Volume 23, Number 44, November 1, 2020
The E-Sylum
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Sun Nov 1 18:52:19 PST 2020
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The E-Sylum
An electronic publication of
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society
Volume 23, Number 44, November 1, 2020
** WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM NOVEMBER 1, 2020 <#a01>
** KOLBE & FANNING AUCTION SALE 158 ANNOUNCED <#a02>
** NEW BOOK: PRISON TOKENS OF THE U.S. AND CANADA <#a03>
** NEW BOOK: BANKNOTES OF NEW ZEALAND TRADING BANKS <#a04>
** VIDEO: AUBREY BEBEE INTERVIEWED <#a05>
** VIDEO: THE ANS “GREATEST COINS†SERIES <#a06>
** VIDEO CONFERENCE: GOBRECHT DOLLARS AT THE ANS <#a07>
** SACAGAWEA MODEL RANDY'L TETON SPEAKS AT SCHOOL <#a08>
** NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: NOVEMBER 1, 2020 <#a09>
** NEW YORK’S NEW NUMISMATIC WALKING TOUR <#a10>
** THE BRAILLE COINS OF ECUADOR <#a11>
** VOCABULARY TERM: NICKEL-SILVER <#a12>
** FRANCES MARIA KEELER MARSHALL (1810-1879) <#a13>
** THE LEGENDARY COLLECTION OF WALDO NEWCOMER <#a14>
** OLYMPIC CHAMPION SWIMMER DARA TORRES MEDAL <#a15>
** CUSTOM AUGMENTED REALITY BANKNOTES OFFERED <#a16>
** PAN FALL 2020 SHOW SUCCEEDS DESPITE PANDEMIC <#a17>
** COLTRANE COLLECTION PART I U. S. CURRENCY PREVIEW <#a18>
** DANIEL FRANK SEDWICK AUCTION 28 ANNOUNCED <#a19>
** NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS LLC SALE 65 CATALOG READY <#a20>
** NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: NOVEMBER 1, 2020 <#a21>
** GOLD IDES OF MARCH COIN REALISES $4M <#a22>
** ELIZABETH I GOLD SOVEREIGN <#a23>
** ENGLAND'S FIRST MILLED CROWN <#a24>
** THE CROW, THE PITCHER, AND THE PEBBLE <#a25>
** NOTGELD TALES <#a26>
** FEDERAL PRISON BANK OF ALCATRAZ OVERSTAMP <#a27>
** BILL FIVAZ’S WORLD’S WORST TYPE SET <#a28>
** LOOSE CHANGE: NOVEMBER 1, 2020 <#a29>
** FEATURED WEB PAGE: BEARD TAX <#a30>
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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 NOVEMBER 1, 2020
New subscribers this week include:
Michael Louis John Winckless, courtesy Andrew Burnett, former Deputy Director-General of The British Museum;
and
Bruno Ovejero-Silva from Tucumán, Argentina, courtesy of Adrián Gonzalez-Salinas.
Welcome aboard! We now have 6,591 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. Contact me at whomren at gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content.
This week we open with a new numismatic literature auction, two new books,
updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and the American Numismatic Society.
Other topics this week include Randy'l Teton, New York coin dealers, the braille coins of Ecuador, collectors Mrs. Marshall and Waldo Newcomer,
the PAN show, multiple auction previews, the gold EID MAR coin sale, notgeld, the Alcatraz overstamp, and the beard tax.
To learn more about an an original subscription set of Sylvester S. Crosby’s Early Coins of America, prison tokens, New Zealand banknotes, dealer Aubrey Bebee, Gobrecht Dollars, masked numismatics,
nickel-silver, Craig silver and
the greatest collection never to appear at auction, read on. Have a great week, everyone!
Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum
KOLBE & FANNING AUCTION SALE 158 ANNOUNCED
Hot on the heels of their great P. Scott Rubin library sale, here's the announcement for another super Kolbe & Fanning sale later this month. Great material!!
-Editor
Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers are announcing our Sale 158, which will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2020. The 467-lot sale features material from the TAB Library of works on ancient coins, the extensive working library of Eldert Bontekoe, and other properties. Most heavily focused on books and catalogues relating to ancient coins, the sale also features a substantial section on world coins and a smaller, but choice, selection of items of American interest.
Some highlights of the sale include:
Lots 19 and 27
Lot 19: Joel Malter’s well-preserved set of Jacques de Morgan’s two-volume work on ancient Persian coins, the conclusion of the Traité des monnaies grecques et romaines
Lot 27: Pierre Bastien’s extraordinary three-volume study of Roman numismatic portraiture, Le buste monétaire des empereurs romains
Lots 29 and 216
Lot 29: a bound provenance record of the magnificent L. Biaggi Blasys collection of Roman gold coins and medallions
Lot 216: Edward T. Newell’s set of SNG Lloyd, complete in eight parts and bound in one volume
Lot 44
Lot 44: a 1542 folio edition of the first numismatic book, Guillaume Budé’s De asse et partibus eius, elegantly printed in Paris by Michel de Vascosan
Lots 141 and 388
Lot 141: a fine set of Giuseppe Mazzini’s Monete imperiali romane, illustrating over 8000 coins from one of the finest collections ever formed
Lot 388: the landmark 1819 work on preventing the forgery of bank notes, published by the Society of Arts and including a number of exceptional engravings
Lots 399 and 410
Lot 399: Dr. Bassoli’s set of Zanetti’s monumental study of Italian coinage, Nuova raccolta delle monete e zecce d’Italia (1775-1789)
Lot 410: a well-preserved copy of Henry Chapman’s 1914 catalogue of the George Parsons collection of American and Canadian coins and medals, illustrated with 13 very fine photographic plates
Lot 414
Lot 414: an original subscription set of Sylvester S. Crosby’s Early Coins of America, the most important American numismatic book ever published, unbound and still in the original printed paper covers.
Register early to bid online
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 new Kolbe & Fanning app through the Apple or Google Play Store.
Bids placed via post, email, fax or phone must be received by Friday, Nov. 20, the day before the sale, in order for them to be processed. Advance absentee bids may also be placed at any time 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
bid.numislit.com or email David Fanning at
df at numislit.com.
NEW BOOK: PRISON TOKENS OF THE U.S. AND CANADA
Bob Hewey writes:
"After over two years of hard work Bob Hewey and Jim Delaney have finally completed Prison Tokens, Coupons and Scrip of the United States and Canada. 389 pages in full color and downloadable for free. The book is on the Newman Numismatic Portal published by the libraries of Washington University in St. Louis. To get your copy go to:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/589917"
Here's the text of the book's Foreword.
-Editor
You may ask, “why were there special kinds of money used in prisons, jail and reformatories?†There are
good reasons not to allow legal tender coins and bills in the hands of prisoners. The ready availability of
such currency could encourage bribery, extortion, gambling and facilitate acquisition of contraband and
escapes. Still, there needs to be some type of money so that inmates can purchase discretionary items,
such as snacks, tobacco, toiletries and reading and writing supplies. This catalog will focus on the token
coinage and scrip issued to address these problems in the United States and Canada.
According to our research, the first significant numismatic look at this subject is contained in an article
published in 1960 by Jack F. Burns, Research Associate, Section of Coins and Medals, Carnegie
Museum. More recently, Jerry Zara’s Prison Tokens and Medals of the United States was published by
Paul Cunningham in 1992. This 162-page hardcover book provided the most comprehensive look at the
topic to date, and this new catalog makes occasional reference to Zara’s work and cross-references our
listings to his numbers where possible.
The first widely used alternative currency in prisons and jails were tokens. While these reduced the
chance of bribery of correction officers and hindered escape, they did not eliminate their use for gambling,
contraband and extortion. To counter this, institutions would put limits on the value of such tokens that the
inmate could draw from an account or have in his or her possession. Other than tokens, coupons issued
in booklets or attached as tear-offs to cards, punch cards and credit slips have been used in prisons to
address the purchasing needs of the inmates. Now, as with the transportation industry, I’m sure that
electronic cards have come into use, replacing other forms of scrip. But the scrip currency of our penal
institutions makes an interesting and challenging field for collecting.
There were a number of at-risk youth and truant school institutions set up for delinquent or otherwise
wayward boys and girls. Those that were part of the State or Provincial Board of Corrections are included
in the general listing. However, there were private, non-official institutions, and we have listed these in a
separate section. One of the best known of these institutions is Boys Town founded in 1917 in Nebraska.
It issued tokens for its Student Bank in denominations from 5 (cents) to 5.00 (dollars). Another institution
was the George Junior Republic, first established in 1895 in Freeville, NY. Other similar “Junior Republicâ€
institutions followed, many issuing tokens and/or paper scrip. Many of the tokens issued by the George
Junior Republics had dates of issue, ranging from 1896 to 1946.
Newman Numismatic Portal Project Coordinator Len Augsburger adds:
"The main body of the book consists of a state by state (and province) listing of known issues, and a quick check of eBay reveals an active collector market for these money substitutes.
"Tokens appear to be the most common form of prison money, struck in base metals at minimal cost. Various shapes are encountered, perhaps to discourage counterfeiting, including quatrefoils and octagons. Plastic and wooden pieces also appear in the series.
"One finds also scrip and coupon books, the latter used to suppress trading between prisoners, who must present the book along with the coupon. This is a scheme shared by universities, when distributing student tickets for athletic events."
As with all nonrestricted Newman Numismatic Portal or Internet Archive content, users can download copies in a variety of formats for their own personal reading and research use.
-Editor
Bob adds:
"To open the free download scroll down to the title page on a black background. In the lower left you will see the title (in white lettering). Click that to open the download page. Scroll down and select the type of format you wish and enjoy."
To read or download the book on NNP:
Prison Tokens, Coupons and Scrip of the United States and Canada
(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/589917)
NEW BOOK: BANKNOTES OF NEW ZEALAND TRADING BANKS
Author Robert Pepping submitted this overview of his new book on the banknotes of New Zealand Trading Banks. Congratulations!
-Editor
Banknotes of New Zealand Trading Banks
Bank of New Zealand
In this 278 page book, I have attempted to provide facts, stories and information on each issued Bank of New Zealand note in New Zealand. These notes were issued from 1861 to 1934. I have not attempted to write an account of the Bank of New Zealand notes issued in Australia, but I have included information on the notes that were originally printed for issue in New Zealand but later modified for use in either Fiji or Samoa.
The chapters in the book have not been ordered chronologically but by note denomination, from Ten Shillings to One Hundred Pounds. Some information has been repeated in later chapters to provide the best possible record of that note issue. For each chapter, information on each known issued, specimen or trial note has been recorded. This part of each chapter is not definitive as unknown notes will undoubtedly be revealed in the future. However, it provides a very exhaustive starting point for a collector of these notes and any further editions of the book will include updated information. During the period when Bank of New Zealand notes were issued, a number of counterfeit notes of various denominations and issues were produced. Their stories along with information on these forgeries have also been included in the relevant chapters.
The section in each chapter on specimen notes will hopefully give the reader more information on a particular note issue as many of the specimen notes carried annotated dates to provide a particular timeframe when the notes were printed or issued. Along with watermarks in the note paper, the method by which the printer marked a note as a specimen provides further information about a specimen note’s date of origin. As the majority of the BNZ notes were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson, information in this section will appeal to anyone who has an interest in notes produced by this printer.
The intention of the book is not to create or endorse a cataloguing system but to provide a coherent overview of information on the Bank of New Zealand notes.
The book (ISBN 978-0-473-53551-3) has a soft cover and has been commercially printed in color. Copies are US$55.00 plus P&H and can be obtained from emailing Robert on
nzhnoted at gmail.com
VIDEO: AUBREY BEBEE INTERVIEWED
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. The Newman Numismatic Portal now lists all David’s videos on their website at:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/522852
Here's one on dealer Aubrey Bebee.
-Editor
ANA Numismatic Personality: Aubrey Bebee, August 9, 1986.
VIDEO: 21:20.
Perhaps no person is important to hobby of numismatics and the American Numismatic Association than coin dealer Aubrey Bebee. Always a staunch support of the organization he donated the famous 1913 LIBERTY NICKEL to the ANA Money Museum. Hear stories of Bebee and his numismatic journey interviewed by numismatist and journalist David Lisot.
An excerpt of the video is available for viewing at:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/557343
VIDEO: THE ANS “GREATEST COINS†SERIES
American Numismatic Society has announced a new video series.
-Editor
The American Numismatic Society is pleased to announce the Greatest Coins video series.
In this series, short videos realized by our curatorial team will examine coins in the American Numismatic Society’s collection, carefully selected for their historical fame and significance. Intended for a wide audience of experts and non-experts alike, these videos will feature multimedia materials that contribute not only to the understanding of the historical and cultural context in which the selected coins were produced, but also to their reception history. The videos will be released on a monthly basis.
In the first episode of the series (already available online), Assistant Curator of Roman Coins, Dr. Lucia Carbone, looks at what is probably the most celebrated Roman coin, the EID MAR (Ides of March) denarius. This coin was struck under the authority of Julius Caesar’s main assassin, Marcus Junius Brutus, in 43-42 BCE, to commemorate Caesar’s assassination on the Ides of March 44 BCE. Shortly after, Brutus died on the battlefield, sealing the end of the Republic.
In the second episode (available in November), Assistant Curator of the Americas, Dr. Jesse Kraft, discusses the Brasher Doubloon. The coin was struck by New York goldsmith, Ephraim Brasher in 1787, possibly as a trial piece to present to the New York State legislature in his attempt to receive a contract to produce coins on a large scale. Though he never received a contract, the Brasher Doubloon is considered the first gold coin struck in the United States.
To watch the first episode (or any of the ANS videos), see:
The ANS’s Greatest Coins: the EID MAR denarius. A valuable coin celebrating Caesar’s assassination.
(https://www.youtube.com/c/NumismaticsOrg/videos)
To read the complete article, see:
Press Release: Announcing the “Greatest Coins†video series.
(http://numismatics.org/press-release-the-american-numismatic-society-is-please-to-announce-the-greatest-coins-video-series/)
VIDEO CONFERENCE: GOBRECHT DOLLARS AT THE ANS
The American Numismatic Society
Money Talks lectures are being held online.
Although open to members only, these conferences are a great reason to join ANS. If interacting live isn't an option for you, the talk will be available as a video afterwards.
-Editor
This Money Talks will be held live on zoom.
The ANS holds the world’s largest collection of Flying Eagle or Gobrecht Dollars in the world, with an example of every variety save one, as well as a group of extremely rare trial strikes and related patterns. The majority of the collection was donated by Dr. Julius Korein in 2008. The Flying Eagle Dollar remains an actively researched and highly controversial area of United States numismatics, and the ANS collection constitutes a unique and invaluable resource in their study. This presentation will explore the origins of the coin and the misadventures attending its design, leading to the final abandonment of the iconic flying eagle motif. Using never-before seen high-resolution images of coins from the collection, competing theories will be explored and discussed in an effort to better understand how and when the coins were produced and for what purpose.
ANS Members only. RSVP to
membership at numismatics.org. This lecture will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube for later viewing.
Money Talks: Numismatic Conversations is supported by an ANS endowment fund generously given in honor of Mr. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli and Mrs. Elvira Clain-Stefanelli.
To read the complete article, see:
Money Talks | The Ephemeral Flying Eagle: Gobrecht Dollars in the ANS Collection
(http://numismatics.org/money-talks-the-ephemeral-flying-eagle-gobrecht-dollars-in-the-ans-collection/)
SACAGAWEA MODEL RANDY'L TETON SPEAKS AT SCHOOL
Local newspapers are great places to find interviews with numismatic personalities such as this one with Sacagawea coin model Randy'L Teton.
-Editor
When most people envision Sacagawea, they think of her portrait on the golden dollar coin. They're thinking of a Fort Hall resident.
Randy'L Teton, the spokeswoman for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, modeled for the coin in 1998 and is the only living person who appears on U.S. currency. She spoke to students at Holy Rosary Catholic School on Friday morning about her experience and her Shoshone-Bannock heritage for the 20th anniversary of the coin's official debut by the United States Mint.
Teton was a college student studying at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe when she was approached about appearing on the coin. Her mother was the tribal director and connected her with Glenna Goodacre, a New Mexican artist who was submitting designs for the coin. Sacagawea has no living relatives but was a member of the Shoshone tribe and grew up near Salmon before she guided Lewis and Clark's expedition through the final stage of their western expedition.
Teton remembered Goodacre saying that she "looked Shoshone" when they first met. They borrowed a decades-old deerskin dress from a museum collection for her to wear during the session. When the Treasury announced the 10 finalist designs for the Sacagawea coin and posted the images online, eight of them were Teton.
"I had to go to the computer pod on my campus at four in the morning because it was going to be posted on the internet at 6 eastern. I went on the Treasury website and boom, there was my face," Teton said.
Teton brought a collection of traditional Shoshone clothes to show the students: shell earrings she wore while modeling for the coin, otter pelts that would be woven into her hair during ceremonial events and the top of another deerskin dress.
That dress was made for Teton by her grandmother using eight deer skins, featuring elaborate beadwork showing roses and a meadowlark representing her Shoshone name "Hedow."
"This is something we have to cherish today because not a lot people still do this kind of work," Teton said.
At the end of the presentation, Teton took questions from the Holy Rosary students and passed out new versions of the Sacagawea coin for them to take home.
To read the complete article, see:
Sacagawea coin model speaks to Holy Rosary class
(https://www.postregister.com/news/local/sacagawea-coin-model-speaks-to-holy-rosary-class/article_49b3f55e-a0de-5967-b56a-c137baabff62.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: NOVEMBER 1, 2020
Bernard Olij's Bookplate
Bernard Olij of
Malang, Indonesia writes:
"I'd like to share a bookplate (exlibris) I designed for myself. The design is based on a Spanish 8 Reales, with details changed (a.b.olij, born 1937, lived in the East and West Indies, etc.)"
Very nice! Great idea. I like it. Thanks.
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ALAIN POINSIGNON NUMISMATIC LIBRARY BOOKPLATES
(https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n43a02.html)
Schools at War Jeep Treasury Certificate
Justin J. Perrault writes:
"In response to George Cuhaj's Treasury Certificate for the 1970s CENT ("penny") shortage, I came across on eBay another interesting bit of numismatic ephemera issued by the Treasury Dept. during WWII as part of a War Jeep Campaign amongst the schools."
Interesting WWII ephemera. I wasn't familiar with this program. I'm old, but not THAT old.
-Editor
To read the complete lot description, see:
1943 WWII Patriotic Certificate Schools at War Jeep Campaign, US Treasury Dept
(https://www.ebay.com/itm/1943-WWII-Patriotic-Certificate-Schools-at-War-Jeep-Campaign-US-Treasury-Dept/264908251839)
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: OCTOBER 25, 2020 : 1970s Penny Shortage Treasury Special Citation Certificate
(https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n43a12.html)
Colonial Coin Collectors 2020 Virtual Convention
As noted earlier, the Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4) will be holding their 2020 convention online, and everyone is welcome to attend.
Jim Glickman reminded me to remind all of you, so here goes.
For more information, see the earlier article or the C4 website, both linked below.
-Editor
The Colonial Coin Collecting Club (C4) has released
the schedule of online education programs as part of its virtual 2020
Convention, to take place November 12 – 14, 2020. These programs will
be fully accessible on Zoom. The programs will appeal to collectors of
every level of experience with colonial coins and currency, from the
curious beginner to those with colonial expertise. You do not need to be
a member of C4 to participate. A lineup of luminaries in the hobby has
been assembled to deliver a varied and fascinating educational
experience.
All programs will be available on Zoom, and will be one hour in length. A
tutorial on how to use Zoom and more detailed information on how to
join lectures will be posted on the C4 website in the “Conventionâ€
section:
https://colonialcoins.org/conventions/
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
COLONIAL COIN COLLECTORS 2020 VIRTUAL CONVENTION
(https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n42a13.html)
Masked Numismatics
Regarding a non-numismatic article he'd recently seen,
Nick Graver writes:
"The illustration of Ben with a mask is rather clever."
I was unable to locate the particular article online, but the image it used is a stock photo similar to the one shown below. I also encountered a related one of a masked Queen Victoria in the Autumn 2020 Money & Medals newsletter. Signs of the times.
-Editor
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