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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 April 30, 2022 KOLBE & FANNING Watch here for updates!

 

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 1, 2022

New subscribers this week include: John Bach, Ed Kelliher, and James Ross. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,001 subscribers.

Ken Spindler writes: "Congratulations on making 7,000!" Thanks. At 7,001 I was reluctant to trumpet the milestone, because we regularly have 3 or 4 additions and subtractions every week. This week was no exception, and you can see where we landed again. Thanks to everyone who helped recruit new subscribers recently. Keep those email addresses coming!

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 results of the Syd Martin numismatic library sale, two new books (and three more in the works), updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, half dollar design suggestions, and more.

Other topics this week include the "Red Book" of Canadian coins, gold coin circulation in the U.S., an augmented reality banknote, Robert Bashlow, John Whitney Walter, upcoming world numismatic events, the Chester Krause and Harvey Stack awards, auction previews, Australian gold, encased postage stamps, physical cryptocurrency, and New Guinea head tax tokens.

To learn more about Fatimid coins, Israeli coins, tokens and banknotes, Barrilla, the John Fritz medal, Tiffany's TiffCoins, creating the Statehood Quarters, a gold "finger" bar, Admiral Vernon medals, Flanagan's Punch, the Paul Revere Sword in Hand note, Confederate General Stephen D. Lee's David Flight dollar, Australia's honey bee coin, heptagons, hendecagons, and secret marks on coins, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

KOLBE & FANNING SYD MARTIN LIBRARY RESULTS

On Saturday, Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers sold at auction the outstanding numismatic library formed by ANS President Syd Martin in what proved to be an exciting and memorable event. Prices across the board were generally very strong, and a number of record prices were realized for individual items. Some particularly notable results include the following (prices here quoted do not include the 20% premium):

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NEW BOOK: CORPUS OF FATIMID COINS: SUPPLEMENT

A Corpus of Fatimid Coins: Supplement
Nicol, Norman Douglas

Santa Rosa, 2021, 56 pages, 10 plates, softcover.

A wonderful addition to the original 2006 publication with this supplement covering those coins not included in the original work. Includes approximately 400 new listings with ten plates of high quality black and white images.

SARC Item No. 282646

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NEW BOOK: COINS, BANKNOTES, TOKENS OF ISRAEL

Israel Asher:
Guide Book – Coins, Banknotes and Tokens of Israel 2022/23

224 pages, illustrated in color throughout,
Format 16.5 cm x 23.7 cm, paperback, Isranumis 2022,
Price: 25.00 euros.
Without ISBN.

In the new bilingual (Hebrew and English) catalog and price guide on the Israeli coins and banknotes, those of the State of Israel and the British Mandate of Palestine and primary trademarks from the preceding period of Ottoman rule to the present are extensively described including variants, illustrated in color and in US - valued in dollars.

As both Hebrew and Arabic books are read from back to front, the catalog begins with the Hebrew title with the coins under the British Mandate from 1927 to 1948, followed by those of the State of Israel from 1948 in the various currencies. Samples and incorrect embossing are then also listed.

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THE WHITMAN RED BOOK OF CANADIAN COINS

David wrote:

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NEWMAN PORTAL ADDS BARRILLA

Newman Portal Adds Barrilla

The Philippine Central Bank Money Museum issued Barrilla, a quarterly periodical, from 1974 to 1989, with the cooperation of the Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Society. The journal is primarily dedicated to Philippine Numismatics and includes occasional American content. The April 1977 issue, for example, presented Die Varieties of the 1732 Pillar Dollar, by Angelita L. Legarda.

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VIDEO: LARGE CENT COLLECTOR JOHN SAIA

Coin Collector Brings Rare Pattern Large Cent to Whitman Coin Expo

VIDEO: 4:00.
John Saia, Coin Collector, Facebook; Numismatica,
David Lisot, Interviewer, CoinTelevision.com.
April 1, 2022.

Going to a coin convention allows you to talk to other collectors and share their interests. The best way to learn about numismatics is to share with others. Coin collector John Saia talks about a rare pattern large cent and why he comes to the Whitman Expo.

David adds:

An excerpt of the video is available for viewing on the Coin Television YouTube Channel at:
https://youtu.be/4eGnuYi_vXo

 

DAVE PERKINS: THE DAY I STOPPED THE PRESS

The Day I Stopped the Press
By W. David Perkins, NLG

At some point in time Russ Logan sent me a package. Included was an e-mail note exchange between Russ and I dated Wednesday April 21, 1999.

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MORE ON GOLD COIN CIRCULATION IN THE U.S.

A figure of historical numismatic consequence seemed to have first proposed halting the coining of gold in 1910. Abram Piatt Andrew had been Assistant Treasury Secretary only a few months when his proposal was picked up in The Washington Post on Sept. 3rd, 1910;

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 1, 2022

The John Fritz Medal Book
NBS President Tom Harrison writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE JOHN FRITZ MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n17a27.html)

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QUERY: LEGENDARY COINS

New member Ed Kelliher writes:

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HEPTAGONAL HALF DOLLAR DESIGN SUGGESTIONS

When the Eisenhower dollar was reduced in size, we received a new design in Susan B. Anthony.

When the dollar coin became the ‘Golden dollar', again we received a new design.

I recently suggested that in order to get the half dollar coin used, in vending machines, we could reduce it in size and change the shape to a heptagon like they have in the United Kingdom.

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AUGMENTED REALITY BANKNOTE DEBUTS

Royal Joh Enschede, a 300 year old printer of banknotes, released their first "Banknote with Augmented Reality" a few weeks ago. The Limited edition banknote contains full banknote security and includes Augmented Reality for an interactive experience for the collector. Featuring popular Dutch singing duo Nick & Simon, the proceeds of the sale raise awareness & funds for Epilepsy in the Netherlands. Nick & Simon's portraits were designed by American banknote artist Tom Stebbins. After loading the app on your phone, Nick & Simon seem to "Jump out" of the banknote and perform & entertain.

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VOCABULARY TERMS: INSCRIBE, INSCRIBING

Inscribe, Inscribing. To cut a line into hard material, as metal, to form a letter or design; flat engraving. The inscriber does not create relief but does engraving on a flat surface, often the reserve on an existing piece, as a medal requiring customized lettering for a particular recipient. The word inscribe and its process is far overshadowed by the word engrave in current usage. The purist would say a person would inscribe a medal, but engrave a die. The engraver cuts away metal to form modulated relief, the inscriber does not change the relief but merely performs an engraving operation on an existing surface. The tools used for both functions are the same, even the scriber – a sharp pointed hand tool to score or scribe a line on a metal surface – or the cutting point on an engraving machine produces only a fine line (particularly in drag engraving); also in acid etching lines are inscribed on the surface where a sharp pointed scriber removes the wax to acid etch a fine line. In the future we shall undoubtedly find the word engrave to include all the meaning of inscribe, the two words will probably never be differentiated, as, perhaps, they should be. See engraving, acid etching.

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ROBERT BASHLOW, PART ONE

I have written more than 3500 biographical sketches in the past 33 years. Some of them are forgotten an hour after I finish and move on to something else. Some stick with me and curiosity brings me back to them for additional information. Such is the case with Robert Bashlow, mentioned last week in The E-Sylum.

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HARVEY STACK'S NUMISMATIC FAMILY, PART 120

As I ended last time, I had been invited to speak at a hearing of the U.S. banking committee along with others in the hobby, to talk about the loss of interest in the U.S. Mint's modern commemorative programs. Congressman Jimmy Hayes, a collector and friend to me, had come to the committee specifically to introduce me to his colleagues. I thanked Jimmy for the introduction and started to relate my experiences with the current Mint products. Since all the issues from 1982 to 1995 were offered initially by the Mint with high profits above any face value or precious metal value, once sold to the public a very weak secondary market developed. This went contrary to the Mint's promotions that called them "An Investment in the Future." I then told the story (previously related here) of a lovely grandmother who came into our shop to sell these items she had bought as an investment for her grandchildren and her disappointment at how their value had dropped. I told many clients about this, and all said they experienced the same when offering their new issues for sale.

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UPCOMING NUMISMATIC EVENTS: MAY 1, 2022

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2022 ANA MONEY TALKS AND SUNDMAN LECTURES

Money Talks Overview:
Share your expertise, ideas and research with fellow hobbyists during a 30- to 45-minute Money Talks presentation. Previous presentations have included such topics as Siege Notes: The Currency of War, Strategies to Dispose of Your Collection and Curious Currency of the World. Submission Guidelines:

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TOP ANA AWARD NAMED FOR CHESTER L. KRAUSE

The first-ever Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award will be presented at the American Numismatic Association's 2022 World's Fair of Money® in Chicago (August 16-20). The ANA Board of Governors made the decision to rename the accolade at its April 12 meeting to honor the memory and contributions of the renowned numismatic publisher.

The founder of Krause Publications, Chester L. Krause (1922-2016) grew from humble beginnings in rural Wisconsin to become one of the Association's most philanthropic members. His namesake company's first periodical, Numismatic News, released its first issue in October 1952. Krause funded this endeavor with $1,342 of his own money. He joined the ANA the following year.

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TOP PNG AWARD NAMED FOR HARVEY G. STACK

The Professional Numismatists Guild has named its annual Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of former PNG President Harvey G. Stack of New York City who passed away earlier this year at the age of 93. The 2022 recipient of the newly-named award is veteran California dealer Jack H. Beymer.

Harvey Stack was an icon of the numismatic world, a respected dealer who emphasized the educational importance as well as enjoyment of collecting. He joined PNG in 1978 and served as our President from 1989 to 1991. The PNG Board voted unanimously to recognize his outstanding achievements by adding his name to one of our most important annual awards, explained PNG Executive Director Robert Brueggeman.

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SEDWICK TREASURE AUCTION 31 ANNOUNCED

Welcome to our 31st Treasure Auction, a sale filled with many historical numismatic rarities from many eras all across the world!

We start off Session I with Gold Cobs, featuring a selection of excellent certified Mint State gold escudos from the 1715 Fleet including a Lima, Peru 8 escudos dated 1713 M (lot 44), two different types of the Mexico 8 escudos 1714 J GRAT variety: one with 1714 on the reverse and the other with 1714/GRAT on the obverse (lots 33 and 34), a Lima, Peru 8 escudos 1709 M with HISPANIA legend variety from the Pullin Collection, and the finest known Bogotá, Colombia 2 escudos dated 1712 (lot 60). Among the non-Fleet shipwreck gold cobs, we have the rare Lima, Peru 8 escudos dated 1715 M from the Loosdrecht (1719) along with a Lima, Peru 4 escudos dated 1750 R with the cross side struck from an 8 escudos die recovered from the Luz (1752).

Our Shipwreck Ingots section contains several notable pieces including an impressive early New World tumbaga gold bar weighing 1,222 grams from the Tumbaga Wreck (ca. 1528) (lot 65), a beautiful gold disk weighing 216.4 grams from the 1715 Fleet (lot 69), and two cut segments of gold finger bars from the Atocha (1622) (lots 67 and 68). These gold bars, along with the massive silver bars and numerous coins in this sale, are sure to attract significant interest given this year being the 400th anniversary of the sinking of the Atocha and Santa Margarita on Sept. 6th, 1622 off the Florida Keys. Most notable among the section Shipwreck Coins (1500s-1650s) is the 1622-dated Seville, Spain cob 2 escudos from the Santa Margarita, which is a cover coin in Duncan Mathewson's iconic work, Treasure of the Atocha (1986) (lot 169) along with a partially dated and graded Seville, Spain cob 2 escudos from the Atocha, plus a choice, fully dated Bogotá, Colombia cob 4 reales dated 1622 A, pedigreed to both the Atocha Research Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection (lot 164).

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SEDWICK TREASURE AUCTION 31 SELECTIONS

Lot 2: Spain Charles-Joanna Gold Escudo

Segovia, Spain, gold 1 escudo, Charles-Joanna, assayer A above ringlet to left, mintmark aqueduct between ringlets to right, NGC MS 64, finest known in NGC census. Cal-191. 3.36 grams. Choice example from this scarce mint, with super luster and crisp full details all over (the cross especially sharp), nice yellow color, very clear assayer (scarce to rare, name unknown). NGC #5985278-002.

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HERITAGE REGENT AUSTRALIAN GOLD COLLECTION

The Regent Collection, one of the finest selections of early Australian gold ever assembled, will bring collectors from around the globe to Heritage Auctions May 5-7 for its Central States World Coins & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction.

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EARLY AMERICAN MAY 2022 AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Lot 8: Massachusetts 1777 Treasury Loan Certificate

(GENERAL JOHN GLOVER) (1732-1797). American Patriot Military Leader from Marblehead, Massachusetts who served as Colonel of the 14th Continental Regiment of Marbleheaders and directed the creation of the first US Naval Fleet, commonly called Washington's Schooners by converting existing vessels into Privateers or Warships. Saved Washington's army in October of 1776, evacuating by boat Washington and 9,000 Continental soldiers from Manhattan to Brooklyn. As Brigadier General in the Continental Army under Major General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. (Estimated Value: $3,000 - $4,000)

Lot 53: Georgia 1777 Eight Dollars

Georgia, June 8, 1777, Eight Dollars, Continental Congress Blue Seal Thirteen Links Vignette, Red "in" type, for Support of the Continental Troops. PCGS graded Extremely Fine-40. (Estimated Value: $3,500 - $5,500)

Lot 57: Maryland 1774 One Dollar Serial Number One

Maryland, April 10, 1774, One Dollar, Serial Number 1, Unique as Serial Number One. PMG graded Very Fine-30. (Estimated Value: $5,000 - $6,000)

Lot 64: Massachusetts 1714 Sixty Shillings

Province of Massachusetts Bay, Boston, May 26, 1714, Sixty Shillings, Redated 1716 2nd Issue (with Star), Tall Bill of Credit, Contemporary Counterfeit, PCGS graded Very Fine-30. (Estimated Value: $12,000 - $16,000)

Lot 70: Massachusetts 1775 Paul Revere Sword in Hand Sixteen Shillings

Colony of Massachusetts Bay, December 7, 1775, Sixteen Shillings, Genuine Paul Revere Engraved Sword in Hand Issue, Minuteman holding the MAGNA CHARTA, Due Date of December 7, 1781, Choice Very Fine. (Estimated Value: $5,500 - $7,500)

Lot 87: New York 1709 Five Shillings and Ten Shillings

Colony of New York, Pair of May 31, 1709 Issue Notes together in an Original Custom Wayte Raymond Embossed Decorative Gold Gilt Titled Red Morocco Leather Folio, Containing Mated Five Shillings and Ten Shillings Tall Notes, Signed by Three Colonial Mayors of New York City, both Gem Crisp Uncirculated. (Estimated Value: $18,000 - $24,000)

Lot 159: South Carolina 1770 Twenty Pounds

South Carolina, January 1, 1770, Bill of Credit, Twenty Pounds, Lion on British Crown Vignette, Fully Signed and Issued, Choice Very Fine or better. (Estimated Value: $8,000 - $10,000)

Lot 173: Vermont 1781 Three Pounds

State of Vermont, February 1781, Three Pounds (Ten Dollars), Fourteen Chain Links vignette with VERMONT CALLS FOR JUSTICE motto surrounding, PCGS graded Very Fine-35. (Estimated Value: $37,500 - $47,500)

Lot 226: United States Loan Certificate

Stock of 1790 Federal Period, United States Loan Certificate, State of New Jersey, Bearing 6% Interest per annum, Bond for $326.31, Hessler X36A, Anderson US-198, Choice Very Fine. Issued Certificate per Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton's funding plan for payment of the Revolutionary War Domestic Debt. This Loan By Act of Congress August 4th, 1790 is meant for the redemption of the May 20, 1777 (First UNITED STATES titled Currency) and April 11, 1778 (Yorktown) Continental Currency Issues. (Estimated Value: $5,000 - $6,000)

NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: MAY 1, 2022

1796 Quarter

1796 25C B-2, R.3, VG8 PCGS. Tompkins Die State 2/1. As usual, the strike is a tiny amount off-center east. The majority of surviving 1796 quarters are the Browning-2 variety such as this coin, with the 6 high in the date and star 15 slightly farther from the bust drapery than Browning-1. Those two die pairs struck the entire 6,146-piece mintage. Although saved to a greater extent than the low mintage suggests, most 1796 quarters are well-circulated. This is a lightly toned and example with a dusting of warm-gray toning. Substantial wear is present, yet the devices are clearly defined including nearly complete dentilation on both obverse and reverse. The eagle's head shows bold detail for the grade, and there are no adjustment marks to mention. Eye appeal exceeds expectations. This coin is housed in an old green label holder, and seemingly is sharp enough to warrant an even higher grade by today's standards.

To read the complete lot description, see:
1796 25C B-2, R.3, VG8 PCGS.... (https://coins.ha.com/itm/early-quarters/1796-25c-b-2-r3-vg8-pcgs/a/1344-3738.s)

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WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: MAY 1, 2022

I didn't manage to pull together a Numismatic Diary last week, so this is a little late. But on Tuesday April 19, 2022 I travelled to Alexandria, VA for another dinner meeting of my numismatic social group Nummis Nova. Our host was Robert Hoppensteadt, and the venue was Southside 815.

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GENERAL STEPHEN D. LEE'S CONFEDERATE COIN

It is considered one of the Civil War's great mysteries. People ranging from historians to reality television shows have searched for this missing treasure. As farfetched as it sounds, there is a real basis for this legend and the answer to the location of much if not all of the silver may be found in the museum at the Columbus home of Confederate General Stephen D. Lee.

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NEW PUPPY FINDS GOLD SOVEREIGN CACHE

A family's new truffle-hunting puppy is already worth its weight in gold after digging up 15 sovereign coins worth £6,000 on its first walk.

Adam Clark, 51, bought Ollie, a lagotto romagnolo, as a surprise for his daughter Alicia, nine, last month.

The breed is notorious for digging - especially for truffles - and on March 30 the young dog stumbled upon a small fortune during its first walk around the local fields.

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THE 2022 AUSTRALIAN MINT HONEYBEE COIN

The coin was released to mark the bicentenary of Australia's honey bee industry. Honeybees were introduced to Australia by early European settlers and there are now about 530,000 managed honeybee colonies.

The commercial honeybee industry provides pollination services to a range of crops, as well as honey and beeswax products.

But the industry comes with costs as well as benefits. The introduced honeybee can escape managed hives to establish feral populations, which affect native species.

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PHYSICAL CRYPTOCURRENCY PREMIUMS

Over $500,000 in physical bitcoins and other cryptocurrency was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in their Spring 2022 Showcase Auction, contributing to nearly $37 million in overall prices realized for the sale—a 60% increase above the pre-sale estimate. The Stack's Bowers Galleries Spring 2022 sale was largest and most diverse offering of physical cryptocurrency ever by a major auction house, confirming Stack's Bowers Galleries as a market leader among today's expanding community of collectors. The firm first presented this category at auction in November 2021 when a 500% premium was realized by a Lealana 0.1 Bitcoin. Strong premiums continued to be earned throughout this recent offering, far exceeding premiums reported in any other sale venue. The Bitcoin price at the time of the April sale was approximately $45,000 and all premiums to follow reflect the percentage earned above the underlying face value of the cryptocurrency.

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THE ENCASED POSTAGE STAMP

A Collectibles Convergence: The Encased Postage Stamp

Encased Postage is one category of collectibles where coin, stamp, and paper money collecting all intersect. Major references for all three of these collectible categories list Encased Postage. The fun and fascinating nature of these small wonders belies the historical hardship in the time of their origin.

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NEW GUINEA HEAD TAX TOKENS

New Guinea Head Tax Tokens
by John Phipps

As a Tax Token collector, you should always be on the lookout for tax tokens and related material. That is how you find unique and possibly low-cost items to add to your collection. Doing just that, I was looking through the catalog for the Kagin's March 2021 Auction and found a lot in the March 15, Session 4, Hut/Head Tax Token. The starting bid is $10. Estimated price $100 - $250. The description says it is from 1934-35 Papua New Guinea. Here is the image from the catalog.

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THE S.S. REPUBLIC C.Q.D. DISTRESS SIGNAL MEDAL

LIFESAVING MEDAL AWARDED TO MEMBER OF STAFF ON THE ILL-FATED TITANIC

-Medal awarded three years earlier, and unfortunately the recipient perished on the renowned ship -

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LOOSE CHANGE: MAY 1, 2022

Counterfeit Notes in Counterfeit Holders

The contemporary plague of counterfeit coins being made and then placed into counterfeit third-party holders is now affecting rare paper money. Counterfeit notes are being placed in bogus early generation PCGS Currency holders.

A recent example is a case currently being pursued by the U.S. Secret Service involving a Series 1882 $500 gold certificate. The note, identified as Friedberg 1216a, is a blatantly obvious fake, even without close personal examination. Nonetheless, the Secret Service laboratory did its own technical investigation, and based on additional information provided by trade specialists, confirmed this conclusion.

One 1922 $500 gold certificate bearing this very E72108 number has been known since 1993, when it was sold by Dean Oakes. Then, the Gengerke census says, it was sold by Currency Auctions of America in 2000, and then went unsold in a Lyn Knight auction in 2003. After that, Heritage sold it twice, in February 2005 and April 2013. It final recorded appearance was a month later, when it was sold on eBay.

To read the complete article, see:
Secret Service reviewing counterfeit notes in counterfeit holders (https://www.coinworld.com/news/paper-money/secret-service-reviewing-counterfeit-notes-in-counterfeit-holders)

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