The E-Sylum v20n27 July 2, 2017
The E-Sylum
esylum at binhost.com
Sun Jul 2 18:15:00 PDT 2017
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The E-Sylum
An electronic publication of
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society
Volume 20, Number 27, July 2, 2017
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WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM JULY 2, 2017
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KOLBE & FANNING SALE 146 CLOSES JULY 15, 2017
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ANS 2017 SUMMER BOOK SALE
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JOHN SPRING (1934-2017)
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CONTEMPORARY 1792 MINT ACT PUBLICATION DIGITIZED
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MERCHANT’S MAGAZINE NOW ON NEWMAN PORTAL
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MORE ON THE HELFENSTEIN SALE PHOTO
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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JULY 2, 2017
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MORE ON THE MORMON DESERET ALPHABET
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VOCABULARY TERM: FORMULATION
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AUGUSTUS CHARLES GRUHLKE (1850-1935)
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MAJOR GENERAL BROWN'S DAVIS FLIGHT MEDAL
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1896 ARGENTUM UNIVERSALE ONE TALENT LOCATED
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ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS HISTORIC COIN PRESS NO. 1
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REGINA COIN SHOW TO FEATURE ARCTIC MEDAL
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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: JULY 2, 2017
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ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE THROUGH COINAGE
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METAL DETECTORISTS AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS
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CANADA'S LOON DOLLAR TURNS THIRTY
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1775 LOUIS XV CANADIAN INDIAN PEACE MEDAL
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ROYAL MINT COMMEMORATES PISTRUCCI'S 1817 DESIGN
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‘UNA AND THE LION’ PROOF SET OFFERED
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SIGMUND FREUD IN NUMISMATICS
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QUEEN VICTORIA’S DIAMOND JUBILEE MEDAL
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ROYAL MINT BUYS RARE COIN DEALERSHIP STAKE
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DE LA RUE CREATIVE DIRECTOR JULIAN PAYNE
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LOCAL CURRENCY NAMED FOR COUNTERFEITER FARINET
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VICTORIA’S SECRET TURNS TABLES ON COUNTERFEITERS
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"GOOD LUCK" COIN TOSS DELAYS FLIGHT FIVE HOURS
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FEATURED WEB SITE: USPATTERNS.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
Content presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM JULY 2, 2017
New subscribers this week include:
COINage Magazine editor Lynn Varon, courtesy of Ed Reiter.
Welcome aboard! We now have 3,250 subscribers.
Welcome also to our newest advertiser, BestPriceCoins.com.
Thank you for reading The E-Sylum. If you enjoy it, please send me the email addresses of friends you think may enjoy it as well and I'll send them a subscription with your compliments. Contact me at whomren at gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content.
I've been on the road with my family this weekend, and I'm publishing this from New York City. I wasn't able to include everything that was sent to me this week, but I hope to catch up on my backlog over the next week or so.
This week we open with a new numismatic literature sale from Kolbe & Fanning, a summer book sale from the ANS, remembrances of author John Spring, and new additions to the Newman Numismatic Portal.
Other topics this week include the Helfenstein large cent photo, Davis Flight medals, the Universale Argentum coinage proposal, the Arctic medal, ancient architecture on coinage, Una and the Lion, and a local currency named for a counterfeiter.
To learn more about ancient coin auction catalogues, the 1792 Mint Act, Coin Press No. 1, the 1972 Munich Olympics gold medal,
Mafeking Siege notes,
the Ideal Beverage, the
Museum of Counterfeit Money, and
the Loonie on Ice, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
KOLBE & FANNING SALE 146 CLOSES JULY 15, 2017
David and Maria Fanning forwarded this press release about the upcoming July 15 Kolbe & Fanning numismatic literature sale. Thanks.
-Editor
KOLBE & FANNING ANNOUNCE JULY 15 AUCTION OF NUMISMATIC BOOKS
Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers have announced that our Sale 146 will be held on July 15, 2017. The 400-lot sale features selections from several private European libraries and the specialized holdings of an American collector, and covers ancient, foreign and U.S. numismatics.
Some highlights of the sale include:
Lot 2: Alföldi’s Caesar in 44 v. Chr. (Band 2, with 156 plates)
Lot 41: an original 1857 copy of Cohen’s Description générale des monnaies de la République Romaine
Lot 53: a 1754-55 folio catalogue of Maria Theresa’s Roman portrait coins
Lot 179: an exceptional volume of pamphlets by Augustin Dupré regarding his role in French coinage, from the library of the author
Lot 211: Medina’s 1919 volume on the colonial coins of Latin America
Lot 228: over 100 years of Royal Mint reports, spanning 1870 through 1986, with only a handful of exceptions
Lot 230: the first photographically illustrated Canadian numismatic work, Sandham’s rare publication on the Prince of Wales medals
Lot 278: a complete set of numbered Barney Bluestone auction catalogues
Lot 324: Ted Naftzger’s plated copy of Elder’s Gschwend sale
Lot 364: a plated New York Coin & Stamp Company catalogue of the George Woodside collection, bound in one volume with other classic pattern sales from the library of Edgar H. Adams.
Bids may be placed via post, email, fax or phone, as well as online. Kolbe & Fanning is using Auction Mobility as our third-party online bidding platform. Auction Mobility is an app-based platform allowing users the ability to participate in the sale through phones, tablets and computers. To register for the sale, bidders must go to bid.numislit.com and sign up. Once you have set up an account, you may browse lots, place advance bids, or participate in the live sale online. Those wishing to participate on their devices can download the Kolbe & Fanning app through the Apple or Google Play Store.
The printed catalogue of Sale 146 has been mailed to active customers. A PDF of the printed catalogue has also been posted to our main website at numislit.com for those who prefer that format (the online catalogue may be truncated). Bids placed via post, email, fax or phone must be received by July 14, the day before the sale, in order for them to be processed. Advance absentee bids may also be placed online at bid.numislit.com; live internet bidding will be available during the sale itself through the same platform.
Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers LLC is a licensed and bonded auction firm in the State of Ohio. For more information, please see the Kolbe & Fanning website at
numislit.com or email David Fanning at
df at numislit.com. To register for the sale, go to bid.numislit.com. We look forward to your participation.
ANS 2017 SUMMER BOOK SALE
In their June 2017 Enews, the American Numismatic Society announced a Summer Book sale on five recent publications. I've included links to their ordering pages.
-Editor
Summer Book Sale Featuring Recent ANS Publications
>From now until July 31st, purchase recent ANS titles for 50% off the retail price!
Wealth and Warfare: The Archaeology of Money in Ancient Syria, by Frédérique Duyrat
Now $100
Irritamenta: Numismatic Treasures of a Renaissance Collector, by John Cunnally
Now $100
The Banknotes of the Imperial Bank of Persia: An Analysis of a Complex System with Catalogue, by Michael Bonine
Now $50
Art of Devastation: Medallic Art and Posters of the Great War, edited by Patricia Phagan and Peter van Alfen
Now $50
American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 28 (2016)
$37.50
Order online via the links above, or by phone at 212.571.4470 x117.
JOHN SPRING (1934-2017)
Readers kindly provided the following tributes to author and researcher John Spring, who passed earlier this year. Thank you.
-Editor
George Kolbe writes:
Over the years, John Spring and I both attended a
number of major European numismatic literature
auctions. While on these adventures, John was
renowned for locating and staying at the very
cheapest hotel room or hostel he could find. I think it
was a game with him. This was in stark contrast to his
general nature: unfailingly cheerful and courteous and
generous. John was a truly fine human being. Often
he would incorporate a hiking trip into his itinerary
but—more importantly for ancient coin and
numismatic literature aficionados—John also visited
and researched most of the libraries of the major
European coin firms.
In 2009, the results of many years of studious
research resulted in publication of Ancient Coin
Auction Catalogues, 1880–1980. It is a master-work.
In addition to listing virtually every significant auction
sale catalogue with photographic illustrations of
ancient coins, it features delightful histories of the
many venerable coin firms that produced them. Sadly,
over recent decades, virtually all of these firms have
closed their doors or survive in name only.
Some Europeans may not fully comprehend the
comparison and some Americans may not fully
appreciate the importance of the subject matter but
John Spring was a worthy successor to Emmanuel
Joseph Attinelli. He will be sorely missed.
Charlie Davis writes:
It was with great sadness that I learned of John Spring's passing. He was the consummate gentleman, quite rare I am afraid in this business. His knowledge of classic European catalogues was remarkable and is reflected in his detailed work "Ancient Coin Auction Catalogues 1880-1980" published by Spink. I looked forward to seeing him in London each trip, chatting about dealers with whom he was one of the last links, and buying Ars Classica, Jacob Hirsch, Bruder Egger etc catalogues in the most extraordinary condition. He will be very much missed.
Douglas Saville provided the following remembrance. Thanks!
Below is a photo of John in the McClean Room of the Fitzwilliam Museum - one of the largest collections of coin sales catalogues in the world.
-Editor
John passed away on 26 June in a hospice, not far from his home in central
London - Cancer had been diagnosed a few months ago, and he will be
remembered for his cheerfulness, generosity of spirit, reliability, and basic
good-heartedness.
For many years to come the numismatic world will be grateful to him for his
remarkable and indispensable - I don’t use these adjectives lightly - Ancient
Coin Auction Catalogues 1880-1980, published in 2009 (Reviewed by Alan
Walker in Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau 89, 2010, pp. 277-280).
Over the years, I got to know John very well indeed, and more especially in
more recent times when he started to deal in numismatic literature. He had
previously collected coins, and slowly these were replaced by the literature of
the subject, especially the sales catalogues.
He became increasingly fascinated by the personalities behind the collections
sold at auction - the collectors, the dealers and the auction houses. During his
visits to Spinks in the 1980s and 1990, we would discuss the famous collectors
of the past, named and unnamed. With his computer-processing background -
his first job in 1960 was with IBM, as a systems’ analyst - he started to organise
the information, and to form an important collection of illustrated sales
catalogues. This work resulted in his major Bibliography, and on and off, it took
John almost 30 years.
John didn’t like to fly - I am not sure he ever did fly - and he travelled all over
Europe by train, often with his bicycle on board. He rented left-luggage lockers
in railway stations all over the Continent, where he deposited boxes of books
ready to be hauled to coin fairs for sale; he worked hard at this for a number of
years, and he loved every minute of the time he spent doing it.
He had one bad
experience in France – at gunpoint police arrested him for a short time on a
train, for “smuggling”- apparently for not “declaring” duty-free books…. and
put him off the train… imagine him sitting on the station in the middle of
France, surrounded with his books and not much else. I don’t think he ever
forgave the French police, and I am not sure if he ever travelled through France
again by train.
John and I attended many of the well-known auctions of numismatic libraries -
often he would spend days viewing lots, and adding to his ever-increasing
database: the M & M (Basle) sales of the 1980s; the Werkner library sale Spink
Taisei, (1993) and the Sotheby sale of the Furstenberg library, (1982) both sold
in Zurich. Just the remnants, but still a massive library, of the famous Dutch
dealership, Jacques Schulman, was sold in Frankfurt/Main in 1995. The
enormous Rollin and Feuardent library, the Kampmann (Maison Platt), and the
Etienne Page libraries were all sold in Paris between the years 1989-2003. John
was at all these sales – in his element, and loving the thrill of auctions and the
socialising, often with people he had corresponded with and previously not met.
John Bergman attended one such sale, and George Kolbe was at almost all of
these noted.
He would usually stay in the cheapest possible hotel - or hostel - that he could
find, and would delight in inviting a few of us to a back-street restaurant (often
at a hike of a couple of miles) he had found where the food was fantastic, but
the price less than a third of what you might expect to pay. An additional
“game” that John liked to play- searching out the cheapest of places.
Domenico Rossi’s sale of his huge collection of auction catalogues, and Marco
Olivari’s impressive library were sold in Pavia in 2003-2005. I had been offered
the Rossi collection en bloc - but I think John was relieved when I told him I
wasn’t able to buy it, since he would then have missed the fun of an auction and
the socialising….!
One of the most impressive libraries to have be sold at auction was that of
Munzen und Medaillen AG, Basle, Kunker, Osnabruck, in 2005. I think John
viewed the sales catalogues in that library for more than a week prior to the sale
- the library stayed in Basle, whilst the auction was held in Osnabruck.
Perhaps the most memorable of such sales was the auction of the remaining
part, but still huge - nearly 3000 lots sold over 3 very long days - of the Adolph
Hess library sold by Peus in Frankfurt/Main in 1991. In his inimitable way, after
the sale, John listed ALL the attendees at the auction. In room 1 he named the
30 or so “German speakers” – in room 2, there were 25 or so “English
speakers”, and in room 3, there were 4 or 5 “others”….. Peus conducted the
whole sale simultaneously in German and English, and in French and Italian
when required.
A few months ago, John presented me with his own annotated sale room copy
of the catalogue of the Hess library sale - falling to pieces – and said: “… you
had better have this, since you’re the only person who will understand what it is
all about!”.
CONTEMPORARY 1792 MINT ACT PUBLICATION DIGITIZED
The latest addition to the Newman Numismatic Portal is a contemporary publication of the United States Mint Act of 1792. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report. Thanks.
-Editor
Contemporary Publication of the Mint Act of 1792 on the Newman Portal
The National Gazette was a Philadelphia newspaper published by Philip Freneau from October 1791 to October 1793. Highly political, the Gazette was firmly in the Republican camp, opposing the Federalist policies of Hamilton and others. Freneau was enticed to move to Philadelphia through Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who conveniently granted Freneau a post in the State Department. Jefferson was of course staunchly anti-Federalist and apparently comfortable with the obvious conflict of interest. The conflation of politics and the press is by no means a modern phenomenon!
Signed by Washington on April 2, the text of the Mint Act of 1792 appeared in the Gazette on April 12. Although widely published, there is something about an original copy that better conveys the historicity of the moment. After faltering starts dating back to the 1770s, America finally had its own Mint and the promise of a coinage that would serve as a sign of American independence and economic influence.
Note, this is oversized document – to facilitate reading on the Newman Portal, use the full-screen option (icon at bottom right of the NNP viewer), then the magnifying glass icons at the top right of the full-screen display, along with the scroll bars to the right and bottom of the full-screen document viewer.
This is one of my contributions to the Newman Portal. I've owned this newspaper for many years, and kept it as part of my library when I sold much of my newspaper holdings in Kolbe and Fanning's Sale 119 in 2010. There's no substitute for owning the original historic document, but I'm glad to have it digitized to share with my fellow numismatists.
-Editor
Link to National Gazette, 4/12/1792, on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/532389
Link to demo video on using the Newman Portal document viewer:
https://archive.org/details/NNPViewerDemo
MERCHANT’S MAGAZINE NOW ON NEWMAN PORTAL
Another recent addition to the Newman Portal is Merchant’s Magazine and Commercial Review . Here's a report from Project Coordinator Len Augsburger.
-Editor
Freeman Hunt’s Merchant’s Magazine and Commercial Review (1839-1870) was an important source of American economic, banking, and trade news in the mid-19th century. Numismatic tidbits are scattered about and are best found through text search. Users can search specifically within this periodical through the Newman Portal advanced search, by entering “Merchant’s” in the “Title” field and the search word or phrase in the “Search” field. A search on “Mint” for the year 1853, for example, reveals some of the thought that went into the Mint Act of 1853, which slightly reduced the weight of the silver coinage. Prior to this, silver coinage was overweight with respect to gold, and Congress wished to restore circulating parity:
“Since our last, the New Mint Bill has become a law, and will be published in our next number. Its provisions give general satisfaction, particularly the redaction of the weight of our silver coin, which will tend to relieve the present scarcity of small change. The reduction applies only to half dollars, quarter dollars, dimes, and half dimes, and is equal to 6.91 per cent…..Had more than this been taken from the intrinsic value of the coin, imitators might have supplied the change from private mints, and thus have defrauded government of the profits of the new coinage.” (Merchant’s Magazine, vol. 28, p. 344.)
Link to Merchant’s Magazine on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/520455
Link to advanced search page on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/AdvancedSearchForm
MORE ON THE HELFENSTEIN SALE PHOTO
Dan Hamelberg of Champaign, IL submitted these notes in response to Dave Wnuck's story on the famous Helfenstein sale photo. Thanks.
-Editor
Regarding the Lester Merkin photo cover for the Helfenstein Sale, I have an original negative for the Large Cent cover which I believe is different from the one Charlie Davis used for his copies and the one used for the photo in the Champa part one sale, lot 409. The print in the Champa sale was 19 1/2 " by 15 1/2 ", and does not completely illustrate the 1798 Cent far right. Also, only a small part of the bracket on the left holding the magnifying glass is seen. The 20" by 24" photo produced by Charlie Davis has a wider image and does include more of the 1798 Cent on the right and the magnifying glass bracket on the left.
I produced a total of 15 - 8" by 10" photos of my negative and it illustrates the entire 1798 cent on the right and much more of the bracket on the left. If you still have photo #11 that I sent you in May of 1994, you can see the wider margins. The September, 1964 issue of Coins Magazine has the Merkin photo of the Helfenstein Sale on the cover. It appears to be taken from the soft cover Merkin sale catalog as the Hardcover catalog has a cropped photo that mostly hides the 1798 cent on the right and bracket on the left.
Additionally, I made 3 giant poster sized prints 24" by 30" from my negative. One was sold at the 1992 ANA at the NBS meeting for the benefit of the NBS. One was sold in 2008 at the ANS Gala for the benefit of the ANS. I retained one of the giant prints for my collection.
There are coin photos and then there are coin photos. Most are utilitarian and with today's cameras often look great though few of us have training in the photographic arts. But doing it well is still a high art. That this one photo is still being talked about and collected forty years on says a lot.
It is thanks to collectors like Dan and dealers like Charlie and their zeal for numismatic literature and ephemera that those negatives were spared the fate of being consigned to a dumpster, and collectors forty (or four hundred) years in the future will be able to share our delight in the image.
I still have that photo Dan sent.
Because it's easier than digging it out and scanning it, below is an image of Charlie Davis' version of the print, with an inset showing how it is cropped for the color photo.
-Editor
For more information, or to order, see:
Merkin: Color Photograph, 20x24", of the Louis Helfenstein Collection of Large Cents
(https://www.vcoins.com/cn/stores/charles_davis/44/product/merkin_color_photograph_20x24_of_the_louis_helfenstein_collection_of_large_cents/106784/Default.aspx)
I wrote this Tuesday morning. I was up before everyone in the house, as usual. I took my glasses off to put in some eyedrops and was struck by this scene on my desk, so I took a picture.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE HELFENSTEIN LARGE CENT SALE COVER PHOTO
(http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n26a08.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JULY 2, 2017
Central States Offers Author Grants
Bruce Perdue forwarded this message from the Central States Numismatic Society:
Author grant applications now being accepted. Four author grants will be awarded in amounts up to $5,000 each for individuals wishing to research and write numismatic literature. Contact education director Ray Lockwood for details at sunrayofmarion at aol.com
Harvey Stack on the ANA Edition of The E-Sylum
Regarding the new ANA Edition of The E-Sylum,
Harvey Stack writes:
I believe the addition of the members of the ANA will give greater insight to the importance and need for more numismatic knowledge. Your weekly publication of news will provide constant instruction that coin collecting has depth and deep study that only the more advanced collector generally sees.
The E-Sylum is a great source of information
towards the continuous advancement of numismatics.
I remember when The Numismatist was the main source of information; later Numismatic Scrapbook joined the monthly distribution of news, and when the introduction of Numismatic News and Coin World on a weekly basis joined the information train, I feel that all together they
helped make the ANA and the hobby grow.
Later of course came to the market other numismatic magazines and then the electronic world led to the growth of the interest and knowledge about coins on virtually a daily basis. Of
course, your dedication to The E-Sylum which is a super
effort you've done virtually on a one man basis in charge of publication weekly, became the super source for literature and information to keep collectors aware what is happening in the hobby.
Best wishes on your new collaboration.
Thanks, Harvey. Your 75 years of experience in this hobby provide excellent perspective. We're all part of a great tradition, and the future is as bright as ever. I'm looking forward to bringing more people of all interests into our ongoing conversation about numismatics.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ANA ANNOUNCES E-SYLUM COLLABORATION
(http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n26a02.html)
Observations on Digital Scanning Resolution
Regarding scanning material for research and other uses,
Dave Bowers writes:
Some observations:
In the 1930s Eastman Kodak promoted the Recordak camera that used 16 mm black and white film to record old newspapers and other material. Their promotions said that tons of old newspapers that were taking up space could now be tossed.
The result TODAY is that most historical newspapers are gone forever, and that the 16 mm images, widely available on various Internet sources, are in all instances fuzzy and never crisp.
Today, digital tech can solve that. Here are some basic rules:
1. Most printed material such as books and postcards if imaged at 300 dpi will be about as good as the originals. Lower dpi will result in fuzzy edges to the letters, etc. If you use 400 dpi, as I do, any later use will be 100% as sharp as the originals.
For bank notes and engravings, I use 800 dpi. This enables the most delicate engraving details to be captured perfectly.
Absent the above, any modern scans will be sub-par if anyone wants to reproduce them.
The New Hampshire Historical Society, of which I am a trustee, uses 700 dpi for everything, including tens of thousands of historical photographs. This insures that if any originals ever are lost, the digitized images are just as good.
Over the years I have had many inquiries from researchers, and the above advice/commentary has ALWAYS worked to the delight of everyone.
Thanks! With today's cheap digital storage and high-quality scanners there's little reason to not make use of the highest approproate resolution for the intended use.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEWMAN PORTAL UPDATE: JUNE 2017
(http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n26a09.html)
Mike Hodder on the Sacred Heart Piece
Mike Hodder writes:
The medal described as possibly a previously unknown Canadian or Jesuit Indian Peace medal is nothing more than a Catholic Sacred Heart of Jesus devotional piece. Christ's heart is shown surrounded by the crown of thorns of the Passion and is aflame with his love for mankind. So the iconography is described by the Sisters of Carmel. Medals of the same general design can be bought in any Catholic religious store and online from scores of sites. I do not think the piece shown is particularly old.
Thanks. It's great to hear from Mike, who was the first numismatist I exchanged email addresses with prior to starting The E-Sylum. It took a few years before there were enough others with email accounts to make a weekly newsletter viable. We've come a long way since then, with many thousands of readers now. Meanwhile email has been overtaken by social media and chat, but it remains a useful way to publish content to readers, many of whom use mobile devices rather than
office or home computers for access.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS MEDAL
(http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n26a13.html)
Memorial Coins Honor Kalamazoo Fire Chief
Jeff Starck writes:
The Kalamazoo Chapter of the Fraternal Order Of Leatherheads Society has honored the Fire Chief who was killed on duty earlier this year with a commemorative medal.
Too bad they don’t show an image of the medal.
I love these stories of local medals with meaning.
The Kzoo F.O.O.L.S. organization is offering memorial coins to honor the memory of Chief Ed Switalski and pay tribute to the impact he had on the community.
The Comstock Township fire chief was hit and killed by a driver while responding to a crash on I-94 earlier this month.
The Kzoo F.O.O.L.S. designed a commemorative coin that can be purchased in person for $15 or shipped for $20. We're told 100% of the profits will go to the Comstock Firefighters Memorial Fund.
Thanks. It's a shame the piece isn't illustrated.
-Editor
Kalamazoo resident Joel Orosz adds:
Thanks for mentioning this sad occurrence. The Chief was universally respected in the greater Kalamazoo area (Comstock is an eastern suburb of Kalamazoo). My poor hometown has suffered a lot in the past 18 months: a murderous rampage by a deranged Uber driver, a group of bicyclists mowed down by a badly impaired motorist, and now this. We are hoping for better things in the future.
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Memorial coins honor fallen fire chief
(http://wwmt.com/news/local/memorial-coins-honor-fallen-fire-chief)
MORE ON THE MORMON DESERET ALPHABET
David Fanning of Gahanna, OH writes:
The piece on the Deseret alphabet developed by the Mormons in the 19th century caught my eye. As some of my friends know, Mormon history is an interest of mine, and I own copies of three of the four books printed in Deseret. In the photo attached are The Deseret First Book and The Deseret Second Book (both published in 1868) flanking a Deseret printing of Nephi I (the first book in the Book of Mormon), printed in 1869. They are propped up by a volume probably more familiar to most of our readers! I'm also attaching a shot of the title page of Nephi I.
Thanks! Our readers have an amazingly wide set of interests beyond numismatics, which enriches our conversation immensely. This discussion has been a great introduction to the Mormon Desert alphabet seen on the coin illustrated in earlier issues.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE MORMON DESERET ALPHABET
(http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n26a14.html)
VOCABULARY TERM: FORMULATION
Dick Johnson submitted this entry from his Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology. Thanks.
-Editor
Formulation.
Mixing of metals to form the exact alloy for a coinage composition. The procedure to prepare metal to be rolled into strip, blanked and struck into coins or medals consists of three steps: learning the exact composition of metal to be used, weighing the metal and adding to it the proper metal to meet the standards of the coinage alloy. The makeup of the melt must be the exact COMPOSITION for the intended coins. Medal compositions for bronze medals can be for more liberal (see Bronze chart).Preparing the proper composition is done by weight to make the ALLOY the correct percent of each metal.
Metal arrives at mints in many forms: melted coins, salvaged metal, virgin metal, BULLION ingots from various suppliers. Precious metal is tested (ASSAYED) to ascertain its composition and purity, then weighted and mixed with other metal before being melted together. Coinage laws spell out the STANDARD of silver compositions. It is seldom that a pure metal is ever used for coins (aluminum being an exception, but even this is often alloyed with manganese). Pure metal seldom has the wearing qualities required for a circulating coin.
Typically, gold and silver is alloyed with copper. Nickel (being very hard to strike in pure state) is also alloyed with copper to form copper nickel. For a bronze composition, copper is alloyed with zinc (formerly with tin and zinc). Thus most all coinage compositions are alloys. Formulation is the mixing of the metal – in pure state or already alloyed – to reach the required combination of metal components.
As an example, when Great Britain was on the STERLING standard of .925 silver, the formula was 37 fortieths of silver to copper. Nine parts of copper had to be added to 111 parts of silver to make the proper coin composition of .925.
Salvaged metal can be in many forms. A large quantity is SKELETON SCRAP
from blanking (long strips cabbaged into a size for melting in furnaces). This is ideal since it is already of proper formula. But scrap or salvaged metal can be in sheet, bar, tube, wire, pellet or any fabricated form.
Brass shell casings from World War II were salvaged for American bronze
coinage metal in the years following that war. Likewise cannons have provided salvaged metal after previous wars. (The Paris Mint made note of salvaged Russian iron canons make into several of their coining presses.)
Silver has been scraped from tableware, receptacles and silver objects of all kinds.
Coinage silver, as another example, was made from melted firemen's horns from the Diligent Fire Engine Company #10 at the Philadelphia Mint in 1871 according to numismatic writer Walter Breen. Thus the source or physical form of metal is immaterial.
All scrap metal must be tested for purity, the function of assaying for precious metals, then formulated into the standard composition required for coinage strip to be used by a mint for coins. Such a strict metal standard is generally not a requirement for medals, typically struck in bronze or silver. Thus medals can be struck in bronze of most any formulation (see BRONZE chart) or silver of prescribed fineness from commercial metal suppliers.
After formulation (in a mint's melt shop), the alloyed mixture, called a charge, is melted in furnaces, agitated into one homogeneous mass. It is treated with flux, then poured into ingot molds and allowed to cool. The bullion at this point may have physical imperfections, however a chemical imperfection – an inhomogenous mixture – is serious, as it may continue to exist throughout rolling, blanking and even in struck pieces.
Incorrectly formulated bullion alloy is called BULLION BLUNDER. This occurs when an incorrect amount of metal was added during the makeup of the melt. Other than a possible discoloration of alloy, this anomaly is usually not evident but may only be determined by LABORATORY TESTING. Also the several metals may not have blended correctly to form a homogeneous alloy. See INHOMOGENEITY.
Reference: NC8 {1988} Breen. CLASS 06.1
Looking for the meaning of a numismatic word, or the description of a term? Try the Newman Numismatic Portal's Numismatic Dictionary at:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionary
Photos wanted.
Note. Not all entries in An Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology will have illustrations, in fact, over 400 terms do not require illustrations. We are seeking photos which are ideal examples of the term explained.
Check out Newman Portal for the entire list of terms. They are in the Dictionary section along with two other dictionaries – Be sure you have an term from the Encyclopedia. If you think we should include it send the photo to
Dick.Johnson at snet.net. Hundreds needed.
Do you have an example of adjustment marks or flow marks? Send a photo.
AUGUSTUS CHARLES GRUHLKE (1850-1935)
John Lupia submitted the following information from the online draft of his book 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 coin dealer and serial entrpeneur A. C. Gruhlke of Indiana.
-Editor
This brief biographical sketch brings to light some details about Augustus Charles Gruhlke, a very important figure in American numismatic history and self-made millionaire. He was an established coin dealer at least a decade before the A.N.A. was founded. He was a charter member of the A.N.A. and held several offices. He established a very large coin collection and also others of curiosities, guns, and Indian relics. He was an inventor of many new and novel items and manufactured the first electric cigar lighter for which he was granted a patent in 1898. He was also a restauranteur, telephone lineman, electric company/public utility owner for the city of Waterloo, Indiana, a railway target man, real estate broker and investor, entrepreneur, and an Arch Mason. In 1901, he also invented a gasoline engine for an automobile that had a quarter horse power capacity. He was also a member of a seven man ocarina band. He had personal assets of about $1 million U
SD.
Augustus Charles Gruhlke (1850-1935), was born in Lobsens, Posen, Prussia-Germnay on March 6, 1850, the third of six sons (and three daughters) to Daniel Gruhlke (1810-1875), and Wilhelmina "Minnie" Tietz Gruhlke (1820-1901). His family moved to the United States of America in May 1859, settling in Pulaski County, Indiana on a farm.
In 1867, he left home and worked on farms as a farm hand day laborer.
In 1872 moved to Waterloo, Indiana, where he began working for the Lake Shore and Southern Michigan Railroad as a target man using the old lighted lantern targets at the railroad crossing.
About 1875 he built a small restaurant opposite the passenger station on Lincoln Street. However, it wasn't until April 1889 that he had running water.
On November 12, 1879, he married Almira "Myra" W. Wheeler (1855-1924), a native of New York at Buffalo, New York. Her parents lived on a boat on the St. Lawrence River. They had no issue. He and his wife ran the restaurant though he continued as a target man for the railroad, and she also continued as a hairdresser and milliner. Searching through the coins at the railroad station and in his cash box at the restaurant Gruhlke was able to cherrypick old U. S. Coins for resale. His younger brother Albert and his wife also joined in the restaurant as partners.
In March 1883, he joined partnership with his brother Albert Gruhlke in publishing the Waterloo Globe, a local newspaper. They dissolved the partnership in the newspaper and restaurant the following March, 1884.
About 1886 he installed the first telephone wires in Waterloo, Indiana, which operated between his restaurant, the crossing tower, the freight house and downtown, in addition to several other points.
In January 1887 he was elected to the board of directors of the Waterloo Broom Manufacturing Company. The following month at a stockholders meeting he was elected Secretary.
In December 1891 he slipped on the ice and sustained a knee injury causing him to walk with a cane.
In April 1892 he was elected town clerk of Waterloo, Indiana.
Gruhlke was a charter member of the ANA and is listed as Member No. 49.
Gruhlke's restaurant featured in the local newspaper reports the front room has his coin and curiosity collections on display. (The Waterloo Press, Thursday, September 29, 1892, page 1).
In November 1892, Dr. George Heath appointed Gruhlke together with Tatman and F. B. Stebbins to the Standing Rules Committee for the newly formed A. N. A.
In December 1892, he advertised in The Numismatist selling subscriptions to The American Archaeologist, a twenty-page monthly devoted to the interests of Indian relic collectors, published by the Archaeologist Publishing Company. It soon expanded to twenty-eight pages. The monthly journal was formed by Gruhlke, L. V. McWhorter, and J. R. Nissley as the official organ of the American Archaeologist Association. They sold shares of stock in the company and eventually they sold out to Professor Warren K. Moorehead, Ohio State University. Gruhlke owned a vast collection of 26,000 Indian relics, and was a very proficient amateur archaeologist.
In 1893, he was present at the first A.N. A. annual convention. He became the Superintendent of the Exchange Department of The Numismatist.
In 1895, he invented the electric cigar lighter. He formed a partnership with William Kessler in the firm of the Standard Manufacturing Company making the Standard Electric Cigar Lighter. Gruhlke sold out his interests in the firm to Kessler. He then opened a new firm, the Star Electric Company.
In 1896 he was the Secretary of the Waterloo City Lodge of Free and Arch Masons.
In 1897, he sold the restaurant and retired from the Railroad.
In September 1900 he sold 5,000 pieces of his extensive collection of Indian relics to Dr. Nelson Lloyd Deming (1868-1947), Fort Wayne, Indiana, for $1,200.
In January 1901 Gruhlke and his partner E. G. Flack were granted the franchise to open the electric company in Waterloo installing street lights and supplying electricity for the city.
In October 1903 he sold his interest in the Waterloo Cigar Company to F. C. Goodwin.
In 1908 he sold his interest in the Star Electric Company. He then opened a real estate brokerage in the firm of Gruhlke & Saltsman.
On September 15, 1911, he held a public auction selling a portion of his rare gun collection.
In 1912 he advertised selling a collection of 2,000 coins in the April issue of The Numismatist.
The 1930 U. S. Census lists him as the owner of a Vanity Store.
It was reported in his obituary that his vast collections of coins, Indian relics, and guns were sold prior to his death.
He died on April 30, 1935, and is buried in the Waterloo Cemetery, DeKalb County, Indiana.
To read the complete article, see:
GRUHLKE, AUGUSTUS CHARLES
(https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/gruhlke-augustus-charles)
MAJOR GENERAL BROWN'S DAVIS FLIGHT MEDAL
Peter Bertram has some important news - a new example of a coin more rare than the 1804 silver dollar.
-Editor
A New Davis Flight Medal has surfaced! It’s a rare treat when one of these coins appears - doubly so in this instance since it originates from a Confederate Major General and later Governor of Tennessee! As a brief update for readers who may not be familiar with these coins, they are mostly Mexican silver 8 Reales and US Silver Dollars from the Confederate Treasury – and the very few that are known were all subsequently engraved by the soldier that got them.
After General Lee’s final defenses around Petersburg had been breached on April 1st, 1865 he advised President Davis that Richmond was no longer defensible and he should depart if he wished to avoid capture. Davis and some Cabinet members left Richmond on April 2nd and the Treasury departed shortly thereafter. I’ve labeled these engraved coins collectively as the “Davis Flight Medals” because their story is inescapably bound to the flight, pursuit, and capture of President Jefferson Davis.
A total of 11 Davis Flight Medals are presently known (including this specimen). The largest group is 7 (now 8) coins with engraved dates in late April/early May, 1865. When the Confederate Treasury passed through Greensboro, NC about April 9th, 1865, it left behind some $39,000 in silver coin which General Joseph Johnston used to pay his Confederate Army of Tennessee. Each man received about $1.15 and the payout process seemingly took from April 25th to May 1st, 1865. General Brown’s coin below is engraved April 30th and would thus have been one of these.
John Calvin Brown (1827-1889) was a successful lawyer from Tennessee who opposed secession. During the 1860 presidential campaign he supported John Bell (Constitution Union party) who was neutral on the slavery issue and also opposed secession. After the bombardment of Ft Sumter in April 1861, however, secessionist sentiment prevailed in Middle Tennessee and Brown turned his support to the Confederacy. He joined the Confederate 3rd Tennessee Infantry as a private on May 1st, 1861, and some two weeks later he was elected Colonel of the regiment. He led them during the battle and surrender of Fort Donelson and was held as a prisoner of war until exchanged in August of 1862.
When he returned he was promoted to Brigadier General on August 30, 1862 and fought in General B. Bragg’s 1862 through 1863 campaigns in Kentucky and Tennessee. Brown fought at Perryville (wounded), and Chickamauga, and his men were in the defensive line at Missionary Ridge.
In August, 1864, Brown was promoted to Major General and fought in the Atlanta Campaign commanding a division in General B. Cheatham’s Corps. During General JB Hood’s 1864 Tennessee campaign, Brown was severely wounded in November at the Battle of Franklin, where six of his fellow generals were killed. He was incapacitated for several months and was unable to rejoin the army until the end of the Carolinas Campaign in April 1865. General Brown surrendered with General JE Johnston’s Confederate Army of Tennessee and was paroled a month later.
After the war, General JC Brown returned to Pulaski, Tennessee and resumed his law practice. In 1870 he served on the state constitutional convention tasked with overhauling the 1834 constitution to meet post-Civil War demands. The following year he ran for and was elected Governor of Tennessee and served from 1871 to 1875. In 1889 he became president of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, at the time one of the largest industrial firms in the South. He fell ill that summer and died on August 17, 1889. General Brown’s body was returned to Pulaski for internment.
The other ten Davis Flight Medals and their stories are shown in Peter's book Confederate Numismatica – Part 1. For more information, see:
www.ConfederateNumismatica.com
.
-Editor
Peter adds:
The Brown coin was brought to my attention by its owner, Mr. Craig Bowen. He had purchased a copy of my Confederate Numismatica book and sent me an email that he had a Davis Flight Medal! Imagine my excitement as I asked how we could get together, and would he permit me to photograph it and publish it? Long story short, we met up at the Dalton, GA show where I photographed the coin. I gathered that Mr Bowen had had the piece for a good while but I wasn't able to determine how he came to acquire it.
To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
QUERY: ENGRAVED CONFEDERATE CAMP MARION COIN INFO SOUGHT
(http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n13a15.html)
MORE ON ENGRAVED CONFEDERATE DAVIS FLIGHT MEDALS
(http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n15a21.html)
ALAN WEINBERG ON DAVIS FLIGHT MEDALS
(http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n16a20.html)
PETER BERTRAM ON DAVIS FLIGHT MEDALS
(http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n17a12.html)
MORE ON KENT WHITING’S DAVIS FLIGHT MEDAL
(http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n47a14.html)
THE LAST DAYS OF THE CONFEDERATE TREASURY
(http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n48a10.html)
1896 ARGENTUM UNIVERSALE ONE TALENT LOCATED
The newly discovered Davis Flight Medal isn't the only interesting find to come to light this week.
-Editor
In our March 5, 2017 issue I wrote:
I'm familiar with the 1886 Eutopia dollar and the 1897 Bickford dollars, but was unfamiliar with the 1896 talents mentioned in the previous article by Tom DeLorey. A search of The Numismatist archives provided a few hits.
May 1934, p336: "one Talent Argentum Universale, United States of America 1896"
March 1910, p85: "Mr. Woodin, as usual, had several rare patterns of the highest interest, among them a proof of the "United States 'Talent' " of 1896, bearing on obverse and reverse the opposing hemispheres of the globe, with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
These are not listed in Adams-Woodin or Judd as official patterns of course, but I checked anyway. I did find two short listings in the 5th edition of Unusual World Coins, p545. The entries for 1/5 Talent (x# 1) and Talent (X# 2) are unillustrated and marked "reported, not confirmed."
So... can anyone point me to more information on these enigmatic pieces? Thanks. -Editor
An email arrived yesterday from web site visitor Kenny Stephenson who has one of the One Talent pieces and provided these images. Thanks! He's been trying to research it and came up as empty as we have. So I'd like to put this out there again - can anyone help with this? There must be other information available somewhere, but where? Any leads would be appreciated. I'm happy at least to confirm that the piece exists.
I reached out to Tom DeLorey, who didn't have any new information. Tom notes that this example "looks like somebody's pocket piece." The wear is unfortunate.
Kenny adds:
My wife received the piece from her great grandfather which already had the wear marks on it. Although unfortunate it's still an awesome piece.
I also reached out to Saul Teichman who runs uspatterns.com, and he sent a listing not mentioned in Tom's earlier article. Woodin displayed a One Talent and a Fifth Talent at the 1914 American Numismatic Society exhibition page 95).
He also notified me that a one-fifth talent piece is coming up in a future Heritage sale. Here's the lot description and link. No image has been posted yet.
-Editor
Saul also notified me that a one-fifth talent piece is coming up in a future Heritage sale. Here's the lot description and link. No image has been posted yet.
-Editor
1896 Fifth Talent
Private Coinage Proposal
1896 Fifth Talent, Judd-Unlisted, Krause X#1, Silver, Uncirculated Uncertified. 24.3 mm., 6.5 grams. Offered in the pattern section following the precedent set in the 1914 ANS Exhibition catalog, this privately-produced piece illustrates a proposal for a universal world-wide coinage in an alloy combining silver and gold. These pieces are known in two sizes, 37 mm. that is denominated "one talent" and 24 mm. that is denominated "one-fifth talent." The obverse depicts a map of the Eastern hemisphere with the legend ARGENTUM - UNIVERSALE and the date. The reverse depicts a map of the Western hemisphere with the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and FIFTH TALENT. This lovely example is sharply struck and lustrous with original deep gold patina.
Our consignor provided a newspaper article dated July 7, 1896 from the Evening Sentinel of California. Mr. Emil Greeff, who appears in New York City Directories as an importer, is identified as the originator of these pieces that were described as "one part gold to four parts silver." The article notes:
He believes that the union of gold and silver in a single coin in a definite, unvarying proportion of weight and measure would solve the problem of a common money standard or measure of value. This coin could be used as a universal legal tender, with which all international debts could be liquidated.
To read the complete lot description, see:
1896 Fifth Talent, Judd-Unlisted
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