The E-Sylum v18#40 October 4, 2015
The E-Sylum
esylum at binhost.com
Sun Oct 4 15:31:58 PDT 2015
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The E-Sylum
An electronic publication of
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society
Volume 18, Number 40, October 4, 2015
**
WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM OCTOBER 4, 2015
<#a01>
**
ASYLUM APRIL-JUNE 2015 ISSUE PUBLISHED
<#a02>
**
SKLOW MAIL BID SALE #26 CLOSES OCTOBER 10, 2015
<#a03>
**
KOLBE & FANNING’S SALE 140 CLOSES NOVEMBER 7, 2015
<#a04>
**
BOOK REVIEW: WHO'S WHO AMONG AMERICAN MEDALLISTS
<#a05>
**
BOOK REVIEW: THE COINAGE OF THE SCYTHIAN KINGS
<#a06>
**
THOMAS DEO EDWARDS (1894-1946)
<#a07>
**
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: OCTOBER 4, 2015
<#a08>
**
WILL THE REAL M.E. HART PLEASE STAND UP? PART 2
<#a09>
**
COLLECTING CATALOGS OFFERING 1804 DOLLARS
<#a10>
**
ON AUCTION CATALOG WEIGHT
<#a11>
**
SLATE FEATURES THOMPSON'S BANK NOTE REPORTER
<#a12>
**
COUNTERFEIT 1972 DOUBLED DIE LINCOLN CENT
<#a13>
**
THE NEW ORLEANS MINT UNDER SOUTHERN FLAGS
<#a14>
**
MORE ON GEORGE THOMAS MCCOMBE, JR.
<#a15>
**
SUBSCRIBER PROFILE: JULIA CASEY
<#a16>
**
SIR THOMAS GRESHAM AND “GRESHAM’S LAW”
<#a17>
**
THE PRINT BOOK DOOMSAYERS ARE WRONG
<#a18>
**
QUERY: PRESS RUN FOR A NEW BOOK ON NUMISMATICS
<#a19>
**
COIN DESIGNER JOEL ISKOWITZ TO SPEAK AT NYC SHOW
<#a20>
**
SELECTIONS FROM THE 2015 FALL PAN SHOW AUCTION
<#a21>
**
POGUE II: THE RARE COIN MARKET ROARS
<#a22>
**
PRINCETON ACQUIRES SCHAAF SASANIAN COINS
<#a23>
**
HIGHLIGHTS OF PAUL FRANCIS JACQUIER AUCTION 40
<#a24>
**
HIGHLIGHTS OF GADOURY NOVEMBER 2015 AUCTION
<#a25>
**
MORE ON THE J. L. BERCH COUNTERSTAMP
<#a26>
**
THE MEDALS OF ALEX SHAGIN
<#a27>
**
ALEXANDER KIRKWOOD & CO, MEDALLISTS
<#a28>
**
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NEWMAN PART VII SALE
<#a29>
**
QUERY: MOMBASA MYSTERY COIN
<#a30>
**
THE ARMENIAN NUMISMATIC AND ANTIQUITIES SOCIETY
<#a31>
**
WHAT PROMPTS PEOPLE TO BECOME COLLECTORS?
<#a32>
**
THE CLIVE DEVENISH MECHANICAL BANK COLLECTION
<#a33>
**
FEATURED WEB SITE: LIBERTY SEATED COLLECTORS CLUB
<#a34>
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 OCTOBER 4, 2015
New subscribers this week include:
Phil Christ.
Welcome aboard!
We now have 1,882 subscribers.
This week we open with word on the latest Asylum issue, notes from two numismatic literature dealers, and two book reviews.
Other topics include 1804 Dollars, the New Orleans Mint, Gresham's Law, Pogue II, Alex Shagin and Alexander Kirkwood & Co.
To learn more about medalists and medallists, etrogs, Deo Edwards, The Society of the Cincinnati, auction catalog weight, smackeroos, novenos, Viking medals, green tinted cycloidal guilloche configurations and the Mombasa mystery coin, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
ASYLUM APRIL-JUNE 2015 ISSUE PUBLISHED
David Yoon is the editor of our print journal, The Asylum. he writes:
Another issue of The Asylum is at the printers. Here are the contents:
David Stone, The Rare Plated Woodin Catalogue: Tom Elder’s Epic Gold Sale
Ray Williams, Charles Bushnell’s Manuscript “Early Currency”
Thomas D. Harrison, Édouard Frossard’s Anonymous Auction Catalogues
David F. Fanning, Off the Shelf: Spasskii’s The Russian Monetary System
Sounds like a GREAT issue!
Remember, while The E-Sylum is free to all, only paid members of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society receive our print journal, The Asylum. Membership is only $20 to addresses in the U.S., $25 for First Class mail, and $30 elsewhere
-Editor
For a membership application form, see:
www.coinbooks.org/about/NBS_Membership_Form_2015.pdf
SKLOW MAIL BID SALE #26 CLOSES OCTOBER 10, 2015
David Sklow passed along this reminder of his upcoming numismatic literature sale.
-Editor
Numismatic Literature enthusiasts!
Mail Bid Sale # 26 closes in one short week on Saturday Oct 10th at 8 PM Mountain Time.
Be sure to mark your calendar and submit your bids before the deadline!
There over 1000 lots of interesting books, auction catalogs and periodicals to choose from.
Bidding is via email, telephone, fax and USPS. Bids left on our answering service, faxes and email bids received before midnight on closing night will be accepted.
Catalog is available for viewing & downloading on our web site.
Bid Early & Bid Often!
David Sklow - Fine Numismatic Books
P.O. Box 6321
Colorado Springs, CO 80934
Phone:719-302-5686
Fax: 719-302-4933
Email:
numismaticbooks at aol.com
Website:
Finenumismaticbooks.com
THE BOOK BAZARRE
CHERRYPICKERS, GET READY!
The new sixth edition, volume I, of the Cherrypickers’ Guide is now available. Covering half cents and large cents, small cents, up to nickels, in 448 pages. Get your copy today for $39.95 at
Whitman.com
or call 800-546-2995.
KOLBE & FANNING’S SALE 140 CLOSES NOVEMBER 7, 2015
David Fanning forwarded this press release about the next Kolbe & Fanning numismatic literature sale. Thanks!
-Editor
Kolbe & Fanning’s latest catalogue has been published: our Sale 140, featuring selections from the library of Stephen Epstein, among other properties. The sale features numismatic literature from around the world, and will be held beginning at noon eastern time on Saturday, November 7.
Some highlights from the sale include:
Lot 15: Beaupré’s rare work on the medallist Ferdinand de Saint-Urbain
Lot 70: Friedensburg’s rare three-volume publication on medieval Silesian coins
Lot 142: Medina on European medals relating to the Americas
Lots 157 and 158: Niggl’s first and second volumes on musical medals
Lot 174: Rodolfo Ratto’s 1928 sale of the Sydenham aes grave and Roman Republican coins
Lot 266: a complete hardcover set of the Akers sales of the Pittman collection
Lot 273: an original copy of Attinelli’s Numisgraphics, ex Ferguson Haines
Lot 314: a framed handbill for an 1861 numismatic lottery scheme by John K. Curtis
Lot 339: a massive 1863 broadside by S.G. Hubbard, being the first Cincinnati coin auction
Lot 416: a 21-volume hardcover set of John J. Ford, Jr. coin sales (2003-07).
Printed copies of the catalogue are mailing to customers on our mailing list. A PDF of the printed version has been posted on the main Kolbe & Fanning website at numislit.com for anyone wishing to browse the sale or search by keywords. In addition, the sale has been posted to Kolbe & Fanning’s custom online biding platform at auction.numislit.com, where every lot is illustrated in color and where absentee bids can be placed at any time prior to the sale. The live sale will be conducted on the auction.numislit.com site.
As a reminder, bidders may participate in this sale in a variety of ways. Please feel free to send us your bids in the regular mail or send us an e-mail. Give us a call or send us a fax. For those who prefer the experience of live bidding, please check out our live biding platform at auction.numislit.com. Register in advance of the sale and browse the lots at your leisure: all lots are illustrated in the online catalogue. Absentee bids can be placed in advance, allowing participants to not worry about remembering the sale or finding themselves unexpectedly occupied on the day of the sale. Bids will be reduced as competition dictates and the privacy of your maximum bids is maintained. Please contact David Fanning at df at numislit.com with any questions.
BOOK REVIEW: WHO'S WHO AMONG AMERICAN MEDALLISTS
Harry Waterson submitted this review of Dick Johnson's new book, Who's Who Among American Medallists. Thanks!
-Editor
Dick Johnson's: Who's Who Among American Medallists. The Artists of Our Country's Coins and Medals 1652 to Date. by D. Wayne Johnson
I am sure the book did not start out this way but today it is an interactive catalog of mostly American medallists. The Who's Who is the book with artists listed from Aarons, George Manual to Zorrilla, J and 4,000 others in between. The bios reflect years of compiling data about each artist. Some are quite complete and some are placeholders awaiting more information when available. The book answers the question; Who? The website
www.MedalArtists.com answers the question; What? The website is where every artist's work is briefly described and illustrated if possible. By its very nature this is a work in progress, the Wikimedallica of the medal collectors world.
The book arrived in August and I will forever be digesting it. I have been researching one medallist and compiling a catalog of his works for the past 14 years. To compare what Dick Johnson has accomplished to my efforts let me use a stairway analogy. He has reached the top of the Washington Monument and defined the landscape. I am still climbing to the top of a five-flight walk-up. In the Bronx.
This is a first edition of a book that will see many more editions as biographical information is acquired and updated, and a website that will migrate from one digital format to another to remain accessible as it expands and multiplies.
A careful reading of the forward is necessary for the reader to really understand the breadth of the concept described here. Not just a book, not just a website but a marriage of the codex of yore with the informational web platform of tomorrow. It is my hope that the members of the medal collecting community who are often knowledgeable in one small area of Ars Medallica will share that knowledge with the rest of the community via this book/cat-web/cat. Dick Johnson is a generalist and has devoted his life to this grand conjunction. If each of us added our own 2 cents the end result would explode geometrically.
Medallist. On his copyright page Dick Johnson deals with the spelling issue of this word for the designer of a medal. He has opted to use the double L in 'medallist.' This is an elegant solution to spelling 'medallist' in the tradition of The 'Medallic' Art Company and the Society of 'Medallists.' This leaves 'medalist' to the winner of a competitive event. Spell check awarded me a redline under medallist whenever i typed it out until I just added medallist to my dictionary and, poof, the redline went away. Of course, if we all lived in France, they have a perfectly good word, i.e. Medailleur, who is the designer of..., not the winner of.... But then that would be a book of a different cover.
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: WHO’S WHO AMONG AMERICAN MEDALLISTS
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n37a06.html)
BOOK REVIEW: THE COINAGE OF THE SCYTHIAN KINGS
In the Ocober 1, 2015 issue of CoinsWeekly, Ursula Kampmann published a review of Dimitar Draganov's book on the coinage of the Scythian Kings
-Editor
Dimitar Draganov, The Coinage of the Scythian Kings in the West Pontic Area. Bobokov Bros. Foundation. Sofia 2015. 310 pages and 72 plates, full color illustrations, including numerous maps and tables. A4. Hardcover. ISBN 978-954-9460-05-6. 120 euros + postage.
Generally speaking, the world of ancient numismatics is rather simple. It consists of two parts, the Greeks on the one hand, and the Romans on the other hand. Admittedly, the Celts and the Byzantines have managed to develop a life of their own, as it were, but all the other peoples which past generations, rather disrespectfully, used to call “Randvölker” (borderland peoples) almost never make it into the headlines. Yet they form such an essential element of the rich tapestry of the ancient world.
Take the Skythians, for example, which have been the subject of romantic and glorifying descriptions as early as Herodotus. King Ateas, coeval with Philipp II of Macedonia, successfully gained control over almost all Skythian tribes. We do not know for sure how he achieved this diplomatic and military masterpiece. But one thing is certain. He most likely spent as much energy on his campaigns as Philipp II on his conquest of Greece, which, however, found a much greater response by the chroniclers. Furthermore, the Skythian coins continue to be subsumed under the title “Greek Coinage” in all catalogs. This has become a cherished habit, though it surely is historically inaccurate.
Anyhow, the new monograph written by Dimitar Draganov focuses on this intriguing coinage. The first part deals with the coins minted under King Ateas during the first Skythian kingdom which Philipp II destroyed in 339. This part likewise includes the coinage of the city of Dionysopolis, the specimens of which depict an equestrian statue of the king.
The second part examines the coinage of the second Skythian kingdom on the Dobruja, ruled by the members of a single dynasty between ca. 218 and 168/7 BC, including the following kings: Tanousas, Kanites, Akrosas, Charaspes, Aelis, and Sariakes. The author has done fundamental work here. The relative chronology of the rulers of the second Skythian kingdom used to be a matter of scholarly dispute; with this book, Dimitar Draganov not only presents a conclusive reconstruction of the line of succeeding rulers but also gives reliable dates.
Dimitar Draganov studies the depictions of all types of coinage in detail, putting a special emphasis on the countermarks. To put it briefly, the reader is provided with an excellent and lavishly illustrated numismatic commentary. The author likewise benefits from his knowledge of both Western and Eastern languages. He submits a synthesis of the research on this subject-matter and has nevertheless decided to formulate his own findings not in his first language, Bulgarian, but in English instead. The international numismatic community will most likely appreciate this.
This takes us to the die corpus that presents the material neatly arranged and fully illustrated with marvelous images, making the book a valuable standard reference. Every coin dealer, every museum curator will treasure it when he or she is preparing a catalog. What is more, Dimitar Draganov devotes an entire chapter to modern counterfeits. Anyone inclined to think that there was no such thing as a forged bronze coin will be taught better.
To cut a long story short, this book is a new standard work and is a must-have for every library aiming at complying with scientific standards.
To read the complete article, see:
The Coinage of the Scythian Kings in the West Pontic Area
(www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/4?&id=3674)
THOMAS DEO EDWARDS (1894-1946)
John Lupia submitted the following information from his Encyclopedic Dictionary of Numismatic Biographies for this week's installment of his series. Thanks. As always, this is an excerpt with the full article and bibliography available online. This week's subject is Deo Edwards, a collector of U.S. Half Cents.
-Editor
Thomas Deo Edwards (1894-1946), was born on April 24, 1894, son of Thomas Edwin Edwards (1864-1940), a farmer, and Izaetta Jane Griffin Edwards (1868-1935) at Eugene, Oregon.
He graduated high school and entered the University of Oregon.
In December 1927 he applied for membership in the A.N.A. and was given Member No. 3258. In public life he dropped his first name "Edward" and went by his middle name "Deo". In 1926, he was the manager, Hotel Electric, Oregon City, Oregon. In February 1932, he purchased the Tourist Hotel, 524 ½ Main Street, Oregon City, Oregon.
He was a collector specializing in the highest grade U. S. half cents according to his letter dated October 8, 1928 to Henry Chapman, Jr.
Letterhead of the Electric Hotel with note sent by Deo Edwards to Henry Chapman, postmarked October 8, 1928, 9 A.M., Oregon City, Oregon.
"Henry Chapman : Dear Sir : I'm attempting to complete the entire series of U. S. half cents in uncirculated or proof condition. I have about 25 of the more common (also the 1852 proof). Please mail me a list of all the unc. or proof 1/2 cents you have in stock. A note from time to time as you acquire new ones in unc or proof condition please advise me. Yours Truly Deo Edwards A.N.A. 3258"
Over the years he wrote to Henry Chapman buying half cents. What happened to his collection is unknown. He died of apoplexy on March 7, 1946, at age 51, 10 months and 7 days. He is buried in the U. S. veterans burial grounds, Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon.
Interesting - I don't remember ever reading about Edwards. What became of his collection? Does his name appears in any Half Cent pedigrees?
-Editor
To read the complete article, see:
EDWARDS, THOMAS DEO
(https://sites.google.com/site/numismaticmallcom/encyclopedic-dictionary-of-numismatic-biographies/edwards-thomas-deo)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: OCTOBER 4, 2015
Moreau de St. Méry’s American Journey
Philip L. Mossman writes:
I was so pleased that Gawain O'Connor called everyone’s attention to that fantastic book, MOREAU DE ST. MÉRY’S AMERICAN JOURNEY. Although as a fellow Mainer, and a collector of the works of Kenneth Robert, this 1947 classic escaped my attention until 1997 when I was directed to it by Gary Trudgen’s reference in the July 15, 1989 issue of Penny-Wise and by Mike Hodder’s commentary, “Did New Jersey Coppers Officially Circulate in 1792,” published in The Colonial Newsletter (RF-64) [March 1990, sequential page 1152]. I agree with Wayne’s suggestion, based on Gawain’s timely review; this book is “a marvelous find for numismatists.”
This same thinking prompted me to publish my assessment in The Colonial Newsletter [April 1997, pp. 1669-77] which I entitled “More on Moreau.” In my article, I amplified the colonial exchange rates of the period as quoted by Moreau since sometimes these private, individual reports give a better picture of actual day-to-day life as noted by Gawain’s quotations about the Hackensack ferry and daily market prices of common food items. One scary item in this story is that during his escape from unfriendly revolutionary forces in Paris, Moreau cheated the guillotine by a mere eighteen [days] ahead of his pursuers by clearing the port of LeHarve on the brig Sophie to Portland, ME! Thank you Gawain for this memory prompt and recommendation to colonial enthusiasts. Read it!
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
BOOK REVIEW: MOREAU DE ST. MÉRY’S AMERICAN JOURNEY
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n39a08.html)
The Society of the Cincinnati
Bob Fagaly writes:
Regarding the article on the ”THE NATIONAL DEFENSE MEDAL” quoted in the September 27, 2015 issue of The E-Sylum, where it states:
"Marco Islander Lou Stickles is very proud man. He has just been awarded the National Defense Medal by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), which was established in 1894 and is the oldest patriotic lineage organization in the country.”
I should point out that The Society of the Cincinnati, founded in 1783 predates the UDC by 111 years.
Quite correct. Thanks. Here's a little more about the Society.
-Editor
The Society of the Cincinnati is the nation's oldest patriotic organization, founded in 1783 by officers of the Continental Army and their French counterparts who served together in the American Revolution. Its mission is to promote knowledge and appreciation of the achievement of American independence and to foster fellowship among its members. Now a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the principles and ideals of its founders, the modern Society maintains its headquarters, library, and museum at Anderson House in Washington, D.C.
I took the above image from the web site pretty much at random, but hit pay dirt.
-Editor
Bob adds:
I note you show the portrait of Gen. Morgan Lewis wearing George Washington’s Diamond Eagle (the eagle is the badge (actually an order) of the Society). Featured on the cover of Rulau and Fuld’s Medallic Portraits of Washington, it is arguably the most valuable piece of Washingtonia in existence.
For more information on The Society of the Cincinnati , see:
The Society of the Cincinnati
(www.societyofthecincinnati.org)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE NATIONAL DEFENSE MEDAL
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n39a25.html)
Pince-Nez in Numismatics
Pete Mosiondz writes:
Thanks for another great E-Sylum. I too am a Sherlock Holmes aficionado. I always had trouble pronouncing pince-nez (a pair of glasses without sidepieces, held in place by a clip that fits over the nose). I have been told that it is pronounced pons-nay. If I recall correctly, one of the Jeremy Brett episodes mentioned them likewise.
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
PINCE-NEZ IN NUMISMATICS
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n39a31.html)
Alan David Craig Information Sought
Bruce Smith writes:
I am working on my bibliography on Chinese numismatics and have come to Alan David Craig. He was born in 1930, wrote a still important book, "The Coins of Korea" (1955), and for a few years in the late 1950's published the Far East Numismatic Digest. He lived in Berkeley, California and was in the U.S. military in Korea during the Korean War. I believe he died in 1999. Can anyone confirm this? His Coins of Korea was reprinted in 2011 by Ishi Press in New York, which has reprinted some other numismatic works in the past few years.
Can anyone help?
-Editor
Panama 1941 One Balboa Note Census
Pablo Hoffman writes:
“The P M G Census records just 72 known . . . “ This alludes to the Panama 1941 One Balboa note, referenced in an article quoted in the
September 13, 2015 issue of The E-Sylum.
The reference archives of Nuevo Mundo World Paper Money lists 229 issued examples of these notes that have been observed and recorded by serial number (including the one pictured in the cited article, #002093.) This archive list has not been kept current since almost ten years ago, and more examples have surfaced in the interim.
Collectors should be skeptical and selective about considering any “census” figures as authoritative or indicative of actual population.
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
QUERY: DENOMINATIONS NAMED AFTER PEOPLE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n37a27.html)
Eurozone Nation Coin Designs
Jeff Starck of Coin World writes:
I couldn’t help but notice your comments about the new circulating commemorative 2-euro coin.
The example from the Netherlands was shown in the Sept. 20 E-Sylum.
“I guess one could appreciate the simplicity of the design, but the human figures are too abstract for my taste - these are little beyond stick figures. -Editor “
What was not stated in your report is the fact that ALL Eurozone nations are issuing this design, and that it was selected in an EU-wide online vote.
See this earlier Coin World report for the full story.
To read Jeff's Coin World article, see:
Residents choose design to celebrate European Union flag anniversary on circulating €2 coin
(www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/2015/05/residents-choose-design-for-european-union-flag-anniversary-circ.html#)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
SOME RECENT COIN DESIGNS: SEPTEMBER 20, 2015
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n38a27.html)
A Mathematical Coin Puzzle
Regarding the coin puzzle Gosia Fort shared in the September 20th issue,
Pete Smith writes:
Obviously the images in the item were drawings, not photographs. I attempted to identify the coins without success.
Pete's experience mirrors mine. Apparently the drawings were not based on real coins.
-Editor
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 20, 2015 : A Mathematical Coin Puzzle
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n38a09.html)
Daniel Coit Gilman and the ’91 Club
Greg Ruby writes:
In regards to the Daniel Coit Gilman plaque, I always referred to it as the XCI Club medal, not realizing that this was the roman numeral 91. I came across Fabian Franklin’s The Life of Daniel Coit Gilman about 15 years ago. While reading that work, it mentions how Gilman gathered a group of young men to take up management of the Mercantile Library. These men went on to form a social club, the ’91 Club that would meet irregularly 3-4 times each winter to enjoy dinner and a roundtable discussion. The biography states that the bronze portrait was presented to Mrs. Gilman at the last meeting of the ’91 Club in the winter of 1907-08 It’s a beautiful work by Schuler and a prized item in my collection.
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
JOHNS HOPKINS MEDALS
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n39a24.html)
WILL THE REAL M.E. HART PLEASE STAND UP? PART 2
Last week Mike Locke and Dan Owens wrote:
The following draft (in two parts) is a research paper on the M.E. Hart Co. without a definitive conclusion. We are asking readers of The E-Sylum for their help in solving this mystery. If you come across any M.E. Hart Co. advertisements, Shreve & Co. employee records from 1915-1916, or contemporary numismatic publications that reveal the namesake or provide additional information regarding the M.E. Hart Co., we request that you publish your findings in The E-Sylum, or send them to us via the email link on
www.calgoldcoin.com.
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Here is the second and final part. Please let us know if you have any information to help Mike and Dan in their quest.
-Editor
Will The Real M.E. Hart Please Stand Up?
Mike Locke and Dan Owens research paper, compiled by Dan Owens.
Zerbe and Hart Cross Paths.
Early on in our search, we tried to find a concrete link between Mary E. Hart and Farran Zerbe. As Hyder pointed out in his article, it is certainly plausible that they crossed paths in their travels. Noted ANA member Edgar H. Adams wrote in the October 1915, edition of The Numismatist that he, Zerbe and other ANA members toured the Expo together during the ANA convention noting visits to a number of displays including representations of Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and a Mexican village.
Zerbe's Money of the World exhibit housed in the Liberal Arts building was the “Mecca” for the members. ANA members also visited the Italy, France, Cuba and Canada buildings with the Canadian display being chosen by members as being the best. Adams did not mention if they stopped by the Alaska exhibits.
At the Lewis & Clark Centennial held in Portland Oregon from June to October 1905, the floor plan shows that the American Numismatic Association's exhibit with Zerbe serving as agent was positioned right next to the Pacific Coast Steamship Co.'s Alaska Exhibit.
In two separate stories published in the Daily Alaska Dispatch in January 1905, Mrs. Hart allegedly had gotten into a dispute with Alaskan Governor Brady during the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis. She had been appointed to organize, manage and host the Alaska display there but reportedly would not be connected with the Government sponsored Alaska exhibit at Portland.
However, the Oregonian on June 11th, 1905, noted that Mrs. Hart was invited to spend a week at the Expo because of her hostess role in St. Louis. There is no doubt that she would have been attracted to the Pacific Coast Steamship Companies Alaska display and most certainly would have crossed paths with Farran Zerbe in the next booth.
Candidate No. 3
Bruno Ferdinand Fera was born in New Jersey on September 1st, 1873. His resume included a stint as a Manhattan New York jeweler before he worked as a department manager for Shreve & Co. in San Francisco for a number of years. Shreve & Co. made the copper framed cases that some of the Coins of the Golden West token sets were housed in. In addition they manufactured a similar style case for the Panama Pacific International Exposition Commemorative coin set in both single and double sizes. The double sized case allowed both the obverse and reverse of the coins to all be displayed on one side.
In 2014, lot 2114, in the Stack's Bowers Americana Sale was an original copper frame for a ten piece or double size 1915 Panama Pacific commemorative coin set. On the back of this extremely rare item was a sticker reading COINS/OF THE/GOLDEN/ WEST/M.E. HART/CO./560 POWELL/STREET/SAN/FRANCISCO/, with a handwritten price of $12. Hence the M.E. Hart Co. also sold all of the various cases for the P.P.I.E. coins.
More importantly, Fera was listed in the 1915 and 1916 San Francisco City Directories at 560 Powell street. Thus he was at the right place at the right time and in all likelihood rubbed elbows with the proprietor of the M.E. Hart Co.
The Chesterfield Apartments did not house that many tenants. Was the 560 Powell street address a post office box drop off for the M.E. Hart Co. or did someone with the last name of Hart in fact live in the building?
Candidate No. 4
On April 26th, 1916, the San Jose Evening News wrote that Mrs. Marie Hart was reportedly awakened at 4 o'clock in the morning and found a burglar at work in her room at the Chesterfield Apartments, 560 Powell street. She jumped out of bed and made a rush at the thief, but the burglar beat her to the door and ran out into the street.
Thus she stepped forward into the light, as the most promising candidate for the long lost token dealer. Marie Hart was at the right place, at the right time and had the correct first initial and last name.
Did Mrs. Marie Hart like Mr. Fera work for Shreve & Co? A follow-up search through five contemporary newspapers for additional information about the attempted burglary, revealed no further news reports.
At this point, a subsequent search through genealogy records has failed to yield anything of value.
Thus we began to look back and wonder if Marie Hart was a reporter's misinterpretation of Mary E. Hart. She certainly had the personality of someone who would chase a burglar from her room. Even though the apartments appear to have been upscale, they did have a transitory nature to them. On the other hand, if this was true, why didn't the reporter identify her as the so-called first lady of Alaska? She was well known to the press having written and or appeared in dozens of news items over the years.
We did find that Mary E. Hart, the journalist had spent the first four months of 1916 in Missouri visiting relatives before returning sometime in April to Corte Madera. In 1916, she listed her in town address as the Palace Hotel. Thus Mary E. and Marie Hart could have been two separate individuals.
Coincidentally, in a 1920 San Francisco Commonwealth Club membership list, the name of T.W.H. Shanahan, Superintendent of the San Francisco Branch Mint, can be found listed at the 560 Powell Street address. Just who was the proprietor of the M.E. Hart Co.? The evidence points to Farran Zerbe, along with the assistance or namesake of Mary E. Hart, Bruno Fera, Marie Hart, or a combination of the preceding names? However, like William Hyder we have not yet found the fabled "smoking gun" that positively identifies that person or persons.
I would like to thank Robert Leonard for his helpful suggestions.
All images except 560 Powell Street, courtesy of Mike Locke at www.calgoldcoin.com
So what do readers think? What do you make of the different candidates? Anny other thoughts on this numismatic mystery?
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WILL THE REAL M.E. HART PLEASE STAND UP? PART 1
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n39a15.html)
COLLECTING CATALOGS OFFERING 1804 DOLLARS
The "Numismatic Bookie" Joel Orosz published a column in Coin World October 2, 2015 about catalogs offering 1804 dollars, a nice numismatic literature collecting specialty.
-Editor
Back in May, the Numismatic Bookie bought an 1804 silver dollar for $15. OK, it was really my wife, Florence, who made the purchase, and the 1804 dollar was actually photographed in an auction catalog. This experience, however, illustrates how you can build an important numismatic library without breaking your budget.
Antique fairs, flea markets, book sales: bargain-priced numismatic literature hides in them all. We attended the annual Rhinebeck, New York antiques fair, but it could have been any sale, anywhere. Florence spied a Parke-Bernet catalog featuring an 1804 dollar (although its cover depicted a 1907 Saint-Gaudens, Roman Numerals double eagle), at a dealer’s booth, and quickly paid the $15 asking price.
Not only was Florence’s find a bargain, it was also inspiring. The 1804 Draped Bust dollar — “The King of American Coins” as dealer B. Max Mehl called it — has been the straw that stirs a coin collector’s drink ever since the first one was revealed in 1842. One of the greatest numismatic books ever written — The Fantastic 1804 Dollar — exposed this storied coin as a novodel, struck illegally long after the date on its face, but nonetheless, at every public auction appearance, a bidding frenzy erupts. So why not try collecting one copy of every auction catalog offering an 1804 dollar for sale?
If you love challenges, this one will turn your crank. You’ll need to find more than 50 catalogs, ranging in age from 148 years to few months, and in price from hundreds to the $15 Florence paid. Most are American, some British, and one is German. Most are relatively common, some are rare and expensive, and a few are uncommon, yet inexpensive. It will take years of work with numismatic literature dealers, but when finished, you’ll have a superb catalog collection.
Two “keys” are required to complete such a set. The first is the oldest: W. Elliot Woodward’s sale of the Joseph J. Mickley Collection, Oct. 28, 1867. The second is the rarest: Adolph Weyl’s sale of Oct. 13, 1884, which featured, glued to its cover, a photograph of a plaster cast of the 1804 dollar known as the Dexter specimen. Why photograph a plaster cast instead of the real coin? No one knows, although theories abound.
The Parke-Bernet catalog offers a different example, the Davis specimen. After Philadelphia numismatist Robert Coulton Davis purchased this coin from John Haseltine in 1877, he sought assurance from the U.S. Mint that it was an “original” coin (today called a Class 1 dollar, struck around 1834). Mint Assayer William Dubois compared the Davis specimen (today called a Class III dollar, struck around 1858), with the Class I dollar in the Mint Cabinet (museum), and declared that Davis owned an “original” issue. Dubois was a knowledgeable numismatist and longtime curator of the Mint Cabinet who knew the differences between Class I and Class III 1804 dollars, which are readily obvious upon comparison. Dubois simply lied to Davis.
Too bad for Mr. Davis, but good for us. The story of 1804 dollars is chock-a-block with intrigue, skullduggery, and double-dealing. A collection of such catalogs provides hours of fascinating reading as you trace how people over decades pieced together the truly fantastic history of the 1804 dollar.
Three cheers for Florence! Nice find. I have a partial shelf of books and catalogs about the 1804 dollar, and at one point I purchased two Gallery Mint replicas, planning to exhibit my 1804 Dollar collection at a show sometime. Life intervened and I never got around to doing that. Perhaps someday...
-Editor
To read the complete article, see:
Collecting auction catalogs offering 1804 dollars: Numismatic Bookie
(www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2015/10/collecting-auction-catalogs-offering-1804-dollars--numismatic-bookie.html#)
ON AUCTION CATALOG WEIGHT
Gary Beals submitted this note on just why auction catalogs are so darned heavy. Thanks!
-Editor
Auction catalog weight — it’s not lumber doing that
— its dirt ( Well, OK, clay)
Ever ask yourself: Wait a minute, books are made out of paper and paper is made out of wood. So why is this coin auction catalog heavier than a similar-sized plank of wood? The reason those beautiful auction catalogs are so darn heavy I learned from my old field of advertising which involved a lot of coordination with printers: Clay coated paper.
NOTE: I am a new NBS member, and over the last two months I have read every E-Sylum of the last 15 years and seen no mention of catalog paper weight — thus here you go!
This advertising device I dealt with during more than 25 years as an advertising agency owner. Those wonderful glossy catalogs with those razor-sharp images are printed on the nicest paper stock for photos which is called coated stock. Coated with what? The coating is white clay. So you could say that is a type of dirt, or mud or pottery being added to wood pulp and doubling the weight of the basic paper’s ground wood.
If photographs are just sort-of important, the book can be printed on a nice uncoated stock. But when many millions of dollars worth of coins and banknotes are being illustrated, only razor-sharp, vibrant reproduction of four-color images will do.
Coated papers have a smooth clay coating applied over the groundwood base paper. The base paper is made first, then put through a bath of clay coating while running on a machine, followed by calender rollers smoothing out the coating and adding as much as half the weight of the paper.
Coated papers are categorized into grades by their brightness and gloss levels, but they all add a lot of weight because of the clay coating. The coating is finished to a high gloss, or it may be matte, or dull. The most expensive of the coated papers are the heaviest — and those coin auction companies do not cut corners.
Gary's right - I don't believe we've ever broached this subject in such detail. Thanks for making us smarter about this! That explains a lot, and it's a good reason never to give up on printed catalogs. That level of image quality is tough to beat, and will last pretty much forever. Having digital copies on your portable device is nice, but not a complete substitute.
-Editor
Archives International Auctions, Part XXIX
U.S. & Worldwide Banknotes, Scripophily, Coins,
Historic Artifacts & Ephemera, Artwork, Autographs
and Security Printing Ephemera
October 24th & 29th, 2015
Click the links!
Highlights include:
Lot 26: Thomas Spencer - Honolulu - Sandwich Islands 1858
Lot 320: Accelerating Steam Navigation Co. 1841 Ten shares
Lot 363: Confederate States Bond. $10,000. Cr.146, B-339.
Lot 413: First Liberty Loan Converted 4 _% Gold Bond of 1932-1947
Lot 607: Fijian Government Debenture, 1872 Issue
Lot 715: Bono De Caja, El Banco Comercial Refaccionario De Chihuahua
Lot 738: Banco Nacional Del Peru, 1877 Provisional Issue Specimen
Lot 809: Bank of Zambia, ND (1964) Specimen Banknote.
Lot 948: British American Bank Note Company Engravers & Printers Proof
Lot 960: Draper, Underwood, Bald & Spencer, ND, ca.1820's Sample Sheet.
Lot 1000: Colonial Pennsylvania, 15 Shillings 5.20.1758.
Lot 1056: Cherokee Insurance & Banking Co. 2 Dollars. 1862.
Lot 1139: Bank of America, 1879 Specimen $10,000 Clearing House Certificate.
Lot 1148: Manufacturers Bank, 184x Proof Banknote on a Proof Vignette Sheet
Lot 1229: Confederate States. 5 Dollars. 1861.
Lot 1280: Legal Tender Note. 1863 Series. 5 Dollars.
Lot 1298: Hackettstown National Bank of NJ., Second Charter $10.00
Live Internet Bidding
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization
promoting numismatic literature. For more information please
see our web site at
http://www.coinbooks.org/.
There is a membership application available on the web site
at this address:
http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_member_app.html
To join, print the application and return it with your check
to the address printed on the application. Membership is only
$15 to addresses in the U.S., $20 for First Class mail, and
$25 elsewhere. For those without web access, write to:
David M. Sundman, Secretary/Treasurer
Numismatic Bibliomania Society,
P. O. Box 82 Littleton, NH 03561
For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership
questions, contact David at this email address:
dsundman at LittletonCoin.com
To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, just
Reply to this message, or write to the Editor at this
address: whomren at gmail.com <!-- at coinlibrary.com-->
Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers
(or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page:
https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum
All past E-Sylum issues are archived on the NBS web site at this address:
http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum_archive.html
Issues from September 2002 to date are also archived at this address:
http://my.binhost.com/pipermail/esylum
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.binhost.com/pipermail/esylum/attachments/20151004/043ebceb/attachment.html>
More information about the Esylum
mailing list