NEW BOOK: THE GERMAN BANKNOTES FROM 1871

The German banknotes from 1871
by Hans-Ludwig Grabowski

The paper money of the German central banks, government paper money, colonial and occupation expenses, German secondary areas and banknote-like securities and vouchers

Published by Battenberg Verlag
ISBN: 978-3-86646-183-3
Edition: 22nd edition 2020
Images: colored throughout
Hardcover: 928 pages
Format: 14.8 x 21 cm

Read more here

NEW BOOK: SECURITY FEATURES OF BANKNOTES

There are 7 chapters covering generic security features and over 200 trade name security features, 90% with image examples. Chapters include

• Printing Methods
• Watermarks and Windows
• Inks
• Security Strips
• Security Mask
• Foil, & Patch
• Substrates
• Varnishes & Coatings

.

The book runs 69 pages.

Read more here

R.S. YEOMAN AND HIS REMARKABLE RED BOOK

A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book, the latest Whitman Publishing book by Kenneth Bressett, debuts in summer 2021 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Yeoman's Guide Book of United States Coins (the "Red Book"). The 352-page hardcover volume will be available from bookstores and hobby shops and online (including at Whitman.com), and in the meantime is available for preorder. Here, Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker describes the process of how A Penny Saved came to be, and why it was undertaken in the first place.

Celebrating R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book
How and Why We Commemorate the Red Book's 75 Years

Read more here

EARLY PAPER MONEY OF AMERICA ON NNP

Early Paper Money of America on Newman Portal

We continue to update the NNP Edition of Eric Newman's Early Paper Money of America. This online version incorporates additional images from the Newman paper money sales, in addition to edits contributed by collectors and researchers. Ray Williams, David Gladfelter, and others have contributed to this ongoing effort.

Read more here

VIDEO: COOL COINS AT COLLECTORAMA 2021

Cool Coins at Collectorama 2021!
VIDEO: 8:27.

David Lisot, Interviewer, CoinTelevision.com with Edward Kuszmar, John Maben, Owner, Pegasus Coin & Jewelry, Rick & Patricia DeSanctis, Numismatic Classics.

Cool coins can be almost any coins. Hear and see interesting concepts of coolness for coins that include the American Eagle gold 1/10 ounce uncirculated, an off-center Kennedy Half Dollar, multiple one ounce copper uncirculated rounds, and an 1882-CC GSA Toned Silver Dollar NGC MS65.

An excerpt of the video is available for viewing on the Coin Television YouTube Channel at:
https://youtu.be/gPwKlObkV4U

MORE ON MEHL'S NUMISMATIC BANK BUILDING

Dave Lange writes:

Read more here

ON INFLUENCE IN NUMISMATICS

Influential Numismatists

Last October I reviewed the list of about two hundred people under consideration by Coin World for their list of The Most Influential People in Numismatics. I added more than fifty names to my listing of American Numismatic Biographies (ANB) although I thought some of them were weak candidates.

Last Wednesday I received the issue with the 96 people selected. I went through the statements and made about 400 revisions to ANB based on those statements. There were a couple of names I did not recognize and about five people who were not already in ANB. I will not be adding them.

There are people on the list who have never written a book, never had an article published, never held an office in a coin club, never made an educational presentation at the ANA and never received an award from a numismatic organization.

Read more here

ANSWER: "I.G." ON MARYLAND COLONIAL NOTE

Regarding last week's reader question about the notation "1 G" on an April 10, 1774 Maryland 2/9 of a dollar colonial note Paul Horner writes:

Read more here

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 2, 2021

Copper 1794 Dollar Pattern Sales
Dave Hirt writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
COPPER 1794 DOLLAR PATTERN PUBLICITY (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n17a24.html)

Read more here

MORE ON THE MONNERON 2 SOL PATTERN PIECE

Two weeks ago Jim Duncan asked,

Read more here

QUERY: SHAGIN JOHNSON MATTHEY SILVER ROUNDS

Greg Burns from The California Numismatist sent me your way to ask a question that I have. I have just recently acquired three Johnson Matthey one ounce .999 silver rounds minted in 1986 from what looks to be the "Liberty Series Centennial Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty" plaque that the Ellis Island Foundation had commissioned sculptor Alex Shagin to do. I have never seen these bullion rounds before and I was hoping maybe you had some information about them.

I have found a few articles on Alex Shagin and the plaque he had done and discovered it is featured on the cover of "The California Numismatist" winter 2008 edition. I have seen plenty of other types of Johnson Mathey Liberty rounds and bars and thanks to Allengelhard.com estimated mintages and other information, however, I cannot find anything about these rounds.

If you have any information about JM working with Mr. Shagin, estimated mintage numbers for this round, etc. It would be greatly appreciated.

Read more here

VOCABULARY TERM: DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES

Drawings and Sketches. The earliest concepts of a design recorded in some way as a plan to be developed further. The first ideas of a numismatic or medallic design are usually in the two-dimensional form of a drawing before the design is rendered into a three-dimensional form, either of which is called a study. Often a great number of drawings are made (if small and sketchy they are called thumbnail drawings); the artist will proceed until a concept for the design is chosen. The process in the mind of the artist is often one of trial and selection, with those having merit being recorded in a drawing, and others discarded.

Read more here

SAMUEL BIRCHALL (1761-1814)

Samuel Birchall, one of five children of Caleb Birchall (1735-1805), of Rainford, Lancashire, and his wife Mary, née Stapleton (1739-1802), was born into a Quaker family in Horsehay, Shropshire, on 31 May 1761. He was a pupil of George Bewley's school in Kendal from 1773 to about 1777. The family moved to Stockport, Cheshire, in the summer of 1779, where his parents ran a calico and tea business. He married Anna Jowitt (1765-93) on 6 June 1785 and the following year moved to Leeds, where he joined his wife's family firm, John & Joseph Jowitt, woolstaplers, in which Samuel had become a partner by June 1788. Samuel occupied himself with civic duties in his newly-adopted home town. He served on the board of governors of Ackworth School and of the Infirmary, was a collector of rates, taxes and duties for the south Division of Leeds and was a trustee of the Workhouse.

Read more here

DAVID ULYSSES PROSKEY (1853-1928)

David Ulysses Proskey (1853-1928), was born the eldest of eight children, and first of five sons, on December 12, 1853, son of Sigismond Proskey (1837-1898), a Pollock and prosperous merchant by trade, and his mother born in Glasgow, Scotland of Irish parents, Anna "Jane" Josephine Lynch Proskey (1836-1898), at Wappinger Falls, Duchess County, New York. His father seems to have been educated in classics since he names his son Alexander and David's middle name is Ulysses.

David Proskey is a very interesting personality in American numismatic history. Coming from a large family of industrious businessmen he had his hand in several prospects at any given time. His is a story of a young man whose hobby brought him fame and fortune over time. In the beginning he was probably involved in the Proskey Brothers mainly as an investor when his brother Alexander began a lumber business in Paterson, New Jersey, also the site where they lived. The Proskey Brothers soon became a building company, hoteliers, and then real estate brokers making many transactions over the years and a substantial fortune for the family. But, in the beginning David soon spread out to New York with an office selling stamps, coins, minerals, curios, and other antiquities. Keeping his own office he put his younger brother Samuel there after he had graduated from school during the day when he went off to work for John Walter Scott. In the evenings both would travel back home by train. Proskey probably edited Scott's Coin Collector's Journal from his own business office on many occasions but also appears to have had other duties managing the coin and medal department for Scott requiring his presence there.

Read more here

MINT ENGRAVER T. JAMES FERRELL

Born in Clayton, New Jersey in 1939, T. James Ferrell graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he pursued studies in painting, sculpture, and graphics. Upon leaving art school in 1963, he worked as an artist on the staff of the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin for six years. In the decade after his graduation he served as monitor of the Professional Artists' Graphic Workshop at the Academy. He studied art at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania for two years.

Ferrell is a recipient of the Cresson European Traveling Scholarship, the Charles Toppan Prize for oil painting, and for four consecutive years the Lux prize and the Woodrow prize in printmaking. Many institutions and galleries have exhibited his work.

Read more here

DENNIS TUCKER NOW A KENTUCKY COLONEL

On March 23, 2021, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear commissioned Whitman Publishing's Dennis Tucker as a Kentucky Colonel in recognition of his career in book publishing, and for publicizing and promoting knowledge of the Commonwealth's status as an important subject within American numismatics.

According to the Governor's Office, "The highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky is that of Kentucky Colonel." The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels defines the commission as "recognition of an individual's noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to our community, state, and nation."

A Career in Nonfiction Publishing Tucker started his career in writing and publications management in New York. In 2004 he was hired as Publisher for Whitman Publishing, LLC, one of the nation's leading publishers of nonfiction books, then headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since then the company has published more than 300 books, including many standard references, relating to the art and science of numismatics (the study of coins and related objects).

Read more here

DNW OFFERS SAMUEL BIRCHALL COLLECTION

A fascinating collection of British coins that was amassed 240 years ago by Samuel Birchall of Leeds is to be offered in a sale of Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals on Tuesday & Wednesday, May 4 & 5, 2021 by international coins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists Dix Noonan Webb.

The collection includes examples dating from the time of Alfred the Great and Harold II with estimates up to £2,000. Samuel Birchall (1761-1814) was a pupil of George Bewley's school in Kendal from 1773 to about 1777. The family moved to Stockport, Cheshire, in the summer of 1779, where his parents ran a calico and tea business. He married Anna Jowitt (1765-93) on 6 June 1785 and the following year moved to Leeds, where he joined his wife's family firm, John & Joseph Jowitt, woolstaplers, in which Samuel had become a partner by June 1788. Samuel Birchall is best known among present-day numismatists for his A Descriptive List of the Provincial Copper Coins or Tokens issued between the Years 1786 and 1796, an alphabetical reference to pieces in his own collection and those of a small number of other contemporaries. Apart from tokens, Samuel Birchall formed valuable collections of British gold and silver coins. Doubtless one of the sources for the coin collection was the dealer Henry Young (c. 1738-1811) of Ludgate street, London, a token issuer himself in 1794 who was followed in business by his much better-known son, Matthew Young (1770-1838), issuer of his own private token in 1798 and a collaborator with Birchall on his List, for which Henry Young was the retail outlet.

Read more here

ON CONDITION, DAMAGE, AND PRICE

How do you value a rare coin with damage? This issue comes up fairly often in the process of cataloging coins for our sales. Damage reduces the value and makes price guides or auction history less relevant. One of the coins offered here illustrates the problem—an exceptional and undamaged portrait on a piece produced by one of the finest medallists of any era on a fresh flan but with clear damage in the field, the Thomas Simon portrait on the hammered shilling of Charles II soon after he returned from exile.

Read more here

MODERN RARE COINS IN ALBUM AUCTION 40

Alongside the dramatic rise in the price of gold, modern numismatic rarities - those scarce coins minted in the last 50 years - have been emerging in the market. Two such rarities will be offered in the upcoming Stephen Album Rare Coins Auction 40 which takes place May 13-15.

"Our staff has a wide range of knowledge, and because of that, we often find rare items in collections that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Many modern issues with very low mintages may represent a real opportunity in today's market." says Stephen Album Rare Coins CFO and Director of World Coins Paul Montz.

Read more here

SELECTIONS FROM HOLABIRD MAY 2021 SALES

Lot 3115: 1949 Truman Inaugural Medal

51 mm bronze inaugural medal w/raised bust of Harry S. Truman on Obverse. No obvious scratches or markings. Excellent cond.

Read more here

NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: MAY 2, 2021

Lydian Kingdom Kroisos Stater

Lot 049. Lydian Kingdom. Kroisos. Circa 564/53-550/39 BC. AR stater. Sardes mint.

Lydian Kingdom. Kroisos. Circa 564/53-550/39 BC. AR stater (19 mm, 10.60 g). Sardes mint. Confronted foreparts of lion right and bull left / Two incuse squares of unequal size. Berk 20; SNG Ashmolean 760. aVF, Lighty toned, test cut.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 049. Lydian Kingdom. Kroisos. Circa 564/53-550/39 BC. AR stater. Sardes mint. (https://agoraauctions.com/listing/viewdetail/51043)

Read more here

AULERCI CENOMANI GOLD STATER FOUND IN JERSEY

A TWO millennia-old gold coin believed to be one of the finest examples of its kind has been found by a local metal detectorist.

Deryck Egré found the coin – a gold stater of the Aulerci Cenomani tribe dating back to around 100 BC – in a field in St Martin, after 24 years of regular detecting.

Mr Egré said he had settled with the landowner so that the coin could remain in his collection, and that he was unlikely to sell it as ‘it is part of Jersey's heritage'.

‘I thought it was a fake,' he said. ‘I didn't think I could ever be that lucky.'

Read more here

LEISER COLLECTION OF MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC COINS

"Gold of the Caliphs: Medieval Islamic Coins from the Gary Leiser Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art," now on view at the Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., reminds us that a passion to collect can grow into a lifetime of learning, and that collections offer special, sensory insights into history. Leiser's collection of Islamic coins, the largest of its kind on the West Coast, and the most comprehensive of its kind that is readily available to students and the public, illuminates not only the rise of the Islamic faith, but also the competition between the Islamic world (and the rivalries within it) and the Byzantine Empire as well as the cultural struggles of the Mongols as they sought to maintain control over the Islamic world once they had conquered the greater part of it in 1258 CE.

Read more here

IRON AGE COINS IN BRITAIN

The School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, is pleased to announce the launch of the website: Iron Age Coins in Britain (IACB). The IACB is a digital research tool online that provides access to an edited version of the most comprehensive typology of the Iron Age coins of Britain: Ancient British Coins (ABC).

The ABC typology, published in 2010, catalogues 999 types of coins found in Britain from around the early to mid-2nd century BC through the 1st century AD. Iron Age coins provide the first written evidence from Britain and mark the end of its ‘prehistory'. These coins are mainly found in southern and eastern England and are a major source of information on society, trade, religious beliefs, and continental contacts, forming a crucial part of the archaeological record for Iron Age Britain

Read more here

QUEEN'S BEASTS GOLD 10-KILO £10,000 COIN

THE Royal Mint has produced a giant 10-kilo coin — its biggest in 1,135 years.

The 8in wide "masterwork" took 400 hours to perfect, including four days of polishing.

The amazing coin has already been sold, though no details were given.

However, the Mint said something of this craftsmanship would be worth six figures.

The team of master craftspeople who created the item used traditional skills alongside today's tech advances.

Engraving machines carefully cut the design on to the coin, which has a denomination of £10,000.

Read more here

THE ANDOR ORAND SQUARED QUARTER

Quite often, coming across a previously unknown (to you) numismatic object can send one spiraling down a rabbit hole of investigative digging in order to uncover and learn as much as possible about said object. Such was my situation upon learning about the existence of the Squared Quarter. After seeing an image of one posted to a popular online message board, I did plenty of my own digging, and even came to learn that the American Numismatic Society has a special (and possibly unique) striking of the Squared Quarter. But first, some background:

The Squared Quarter was the brainchild of artist Andor Orand (given name Andor Carius). According to the bio on his own website dedicated to the project, Andor, born in 1942, is a German-American artist who lives and works in the Princeton, New Jersey, and New York metropolitan areas. Although he works in multiple mediums—see the Princeton University Art Museum website for a few examples of his digital artwork—Mr. Orand is perhaps most well-known for his Squared Quarter project.

Read more here

NUMISMATIC SOCIETY OF MONTREAL MEDALS

Jacob Lipson has recently acquired a group of medals produced to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Montreal Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. A strictly limited number of medals in silver and a small quantity in bronze are available through jacoblipsonrarecoins.com.

History

Adelard J. Boucher, Stanley C. Bagg, Joseph A. Manseau, and 17 additional charter members founded what was originally the Société Numismatique de Montreal on December 9, 1862 — the first numismatic organization in Canada and one of the first in North America. Four years later, the Society incorporated archaeological studies as part of its mandate and changed its name to the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Montreal. It also adopted a new seal at that time, featuring a crossed tomahawk and calumet with a Roman lamp above, a Greek coin left, the obverse of a Canadian cent right, and a beaver below.

Read more here

BAUMAN COLLECTION OF CHEMICAL CURRENCY

The Robert J. Bauman Collection contains chemical and petroleum industry currency collected by Robert J. Bauman. The contents of this collection consist of the various types of currency issued by chemical and petroleum companies in a number of countries between 1870 and 1993. Paper money and coins make up a large majority of the materials in this collection. A small number of postcards and commemorative medals are preserved in this collection as well. A small selection of paper money and a postcard have been digitized and can be found here.

Read more here

1922 BANK OF PORTUGAL 500 ESCUDOS NOTE

One of the most famous counterfeiters did not make fake bills in the expected manner, but rather used a sophisticated scheme to have an unauthorized run of genuine notes to be printed by the central bank! Alves Reis was born to a poor family in Portugal in 1898. He did not let his modest circumstances stop him and cooked up a scheme that became known as the Portuguese Banknote Crisis.

Read more here

SCRIPOMANIA AND THE MADNESS FOR SPECULATION

Today, there are manias in everything from bitcoin and nonfungible tokens to SPACs and meme stocks – obscure corners of the market that are getting increased attention. Whether these are the next bubbles to burst remains to be seen.

... I learned while researching my book "Speculation: A Cultural History from Aristotle to AI," which will be published in June 2021, financial speculation hasn't always been understood as a widespread craze – or even outside of individual choice.

... Smith, Washington and others still saw speculators of all types as individuals making calculated decisions, not as part of some maniacal collective or epidemic contagion.

Read more here

LOOSE CHANGE: MAY 2, 2021

The Invention of Coinage: 630 BCE

The first coins were produced from white gold, an alloy also called electrum. Though they are small and irregular in shape, they bear a vast range of powerful visual images, executed in startling detail and with impressive plasticity.

To watch the video, see:
Animation Movie about the Invention of Coinage (https://www.academia.edu/video/kb2yqk)

Read more here

THE COIN AND CURRENCY CLUB

A New Country Every Month!
The money we use does more than just provide a means of trade: it tells a story of who we are. Whether it is of kings of a bygone era, wartime heroes, or feats of art and science, every coin and banknote has a story to tell. Coin and Currency Club brings these stories to you. Every month we deliver a coin and banknote from a different country along with informative cards full of photos, graphics, facts, and statistics of the subject nation and figures on the currency. We also include a flag sticker of the nation for you to collect! Whether you are a hobbyist looking for an engaging way to expand your collection, a traveler scoping out new destinations, or a parent looking to show your kid the beauty and vastness of the world and different cultures, Coin and Currency Club will inspire the curiosity of everyone!

Read more here