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About Us The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit association devoted to the study and enjoyment of numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at coinbooks.org Subscriptions Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link Membership There is a membership application available on the web site Membership Application To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. Print/Digital membership is $40 to addresses in the U.S., and $60 elsewhere. A digital-only membership is available for $25. For those without web access, write to: Charles Heck, Treasurer Numismatic Bibliomania Society P. O. Box 2058, Bluffton, SC 29910-2058 Asylum For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Chuck at this email address: treasurer@coinbooks.org Submissions To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com BUY THE BOOK BEFORE THE COIN Sale Calendar

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 MAY 30, 2021

New subscribers this week include: Norm Cochrane, Bob Grellman, and Allen Ross. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,636 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.

This week we open with two new books, the acquisition of The Banknote Book, numismatic publishing in 2020, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include edge lettering, auction highlights, Solomon's Seal, a chain cent, the 1933 double eagle, the auction of a Purple Heart, the National Bronze Picture Gallery, the cashier who took George Floyd's $20 bill, Wall Street's crypto artist, the Wild West of finance, and paying the taxman in commemorative coins.

To learn more about Dan Freeland, John Adams, Max Schmeling, David Proskey, the thousand ounce bar of silver, testoons, Coin University, Bar Coppers, the CIA Honorable Service Medal, Martine, Comtesse de Béhague, Matthew Stickney's North West Co. token, buns of the Samuri, Bitchcoin, the modern version of mobile chests of silver, and Edward Rausch's Numismatic Urn, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

NEW BOOK: 2021 VARIETIES OF U.S. LARGE CENTS

A new 2021 edition of The Die Varieties of United States Large Cents 1840-1857 by John R. (Bob) Grellman, Jr., is available for immediate delivery. The new book updates the 2000 edition that sold out many years ago. Hardbound, 451 pages with color photos of rarities and special die states, updated rarity and census information, and dozens of newly discovered rare die states are described in detail.

Books are available for $125 delivered via USPS Priority Mail. Contact Allen Ross at latedatebook@gmail.com or send orders to Allen Ross, 1451 Edinger Ave, Suite B, Tustin, CA 92780.

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NEW MONOGRAPH: BUNS OF THE SAMURI

Ted writes:

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CDN PUBLISHING ACQUIRES THE BANKNOTE BOOK

CDN Publishing Acquires The Banknote Book from Owen Linzmayer

In a major industry announcement, CDN Publishing has agreed to acquire the collection of world paper money catalogs edited by Owen Linzmayer, and published under the name of The Banknote Book (BNB). The Banknote Book consists of nearly 300 different chapters of world bank notes, based on the issuing country. Linzmayer has been working on the BNB project for more than a decade and has published an impressive 7,400 pages of reference material covering more than 71,000 different bank note types and varieties.

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NUMISMATIC BOOK PUBLISHING IN 2020

In 2020 things looked dicey for book publishing. Starting that March, when libraries and brick-and-mortar businesses were shutting down because of COVID-19, American bookstores experienced 12 consecutive months of falling sales. This is finally turning around—and with gusto. Today the world of books is bustling.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that bookstore sales increased 35 percent in March 2021, benchmarked against March 2020. Publishers Weekly reported that unit sales of print books rose 25 percent in the week ending May 8, compared to the same week in 2020. Adult nonfiction—which is the category most numismatic books occupy—jumped 25.1 percent compared to one year ago.

In our cozy corner of the publishing world, nestled within antiques and collectibles, sales are strong. We've seen a surge in numismatic purchasing this year. We had to crank the presses back up when several new books quickly sold out of their initial print runs in the first quarter. These included specialized as well as beginner books, and new titles as well as updated/revised editions of popular older books. Here are a few of the strong sellers:

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DANIEL ALLEN FREELAND (1949-2021)

I was shocked to see the death notice for Dan Freeland in the June issue of The Numismatist. I see that he died on April 17. I had talked with him on the phone less than a month earlier. His obit mentions that he was a teacher for thirty years but fails to mention that he graduated from Central Michigan University.

On March 20, I got an email message from Kathy Freeland. She said that she and Dan had watched my presentation for the Newman Numismatic Portal Symposium. She asked for my phone number so Dan could call me. He called and we talked about phone cards and other topics.

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NNP LAUNCHES NUMISMATIC NOTABLES

Newman Portal Launches Numismatic Notables

Newman Portal announces a new video series, Numismatic Notables, produced by Lianna Spurrier, which will feature interviews with important personalities in the field of numismatics. Our first interviewee, John Adams, was interviewed by Len Augsburger and Joel Orosz on February 19, 2021, and brings a lifetime of collecting experiences beginning with David Bullowa, the Philadelphia dealer, and continuing to the present day. Along the way Adams has written a number of now-standard works including United States Numismatic Literature (vols. I-II), Comitia Americana and Related Medals, and Medallic Portraits of Admiral Vernon.

Adams reflects on numismatic characters of all stripes, including John Ford, Doug Smith, William Sheldon, and others. Adams was the only person to ever confront Sheldon on the matter of the large cents stolen from the American Numismatic Society, a conversation recounted by Adams in this interview. Adams has played a leadership role in many numismatic organizations and opines on the role of institutions within numismatics, including the American Numismatic Society and Massachusetts Historical Society. Adams is further active in the Medal Collectors of America and the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, and offers thoughts on the importance of social engagement within the collector community.

Link to Numismatic Notables: John Adams on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/599709

VIDEO: A THOUSAND OUNCE BAR OF SILVER

Have You Ever Seen a 1000 Oz Bar of Silver?
VIDEO: 2:45.

Ashley Sandoval, Erie Gold & Silver,
David Lisot, Interviewer, CoinTelevision.com. May 7, 2021.

Imagine a thousand ounce bar of silver! Imagine trying to lift it with one hand! Collectors at the Denver Coin Expo had that challenge to lift a silver bar weighing almost 80 pounds and valued more then $28,000. Going to a coin show is one of the best ways to see amazing numismatic items.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 30, 2021

Using IKMK
Regarding IKMK, the new database of coins in German and Austrian public collections, Max Hensley writes:

To visit the IKMK site, see:
https://ikmk.net/
Haus Österreich: Joseph II. 1770 (https://www.ikmk.at/object?id=ID357503)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
IKMK: CATALOG OF GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN COINS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n21a12.html)

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DOLLAR BILLS AS MESSENGERS

I was very interested to read the latest article on banknotes that have political or other messages written or stamped on them.

I was reminded of my own efforts some years ago to use currency to promote an awareness of certain historical achievements or events.

I decided that one way to guarantee at least some level of curiosity among recipients of the dollar bills was to have them autographed by notable people whose activities I felt were worthy of further study, especially by students.

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VOCABULARY TERM: EDGE LETTERING, PART 3

Data Found On Edges

Hallmarks. Hallmarking developed to a high degree among English gold and silversmiths, beginning as early as the 13th century. Four marks usually appeared on English silver and gold: a maker's mark, the hallmark of the assay office, a date letter and a sterling mark. All precious metal objects were required by law to be so hallmarked (with certain exceptions such as foreign-made plate or antique objects over 100 years old). Usually these appear on the reverse, but infrequently on the obverse – or the edge. See hallmarks and hallmarking.

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MORE ON DAVID ULYSSES PROSKEY (1853-1928)

In 1900, he is listed in the U. S. Census as a coin dealer still living at 448 River Street, Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, with his wife, three sons and daughter.

At the Collector's Club, 351 Fourth Avenue, New York City, New York. The first public numismatic exhibition held at the Collector's Club took place on Saturday, January 25th 1902. This exhibit was comprised of collections of five exhibitors : John G. Mills, David U. Proskey, Charles Gregory, Albert R. Frey, and H. G. Mandel. Proskey won first place in the exhibit and Gregory took second place.

Harlan Page Smith died on Sunday, March 2, 1902, just sixteen days short of his sixty-third birthday and ninety-five days after the dissolution of his partnership with David Proskey in New York Coin and Stamp Company.

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STACKS BOWERS JUNE 2021 SALE SELECTIONS

Lot 1069: 1902 Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York Medal

1902 Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York Medal. By George Hampden Lovett. Gold. Prooflike Mint State.

51.1 mm. 802.7 grains, fineness unknown. Obv: Sailing ship foundering in storm, House of Refuge on shore dispatches rescuers in life boat while others fire a lifeline from a Lyle Gun on the beach. Rev: Oak wreath at border, inscription VITA FELICIBUS AUSIS SERVATA above, center inscribed to the recipient PRESENTED TO / CAPTAIN A. POTJER / OF S.S. POTSDAM IN RECOGNITION / OF HIS HUMANITY AND SEAMANSHIP / IN RESCUING THE OFFICERS AND / CREW OF THE FOUNDERING / BARK "BISHOP BRUN" / IN A HIGH CROSS SEA. MID- / ATLANTIC OCEAN / JUNE 25, 1902. Deeply mirrored in the fields, this beautiful bright medium golden specimen exhibits only the typical light handling marks for an awarded example. While we have handled a few gold medals of this type in recent years, they are clearly far rarer than their silver and bronze counterparts.

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LUGDUNUM AUCTION 21 HIGHLIGHTS

It is a great honor and a great pleasure for us to have the opportunity to offer in this auction a group of exceptional medals from the Collection of Martine, Comtesse de Béhague (1870-1939), one of the most important French art collectors, numismatists and benefactors of the early 20th Century.

For any connoisseur, numismatist or art collector, artefacts with a provenance from her famous collection are of the greatest desire. The Comtesse did only collect the best pieces of Art available at her time and that is the reason why this provenance is considered as a guaranty of great artistic merit, rarity and good taste.

This group of medals is made of six specimens, that we would like to introduce in a few words:

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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: MAY 30, 2021

Bruttium, Croton Stater

Croton was founded by Achaean Greeks in c. 710 BC. It was situated between Tarentum and Rhegium making it a good port city between the two. Some notable Greeks found prominence in Croton. The first was Milo of Croton, who was victorious in the Olympic Games c. 588 BC. The philosopher Phythagorus formed a society of over 300 disciples.

This lovely coin comes from the Niggeler Collection (sold in 1965) through a joint venture of Bank Leu and M&M Basel and previously was part of the Jameson Collection.

To read the complete item description, see:
Bruttium, Croton. c. 500-480 BC (https://www.shannaschmidt.com/greek-coins/bruttium-croton-c-500-480-bc?rq=gk1522)

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ANCIENT AMULET: SOLOMON'S SEAL

ISRAELI archaeologists have highlighted the discovery of a 1,500-year-old amulet believed to have once protected women and children from the "evil eye".

The ancient trinket was unearthed in northern Israel in the Biblical region of Galilee, near the Sea of Galilee. Tova Haviv, one of the first residents of the village of Arbel stumbled upon the necklace pendant some 40 years ago. A family member has now handed the artefact to the Israel Antiquities Authority, allowing experts to marvel at the discovery.

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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY MAY 30, 2021

Nummis Nova has resumed meeting in person. We dined at an old favorite, Southside 815, serving Southern Comfort Food in Alexandria, Virginia, on the third Tuesday in May. Nine hardy souls braved this mask-less dining experience, tempted by the red beans and rice on special that night, among other wonderful selections.

The left side of the table seems alarmed, not only that the right side of the table has been served first, but that the right siders won't wait politely for everyone to be served before digging in. Right siders with eyes on the prize, ignore the lefties, but do bring cutlery to hand, ready for action should butter dish conflict ensue. It has been a long time since we all dined together. Oh, Fugio! Sorry about the time slip in the pictures. Truly it was wonderful to see each other and get out of the house.

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A MEMORABLE CHAIN CENT PURCHASE

There's usually nothing of general interest to readers in any of my coin purchases, but I recently completed one that may break that rule. We all like coins having cool back stories, and this is about just such a piece.

For the past 20 years I've been rebuilding my USA coin type set that accompanies the class I co-instruct with Frank Van Valen at the ANA's Summer Seminar. My collecting activity has continued without interruption, despite the recent obstacle of the Covid-19 pandemic that precluded this event for the past two years. It's been a real challenge to either match or improve upon the type set I'd built previously during the 1970s-80s that I later sold when my numismatic passion swung to other countries for several years. I don't regret collecting world coins, but I did come to bemoan the sale of many United States coins that later proved hard to replace. Chief among these were my 1793 Chain and Wreath Cents, the values of which soared over the past two decades. These two have now been secured, with the Chain Cent providing a history that's worth relating here.

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THE U.S. MINT AND THE MANHATTAN PROJECT

MANHATTAN PROJECT
by Bill Myers

At the 2021 MPC E-FEST my presentation was about coins melted for war materiel during World War II. It was brought up that I did not include the fact that the United States as the US Mint provided silver for the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project needed enriched uranium for the atomic bomb. The United States built Plant Y-12 in Oak Ridge, TN. It used electromagnets to separate U-235 (weapons grade) from U-238. The coils of magnets are usually made of copper but copper was critical for the manufacture of war materiel so it was not available. Silver has an electroconductivity that is similar to copper. 14,700 tons of silver were borrowed from the US mint to make the coils.

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THE FAROUK 1933 DOUBLE EAGLE, PART 2

THE BRIEF LIFE AND DEATH OF AMERICA'S LAST GOLD COIN

The Factory on Spring Garden Street

As citizens lined up to return their gold at Federal reserve banks, the employees within the massive neoclassical edifice of the Philadelphia Mint saw little action. Both the Cashier's and Coining Departments' daily records reflect this torpor. In that beleaguered, depressed economy there was little need to make new money; the entire 1933 production at the Philadelphia Mint approximated a single day's output in 1928.

Each step of production and delivery was carefully choreographed and scrupulously recorded. On Thursday, March 2, the first 1933 Double Eagles were struck, but it was not until March 15, 1933 that the requisite number (25,000) passed quality control when the first delivery to the Cashier was made.

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THE AUCTION OF A PURPLE HEART

Gerry Tebben writes:

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THE NATIONAL BRONZE PICTURE GALLERY

This series of substantial bronze portraits was conceived by William H. Miller, owner of William H. Miller & Sons Foundry, in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1864, as the Civil War raged, Miller commissioned Maine sculptor, Franklin B. Simmons to produce a series of bronze portrait reliefs featuring Abraham Lincoln, his cabinet, and significant Union generals. Simmons moved to Washington D.C. to work on the project, reportedly drawing from life all or most of the distinguished persons he would eventually fashion into bronze. Most accounts suggest the series was 24 portraits, though the Union League of Philadelphia website gives the number as 31. The complete series was finished in 1865, and was titled the National Bronze Picture Gallery. Again according to the Union League, the series of portraits was "exhibited in several northern cities including New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia, where the medallions were displayed at the 'Great Fair in Honor of the Soldiers and Sailors Home' held at the Academy of Music between October 23 and November 4, 1865." The two pieces offered here are from this impressive series, and make clear that Simmons' skill was substantial. As per the marks on these pieces, the castings themselves were almost certainly done at the Miller foundry.

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THE CASHIER WHO TOOK GEORGE FLOYD'S $20 BILL

Christopher Martin lived above a bricked grocery store in south Minneapolis, with a maroon awning and bold red signage that reads Cup Foods. So when a cashier's position came up last year, he took it without thinking.

He quickly learned the regulars' orders by heart, their specific tobacco preferences, their favored snacks. The job was more than just a paycheck. A family, community base, he remembered. A lot of jokes and laughs.

But on 25 May last year, he served a customer he had never met before, igniting a chain of events that rippled around the world and irreversibly changed Martin's life.

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WALL STREET'S CRYPTO ARTIST

Sarah Meyohas's work at the intersection of art, technology and finance earned the contemporary artist fame with financiers and tech geeks. Her latest piece aims squarely at the crypto crowd.

Long before Beeple's digital collage fetched tens of millions of dollars at auction, Ms. Meyohas was experimenting with using the blockchain technology behind bitcoin to make art. The result looked a lot like the so-called nonfungible tokens that have powered millions in art sales in recent months, along with NBA Top Shot and other digital collectibles. NFTs are similar to bitcoin: Each one is unique, allowing them to act like deeds proving ownership of digital assets.

Ms. Meyohas's work places her at the vanguard of this art-world revolution. She will be relaunching an early project, Bitchcoin, on the Ethereum network, with a public presale at Phillips auction house on May 25. Her 2015 project sold tokens entitling investors to portions of her photographic prints. The new Bitchcoins will be backed by flower petals from a previous work called Cloud of Petals.

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STABLECOINS AND THE WILD WEST OF FINANCE

Gerry writes:

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CAN I PAY THE TAXMAN IN COMMEMORATIVE COINS?

Back in 2015, I bought some commemorative Winston Churchill £20 and Buckingham Palace £100 coins from the Royal Mint, thinking that they were legal tender so the value could only ever increase.

That might be technically true, but that's only as good as my ability to actually spend or deposit them.

I've tried depositing them at a couple of banks, but they've all refused. I've tried paying Vehicle Excise Duty with them at the Post Office, but they also refused payment.

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CIRCULATING AND NON-CIRCULATING LEGAL TENDER

When it comes to legal tender, there are two, related paradoxes in numismatics.

The first is that collecting a coin or banknote becomes possible only when it is removed from circulation, even though its legal tender status is a big part of what makes it collectible in the first place.

The second paradox is the inverse of the first: sometimes, collectible numismatic items are legal tender, but are not actually intended for circulation.

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LOOSE CHANGE: MAY 30, 2021

Medal Commemorating the Death of William II

We do not know who commissioned the medalist Sebastian Dadler, who lived in Hamburg at the time, to create a medal that interpreted the death of William II as the fortunate intervention of a divine power. But we do know that there was a large Dutch community in Hamburg and that Hamburg had close trade ties with Amsterdam. Hamburg merchants, just like their Amsterdam counterparts, probably appreciated peace as the basis of their business and thus gladly acquired a medal that depicted their view on the matter.

In order to comment on the death of William II on a medal, Dadler drew on well-known myths from ancient times. Thus, the obverse alludes to the Trojan horse, which carried ruin to Ilion in its belly.

On the obverse we see a large horse in front of the city view of Amsterdam. The horse is decorated with a magnificent saddle blanket. It features a sealed treaty with the inscription UNIO (= union) and RELIGIO (= denomination / faith). The saddle blanket represents the official propaganda of William II. He invoked his office as Governor General of the United Provinces of the Netherlands and propagated Calvinism as the religion that had to be protected everywhere.

What Dadler and his clients thought of this is expressed by the word SIMULANT, which is Latin for they deceive, pretend. This statement is illustrated by the soldiers hidden under the saddle blanket.

To read the complete article, see:
Politics, Religion and Divine Retribution: The Failed Ambitions of William II of Orange (https://www.kuenker.de/en/information/presseinformationen/aktuelle-mitteilungen/363)

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