CENTURY COINS OF NEPAL 2015
Pabitra Saha writes:
A revised edition of my eBook on XXI Century coins of Nepal is now online.
Below is the book description and a link to the Google books page.
-Editor
Nepal, a land locked country in South Asia, boasts of Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world. In addition, it has a rich legacy of nearly 4,000 year history of having never been conquered or rules by foreign powers.
It is the coins of this country, which became a democracy as late as 2007, that form the subject of this monograph.
For more information, or to purchase, see:
XXI Century Coins of Nepal
(https://books.google.com/books?id=N7v9CAAAQBAJ)
BOOK REVIEW: COIN COLLECTING ALBUMS V1
Dave Bowers submitted this appreciation of Dave Lange's book on coin collecting albums. Thanks!
-Editor
The other day I spent a pleasant few hours brushing up on the history of the Chautauqua Movement in America. You may or may not know that this started in 1874 at a camp on Lake Chautauqua near Jamestown in Upstate New York, as a course for Sunday school teachers. The idea of immersing one’s self in several days of learning had appeal, and by the 1890s several Chautauqua companies were traveling circuits in America in bookings arranged by agents. The typical circuit ranged from vaudeville and amusement to serious speakers on temperance, suffrage, labor unions, and more. The movement petered out in the early 1920s.
One of the most popular speakers was Russell Conwell, who is said to have given his “Acres of Diamonds” several thousand times. It is remembered today (by those who like and read history) as a motivational program—acres of diamonds (many opportunities) are all around you. All you need to do is pick them up.
The same can be said for numismatic books! Hardly an issue of The E-Sylum goes by without an announcement of one, two, or a handful of new books. No one can possibly buy or read them all.
In my own life I endeavor to buy a copy of each important or interesting book on American numismatics. Sometimes I overlook a “diamond” among the “acres” of texts available today. Such an instance happened last week when I acquired a copy of David W. Lange’s Coin Collecting Albums, A Complete History & Catalog: Volume One, with the central or main title, The National Coin Album & Related Products of Beistle, Raymond & Meghrig. Makes the title of A Guide Book of United States Coins seem simple. My overlooking took the form of my not discovering it until a year after Dave Lange’s book was first published.
I love numismatic history. You may have copy of my American Numismatics Before the Civil War book published in 1998. This is the only book I have ever done for which the print quantity ordered, 1,000 plus a few overruns, was perfect. The book was advertised, all but a few copies sold right away, and we never received any other orders! Someday I might write a History of American Numismatics covering all eras. Marketing might be difficult now, what with the Internet and the like.
Book selling was different in the late 20th century. In 1979 when my The History of United States Coinage as Illustrated by the Garrett Collection was issued, the 4,000-copy print run was sold out in days, and eventually about 15,000 went to buyers. In 1988 when Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Coins was published my company sold over 10,000 copies the first year. But I digress. Back to the topic at hand.
Dave Lange’s book is rich with numismatic history from the late 1920s today. The sale of Raymond’s “National” albums was about 50% responsible for launching the rare coin market we know today. The other 50% credit goes to Whitman Publishing with its “Penny Boards.” Until the late 1920s there were no albums in which to easily store coins. Paper envelopes 2x2 inches square were the norm, or coins could be laid out in a thin drawer in a wooden cabinet.
M.L. Beistle changed that in 1928 with the invention of an album page made of thick cardboard, with round openings for coins and with clear cellulose acetate slides covering the obverses and reverses. You could watch and enjoy your collection as the holes were filled in one by one. These were licensed to Wayte Raymond who conducted the Scott Stamp & Coin Company in New York. Whitman on the other hand played to the lower end of the market. With a Whitman page at hand it was fun to look through coins in circulation and hope to find the Holy Grail, a 1909-S V.D.B. cent.
Both of these products started the date-and-mintmark procedure we know today. Believe it or not, in 1930 all Proof Liberty Head nickels were priced about the same. A gem 1909-S V.D.B. cent cost a dollar. By 1940 the rare 1885 stood out above all others. Another interesting aspect of the decade is that we were in the middle of the Great Depression. Rare coins were inexpensive, the new pages and albums made the hobby fun, and percentage-wise the greatest decade of price increases in numismatics took place!
With Dave Lange’s marvelous book at hand you can travel through the years and see how Wayte Raymond in particular was the foundation for advanced collectors. I treasure my copy as one of my favorite non-market books of our era (by non-market I mean that it does not list population prices, give auction records, or predict the price of gold, etc., etc.). Its assets are that it is interesting and informative.
Seeking to share my year-late enthusiasm I asked Dave Lange how his 288-page deluxe hardbound book could be ordered. I was informed that it was published at $75, but is now just $59.95 plus $10 Priority Mail shipping while remaining copies last. More from Dave L.:
“Buyers can pay via PayPal to my email address, langedw at msn.com, or by check made out to me at the address below. All books will be signed and/or inscribed, unless specified otherwise. I also offer my coin board book at half its publication price: $19.95 plus $5 shipping. If both books are ordered, a flat shipping fee of $10 will suffice.”
Full disclosure from me (the other Dave, Dave Bowers) in reverse: Writing this appreciation was my idea, and I have no benefit from any order you place. I will state, however, that you will enjoy the book or books when you receive them.
Dave Bowers
Wolfeboro Falls, NH
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: COIN COLLECTING ALBUMS, VOLUME ONE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n32a02.html)
FELT PLATE IMAGES USED TO MAKE WYATT COPIES
A couple weeks ago we had an article about the interesting 1850s-era struck copies of U.S. colonial coins created by Thomas Wyatt. Based on illustrations in a book, the copies included the cross-hatching lines found in the illustrations, and not on the coins themselves. Looking for images of the book illustrations these reproductions were based on, I found this article by David Sundman on the Littleton Coin Company web site.
-Editor
The second example of a NE sixpence shown above has a very curious story. Beginning in the 1850s, coin collecting in the United States grew greatly in popularity. Rarities could only be owned by a few collectors. So it was not surprising that several enterprising individuals decided to create their own imitations of rarities for sale to collectors. Some were sold as copies at reasonable prices, and some no doubt were fraudulently offered to collectors as genuine pieces. With only a couple of numismatic references of any note published, and with few illustrations and no photographs, it was easy pickings for the fraudulently inclined. The best-known examples today were those copies made in New York City by Thomas Wyatt and later by Edwin Bolen – to whom Wyatt sold the dies. These activities happened long before today's Hobby Protection Act, enacted in 1973 and requiring the word COPY to be placed on all imitation pieces.
If you compare the Wyatt copy to the photo of the genuine coin, you'll note the curious horizontal lines on the copy. What are they, and why would a person making a copy put them on the copy when they aren't on the original? As mentioned above, there were no photos of coins in books during these early days of U.S. numismatics. With very few examples of the rare New England coinage known, the copyist likely did not have access to the genuine article. The next best thing were the facsimile images of "Pine Tree Money" and New England coinage published in An Historical Account of Massachusetts Currency by Joseph B. Felt [1839]. The line images were roughly modeled after the images from Plate XXX in the 1745 book, A Table of English Silver Coins, by Martin Folkes of the Society of Antiquaries of London [January, 1745].
The Thomas Wyatt copies do not resemble the NE coinage images in Martin Folkes' earlier 1745 work published in London. Thomas Wyatt's copies are known to have existed as early as June 1856. He reportedly made a dozen copies of eight different early colonials and marketed them as sets of 8 different denominations of Massachusetts currency. These included some "copies" of coins that are really fantasies – for which genuine coins are non-existent. Newspaper accounts from Boston as early as 1856 mention their "discovery" in an old bottle, and their subsequent purchase "by a gentleman to be presented to the British Museum."
Not shown here but worth noting: the most expensive collectable copies of the NE coinage are contemporary counterfeits made in the 1650s. A few do exist, and when sold today, they can bring tens of thousands of dollars at auction from knowledgeable collectors.
To read the complete article, see:
Famous New England Sixpence
from the Royse Collection
(www.littletoncoin.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Display%7C10001%7C10001%7C-1%7C%7CLearnNav%7CFamous-New-England-Sixpence.html)
To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE STRUCK COPIES OF THOMAS WYATT AND OTHERS
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n21a07.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 31, 2015 : Numismata Antiqua
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n22a08.html)
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG'S NUMISMATIC COLLECTION
An article by About.com coins Expert James Bucki discusses Colonial Williamsburg's collection of coins, medals, and currency.
-Editor
Housed in the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum in Colonial Williamsburg are numismatic gems in the world of colonial coinage, medals and currency. The exhibit "Dollars, Farthings & Fables" brings to life the currency and coins that were driving a young nation. These tangible assets from a distant past are displayed in a style that is both interesting and enlightening to all visitors of the museum.
Since he was a boy, Curator Mr. Erik Goldstein was obsessed with the American Revolution while simultaneously being a coin collector. Therefore, it was only natural that he began to study colonial currency and early American coinage. He prefers "coins with history" over pristine examples that have never had a life outside of a museum's coin cabinet. One of his favorite examples of this principle is a Virginia halfpenny that was unearthed on the grounds of the Governor's Palace at Williamsburg. By no means is it an unspoiled specimen, but if it could talk it would have a story to tell that would keep us spellbound for hours.
The numismatic exhibit is a fun exploration of coins and currency in early Colonial America. The display explores the "first, biggest, prettiest, ugliest, busted myths and personalities" in colonial coins and currency. The exhibit guides visitors on a journey from colonial times to the beginnings of our new nation. Examples of wampum and "hoe" money that were traded with the early American Indians before coins arrived on our continent from other countries are on exhibit.
Some of the other items you can see on display include a 1724 Brazilian 20,000 Reis gold coin, English farthing, 1652 Massachusetts "NE" Shilling, 1776 American Continental Dollar, gold doubloons, silver "pieces of eight", and a 1783 "Libertas Americana" silver medal brought back from France by Benjamin Franklin.
One of the most impressive displays is the Cornell Paper Money Hoard. This hoard of North Carolina colonial paper money was assembled by Samuel Cornell, a merchant and currency speculator in the period right before the Revolution. While not the entire hoard, this portion contains about 4,200 notes from the original 6,700 notes and represents about 4% of that colony's total output of paper money during the period from 1748 until 1771.
To read the complete article, see:
Colonial Williamsburg's Collection Of Coins, Medals, and Currency
(http://coins.about.com/od/famousrarecoinprofiles/a/Colonial-Williamsburg-Collection-Of-Coins-Medals-And-Currency.htm)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JUNE 7, 2015
E-Sylum Ads Work!
Larry Korchnak writes:
A few weeks back I was reading The E-Sylum and I saw a Charles Davis ad. I decided to see if he had a copy of Mailliet plates, a companion to the classic work on siege coins. I have the text potion but have been seeking the volume containing the plates for many years. I was excited to see it in his inventory and promptly bought it. Thanks, Charlie and thanks E-Sylum.
The Buttoned-Down Mind of Dave Hirt
Regarding last week's discussion of how Dave Hirt recognized the numismatic significance of the 1746 book Numismata Antiqua.
Phil Carrigan writes:
I obtained a keen appreciation for Dave's mind from this experience!
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 31, 2015 : Numismata Antiqua
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n22a08.html)
Query: Where to Purchase ‘Legends of Travancore’
Philip Mernick writes:
You mentioned a new book ‘Legends of Travancore’. Does anyone know how to obtain a copy? The publisher and Amazon India only seem to offer shipment within India.
PrintsAsia.com doesn't have it.
I have also emailed the university that published it, but so far without response.
Can anyone help?
Philip also passed along a link to a YouTube video of the book's launch event. Thanks!
-Editor
To view the video, see:
Legends of Travancore - A Numismatic Heritage
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxkPmptnBUY)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: LEGENDS OF TRAVANCORE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n19a11.html)
Query: Handbook of Southern African Tokens
Yosef Sa'ar writes:
I have recently come across a reference to the following publication unknown to me: Brian Hern, Handbook of Southern African Tokens. 2009.
I would greatly appreciated a review and/or information about the publisher and how to obtain it.
DAMIN Conference Proceedings Available
Georges Depeyrot writes:
The proceedings of the DAMIN Copenhagen conference on Mints, Technology and Coin Production (May 28-29, National Museum of Denmark) is now in press and will be available in July.
You can have a look to the volume on
www.moneta.be/volumes/moneta_191.htm
Georges adds:
You can find a complete catalogue of the 191 Moneta volumes from the first volume (1995) to the last one (2015) at
www.moneta.be/pages/Moneta_Catalog_web.pdf
The volumes are listed by periods and by regions, from Antiquity to 20th c. with a special list in relation with the DAMIN program.
Stack’s Bowers Seeks Numismatic Writer
An E-Sylum reader inquired about a recent string of ads. He writes:
Stacks/Bowers has been advertising for MANY months, looking for a Numismatic Writer. Has there been interest?
It seems like a golden opportunity to turn a hobby into a career!
My friend Eric Schena signed on as a cataloguer a while ago, and he's really enjoying it.
I reached out to the company, and
Stack’s Bowers President Galleries Brian Kendrella
writes:
"We have gotten strong interest in the position and as you mention, Eric Schena has been doing some cataloging for us for quite some time now. We are always looking for cataloging talent and so have kept the solicitation on our newsletter. If we found someone with the right attributes we would certainly look to bring them on board."
1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta Stamp Displayed
Regarding an exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.,
Les Rosenbaum writes:
Although philatelic, rather than numismatic, this may interest all, especially since it will be on display through Nov. 2017:
1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta
June 4, 2015 – November 2017
Museum: Postal Museum
Location: Level 2, William H. Gross Stamp Gallery
The National Postal Museum will display the world’s rarest postage stamp, the 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta. The exhibition of the stamp will be the longest and most publicly accessible showing ever.
No postage stamp is rarer than the sole-surviving example of the British Guiana One-Cent Magenta. Printed in black ink on magenta paper, it bears the image of a three-masted ship and the colony’s motto in Latin: “we give and expect in return.” Noted for its legacy, the stamp was rediscovered by a 12-year-old Scottish boy living in South America in 1873, and from there passed through some of the most important stamp collections ever assembled. It is the only major rarity absent from the Royal Philatelic Collection owned by Queen Elizabeth II.
Note: The stamp will not be on view November 27 – December 9, 2015 and May 23 – June 10, 2016.
To read the complete article, see:
1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta
(www.si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/1856-British-Guiana-One-Cent-Magenta-5692)
Some Vaguely Numismatic Cheesecake
>From the vaguely-numismatic-but-a-great-excuse-to-include-vintage-cheesecake department, Arthur Shippee forwarded this image from the Obscure Actresses blog. Thanks!
To read the complete article, see:
MAXINE CANTWAY
(https://obscureactresses.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/maxine-cantway/)
MISSING PRINTS FOUND AT BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Remember the story last week about missing coins and artwork at the Boston Public Library. Well, the coins are still missing, but the artwork has turned up.
-Editor
Not lost, just misplaced. That's the word from the Boston Library after it found two missing prints — a Dürer and Rembrandt worth a combined $630,000.
But their presumed loss had already set in motion a chain of events, including an FBI criminal probe and the resignation of the library's president.
On Wednesday, a day before they were found, Boston Library President Amy Ryan announced her resignation in the face of mounting criticism over the "missing" prints — one by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer titled "Adam and Eve" valued at about $600,000 and the other, a Rembrandt self-portrait worth an estimated $20,000 to $30,000. Ryan said she would step down effective July 3.
The fact that the prints surfaced just 80 feet from where they were supposed to have been filed, is "a cloud lifted, a burden off our shoulders," Ryan told The Boston Globe. "Everyone is happy."
The prints were found by library conservation officer Lauren Schott in the Copley Square branch during an exhaustive eight-week search of the stacks. Fourteen employees pored through more than half of the 320,000 items located there.
"I was shocked to find the two prints, but it really was just luck of the draw," Schott said in a statement quoted by the Globe. "Any one of the team that's been looking for the Dürer and Rembrandt could have found them."
Melina Schuler, a library spokeswoman, was quoted by the Globe as brushing dismissing the suggestion that someone might have taken the prints and then returned them. She said they were believed to have been misfiled about a year ago in a simple case of "human error."
Even so, Boston Police Commissioner William Evens says the investigation will continue, insisting that "The investigation is not over."
As for Ryan? "It was my decision to resign ... and it's still in place," she said, according to The Boston Herald. "I'm just so happy that the prints have been located."
It happens to the best, I guess. Who among us hasn't misfiled something in their own library? I've done it on more than one occasion with both coins and books, and I like to think I'm pretty well organized. Any misfiling stories to share, readers?
-Editor
To read the complete article, see:
Lost And Found: Missing Rembrandt, Dürer Prints Turn Up At Boston Library
(www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/05/412236456/lost-and-found-missing-rembrandt-d-rer-prints-turn-up-at-boston-library)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CORNERSTONE COINS MISSING FROM BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n22a09.html)
NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS AS EVENTS
Photo courtesy CoinWeek
Dave Bowers writes:
Thanks for your nice coverage of the Pogue sale in The E-Sylum. In my professional life I have specialized in “events,” rather than just coin auctions. The Garrett, Eliasberg, Norweb, Bass, Childs, and now the Pogue collection sales were far more than sales with a given dollar amount. They have become an indelible part of American numismatic history and tradition. Of course, I have had the backing of the “Dream Team” of experts.
When I close my eyes I think not only of these unique, unequalled sales, but also of the families and people with whom I interacted on them. To the above list of incredible events has to be added the treasure of the S.S. Central America and the book I did for it, one of my fondest memories.
We are all lucky to be part of American numismatics.
Thank YOU for all you do in the dissemination of information, news, and knowledge
Most auctions are just auctions. Although each one has its highlights and signature items, only a few rise to the level of a numismatic event. As noted by Joel Orosz in his writings, the first of these in America was the 1851 Roper sale. The first Pogue sale is the latest, and will certainly not be the last. While Internet bidding has certainly changed the auction room landscape in recent years, certain sales are true events, and people in the know are drawn from all parts of the country and beyond to witness the proceedings in person.
As a preview,
Saul Teichman forwarded the below link to a gallery of photos of coins in the next Pogue sale. Thanks!
-Editor
Lot 1048: 1821 Capped Head Left Quarter Eagle
To view coins in the Pogue II sale, see:
The D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part II
(http://media.stacksbowers.com/poguecollection/pogue-coin-list_2.html)
A reader inquired about how to pronounce the name 'Pogue'. Dave confirms that it rhymes with 'Rogue'.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
A CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF THE 1851 ROPER SALE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n43a13.html)
FIRST U.S. COIN AUCTION CATALOG: THE 1851 LEWIS ROPER SALE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n39a10.html)
THE D. BRENT POGUE COLLECTION: AN APPRECIATION
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n21a12.html)
A POGUE, PART I POSTMORTEM
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n21a13.html)
HARVEY STACK AND D. BRENT POGUE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n21a14.html)
NEW YORK TIMES COVERS POGUE SALE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n22a13.html)
TOKEN, MEDAL AND POLITICAL AUCTION
Presidential Coin & Antique Co., Inc.'s Auction Eighty-Five of Tokens, Medals and Political items closes June 30, 2015. Hardcopies $6 - contact Joe Levine at Jlevine968 at aol.com or view the catalog online
here .
Hard Times Tokens, 19th Century Storecard Tokens, Civil War Tokens, Military & Related, So-Called Dollars, Presidential & Political, World's Fairs & Expositions, U.S. Mint Medals, ANS Medals, Foreign Tokens and Medals, and MORE!
CUT-CANCELLED TREASURY CHECKS 1819-1834
Roger Burdette writes:
While searching correspondence in the archive of the Treasurer of the United States, I came across a box containing hundreds of cut-cancelled Treasury checks issued between 1819 and 1834. I don't know if these are of interest to currency specialists, so here are a couple of photos including the NARA locator information.
Thanks! Interesting items, and useful nuggets for research.
-Editor
NARA #18340901
NARA #18270927
SECOND U.S. MINT TREE RELIC
Reader Larry Dzuibek forwarded this eBay lot, an interesting wooden relic of one of our nation's Mints. Thanks! I added the first image for compassion purposes.
-Editor
Larry Dziubek writes:
I have been collecting tokens and medals of the John Wanamaker
stores and came across this item.
I wonder if the winner of this tree relic will get it slabbed?
Joel Orosz writes:
This is a nifty little relic. There are a number of pieces of timber from the first Philadelphia Mint salvaged by Frank H. Stewart when he demolished its remaining structures in 1911, which Len Augsburger and I catalogued in our book, The Secret History of the First U.S. Mint. This appears to be a timber relic from the second Philadelphia Mint, which was razed about 1902. At any rate, it is clearly an image of the second Mint burned into the timber. A "compete set" of timber relics would comprise one from the first and one from the second Mints, since the third Mint is still in use as a community college, and the fourth Mint is still making our coinage.
Len Augsburger writes:
Obviously it is from the 2nd Mint, which was demolished c. 1902. At the time, few Philadelphians realized the real “Old Mint” was the first Mint site located on 7th Street. Frank H. Stewart made quite a few relic pieces from 1st Mint timber, but apparently kept no inventory. Of course, half the fun is trying to reconstruct the list, which can be found in Secret History of the First U.S. Mint.
To view the complete eBay description, see:
Antique PHILADELPHIA PA * THE OLD MINT WOODEN RELIC Compliments JOHN WANAMAKER
(www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-PHILADELPHIA-PA-THE-OLD-MINT-WOODEN-RELIC-Compliments-JOHN-WANAMAKER-/381271246250)
MORE ON THE COREY'S OINTMENT COUNTERSTAMP
Bill Groom submitted this item on a possible issuer of the enigmatic TRY COREY'S OINTMENT counterstamp. Thanks!
-Editor
Wish I had a nickel for every time I'd heard a collector opine the following: "If only this coin could talk!" Well, counterstamped coins often do tell us quite a bit about their travels, their uses, their handlers and more. Yet, there remain those that seem stubbornly resistant to attempts at attribution. Such has long been the case with the "TRY COREY'S OINTMENT" issue on this Liberty Seated Quarter.
Previous E-Sylum articles have speculated about the issuer of this counterstamp, but with the aid of the internet, I've stumbled upon a most likely prospect. Let's look at the evidence ...
Dr. Medad Smith Corey (1827-1908) was born on Long Island, attended medical school in Buffalo, graduating in 1861, settled in Chautauqua County, NY and commenced to practice medicine. On October 9, 1883, Dr. Medad S. Corey, then of Hamlet, NY, was granted patent # 3,575 for "The Eureka Pile Ointment."
Such are the facts. I'm now in the process of learning more about Medad. It seems that he owned a small country store and maintained a garden out back, wherein he grew herbs and produce. He was a member of the Odd Fellows. He conducted Prohibitionist meetings and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the state assembly on that ticket. He apparently sold his patent to a Cincinnati company that was still marketing his Eureka Pile Ointment as late as 1913. He retired in 1892 and sold life insurance in his later years. He traveled extensively and was held in high esteem by all newspaper accounts.
With regard to the Corey counterstamp, I note a striking similarity between the Corey's Ointment issue and that of the Sage's Candy Coin issue. The latter is suspected of emanating from Buffalo, NY, wherein Dr. Corey earned his medical degree. Both issues appear to have circulated in the 1870-80's.
Summarily, I'd submit that Dr. Medad Smith Corey, an enterprising man with a patented ointment to his credit, is the most likely issuer of this counterstamp issue. The stamped coins may have been used as a promotion and to establish credibility, prior to his seeking the patent.
Oftentimes, the attribution of counterstamps admittedly remains tenuous at best. Hopefully, this path may lead to more absolute evidence.
Internet Resources:
Gravesite
Medical Degree
Patent Listing
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW INFORMATION ON THE COREY'S OINTMENT COUNTERSTAMP
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n22a16.html)
NEW RESEARCH ON THE EVERMAN COUNTERSTAMP
There are some great articles in the June 2015 issue of The Numismatist, the monthly publication of the American Numismatic Society, including Dave Schenkman's cover article on The Numismatic Mementos of Professional Boxing. What also caught my eye was Eric Schena's article describing his recent research into a rare counterstamp issue. Eric submitted the following overview of his article, titled: Mystery of the Evenman Counterstamp.. Thanks!
-Editor
My article in this month's issue of The Numismatist was on a mysterious counterstamp that has shown up on ten coins so far, including a half dozen gold coins, a rare undertype as a class. The coins all bear the small and quite precisely made EVERMAN mark and with only one exception are all dated in the 1850s.
The counterstamps have been traditionally attributed to California primarily on the basis of one coin: an 1852 Augustus Humbert $50 octagonal "slug," an astonishing undertype for any counterstamp. However, the person to whom this mark was assigned, a WIlliam Everman, was actually a miner who got caught up in a murder over a stolen watch and was hanged in 1853. Considering that several of the coins are dated 1854, 1855, and 1856, it certainly couldn't be him. However, there is a better candidate: a silversmith in Huntingdon, Tennessee by the name of Lewis Everman who worked in the 1850s.
What's interesting is that after the article went to press, I found an 1866 business directory listing for Everman & Spence, jewelers in Jackson, Tennessee, one county over, so it's possible Everman moved to a bigger town and partnered up. I am continuing to dig into Everman and hope that perhaps someday a well-documented piece of flatware with that mark can be definitively tied to the counterstamp. Research is never-ending and it's what I love about numismatics.
MAKING MONEY WITH JEFFERSON NICKELS
One thing leads to another. A goofy dinner conversation leads to a Numismatic Diary item, then an E-Sylum reader takes it to the next level. An earlier E-Sylum piece about the market value of pre-1960 Jefferson Nickels led Jeff Starck of Coin World to explore the issue in an article recently. Here's an excerpt.
-Editor
If someone told you that you could make a 20 percent return with absolutely no risk of losing money, you’d probably think you were talking to a would-be Bernie Madoff.
Dealer Wayne Herndon in Virginia is one buyer willing to pay six cents for pre-1960 Jefferson nickels. Certain key dates and the silver examples net a higher return, of course. But Herndon’s offer stands for even the most common years and Mint marks.
I first learned of Herndon’s offer through Wayne Homren, editor of E-Sylum. In the March 15, 2015, edition of the weekly newsletter, Homren recounted a story heard at a recent gathering of collectors in the Washington, D.C., area.
Herndon explained to Coin World his offer to pay 20 percent above face value for these relatively common coins.
“I’m a dealer, and like most dealers I am constantly offered collections, accumulations, etc. ... Like bags of wheat cents, there is a market for bags of pre-1960 Jefferson Nickels.”
Herndon sorts the coins into bins. After a bin gets full, he’ll run coins through a counter and assemble bags of 4,000 coins ($200 face value).
“Most of this stuff is wholesaled in my case and I have customers who from time to time will ask for bags of pre-1960 [Jeffersons],” he said.
He doesn’t search them for varieties or even date/mintmark combinations that are better, as that is rarely worth the investment in time.
The E-Sylum discussion sparked a memory for me. When I was in high school and college, I worked at a national pharmacy chain found at the corner of happy and healthy.
As a cashier and photo clerk, I soon gained confidence of managers to search through multiple cash drawers daily to buy any coins or paper money of interest.
At some point during my employment, I began harvesting pre-1960 5-cent coins, though my memory is foggy as to the exact reason I fixed on that date for the search. My reasoning then was, these are 35+ years old, and if I wait another few decades, they’ll be even older. The investment cost was certainly the right price — I could always cash them in and not lose any money.
I amassed thousands of these coins, many of which came with me to Ohio when I started at Coin World full-time in early 2004.
The discussion on E-Sylum, and an already fertile desire to winnow down my holdings, sent me searching into the collecting closet, where I found the pile.
To learn how Jeff fared with his investment, read the complete article online. Happy hunting, everyone!
-Editor
To read the complete article, see:
MAKING MONEY WITH JEFFERSON NICKELS
(www.coinworld.com/voices/jeff-starck/2015/05/making_money_withje.html)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: APRIL 19, 2015 : The Big Nickel Transaction
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n16a24.html)
MORE ON OBVERSES AND REVERSES
Here are more reader comments on the terms 'obverse' and 'reverse', including one from Steve Bishop I managed to lose in my inbox last week.
-Editor
Steve Bishop writes:
Regarding the term "obverse", typically the obverse depicts the head
(such as a monarch) or the principal design (such as the object of a
commemoration). It often carries the date as well. But the obverse
being "heads" is not the rule. Civil war storecards, for example,
designate the merchant's descriptive information, with the reverse
being whatever ornamental device is desired. The listing of reverse
dies in the Fuld reference on storecards pictures numerous liberty
heads, indian heads, and portraits of famous people like George
Washington.
Ed Hohertz writes:
Islamic coins present their own difficulties with determining the obverse side. For the medieval coins, there are usually only legends on both sides. The attached article gives some insight into those problems.
Summary p190 second paragraph:
'The only solution is for scholars to define obverse and reverse in terms of the priorities they consider most important and then be consistent in their own work.'
Stephen Album in his 'Checklist of Islamic Coins' (3rd ed.) takes about half a page (p15) defining the obverse of a coin.
Ed attached a scan of an article from The Numismatic Chronicle, Seventh Series, Volume XIII (1973) titled The Problem of the Obverse and the Reverse in Islamic Numismatics by Jere Bacharach and H. A. Ward. Thanks.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
VOCABULARY WORD: OBVERSE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n22a07.html)
BALTIMORE'S WASHINGTON MONUMENT TIME CAPSULE OPENED
Anne Bentley forwarded this article about the opening of that time capsule recently recovered from Baltimore's Washington Monument. Thanks!
-Editor
Early pictures of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and many artifacts commemorating the centennial of the "Star-Spangled Banner," Baltimore's Washington Monument and other key aspects of American history were revealed Tuesday.
The 1915 Centennial Time Capsule was one of two time capsules discovered during the renovation of Baltimore's Washington Monument, the first to honor George Washington.
The monument's original 1815 cornerstone was found in February with an inner lid carved with names of the monument's original masons and stone cutters. There were also three glass jars stuffed with newspapers and wrapped bundles.
Each jar appears to tell a story.
One jar contained Washington's likeness, a copy of his presidential farewell address, 10 U.S. coins, a medal of Washington and a medal honoring the Duke of Wellington's military campaigns in the Spanish Peninsular Wars.
A second jar contained a 1812 copy of the Bible.
The third jar had July 5 and July 6, 1815, copies of the Federal Gazette. The July 6 paper has a story about the cornerstone being laid.
On top of the jars was a copy of the Declaration of Independence, reprinted in the Federal Gazette on July 3, 1815.
Another party is scheduled for July 4, the bicentennial of the laying of the monument's cornerstone. After the monument is rededicated that day, it will be opened again to the public.
The Maryland Historical Society will also display some of the items starting on July 4.
So we know there were ten coins in the capsule, but no other numismatic information has been released. Maybe there are a few 1815 Large Cents or 1815 Half Eagles...
-Editor
To read the complete article, see:
History revealed: Baltimore time capsule opened
(www.wcvb.com/money/travel/history-revealed-baltimore-time-capsule-opened/33365462)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
1815 TIME CAPSULE AT BALTIMORE'S WASHINGTON MONUMENT
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n08a12.html)
SELECTIONS FROM NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS SALE 57
At my request Steve Davis of Numismatic Auctions LLC sent me images of some coins that caught my eye in his upcoming auction sale. While there are no seven-figure headliners here, there are many nice classics and a few truly scarce and unusual items like this Chalmers Shilling.
-Editor
Chalmers Shilling, Annapolis 1783
Chalmers Shilling, Annapolis 1783. Long worm variety. Details
nearly Fine by wear, “MR to MH” ornately engraved obverse off
axis and a very faint flower scribed at center reverse, unusual. A
rare love token indeed.
I've seen Chalmers Shillings, and I've seen plenty of love tokens. But a Chalmers Shilling love token? Interesting! Who were MR and MH? We will probably never know, but this coin lives on.
-Editor
1856 Flying Eagle Cent
1856. Key date. Early ANACS paper certificate as AU50/50, 11-
27-85. This example appears to have been struck on a mildly
porous planchet with a cpl minor flan flaws, a few tiny rns yet
very sharp with hints of luster remaining.
1865 Three Cent Nickel Proof
1865. PCGS PR63 CAM. The sleeper under-appreciated Key to the
Proof series and low mintage first year Proof issue.
1875-CC Twenty Cent Piece
1875-CC. Lightly hairlined lustrous Choice AU-Unc, initial
appearance of BU until closer inspection. A nice example of this
scarce Carson City Mint issue.
1862 Dollar
1862. Brilliant Proof, light hairlines and some faint contact keep
this from Choice. Nicer appearance than grade suggests with
strong mirrors and splashes of gold to violet toning. Scarce Civil
War issue.
1834 Half Eagle
1834. Classic Head, Plain 4 variety. Outstanding AU, a few tiny
mks, reverse looks Unc. Great type coin.
1850 Liberty Cap Three Cents Silver
Liberty Cap Three Cents Silver, 1850. J-125. Colorful Proof
AU, lt hdlg primarily on the reverse not detracting. Pleasing
and appealing.
1987 Pattern Half Eagle Three Coin Set
1987 Pattern Half Eagle Three Coin Set in Gold Plate
(Mintage: one-unique), Silver (Mintage: 55) and Tungsten
(Mintage: 90). Bicentennial of the United States Constitution.
Designed by Fred Zinkann. All 22mm. Matte Unc. 3 coins.
So who's Fred Zinkann? I found this 2001 posting on the Internet.
He's been active as a producer of fantasy coins sold through eBay.
Other private patterns include Antarctic coins and papal fantasy issues of Pope Matthew.
-Editor
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