The E-Sylum:  Volume 3, Number 51, December 10, 2000, Article 17

FEATURED WEB SITE 

   This week's featured web site is recommended by NBS 
   Board member Larry Mitchell:  "The Library of Congress has 
   updated 'An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of 
   Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera.'  First released in 
   1998, the collection has had more than seven thousand 
   additional items added to it. It's available at 

      http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/rbpehtml/ 

   A keyword search on coin* will produce 16 rarely seen 
   broadsides on the subject!" 

   [Editor's note:  One interesting item is Ed Cogan's "Circular 
   letter regarding sale of coins in the Randall sale", February 2, 
   1869.  It begins: "In Mason & Co's Magazine for last month, 
   I find a very gassy reply to a letter of mine, commenting upon 
   the sale of coins held in Philadelphia in October last.  As I 
   could not with propriety ask to be allowed to refer again to this 
   subject, in our New-York Journal, I have taken this means of 
   replying to it, to put myself right with the Collectors, by showing 
   that I was perfectly justified in what I have said in regard to the 
   misrepresentations of the Coins in the Randall Sale. If the Editor 
   had taken my advice, and held his tongue about the remarks in 
   my first letter, he would have taken a much wiser course than the 
   one he has thought proper to adopt; and if he has been driven to 
   this course by outside pressure, I am sorry for him; but he must 
   not blame me for it." 

   Another interesting item is a printing of an April 14, 1790 letter 
   by Thomas Jefferson "certain proposals, for supplying the United 
   States with copper coinage" 

   "The Secretary of State, to whom was referred by the House of 
   Representatives the letter of John H. Mitchell, reciting certain 
   proposals, for supplying the United States with Copper Coinage, 
   has had the same under consideration, according to instructions, 
   and begs leave to report thereon as follows. 

   THE person who wishes to undertake the supply of a Copper 
   Coinage, sets forth, that the superiority of his apparatus and 
   process for coining, enables him to furnish a coinage, better and 
   cheaper than can be done by any country or person whatever: 
   that his dies are engraved by the first artist in that line in Europe: 
   that his apparatus for striking the edge, at the same blow with 
   the faces, is new and singularly ingenious: that he coins by a press 
   on a new principle, and worked by a fire engine more regularly 
   than can be done by hand; that he will deliver any quantity of coin, 
   of any size and device, of pure and unalloyed copper, wrapped 
   in paper, and packed in casks ready for shipping, for fourteen 
   pence sterling the pound." ] 

  Wayne Homren 
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society 

  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.  To join, print the application and 
  return it with your check to the address printed 
  on the application.   For those without web access, 
  contact Dave Hirt, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, 
  5911 Quinn Orchard Road, Frederick, MD 21704 

  (To be removed from this mailing list 
   write to me at whomren@coinlibrary.com) 
    

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
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