The E-Sylum v18#41 October 11, 2015

Sun Oct 11 19:05:13 PDT 2015

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The E-Sylum

  An electronic publication of
  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

Volume 18, Number 41, October 11, 2015
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WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM OCTOBER 11, 2015
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NEWMAN NUMISMATIC PORTAL DIGITIZES THE ASYLUM
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KOLBE & FANNING 20% OFF WEB SALE
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NEW BOOK: GOLD DUCATS OF THE NETHERLANDS
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BOOK REVIEWS: BYZANTINE NEW RELEASES
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DICK JOHNSON GRADES NUMISMATIC GLOSSARIES
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THOUGHTS ON PRESS RUNS OF NUMISMATIC BOOKS
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SELECTED PRINCETON COLLECTION COINS AND MEDALS 
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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: OCTOBER 11, 2015
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THOUGHTS ON THE J.L. BERCH COUNTERSTAMP
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FINKELSTEIN  ON DR. DAVID RITTENHOUSE – PART 1
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BRITISH COUNTERFEITING IN COLONIAL AMERICA
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BANKNOTES OF NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA
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ARTHUR MEYER KAGIN 1919-2005
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CIRCUIT REJECTS SWOGER'S SUIT OVER BRASHER DOUBLOON 
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MORE ON THE NEW ORLEANS MINT
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ALVIN JOHN FINK (1875-1965)
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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: OCTOBER 11, 2015
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BEHIND THE SCENES: WORKING ON THE E-SYLUM
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SELECTIONS FROM ERIC P. NEWMAN COLLECTION PART VII
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ISIS MINT FOUND IN TURKEY
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CONFLICT ANTIQUITIES AND THE ANS
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JULIA MAESA: THE FIRST FEMALE CAESAR
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HELMSLEY ROMAN COIN HOARD GIVEN TO ARCHIVE
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NUMISMATICS OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE
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COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL SELECTIONS FROM BALDWIN'S
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CHRISTIE'S SELLS SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON'S MEDALS
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1908 GOLD MANCHESTER UNITED MEDAL 
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2015 WALL STREET BOURSE AND AUCTION
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HEIDELBERGER MÜNZHANDLUNG AUCTION 66
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PRANKSTER DISTRIBUTES FAKE BOOKS AND SIGNS
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FEATURED WEB SITE: COLLECTORS.COM
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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 OCTOBER 11, 2015

Sometimes readers report not receiving their E-Sylum issue by email.  If that happens to you, please check with me to confirm your address is on our mailing list.   Next, check your spam folders to see if it’s ending up there.   

 If you are on our list and just not seeing the issues at all, it could be that your Internet Service provider (ISP) is blocking it for some reason.   If your email address ends in "aol.com", then your ISP is AOL.  Contact your ISP's help desk about the problem, and ask them to "whitelist" the following: esylum at binhost.com, our server (lists.capalon.com) and my email address homren at gmail.com.

Doug Winter and Dave Bowers had been having these problems, but hopefully they've been taken care of now.

New subscribers this week include:
Kyle Smith, 
Mary Lannin, 
Mike Moran and
Jeanne Stevens-Sollman.
Welcome aboard!
We now have 1,887subscribers.

This week we open with the digitization of our print journal, The Asylum, a numismatic literature sale, one new book and two reviews.
Other topics include numismatic glossaries and press runs, David Rittenhouse, Art Kagin, Alvin Fink, Emile Zola, and the ISIS Mint.

To learn more about gold ducats, British counterfeiting during the American revolution, the Brasher doubloon, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), the North Carolina Peacock note, the first female Caesar, and collectors.com, read on.   Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

NEWMAN NUMISMATIC PORTAL DIGITIZES THE ASYLUM

Great news for Numismatic Bibliomania Society members and bibliophiles everywhere - back issues of our print journal The Asylum have been digitized and made available via the Newman Numismatic Portal. Len Augsburger forwarded the following announcement.
-Editor

With approval of the NBS board, and at no cost to the NBS, the Newman Numismatic Portal (NNP) has completed scanning of The Asylum through the year 2013.  These issues are online and may be viewed at 

https://archive.org/details/newmannumismatic?and[]=asylum.  

The Newman Portal, administered through Washington University in St. Louis, has two overhead scanners in operation and has processed over 60,000 pages since June 2015.  Progress on The Asylum has been rapid – following NBS board approval on August 13, and written approval of President Marc Ricard on September 2, scanning has been completed in just a few weeks.  Individuals or organizations with similar needs are invited to contact NNP project coordinator Len Augsburger at 

leonard.augsburger at wustl.edu.

Meanwhile, we've also made great progress on the Asylum page of the NBS Wiki.  Tom Wetter has built and published the page listing every issue of our journal with additional information.  Thanks!  We hope to link the NBS site to NNP at some point to make it even easier to locate back issues and individual articles.
-Editor

“At the ANA Convention last year in St. Louis [1979], about a dozen fellow bibliomaniacs gathered together for an informal dinner and agreed to form an organization for numismatic book and catalogue collectors,” wrote editors Jack Collins and George Kolbe in the inaugural issue of The Asylum. The remainder of the issue covered topics which nearly thirty years later still prove timeless – John Adams on literature of the large cent, or George Kolbe on Crosby (#2 on our list, arguably #1 at the time as Breen did not yet exist). In between there and here The Asylum has served as the platform for core studies, esoterica, and more than a few pointed comments on the state of American numismatics.

To view The Asylum Wiki page, see:

http://wiki.coinbooks.org/index.php/THE_ASYLUM

KOLBE & FANNING 20% OFF WEB SALE

Kolbe & Fanning are offering a discount on numismatic literature sold through their web store.  Here’s the press release.  Be sure to browse their inventory.
-Editor

Kolbe & Fanning are holding a sale for the next couple days on items listed as part of their online bookstore at 

numislit.com
. Orders received October 11-13 will be 20% off, with flat-rate domestic shipping of $5 regardless of how much is ordered (foreign orders will be shipped at cost). 

Our online book selection features over 1300 titles and covers the spectrum of numismatic specialties, including ancient, medieval and modern coins, medals, paper money and exonumia. We handle works from all periods and in all languages, so check us out and take advantage of our 20% off sale through the end of Tuesday, October 13.

The Kolbe & Fanning website can be found at 

numislit.com
.

NEW BOOK: GOLD DUCATS OF THE NETHERLANDS

Jeff Starck published an article in Coin World about a new book on the gold ducats of the Netherlands.
-Editor

A new book released during a coin show in the Netherlands celebrates one of the most famous world trade coins, the ducat. 

Gold Ducats of the Netherlands, Vol. 1, by Dariusz F. Jasek, was released during the Houten coin fair Sept. 19.

Inspired by Italian florins, the first gold ducats were issued in 1285 in Venice, with a weight of 3.5 grams and measuring 20 millimeters in diameter. 

Wide acceptance of these Venetian coins in trade spawned ducats of the same weight and fineness (.986 fine gold) in other countries, notably those issued by the Dutch provinces beginning in 1586. 

The Dutch ducat’s unchanged weight and purity are credited for its popularity. Those unchanging standards were in contrast to other gold trade coins like the gulden and florins that were circulating in Europe alongside the ducat.

The Dutch ducat became “the most important gold coin in international trade for several centuries,” according to the book.

Jasek researched the book for five years, the publisher said. The book features sales records dating back to the 1880s. It includes historical data on each of the Dutch mints that struck ducats and lists provenances for famous pieces. The book also explores multiple varieties and forgeries. A preview of the 352-page book is available at the book’s website.

The book is published for €135 (about $151 U.S.) with free shipping.

For more information, or to order, see:

http://goldducats.com/

To read the complete article, see:

New book offering research into Dutch gold ducat coins debuts

(www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/2015/10/new-book-offering-research-into-dutch-gold-ducat-coins-debuts.html#)

BOOK REVIEWS: BYZANTINE NEW RELEASES

Ursula Kampmann reviewed two new books on Byzantine numismatics in the October 8, 2015 issue of CoinsWeekly.
-Editor

Byzantine numismatics is a something for keen specialists. To begin with, if you want to really delve into the subject you must not limit yourself to reading only those works that are written in English, let alone German. By tradition, French is a highly important language in Byzantine studies as well. And so the two books we would like to introduce you here are likewise written in French.

 Byzance et sa monnaie 

Cécile Morrisson, Byzance et sa monnaie (Ive-XVe siècle), Précis de numismatique byzantine suivi du catalogue de la collection Lampart par Georg-D. Schaaf. Éditions Lethielleux, Paris 2015. 230 pages, black and white illustrations throughout. 17.5 x 25 cm. Paperback. Thread stitching. ISBN 978-2-249-62312-7. 32 euros.

The first book has been written by the Grande Dame of Byzantine numismatics, Cécile Morrisson. It is nothing less than a précis. For all those who have a basic vocabulary consisting of what they need to read a French menu: A précis is a handbook that summarizes what is the most essential of an academic discipline in a minimal amount of space. 

As a matter of fact, 100 pages are enough for Cécile Morrisson to masterfully deal with the coinage of an entire millennium. Beginning with minting technology and its changes over time and giving an overview of metrology, she arrives at the several denominations of the rulers. A large part of her work focuses on the coins’ imagery and their interpretation, and finally addresses the question whether or not the users of the coins could actually understand them in the first place. 

The focus shifts away from the coins in the next question that tackles the issue of the extent to which coins were used as a means of imperial finance. Morrisson not only deals with the question of the individual mints but likewise traces the denominations’ losses in both weight and fineness. The circulation, both national and international, of the coins is a topic that is also dealt with here.

Cécile Morrisson provides the reader with a smart text that far exceeds anything that can be found in a usual collectors’ compendium. It raises the awareness of the fact that numismatics is much more than a nice catalog with a short introduction. 

 Aniconism in the religious art of Byzantium 
Matteo Campagnolo, Paul Magdalino, Marielle Martiniani-Reber, André-Louis Rey, L'aniconisme dans l'art religieux byzantin. Actes du colloque de Genève (1-3 octobre 2009). La pomme d'or Publishing, Geneva 2014. 230 pages + 70 pages wihout pagination, 115 color plates. Paperback. (Poor) adhesive binding. ISBN 978-2-8306-0257-9. 42 CHF.

Speaking of catalogs: The Swiss city of Fribourg is the home of the collection of Albert Lampart (1928-2003). After studying at the Pontificio Istituto Orientale in Rome between 1958 and 1962 and obtaining a doctoral degree (Dr theol), Albert Lampart served as a priest. It was most likely during his time in Rome that he became infatuated with Byzantine numismatics, which, in the end, brought the department for Early Christian and Byzantine numismatics in Fribourg an interesting collection of Byzantine coins, of which the catalog has been prepared by Georg-D. Schaaf for the very same book. Apart from 108 Byzantine coins, the catalog likewise comprises some non-Byzantine specimens, making a marvelous illustration of the handbook written by author Cécile Morrisson (though the quality of some of the images could be a little bit better).

Now, we are turning to a perfect addition to the concise handbook: colloquium proceedings published by Matteo Campagnolo, Paul Magdalino, Marielle Martiniani-Reber, and André-Louis Rey. The colloquium in 2009 focused on “Aniconism in the religious art of Byzantium”. 20 distinguished researchers have contributed with articles (of which eight are not written in French but in English). 

All contributions revolve around aniconism. We would like to highlight at least those articles that deal with numismatic material. In her fundamental article “The religious significance of Byzantine aniconism”, Marie-France Auzépy also takes coins into consideration. Maria Campagnolo-Pothitou, on the other hand, looks at seals in her article „Like the musty odor of early 12th-century iconoclasm: the testimony of the seals“. And Matteo Campagnolo has given his article the provocative title: “Was there anything as an iconoclastic coin?” He summarizes the coins from the relevant period and investigates their relation to the ban on images. 

As you see, Byzantium is a fascinating subject-matter even if you have to brush up your school knowledge in French!

To read the complete article, see:

Byzantine new releases

(www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/4?&id=3689)

DICK JOHNSON GRADES NUMISMATIC GLOSSARIES

Dick Johnson submitted these thoughts on numismatic glossaries.  Thanks!
-Editor

Two weeks ago I received a manuscript from Gary Beals whose name has appeared  in The E-Sylum several times in the last six months. He wanted me to critique his glossary of numismatic terms. Gary is an American living in Spain, he wants to publish a Spanish-English, English-Spanish glossary of numismatic words, an admirable project.

I have two notebooks filled with numismatic glossaries. I used these when compiling my encyclopedia of coin and medal technology. A glossary is a term defined by one or more sentences. An encyclopedia is a fuller treatment. I had analyzed numismatic glossaries not to overlook a necessary technical term for my encyclopedia. 

What I found was interesting. The better glossaries were by more experienced numismatists. I ranked one by Walter Breen a grade A+. He had 230 entries in his 1977 book, Encyclopedia of U.S. Proof Coins. He expanded that list to  583 in his 1988 Encyclopedia of United States Coins. This is the best in the field.

Of almost equal rank is a glossary prepared by the staff at the American Numismatic Society. Of  only 41 terms – the most basic terms – it is graded an A for what it contains. Oh, I wish these experts had done more.  

The American Numismatic Association  prepared its Dictionary of Numismatic Terms with 178 terms compiled by a committee over a period of years. I was on that committee for one year when it was conducted by Russ Rulau.  I grade it a C as I experienced first-hand the shortcomings of a committee, defining by consensus. I resolved to prepare my encyclopedia as a result of that experience. 

Coin World has a glossary in its Almanac; the most recent edition lists 245 terms, grade B. I found specialized glossaries by Pete Smith on large cents, 112 terms, grade B;  David Cassel on patterns 71 terms, grade D for some misinformation; Chris Eimer on 50 British terms, grade B; and Denis Cooper on 165 technical terms, grade B+.  Other published glossaries I found ranged from 12 in a book on enameling, to a complete book length on metal casting. 

Most compilers of glossaries rely heavily on Frey (Albert Romer). His 1917 Dictionary of Numismatic Names contains 4,111 entries with heavy emphasis on coin names and denominations, When Spink reprinted this in 1973 they added a section of 560 coin terms in five languages by Mark Salton. It also reprinted that ANA Dictionary.

I found nine numismatic glossaries currently on the internet. What you would expect as most accurate at Wikipedia graded only a D for such incorrect descriptions as “upset” and useless terms as “over charged” – the same meaning as everyday English. Others, often compiled by coin dealers, ranked little higher for their misinformation.

With that analysis of numismatic glossaries as my qualifications I examined Gary Beals’ manuscript. I had time only for working the A and B terms. 

Gary is a native of San Diego where he attended San Diego State College earning a journalism degree in 1966. That year he wrote a glossary of numismatic terms of Spain and Spanish America. At 16 he had traveled to Peru, Panama and Costa Rica in search of Spanish America coins. Later he  joined the Air Force ultimately serving as Captain in Madrid Spain as  Information Officer.

He returned to San Diego and conducted an advertising and  public relations agency for 28 years. He returned to Spain and Segovia with his wife in 2004 and resumed coin collecting in 2010. In March this year he decided to compile this English and Spanish numismatic glossary greatly expanding his 1966 work. 

Since March he gathered the 1,219 terms in the manuscript he sent me, making great use of Frey and a glossary by John Michael Murbach of Temple City, California, adding others from his own vast numismatic experience of Spanish and American numismatics.

His desire is to publish the total bi-lingual glossary this November. Since he asked, here is my advice:

First, check the alphabetization throughout the book. I found three instances were terms were misplaced, this led to adding the same two terms in two locations.

Second, have the manuscript read by at least two other numismatists who can check for technical accuracy, particularly if you can find specialists, at least one of which who is an authority on paper money. 

Somewhat like Frey, but without 3,000 obsolete names, Gary includes coin names, denominations, slang terms, names of organizations and companies, and most important, technical terms --  how numismatic items are made, used and collected. 

I can’t wait to see the book in print. It will find a wide use among collectors of both nationalities.

THOUGHTS ON PRESS RUNS OF NUMISMATIC BOOKS

Seasoned numismatic book publisher Dave Lange submitted these thoughts in response to Gary Beals' call for recommendations on how many copies to print of his upcoming book.
-Editor

Since my last two books were self-published under my own imprint, PennyBoard Press, I have some experience in this area. Obviously, the potential sales of a book varies with the popularity of the topic. Putting out a book titled How to Get Rich in the Coin Hobby will sell far more readily than one on a much more esoteric subject within the field. As both of my self-published books concern the collecting of coin boards or albums, the very definition of esoteric, I can relate my own experiences.

I printed just over 1000 copies of my 2007 book on antique coin boards, and this was done specifically with the intent of reducing the unit cost to the point where I could offer them wholesale to dealers at half of retail. I was successful in placing about 80-100 books this way, but there were no repeat orders, so the wholesale scheme proved unnecessary. I was able to sell several hundred at retail, but nearly half of these sales were achieved only after I slashed the retail price to the former wholesale figure. Sales then stalled, so I donated 300 copies to the ANA for use as table favors at its 2013 annual banquet, and I still have 100 or so left. 

My 2013 book on National Coin Albums and related products was never offered at wholesale, as the unit cost was too high for me to provide any discount to dealers. I printed 300 of this title, which was the minimum figure for an established printer that was known to do work of the quality I demanded. I've moved just over 100 of these books to date, and about half the sales have come since the original price was reduced to a point where I would still cover the unit cost, even after Amazon or eBay takes its pound of flesh.

One thing I've noticed is that book sales for both my own titles and the more popular titles of commercial publishers in the numismatic field haven't recovered from the 2008-09 recession. There seems to be a malaise over the hobby that inhibits the publishing of new books in recent years, at least within the commercial sector. While my publications are not representative of the overall numismatic field, I would caution prospective authors to think "less is more" when planning their books.

One thing weighing in favor of smaller press runs is that modern printing technology can produce quality works at a reasonable cost that is not necessarily related to the number of copies ordered. The old rule of economy of scale doesn't apply, at least not for press runs of a few hundred or more. Another benefit of modern technology is that additional books usually can be ordered from the printer at the same unit cost, should they be required. This is the so-called "print on demand" service. I'll be looking into this for my current book project on the Library of Coins Albums and other publications of the Coin and Currency Institute (Robert Friedberg). I insist on accurate color reproduction, so I'll be careful in choosing such a printer.

To contact Dave about purchasing one of his books, email him at

DavidWLange at outlook.com.
I should note that there's a related word to the wise in Dave's Fall 2015 Coin Board News newsletter (republished below).
-Editor

In many instances, the early folders are rarer than coin boards.
Being superficially similar to current items, the 1939-50 folders are accorded no respect by coin collectors and
dealers, so their survival rate is extremely low. The distinctive size of our beloved coin boards alerts persons to
their potential value, and they are thus more likely to be saved than the humble folders, which often get trashed.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:

QUERY: PRESS RUN FOR A NEW BOOK ON NUMISMATICS

(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n40a19.html)

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

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