The E-Sylum v22n20 May 19, 2019

[The E-Sylum]

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The E-Sylum
  
  An electronic publication of
  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society


Volume 22, Number 20, May 19, 2019
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WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM MAY 19, 2019
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NEW BOOK: THE HALF CENT, 1793-1857
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NEW BOOK: A GUIDE TO CASH COINS
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NEW BOOK: THE BANKNOTE BOOK: ARGENTINA
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NEW BOOK: 2019 CANADIAN TIRE CATALOGUE
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NEW BOOK: THE COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK, 10TH ED.
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CHERRYPICKERS’ GUIDE</I> EDITORIAL SUMMIT
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N. NEIL HARRIS (1940-2019)
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TOKEN MAKER INGLE-SCHIERLOH RECORDS ON NNP
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VIDEO: NUMISMATIC NEWS EDITOR DAVID HARPER
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COUNTESS OF DURHAM, NOT FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 19, 2019
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ON DATING ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES USING COINS
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MORE ON MAGICIAN PROFESSOR KING
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VOCABULARY TERM: CONVENTION BADGE
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ALONZO J. WHEELER (1805-1867)
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HARVEY STACK'S NUMISMATIC FAMILY, PART 44
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BOWERS ON COLLECTING: THE ANA AND THE ANS
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SOME INTERESTING MEDALS: MAY 19, 2019
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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: MAY 19, 2019
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RARE COIN OF ULPIUS CORNELIUS LAELIANUS FOUND
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ALTERED DATE "1880" SHIELD NICKEL
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U.S. MINT SUSPENDS MUTILATED COIN PROGRAM
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BETTING ON NICKELS
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VIETNAM TO SELL UNPOPULAR COINS AS SCRAP METAL
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2019 HORNBY ISLAND MUNICIPAL TRADE TOKENS
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CARSON CITY COIN PRESS STRIKES RAILROAD MEDAL
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CYRUS-TRUMP PROCLAMATION COIN PROMOTED
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MORE ON WEST VIRGINIA'S UNCLAIMED MEDALS
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TURKEY'S GöBEKLITEPE COMMEMORATIVE ZERO EURO 
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FT HIGHLIGHTS BULGARI COIN JEWELLERY
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LOOSE CHANGE: MAY 19, 2019
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BIG BANG THEORY'S FAKE NOBEL PRIZE MEDAL
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FEATURED WEB SITE: CANADIAN TIRE COUPON COLLECTORS CLUB
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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 MAY 19, 2019





New subscribers this week include: 
Harry Rivera, 
J. Gosney, and
Allen Pauly.
Welcome aboard! We now have 5,925 subscribers.



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 (but let me know if they are located in the European Union). Contact me at whomren at gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content. 



This week we open with five new books, and updates from Whitman Publishing and the Newman Numismatic Portal.



Other topics this week include editor of The Numismatist N. Neil Harris, retired Numismatic News  editor Dave Harper, convention badges, the ANA and the ANS, an altered date Shield Nickel, the U.S. Mint's mutilated coin program, and Bulgari's coin jewellery.
We won't discuss the Numismatic News Friday Edition headline "Are 1838-D Jefferson Nickels a Good Buy?", but it's too good a typo not to mention.



To learn more about Half Cents, cash coins, the Cherrypickers’ Guide, coal scrip, the Countess of Durham, numismatic superheroes, collector Alonzo Wheeler, 
 dealer Morton Stack, the Rutherford Gold Company,  tobacco plantation tokens, and buyer's fee math, read on. Have a great week, everyone!



Wayne Homren 
Editor, The E-Sylum





NEW BOOK: THE HALF CENT, 1793-1857



In March, Bill Eckberg gave us a preview of his new Half Cent book.  The preorder period has passed and the book is now available.  This is an important new work on the topic.  If you're a member of NBS, ANA, EAC or C4, take advantage of your discount.  See below for details.
-Editor







Early American Coppers (EAC) is proud to announce the May 1, 2019 publication of The Half Cent, 1793-1857: The Story of America’s Greatest Little Coin, by William R. Eckberg. EAC’s second book, it is an important new reference on one of the first denominations coined by the United States of America.



This book tells the story of the half cent from its antecedents and models through its first release in 1793 to its end in 1857. Why did we ever have such a small denomination, anyway? Who made them? When were they made? How many are known of each variety? How are the coins graded today? All of these questions and more are clearly addressed.



This hard cover book is 8½ x 11” and profusely illustrated in full color with high resolution photos. All business strike half cent obverses and reverses are illustrated by full color 3.5” photos.



Because of the way they were made, and because they were the money of the people, half cents have a charm and character that few other denominations can have, and this charm and interest come through clearly in the book.



Eckberg says he wrote the book because much new research about the coins’ design,  engraving and manufacture has been developed since the Cohen and Breen books of 35 years ago, and that has allowed him to correct a number of misconceptions about the series and other early coins of the U.S. Mint. This research, much of it by the author, has come from the study of early Mint documents and the coins themselves. His study of the early half cents’ manufacture has provided important new insights into the operation of the early U.S. Mint and into how other denominations were created as well.



Dr. Harry E. Salyards, editor of Penny-Wise, the quarterly journal of EAC, writes: “until now, the half cent has lacked an author able to write in an engaging conversational style while incorporating solid research evidence. As a trained scientist and lifelong teacher, Bill Eckberg is well suited to become the first to do so. Among the literature of early American copper as a whole, we have had homey narratives littered with pseudoscience, and ex-cathedra pronouncements aplenty. We have also had way too much ‘history’ written in the past subjunctive: narratives introducing each unsupported assertion with a phrase such as, ‘Surely there would have been. . .’



“You will find none of that sort of thing here. What you will find is the voice of an enthusiastic collector who has made some unexpected discoveries over the course of his thirty years’ pursuit of the American half cent—a fascinating and still underappreciated series.”



Every collection of U.S. coins should contain at least a few half cents. Scarcer as a denomination than the key Lincoln cent, the 1909-S VDB, they are truly rare coins. Yet, most half cents are remarkably affordable to the average collector. A U.S. series that is both rare and affordable? Yes! Still, most collectors only know them as type coins, if at all. This book will serve as an interesting and informative introduction to the series for those who are unfamiliar with it and will provide enough new knowledge to satisfy even the most advanced specialists.



The book is available from 

http://halfcentbook.com
. 

The cover price is $125, but members of
EAC, Colonial Coin Collectors Club, Numismatic Bibliomania Society and the American Numismatic Association may order it for $95 plus shipping. For quantities of 10 or more, please
contact 
halfcent at icloud.com. The print run is limited to 500 copies plus 10 in a special hand-bound edition in black leather.


 Mini-Review 


Here's an early report from Ray Williams, former President of the Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4).
-Editor







At EAC Dayton, I purchased the new Half Cent book By Bill Eckberg.  I did so not because of an interest in Half Cents, but because the author is a friend.  The title is The Half Cent 1793-1857  The Story of America's Greatest Little Coin. The book sat in my car for 10 days after returning from Dayton, along with all the other A/V equipment and table supply boxes.  I sat down this afternoon with a little time to kill, and opened the book. The preface reminded me a bit of how Sheldon hooked me with his description of making out the old coppers at the kitchen table.  Bill hooks the reader by his relating his early collecting experiences. 



     Before the beautifully photographed descriptions of all the die varieties, Bill covers all the aspects of Half Cents that a collector (I) would want to know.  



     What really makes the book are two awesome coins plated on page 16! (mine - LOL!)  But seriously, the author has replaced Cohen numbers with alpha-numeric die variety designations, which follow die emission sequence.  



     With Vermont Coppers, Ryder designated die varieties with numbers, just as Cohen did with the Half Cents.  Ken Bressett reclassified Vermont varieties by numbering obverses and lettering reverses.  Because Ryder varieties were familiar to all, it's taking way too long for the more accurate Bressett varieties to take over.  It is my sincere hope that the Eckberg variety system is accepted in a timely manner with catalogers, collectors & grading services.  



     I'm happy I purchased the book and will attempt to attribute the few Half Cents I've found metal detecting, and maybe I might look to buy a Half Cent when I get to the GSNA Convention going on right now.  Oh...  If you want to know more about this book, check out:  halfcentbook.com





For more information, or to order, see: 


http://halfcentbook.com


 

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: 


NEW BOOK: THE HALF CENT, 1793-1857

(https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n10a02.html)












NEW BOOK: A GUIDE TO CASH COINS



David Hartill has published a new book on cash coins.
-Editor







This book is intended to guide the beginner and expert through the many kinds of cash – the
square-holed coin of China for centuries – produced in China and the many imitations of
them produced at various times all over the Far East and along the Silk Road.
The first part of the book is a Finding Guide which directs the reader to the appropriate
standard work on Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese or Korean coins.
In the second half, information not in the standard works is presented, either from other
publications and papers, or from the author’s own research.



Title: A Guide to Cash Coins

Paperback: 252 pages

Publisher: New Generation Publishing (February 24, 2017)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1787192997

ISBN-13: 978-1787192997

Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.5 x 11.7 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds 











For more information, or to order, see: 


A Guide to Cash Coins Paperback – February 24, 2017

(https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Cash-Coins-David-Hartill/dp/1787192997/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1)

 
 



NEW BOOK: THE BANKNOTE BOOK: ARGENTINA



Owen Linzmayer announced the availability of the latest chapter of The Banknote Book, a comprehensive catalog of the notes of Argentina.
-Editor







We're very pleased to announce that the Argentina chapter is now available for individual sale and as a free download to subscribers. Special thanks goes out to co-author Jari Heine, who was a great help in completing the detailed coverage of this complex country.



Argentina (South America)
This 83-page catalog covers notes issued by the Banco Nacional (National Bank) from 1884 to 1891, the Caja de Conversión (Conversion Fund) from 1891 to 1935, and the Banco Central de la República Argentina (Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina) from 1935 to present. Published 17.05.2019.



For more information, or to order, see: 


http://banknotebook.contentshelf.com/shop


 







 



NEW BOOK: 2019 CANADIAN TIRE CATALOGUE



The Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors Club has published a new edition of their catalog of Canadian Tire Money and associated coupons. 
-Editor







The 2019 Canadian Tire Numismatic Catalogue contains all the regular issues of notes issued by the Corporation, the Petroleum division and Simard-Montcalm. The large majority are made by Canadian Banknote Company and British American Bank Note. This new edition is a complete renewal and now includes over 1200 Canadian Tire numismatic items.



The catalogue numbers have been upgraded to facilitate electronic sorting with as little impact as possible on the original numbering system. All major varieties have been added. If you have a major variety that is missing let us know and we will get it into next years revision.



All notes issued until the end of February 2019 are included.



There are nearly 1000 images describing the notes. This catalogue is in color and the format is 8.5” x 11” and has 140 pages.



Due to a change in the printing process, the catalogue is now available in full colour at a reasonable price.



For more information, or to order, see: 


2019 Canadian Tire Numismatic Catalogue – Printed Copy $50.00

(https://ctccollector.ca/store/shop/2019-canadian-tire-numismatic-catalogue-printed-copy/)



2019 Canadian Tire Numismatic Catalogue – Downloadable
$12.00

(https://ctccollector.ca/store/shop/2018-canadian-tire-numismatic-catalogue-downloadable-copy/)

  
 



NEW BOOK: THE COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK, 10TH ED.





Martin Kaplan sent a link to an Ivy Press publication available through Heritage.
First produced in 2000 under the title The Rare Coin Estate Handbook, this guide to estate tax planning is in its 10th edition.
Written by James L. Halperin, Gregory J. Rohan and Mark J. Prendergast, it was edited for 2016 by Mark Prendergast, Noah Fleisher, Meredith Meuwly and Steve Roach. 
It's available free online at the link below; hardcopies are asl available for purchase.



It opens with a classic quote from the will of Edmond de Goncourt, one that I wholeheartedly agree with (though I haven't let it completely stop me from making donations of material to museums and libraries).
-Editor








A True Collector’s Mentality



“My wish is, so that my drawings, my prints, my

curiosities, my books, in a word, those things of

Art which have been the joy of my life shall not

be consigned to the cold tomb of a museum, and

subjected to the stupid glance of the careless

passer-by; but I require that they shall all be

dispersed under the hammer of the auctioneer,

so that the pleasure which the acquiring of each

one has given to me, shall be given again, in

each case, to some inheritor of my own tastes.”



>From the will of Edmond de Goncourt, 1896






Here's an excerpt from the Foreword.
-Editor






WHY WE COLLECT THINGS




My friend John Jay Pittman did not start out a wealthy man. Slowly and with dedication, he assembled an incredible coin collection. He accomplished this through relentless study and the devotion of a significant portion of his limited income as a middle manager for Eastman Kodak, supplemented by his wife’s income as a schoolteacher.



In 1954, he mortgaged the family house to travel to Egypt and bid on coins at the King Farouk Collection auction, and he demanded many more sacrifices of himself and his family over the decades. He passed away in 1996 with no apparent regrets, and his long-suffering family deservingly reaped the rewards of his efforts when the collection was sold at auction for more than $30 million.



But why did he do it?



On our website, HA.com, we auction many different types of
collectibles; what started in 1976 as a numismatics business is now the third-largest auction house in the world — with annual sales exceeding $850 million in 2015 in categories ranging from meteorites to Hermès handbags. Most of our 950,000+ registered client/bidders collect in more than one area, which we can determine through online surveys, free catalog subscriptions, and multiple drawings for prizes throughout the year. Our clients seek many different collecting areas, and for many different reasons.



One fervent collector of historical documents refers to his passion as “a genetic defect.” The founding father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, a renowned collector in his own right, thought that collecting was really about sex: “The core of paranoia is the detachment of the libido from objects,” he wrote in 1908. “A reverse course is taken by the collector who directs his surplus libido into an inanimate object: a love of things.” But more likely it’s basic human instinct: a survival advantage amplified by eons of natural selection. Those of our ancient ancestors who managed to accumulate scarce objects may have been more likely to survive long enough to bear offspring—and people who owned shiny objects may have had an easier time attracting mates. Even today, wealth correlates with longer life expectancy; and could any form of wealth be more primal than scarce, tangible objects?



While the thrill of the hunt and a passion for objects—whether it’s Lithuanian first-day covers or Alberto Vargas paintings—is what motivates and excites collectors, there are, alas, some housekeeping chores that must be attended to in order to assure that you derive the most benefit from your collection. Whether that means minimizing your tax burden, ensuring that your objects are safe from intruders, or maximizing your collection’s value for your heirs, a little attention now can save you a massive headache later. 





The book is a delight to read, something you certainly wouldn't expect from an estate planning guide.  There are great true-story anecdotes from collectors and their families that will make you laugh out loud, cringe, or both.  Dumb luck, bad ideas, and insufficiently precise grammar all play a role.  Check it out.
-Editor





To read the complete book, see: 


The Collector's Handbook: Tax Planning, Strategy and Estate
Advice for Collectors and Their Heirs

(https://www.ha.com/c/ref/handbook.zx?src=download)












CHERRYPICKERS’ GUIDE EDITORIAL SUMMIT



Dennis Tucker of Whitman Publishing submitted this report on a recent meeting to plan the next edition in the Cherrypickers’ Guide series.  Thanks.  I added the image of the fifth edition cover.
-Editor






Whitman Publishing Holds Cherrypickers’ Guide Editorial Summit in Chattanooga






An editorial summit was convened in Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 1 and 2, 2019, to plan the sixth edition, volume II, of Whitman Publishing’s Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins. The meeting laid out a comprehensive plan for updating the volume, which covers die varieties of U.S. coins from half dimes to gold double eagles, plus commemoratives, bullion, and other series. It will be published in 2020, marking the 30th anniversary of the Cherrypickers’ Guide.



Present at the conference were Cherrypickers’ Guide coauthor Bill Fivaz; Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker and associate editor Brandon C. Hall; and professional numismatist Larry Briggs, who is coordinating edits and updates for the sixth edition, volume II. They met at the headquarters of SEGS Grading Service in Chattanooga.



To “cherrypick” is to examine coins that appear normal at first glance and find ones that have unusual characteristics—doubled and tripled dies, overdates, repunched mintmarks, and similar features—that reveal them to be rare and valuable. 
The Cherrypickers’ Guide uses close-up photographs and text descriptions to guide collectors in what to look for. It includes rarity ratings and values.








Larry Briggs and Bill Fivaz




The sixth edition, volume II, is expected to include more than 800 die varieties, including many new additions. It will cover Capped Bust coinage from half dimes through half dollars; Liberty Seated coinage; Barber silver coins; and every modern series from the early 1900s to date, plus gold dollars through $20 gold coins, classic commemoratives, and modern bullion pieces.



“Many coin series will be expanded, and there will be several entirely new sections,” said Tucker. “This volume includes some of the most popular U.S. coin types, including Mercury and Roosevelt dimes, Washington quarters, Liberty Walking half dollars, Franklin and Kennedy half dollars, Morgan and Peace silver dollars, and modern dollar coins.”



In the coming weeks and months the book’s editors will reach out to the hobby community for advice, recommendations, and research. In the meantime, they can be contacted by email at cherrypickers at whitman.com.





Dennis Tucker, Bill Fivaz, Larry Briggs 
and Whitman associate editor Brandon C. Hall




Coauthor Bill Fivaz, a coin collector since 1950, has earned recognition as one of the country’s most respected authorities on numismatic errors and die varieties. He is a longtime contributor to the Guide Book of United States Coins (the “Red Book”). With the late J.T. Stanton he coauthored the first Cherrypickers’ Guide in 1990, launching the modern boom in interest in die varieties.



Larry Briggs is well known to the hobby community as a dealer, author, and educator. He served the American Numismatic Association as president of its Authentication Committee. A student of history and archaeology, Briggs served in the U.S. Air Force and worked for Ford Motor Company before launching his own business, Larry Briggs Rare Coins, in 1978. His specialties include error coins and die varieties, Liberty Seated coinage, and early American coppers.




#    #    #




Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins, sixth edition, volume II.

By Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton; forewords by Kenneth Bressett and Q. David Bowers; edited by Larry Briggs.

Publication date: 2020. Retail price, page count, and other details to be announced.












N. NEIL HARRIS (1940-2019)



I was sorry to learn this week that N. Neil Harris passed away on Saturday, May 11th, 2019.  Neil was editor of the American Numismatic Association publication The Numismatist from January 1974 through June 1988.



Neil was a sculptor and illustrator whose medallic work is cataloged in Dick Johnson's databank (linked below).  He also wrote the catalog of ANA's convention medals and edited Robert Julian's Medals of the United States Mint, The First Century 1792-1891. 



Pete Smith provided this sketch on Neil by Bill King from his "Who's Who in the Hobby" series as published in Numismatic News December 26, 1972.
-Editor











To read Dick Johnson's databank entry on N. Neil Harris, see: 


HARRIS, N. Neil  (1940- ) sculptor, medalist, illustrator, editor, author.

(http://www.medalartists.com/harris-n-neil.html)

 

To read Pete Smith's biography on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:

N. Neil Harris

(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/PersonDetail/918)
 










TOKEN MAKER INGLE-SCHIERLOH RECORDS ON NNP



The latest additions to the Newman Numismatic Portal are  records of token manufacturer Ingle-Schierloh.  Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report.
Thanks.
-Editor






Records of Ingle-Schierloh, Token Manufacturer, on Newman Portal

 




The Ingle-Schierloh Company, a Dayton, OH token manufacturing concern, did business with hundreds of coal mining (and other) companies in the early 20th century. Collector Billy Campbell acquired unique, old records of Ingle-Schierloh and has made these available to Newman Portal. The series consists of a main ledger, followed by 11 notebooks which arrange company correspondence alphabetically, by the city of the token-issuing company. 



Combined with the comprehensive token cataloging provided by the site 

tokencatalog.com, collectors of these pieces can now access, online, images of the tokens in addition to the correspondence related to their manufacture. This provides a heretofore unavailable end-to-end view of these numismatic objects and enables further research on the subject. 



The community aspect of Newman Portal allows individuals to contribute such content to a centralized repository, and Newman Portal acknowledges Billy Campbell for sharing these records with the wider numismatic community. Depicted here, courtesy of 
tokencatalog.com, is a 1-cent cutout token issued by the C. H. Mead Coal Company of East Gulf (WV).











Obverse: C.H. MEAD COAL CO. / 1 / EAST GULF / NO 1 STORE



Reverse: 1 / PAYABLE IN CASH / ON PAY DAYS WHEN DUE TO / EMPLOYEE TO WHOM ISSUED / INGLE-SCHIERLOH CO. / DAYTON, O. / DES. PAT. 75656 / IN MDSE. ONLY NON TRANSFERABLE ("1" cutout)



Image: Order from C. H. Mead Coal Company for “master metal scrip,” from vol. 4 of the Ingle-Schierloh records on Newman Portal



Link to Ingle-Schierloh archives on Newman Portal: 


https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/531624


 



VIDEO: NUMISMATIC NEWS EDITOR DAVID HARPER



These are selections from the David Lisot Video Library that feature news and personalities from the world of coin collecting. David has been attending coin conventions since 1972 and began videotaping in 1985. In 2017 the Newman Numismatic Portal reached an agreement to list all David’s videos on their website. Each week an excerpt of a different video is available on the CoinTelevision YouTube channel.



Here's one on the retirement of Numismatic News editor David Harper.
-Editor







David Harper has decided to retire after more than 40 years with Krause Publications and “Numismatic News”. Hear why David is retiring, his memories of the Central States Convention and more.



The entire interview is available on the Newman Numismatic Portal at: 


https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/522852




An excerpt of the video is available for viewing on the Coin Television YouTube Channel at: 


https://youtu.be/hNjdv6bhWgg




David Harper Retires from Numismatic News. VIDEO: 3:58.

David C. Harper, Former Editor, Numismatic News, David Lisot, Interviewer, CoinTelevision.com.



This video is a highlight from the Central States Numismatic Society Convention held May 24-27, 2019.



CSNS Coin Convention Highlights 2019

Mitch Ernst, President, Kevin Foley, Bourse Chairman, Central States Numismatic Society, David Lisot, Interviewer, CoinTelevision.com.



This was the 80th annual convention for the Central States Numismatic Society. David Lisot brings highlights of the show with interviews including Kevin Foley and why CSNS 2019 Coin Convention in Schaumburg Continues to Draw Collectors and Dealers, Thomas Uram Announces Plans to Run for American Numismatic Association Vice-President, Chris Bulfinch New Numismatic Reporter for Coin World, a Father-Son Team Shares Passion for Coin Collecting, Wooden Nickels at CSNS Convention and more.

CSNS19-005



The entire video is also available on DVD.












COUNTESS OF DURHAM, NOT FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE



Mark D. Tomasko (author of Images of Value, the Artwork Behind US Security Engraving 1830s-1980s) submitted this information on the identity of an American Bank Note Company female portrait.  Thank you!
-Editor





It’s not Florence Nightingale





I have been intending to write an article for one of the paper money journals about a female portrait done by American Bank Note Company, because the portrait has for years been described as depicting Florence Nightingale, a description repeated in last week’s E-Sylum.



What made me curious about the portrait, engraved by James Bannister in the earliest years of American Bank Note’s existence (and therefore used on various obsolete bank notes), is that it didn’t look like Florence Nightingale. A quick online search shows only one picture of the young Florence Nightingale (who is usually shown as an older woman) that bears any resemblance to ABN portrait no. 151 (old
series).









So who is it? Fortunately American Bank Note engraving records
provide the answer. It is the Countess of Durham. She was originally Lady Beatrice Hamilton, and after marrying George Frederick D’Arcy Lambton, the Second Earl of Durham, became the Countess of Durham. The Wikipedia entry for George Lambton describes her as having married George in 1854, after which she had thirteen children, and died in 1871, at the age of 35, just three days after the birth of her last child. Passing away at the age of 35 after having 13 children is both
remarkable and sad.



Since there is no title on the die, and it is not a “Special” (i.e., engraved and paid for by one customer for their exclusive use), the portrait appears to have been engraved solely to add a “Fancy Head” (the bank note industry name for a decorative female head) to ABN’s engraving stock.



If readers would like to see a very nice pastel of the lady, as well as a print of the image that was engraved by James Bannister, use the links below.


http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1270651



https://www.geni.com/people/Lady-Beatrix-Lambton-Countess-of-Durham/6000000007864389471




To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see: 


FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE ON OBSOLETE PAPER MONEY

(https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n19a07.html)



NEW BOOK: IMAGES OF VALUE

(https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n09a03.html)


 










NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 19, 2019


 Minnesota Numismatist on National Television 
Pete Smith of Minneapolis writes:




On Friday, May 17, CBS Television broadcast "No Exit" hosted by Jane Pauley. The show discussed traffic congestion and some commuting alternatives. One segment featured Dan Hansen who regularly commutes to work on a unicycle.



Dan is a Minnesota numismatist and E-Sylum subscriber. He took his unicycle to Philadelphia last year for the World's Fair of Money. He went out one morning around 3:00 A.M. to tour the streets of Philadelphia without traffic congestion.



The attached photo shows Dan with CBS correspondent Susan Spencer in the courtyard of the Mill City Museum where Dan works in downtown Minneapolis.





 U.S. Auction Houses Collecting Sales Taxes
David Gladfelter writes:


I’m sure readers have noticed that U.S. auction houses are beginning to collect sales taxes on purchases made by successful bidders (unless the bidders have resale permits that exempt them from the taxes).



Some of them are improperly charging sales tax on U. S. Post Office shipping charges.



States lack the power to tax the Federal government or its agencies. Have you ever been charged sales tax when buying postage stamps? The reason that you’re not charged is because of this lack of State power.



If an auction house uses a private shipper such as UPS or FedEx, a sales tax on that shipper’s charge is proper. It is not proper on a U. S. Post Office charge.



Sales tax is proper on the hammer price, the buyer’s premium, and the auction house’s charge for packing. Some of the auctioneers absorb the packing charge as part of the BP, others charge separately.



I recalculate invoices that are improperly itemized.







Interesting nuance!  Thanks for the background - this could save our readers some money.
-Editor




 One Big Coin Press 
Mary Lannin writes:


This is a coin press that struck the first medal commemorating the founding of Belgium. When the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert were built in 1846-1847, the coin press was too big to be moved, so they built the arcade around it....it's now a restaurant and wine bar!













Sign text (in French)


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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

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