Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 2, Number 51  December 19, 1999: 
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
   

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES  

   We have one new subscriber this week: Ken Wolfe. 
   Welcome aboard!  This brings our  subscriber count to 262. 
   

COLONIAL NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED  

   Phil Mossman reports: "The December 1999 number of  The 
   Colonial Newsletter, sponsored by The American Numismatic 
   Society, is now available.  This issue features an article by 
   Richard Margolis, “Matthew Boulton, Philip Parry Price 
   Myddleton and the Proposed Token Coinage for Kentucky.” 
   Dick’s manuscript is the result of many years of research and 
   probing into original sources.  Jim Spilman presents  “The 
   Research Forum Revisited - Part II.”  In this continuation of a 
   series of three, Jim follows up on a question that was originally 
   posed to readers in April 1973,  “What was the Coentie’s-Club 
   of New York?”  More answers to this inquiry are forthcoming in 
   this second installment. Both these papers demonstrate that 
   numismatic research is frequently a long and continuing process 
   before all the questions are satisfactorily answered." 
   

INFO ON SOUTH AFRICAN COINAGE BOOK SOUGHT  

   Geoffrey T. Ahlers would like information about a book he owns 
   titled: "Ken Jacobs' Coins of South Africa", by Ken Jacobs and 
   Eli Levine.   It has 176 pages and was published in Cape Town 
   by the South African Gold Coin Exchange.  

   "Since the volume I have is 1 of 1000 copies, a limited edition - 
   was there a regular edition created?  It seems hard to believe that 
   they went through all the effort only to have such a small quantity 
   printed.  Also the author, in his introduction, describes his own 
   frustration with the inadequacy of other texts to properly catalog 
   the South African coins.  He says he created the catalog to be the 
   definitive text on South African coins. Is it? Or is there another of  

   preference (which could explain the obscurity of this volume)."  

   As for the print run, 1,000 copies is not an unusually small amount 
   for a numismatic book.   As for the other questions, perhaps one 
   of our readers can help.  Mr. Ahlers can be reached via email at 
   ahlersgt@email.uc.edu 
   

INDIAN PEACE MEDAL PEN-PALS WANTED  

   Fred Lucas writes: "I am interested in corresponding with people 
   who collect or have access to collections of Indian peace medals. 
   I am mostly interested in British and French Medals. "  Fred can 
   be reached via email at:  LOYCONFED@aol.com 
   

AJN ON MICROFILM  

   Dan Friedus writes: "Michael Sullivan's AJN request reminds 
   me that there is yet another AJN reprint that most collectors 
   don't know about.  University Microfilms International (later 
   known simply as UMI, now named "Bell & Howell Information 
   and Learning") filmed a set.  They didn't film a complete set, 
   however.  When I was an editor I tried to get some interest in 
   filming the remainder so that there would actually be some 
   potential customers (I couldn't imagine many customers of any 
   sort who would buy an incomplete set.)  I was unsuccessful, 
   though they still do sell it.  Microfilm, at least at UMI, doesn't 
   go out of print since they store the master and fill each order 
   on demand.  Not an item for a collector, but less expensive 
   than a paper set and it saves space, too." 
   

QUICK QUIZ ANSWERS: CANCELED AUCTIONS  

   Several folks responded to last week's quiz about numismatic 
   auctions to have been planned and published only to be 
   canceled at the last minute.  David L Ganz, Dan Friedus, 
   P. Scott Rubin, Myron Xenos, Darryl Atchison, and Brad 
   Karoleff responded by email.  Our unwired Secretary, Dave 
   Hirt, gave me his answers when I quizzed him by telephone. 
   The sales are listed (to the best of my knowledge) in reverse 
   chronological order.  Further bibliographical details or other 
   information on these sales would be most welcome.  

   SUPERIOR TROMPETER SALE PART II  

   P. Scott Rubin wrote: "One that was stopped before the 
   catalogue was released was Superior's Trompeter Collection 
   Part II.  This was stopped by the daughters of Mr. Trompeter, 
   who had died after the first sale.  This collection was later 
   sold intact to Heritage for the highest price recorded for a 
   private collection."  

   OVERTON HALF DOLLAR COLLECTION  

   Myron Xenos and Brad Karoleff described the Overton 
   Half Dollar Collection sale by Sheridan Downey.  Brad 
   notes:  "The complete collection was sold intact to a 
   mysterious buyer just before the sale."  

   HARMER ROOKE CARDINAL SPELLMAN SALES  

   Several entrants mentioned the Cardinal Spellman collection 
   (Parts I and II, by Harmer Rooke), which was eventually 
   disposed of by a private sale.   No one was clear on the 
   reason for the cancellation of the sales, but Dan Freidus 
   suggests "it may have been that the Archdiocese owned the 
   coins rather than the Cardinal."  

   LOW 1887 LINDERMAN SALE  

   P. Scott Rubin listed the "Low 1887 Linderman Sale.  Virtually 
   the same sale took place in 1888 by Scott & Co., minus some 
   lots of patterns which the U.S. Government confiscated.  They 
  did not however, take the 1804 Restrike Dollar."  

   LOW 1885 KINGSFORD SALE  

   Darryl Atchison wrote:   "In response to your query regarding 
   canceled sales, I only know of one such occurrence, although 
   I am sure there are many others.  

   In Nov. 1885 Lyman Haynes Low prepared a 31 page, unplated 
   catalogue for R.E. Kingsford, a barrister from Toronto, Canada. 
   The sale consisted of 658 lots of British silver and tokens as well 
   as Canadian coins and tokens.  After the catalogue was prepared 
   Kingsford withdrew his collection from auction and the sale was 
   canceled.  This catalogue is not listed in either of Adams' or Davis' 
   text.  

   If anyone has a copy of this catalogue I would be delighted to 
   correspond with them."  

   Dave Hirt also listed the Kingsford sale, an example of which 
   was sold as lot 1364 in Part Two of the Champa Library sales. 
   Cataloguer Charles Davis noted that the copy is one of three 
   known.  "Thirty years later, Low finally got to sell Kingsford's 
   collection in his 180th sale."  

   STROBRIDGE 1873 SEAVEY COLLECTION  

   P. Scott Rubin writes: "Another sale was the 1873 Seavey 
   collection.  This was sold before the sale to Lorin Parmelee, 
   who allowed the plated catalogue to be issued."  

   Charles Davis' "American Numismatic Literature" has an 
   extensive endnote (no. 1027) describing the sale.  

   AND ONE MORE ...  

   Only Dave Hirt named the last of the sales I had in mind 
   when I posed the quiz question.  I'll give you a hint ... 
   This American sale was postponed due to an unexpected 
   national tragedy.  Any guesses? 
   

FEATURED WEB SITE  

   This week's featured web page is non-numismatic, but may 
   have some relevance to R. E. Kingsford, the Canadian 
   collector whose 1885 auction sale was canceled.  The web 
   page describes The Fenian Raid of 1866 and the role of  The 
   Queen's Own Rifles of Canada.  It states that a private R. E. 
   Kingsford was wounded in the leg in that battle.  Could this 
   be the same gentleman who went on to become "a barrister 
   from Toronto, Canada. ?"  

      http://www.qor.com/history/ridgeway.html 
   

  Wayne Homren 
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society 
   

  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a 
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