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 AUGUST 30, 2020

New subscribers this week include: Ali Ozan Kütükcü, Ted Ryan, and Stan. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,552 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@gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content.

Happy Birthday to us! The first issue of what would become The E-Sylum was emailed on September 4, 1998. All back issues are archived and searchable on our website as well as the Newman Numismatic Portal. Many thanks to our webmaster Bruce Perdue for keeping the archive up-to-date and to John Nebel for his longtime generosity in hosting the web site at no cost to the club. This wonderful resource would not be possible without their help.

To visit the E-Sylum archive, see:
https://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum.html

For the complete table of contents of all 28,000+ E-Sylum articles, see:
https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_toc.html

This week we open with updates from the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, five new books, a periodical issue, a numismatic library donation and a report on the Newman Numismatic Portal Symposium.

Other topics this week include U.S. colonial coins, Chinese amulets, the NuTilt coin imaging technology, notes from readers, Ormsby's Bank Note Engraving book, dealer Charles Steigerwalt, sculptures by coin designers, the Gold Standard, the First Ladies of Rome, and error coins.

To learn more about numismatics in Britain, metallurgy in numismatics, the Ship of Gold, Tiffany's gold coin melts, the Newlin-Friedberg Brasher doubloon, molded borders, the only three-dimensional work of Victor David Brenner, encased postage stamps, the J.T. Jones counterstamp, and the book of swindles, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

NBS 2020 GENERAL MEETING REPORT

With the cancellation of this summer's ANA Convention due to Covid-19 the NBS conducted the annual meeting on August 28th via zoom. Thanks to the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (EPNNES) and NBS Vice-President Len Augsburger the entire membership had an opportunity to attend the meeting. Highlights of the meeting included the announcement of The Asylum awards, an informative presentation by Lianna Spurrier discussing how to bring a book from finished manuscript to print and Treasurer Chuck Heck's financial and membership report.

I want to thank David and Maria Fanning for conducting our benefit mail bid auction, which is critical to the financial health of the NBS. Together our generous donors and enthusiastic bidders will make the auction a success again this year. The sale closes August 31st at 6:00 PM ET. Be sure to check out the catalog and send your bids to David at df@numislit.com .

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NBS BENEFIT AUCTION REMINDER

Bid on great numismatic literature and donate to the NBS at the same time! This year's NBS Fundraising Auction is entirely by mail bid this year. Download the catalogue and send your bids to df@numislit.com by 6:00PM on Monday, August 31, 2020 and help support numismatic literature.

To View the NBS 2020 Benefit Auction Catalogue
https://www.numislit.com/pdfs/NBSAuction2020.pdf

NEW BOOK: WHITMAN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COLONIAL COINS, 2ND ED.

Whitman Publishing announces the release of the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, second edition, by Q. David Bowers. The 352-page hardcover book will debut in September 2020, available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, and online (including at www.Whitman.com), for $49.95.

The Whitman Encyclopedia is the definitive reference on the coins, tokens, and related issues of colonial America and the early years of the fledgling United States. Before the first edition was published in 2009, collectors and dealers had no single, authoritative guide to these fascinating relics of everyday American life dating from the mid-1600s to the early 1800s.

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NEW BOOK: NUMISMATICS IN BRITAIN

Andrew Burnett, ‘The Hidden Treasures of this Happy Island.' A History of Numismatics in Britain from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.
3 volumes:
volume I: pp. xxxvi + 566, 200 illus.;
volume II: pp. xvi + 612, 140 illus.;
volume III: pp. xiv + 626, 40 illus.
ISBN 0–901405–36–1
Royal Numismatic Society Special Publication no. 58;
British Numismatic Society Special Publication no. 14.
Distributed by Spink & Son Ltd.,
69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4ET

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NEW BOOK: METALLURGY IN NUMISMATICS

Kenneth A. Sheedy and Gillan Davis (editors), Metallurgy in Numismatics 6. Mines, Metals, and Money: Ancient World Studies in Science, Archaeology and History.
pp. xii + 326, 396 illus., including one folding map in colour. 0–901405–37–X
Royal Numismatic Society Special Publication no. 56.
Distributed by Spink & Son Ltd.,
69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4ET

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NEW BOOK: CAST CHINESE AMULETS

Cast Chinese Amulets
By David Hartill
New Generation Publishing
788 pp Hardcover
Available from Amazon

For over 2,000 years, the Chinese have been producing amulets in the shape of flat metal objects, usually cast in brass or bronze, some shaped like the traditional square-holed cash coins, others in a variety of fancy shapes, promising good luck in various fields, the turning away of evil influences, or conveying religious sentiments. Some have inscriptions taken from the Classics of 500 BC.

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NEW BOOK: THE BOOK OF SWINDLES

The Book of Swindles
by Zhang Yingyu
Translated by Bruce Rusk and Christopher Rea
Columbia University Press
2017
ISBN: 9780231178631

In this issue, I interview Dr. Bruce Rusk. Dr. Rusk is Associate Professor of Asian Studies at the University of British Colombia in Vancouver, Canada. His focus is on late Ming, early Qing cultural history. I interviewed him in Taipei where he is a visiting researcher at Taiwan's Academia Sinica, Taiwan's top research center. You can read about Professor Rusk's information here.

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PERIODICAL: COIN COLLECTOR ISSUE 8

What's in this Issue?
Inside Issue 8 of Coin Collector magazine:

Issue 8 of Coin Collector features an exclusive report on the renowned SS America shipwreck discovery, which has seen a remarkable hoard of numismatic treasures resurface and excite the collecting market. US expert Donn Pearlman tells the story of the ill-fated ship and details the many rare coins discovered many years later – including a range of scarce British pieces.

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LIBRARY DONATION HELPS RESEARCHERS AND YNS

In early August of 2020, I contacted Richard Kelly & Nancy Oliver of Roseville, California to offer my numismatic library. Richard and Nancy have written many fine articles for various coin related publications over many years including “The Numismatist,” the monthly publication of the American Numismatic Association (ANA). I remembered reading the sad news that their home including their numismatic library was lost in the “Camp Fire” last year in Paradise, California. I was disappointed when they ceased writing articles due to this tragic event. My library has been sitting in boxes since my last move and figured that they could use some help in re-building their library. Richard and Nancy were very grateful towards my offer and asked if I could put together an inventory of the books and send that to them. This was to not receive any duplicate titles that they already had replaced, or received from other donations since the fire. I complied and created an electronic inventory of just under 100 titles.

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FIRST NEWMAN PORTAL SYMPOSIUM CONCLUDES

First Newman Portal Symposium Concludes

The Newman Numismatic Portal Symposium presented a virtual cornucopia of numismatic content over a three-day period, August 28-30. Capably managed by Lianna Spurrier of Numismatic Marketing, this Zoom-based, online event featured over forty presentations on a wide array of numismatic topics, from ancient to moderns. Audience engagement was strong and nearly all sessions included spirited question & answer segments. Many thanks to the NNP Symposium presenters, who did considerable preparation on slide decks and related content. All presentations were recorded and will be made available on the Newman Portal shortly. We welcome suggestions for future Symposium offerings, which may be sent to NNPCurator@wustl.edu .

Link to NNP Symposium home page:
https://nnpsymposium.org/

MORE ON THE NUTILT COIN IMAGING FORMAT

We've received quite a bit of feedback in the past week regarding our trial release of nuTilt imaging. It's truly been rather exciting for us here at DLRC. While we released it to “test” the project before a full release, it was picked up and broadcast by a number of places and it brought us a lot of feedback regarding the program. Our friends at The E-Sylum were the first to broadcast the new technology and it brought about some really great questions.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: AUGUST 30, 2020

Whitman Folder Books Now Shipping
Author David Lange writes:

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MORE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

The 49th Annual New York International Numismatic Convention has announced the addition of two educational programs to its slate of club meetings and activities.

The NYINC will be held at the Grand Hyatt New York, located on 42nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. Convention activities will be held from Friday, January 8 through Sunday, January 17. The 100 dealer world and ancient specialty bourse will be held January 14-17.

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ORMSBY'S 1852 BANK NOTE ENGRAVING BOOK

“THE MOST DESIRABLE VOLUME EVER PUBLISHED ON AMERICAN PAPER MONEY”

ORMSBY, Waterman Lilly A Description of the Present System of Bank Note Engraving showing its tendency to facilitate counterfeiting: to which is added a new method of constructing bank notes to prevent forgery

New York: W.L.Ormsby and London: Willoughby & Co, 1852

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VOCABULARY TERM: MOLDED BORDER

Molded Border. A border with many elements, of curves, arcs, angles and planes in one single design that continues around the entire circumference at the edge of a round coin or medal. Molded borders are made with a template and used with clay, wax or plasteline and are almost always made oversize; thus they are ideal for use on oversize patterns that are later pantographically reduced to cut the necessary die.

A molded border is like any border in that it provides a frame for the design, forcing the viewers gaze inward to observe the device and lettering. In addition a molded border is ideal for large medals particularly in that it aids human beings to pick up and hold the piece with their fingers. The multiple elements of the border are, in effect, grip ridges where finger ridges (as in a fingerprint) lock and hold tight on the border ridges. The larger the medal, the more elements of these ridges should be designed into the border.

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CHARLES TRISSLER STEIGERWALT (1858-1912)

Charles Trissler Steigerwalt (1858-1912), was born on June 28, 1858, at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, son of Henry J. Steigerwalt and Mary Ann Trissler Steigerwalt.

His father died in his youth and was raised by his maternal grandfather Michael Tissler.

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HARVEY STACK'S NUMISMATIC FAMILY, PART 77

The year 1979 brought quite a few important public auctions. At the time, Stack's was the leading public auctioneer in the coin hobby, as we sold many of the major collections being offered. After Stack's helped to build their collections, many of our clients would give us the opportunity to "return their treasures" to the marketplace, for new generations of collectors to enjoy. In addition, our reputation was such that we were selected by banks, trust companies, colleges, universities and museums to assist in appraising their holdings and often selling numismatic material so that they could better finance their central purpose. The number of sales and rare coins we were given to sell at auction kept us busy during the year, and the "name" sales added to our reputation, bringing in even more consignments.

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COIN DESIGNER IAN RANK-BROADLEY'S DIANA STATUE

Plans for a new Princess Diana statue to be installed at Kensington Palace next year 'will help to heal old wounds' after an alleged rift between Princes William and Harry.

A statement on behalf of the Duke of Sussex and Duke of Cambridge issued by Kensington Palace read: 'The statue that Prince William and Prince Harry have commissioned to commemorate their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, will be installed next year on what would have been her 60th birthday.'

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SCULPTURES BY U.S. COIN DESIGNERS

The previous article in this issue discussed a planned statue by artist Ian Rank-Broadley of Princess Diana in London. I worked in Central London for some months in 2007, and was delighted to discover the flat my company rented for me was within a short walk of Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. I'd love to get back someday and see the old neighborhood.

On the topic of sculpture by coin artists, I had some email correspondence this week with Garrett Ziss, who recently visited my old hometown of Pittsburgh and saw two great outdoor sculptures by U.S. coin designers.

At left is "Song to Nature", a fountain in front of the University of Pittsburgh's Frick Fine Arts building, which was the only three-dimensional work of Victor David Brenner, designer of the Lincoln Cent. On the right is the smaller Christopher Lyman Magee Memorial which was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It's within sight of the Brenner fountain, directly in front of the entrance to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (pictured in another article in this issue). Images courtesy Garrett Ziss. Thanks! -Editor

For more information on the Brenner Fountain, see:
Mary E. Schenley Memorial Fountain/Song To Nature (http://friendsofpantherhollowlake.blogspot.com/2015/06/mary-e-schenley-memorial-fountainsong.html)

Garrett adds:

THE HISTORY OF THE GOLD STANDARD

The Gold Standard: How and Why Gold Became the Most Important Metal For Coins

For centuries, silver was the preferred metal across the world when it came to coins and savings. In the 19th century, that changed. We'll explain how and why, and illustrate what happened with the help of coins that will be coming under the hammer on 30 September and 1 October 2020 in the Künker Auction entitled ‘A Numismatic Gold Treasure'.

By Ursula Kampmann on behalf of Künker

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DAUER COLLECTION OF CIVIL WAR ENCASED POSTAGE

The Dauer collection, containing rarities and pieces of exceptionally choice quality, will be featured in Siegel's Fall 2020 auction of United States stamps

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THE FIRST LADIES OF ROME

The introductory article by our own Julia Trocmé-Latter provides an enjoyable introduction to this important part of Roman coinage. Roman Empresses filled many roles in the Roman Empire, not unlike modern-day Presidential First Ladies. There are stark contrasts to their modern-day counterparts as well. But the importance of these First Ladies is implicit by the sheer numbers of coins struck in their honor.

The extensive use of First Lady portraits on coinage comes to a zenith in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD beginning with Faustina Senior and extending through the reign of Elagabalus. We have focused not only on exceptional portrait styles but have included many interesting reverse types as well. It is often through the reverse themes that we learn the most about how Roman rulers wanted to have their first ladies recognized. These reverses include virtues, family promotion, and occasionally specific references to glorify projects promoted by these first ladies. It is a fascinating area to study and collect. We hope you enjoy this special edition.

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NEW GOLD COIN HOARD FIND IN ISRAEL

A pair of 18-year-olds recently made an unexpected discovery when they unearthed a cache of 424 rare golden coins while volunteering at an archaeological dig conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority. Such a large amount of gold is, it goes without saying, extremely valuable; it had been buried inside a clay jar for safekeeping more than 1,000 years ago.

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1575 SCOTTISH JAMES VI GOLD 20 POUNDS OFFERED

Longest-Reigning Scottish Monarch's Impressive Gold Coin Will "Wow" Bidders

Heritage will be offering a rare Scottish coin in the January 2020 NYINC Auction that appears to have never crossed the auction block at Heritage in the past. A search of Heritage archives reveals no examples of the scarce 1575 or 1576 Scottish James VI 20 Pound gold coin in our previous sales. This denomination was only produced for two years and is an impressive, large gold coin made over 440 years ago by the longest-reigning Scottish monarch! It is also the largest hammered gold denomination that was ever struck for use in the British Isles.

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THE J.T. JONES COUNTERSTAMPS

Last year, this writer was fortunate to have acquired a trio of historic counterstamps that were issued by J.T. Jones of San Francisco. They came via the NTCA auction which was liquidating the estate of veteran California token collector, Ron Lerch. The popularity of this issue is largely due to the history surrounding the Blue Wing saloon of which Jones was the proprietor from about 1851-53. For those wanting to learn about the fascinating back story, this website offers a fine read: http://thebellecora.com/thestoryofbellecora

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HERITAGE U.S. ERROR COIN OFFERINGS

Fascinating Die Cap Error Stars in Simpson Collection

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SMITHSONIAN CARNEGIE BOOK THEFT ARTICLE

Like nuclear power plants and sensitive computer networks, the safest rare book collections are protected by what is known as “defense in depth”—a series of small, overlapping measures designed to thwart a thief who might be able to overcome a single deterrent. The Oliver Room, home to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's rare books and archives, was something close to the platonic ideal of this concept. Greg Priore, manager of the room starting in 1992, designed it that way.

In the spring of 2017, then, the library's administration was surprised to find out that many of the room's holdings were gone. It wasn't just that a few items were missing. It was the most extensive theft from an American library in at least a century, the value of the stolen objects estimated to be $8 million.

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LOOSE CHANGE: AUGUST 30, 2020

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