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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 Kolbe & Fanning August 27, 2022

 

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 FEBRUARY 12, 2023

New subscribers this week include: Aliaksandr (Alex) Sauchyk, S. Omid Mohammadi, and Saehoon Park. Welcome aboard!

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 numismatic literature sale highlights, six new books, updates from the J. Douglas Ferguson Historical Research Foundation, the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include Canadian coins, British gold coins, S.S. Central America artifacts, D. W. Valentine, David Lisot, Jeff Garrett, Bill English, auction previews, Dionysus on Ancient coins, and the Super Bowl coin toss.

To learn more about the American Diplomatic Medal, the 1794 dollar, relic hunting in America, the medals of British Admiral George Brydges Rodney, Nizam's Mint, Canadian Numismatic Resources, the Celina Coin Co., Mint sports, the Princess Kaiulani medal, and preventing Bicycle Face, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

KOLBE & FANNING AUCTION SALE 166 HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights from February 25 Sale

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers are holding our next auction on Saturday, February 25, 2023. The sale brings together two excellent libraries on U.S. and world coins, and supplements them with offerings from several other consignors, to result in a remarkable variety of rare and out-of-print works on coins, medals, and paper money from antiquity to the present.

Some highlights of the sale include:

 

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NEW BOOK: GROUNDBREAKERS

Groundbreakers by Stephen W. Sylvia and Nancy Dearing Rossbacher (publishers of the North-South Trader Magazine) is a beautiful and massive book of nearly 600 pages illustrating the history of relic hunting in America with thousands of stunning color photos of artifacts (including many coins), plus sidebar stories about the significance and meaning of these historic treasures. Published in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association (NVHRA), the oldest club of its kind in America, Groundbreakers highlights true tales about finding historic artifacts, pulling the best representatives from thousands of photos, spanning hundreds of lifetime collections of living and deceased diggers, whose amazing collections have never been fully shared in public until now.

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NEW BOOK: MEDALLIC MEMORIALS OF ADMIRAL RODNEY

It is with great pleasure that we announce the publication of Medallic Memorials of George Brydges Rodney Admiral of the White. This book delves into the life and legacy of one of the most influential figures in British naval history as illustrated by the numerous medals issued to commemorate his naval achievements which are cataloged here for the first time.

Admiral Rodney was a major figure in the British Royal Navy during the 18th century. He was instrumental in securing several major victories for Britain during the American Revolution and the Anglo-French Wars. His bravery and leadership on the high seas earned him the admiration of the British people and a place in the annals of history. One of his most brilliant accomplishments was the employment of a naval strategy called breaking the line, which had been virtually unused in British naval warfare up to that point.

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NEW BOOK: CHARLTON CANADIAN COINS 76TH ED.

2023 CHARLTON CANADIAN COINS VOLUME 1, NUMISMATIC ISSUES, 76TH EDITION
$34.95

‘The Standard' reference guide for all circulating Canadian coins.

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NEW BOOK: ENGLISH GOLD COINAGE 1649-1816

English Gold Coinage 1649-1816
Maurice Bull

Regular price £55.00
Hardback
216 x 138 mm
680 pages with colour illustrations throughout
ISBN: 978-1-912667-50-5

This comprehensive guide covers every type of English gold coin for the period 1649-1816, including many new varieties. The arrangement is by monarch, with accompanying Bull reference numbers cross-referenced to the Standard Catalogue of British Coins.

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NEW BOOK: ENGLISH GOLD COINAGE 1816-1971

English Gold Coinage Volume II (1816-1971)
by Maurice Bull

Regular price £55.00
Hardback
216 x 138 mm
618 pages with colour illustrations throughout
ISBN: 978-1-912667-72-7

This comprehensive guide covers every type of English gold coin for the period 1816-1971, incorporating the British Sovereign Series issued within the British Empire. The arrangement is by monarch, with accompanying Bull reference numbers cross-referenced to the Standard Catalogue of British Coins, and includes provenance below each illustration when possible.

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NEW BOOK: NIZAM'S MINT

NIZAM'S MINT TO A PEOPLE'S MUSEUM
A Pride of Deccan Heritage and Technology

Author Name: Dr J P Dash
Format: Paperback

Here is a book titled ' Nizam's Mint to a People's Museum, A Pride of Deccan Heritage and Technology ' that Connects the Past with the Present and tells you how Nizam's Mint metamorphosed into a Living Coin Technological Museum. Be ready to explore the History of Deccan Coinage, take an enchanting voyage in time with the Mint, explore the Science and Technology of Minting, revel in the unheard incidents and anecdotes from the Life of the Mint, including that of Second World War, relish the Art of Project Management in the creation of one of the finest Mint at Cherlapally. I am sure your Love for coins and Numismatics will be kindled in your heart. And you will celebrate the Heritage of India through the History of Minting as we rejoice in the 75 Years of Freedom, captioned as Azadi ke Amrit Mahotsav.

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SSCA ARTIFACTS AUCTION PART II CATALOG

The catalog is 288 pages with a hidden coil spiral bound cover and comes with 3D Glasses and 3D imagery!

In this special catalog, you'll find new and exciting stories on the people and artifacts of the SS Central America. There are numerous important essays by Fred Holabird, Bob Evans, Neil Dobson (one of the archaeologists), and others. Essays include:

• "Ship Plans" by Fred Holabird
• "Coal & the Quest for the Ship of Gold" by Robert Evans
• "Recovery Technologies & Methodologies" by Neil Dobson
• "The Easton Family Story" by Brian Easton Stark
• "Trunks" by Robert Evans
• "Gold Bags Through History" by Fred Holabird
• "Sam Brannan" by Fred Holabird
• "Purser Hull" by Linda Stanton
• "The Counterfeit 8 Escudo Coins from the SS Central America" by Fred Holabird & Robert Evans
• "Notes on Passenger Receipts" by Fred Holabird
• Alsop Treasure Box & Story by Fred Holabird
• PMSS Tag & Story by Fred Holabird
• "California Gold Quartz and Gold Nugget Jewelry" By Fred Holabird
• "California Gold Rush Miners' Fashion" by Fred Holabird
• Kellogg & Humbert Gold Ingot & Story by Fred Holabird
• "Nemo" by Robert Evans
• "Is There More Treasure?" by Fred Holabird & Robert Evans

You'll find special 3D images, schematic drawings of the ship, and QR codes that will lead you to videos showing recovery of select artifacts by the Nemo ROV!

If you make a purchase over $500 in this auction, your catalog purchase of $100 will be credited to your invoice upon request (shipping excluded). Please contact us prior to payment to collect your credit.

For more information, or to order, see:
S.S. Central America Artifacts Auction Part II Catalog (https://www.holabirdamericana.com/shop/p/ss-central-america-december-auction-catalog-set-5n4np)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA ARTIFACT CATALOGS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n45a02.html)

CANADIAN NUMISMATIC RESOURCES SITE ANNOUNCED

The J. Douglas Ferguson Historical Research Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a new website, a digital repository of Canadian numismatic sources. The website is aptly named Canadian Numismatic Resources – Ressources numismatique Canada: www.cnr-rnc.ca. The CNR website is the first of its kind in Canada and promises to be the most complete resource of Canadian numismatic documents. While content is constantly being added, the new website already contains the equivalent of over 10,000 pages of sources consisting of a variety of material, including numismatic periodicals, coin club journals, numismatists' catalogues, dealer price lists and auction catalogues, and government and archival records relevant to Canadian currency and numismatics. Most documents are out-of-print and free of copyright protection. Otherwise, permission has been granted on protected documents.

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NEWMAN PORTAL: DANIEL W. VALENTINE

Daniel W. Valentine (1863-1932)

In honor of Valentine's Day, one might recall the New Jersey collector Daniel W. Valentine (1863-1932). Valentine was a two-time president of the New York Numismatic Club (1918, 1920) and is best remembered for his work on half dime varieties, The United States Half Dimes, published by the American Numismatic Society in 1931 in the Numismatic Notes and Monographs series, no. 48. He also published Fractional Currency of the United States in 1924.

Daniel W. Valentine presidential medal in silver, issued by the New York Numismatic Club. Ex. Jay Galst (CNG, May 26, 2021), lot 870, realized $1,300.

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VIDEO: DAVID LISOT, COLLECTIBLES REPORTER

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JEFF GARRETT INTERVIEW, PART ONE

Greg Bennick: My name is Greg Bennick, and I'm here today with Jeff Garrett. We're going to answer a few questions about his career and whatnot. And Jeff, let's just dive right in. Thanks so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

Jeff Garrett:  Well thanks Greg for having me today.

Greg Bennick: Absolutely. So tell me, how did you get your start in coins? You know, your bio is online, many people know the things that you have done. I'm almost always more curious about the human element behind the bio. So how did you get your start in coins and what year was that and how did that go about?

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MORE ON CANADIAN COLLECTOR BILL ENGLISH

Judy Blackman had an instrumental role in the design of Bill's tribute medals minted on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Waterloo Coin Society last fall. In her own words from a February 1, 2023 personal communication to me, including her attached sketch to which she refers:

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 12, 2023

Jamaica Street Car Co. Token

Last week I'd asked where this token is from. Dave Schenkman writes:

Jon Radel writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: FEBRUARY 5, 2023 : Jamaica Street Car Co.Token (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n06a18.html)

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VOCABULARY TERM: MINT SPORT

Mint Sport. An enigmatic numismatic item which can only be explained as an object created by mint personnel for their own amusement or diversion. A mint sport can be something of utmost curiosity, of the most beguiling dilemma or perplexing uncertainty. Often they are termed by the unenlightened as mint errors. But a knowledge of mint technology would help determine when an object is a bona fide error and when it is someone playing around with the equipment. Any worker in a mint – engraver, diesinker, pressman or finisher – could create such an object, as it can originate at most any step of the minting process, or include several steps.

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DANIEL WEBSTER VALENTINE (1863-1932)

This week, as Valentine's Day approaches, our subject is a numismatist named Valentine.

Daniel Webster Valentine was born in New York City on March 7, 1863, the son of real estate dealer and hardware merchant, Charles Wesley Valentine (1834-1905) and Sarah Eliza Fleetwood Valentine (1834-1885). When Daniel was four years old in 1867, the family moved to Englewood, New Jersey. Before going to college, Daniel worked in the family store.

Daniel was married on October 28, 1896, to Ada Belle Colwell (1863-1941) at the Presbyterian Church in her home town of Harrisville, Michigan. She graduated from Elmira Female College in 1884 and worked as a teacher. They had two daughters. Marion and Margaret, and both got married but neither of them had children.

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SIX COIN SHOW TAKEAWAYS

Collectors line up to gain entrance to the 2023 FUN & World Money Fair Shows in Orlando and Berlin, respectively.

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MORE NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS SALE 67 HIGHLIGHTS

Lot 598: Brazil 960 Reis, 1810-R. KM-307.3. Rare variety with no stops/periods either side of 960 and florets. Listed in Gomes – valor e florao sem pontos. Unrecorded in recent auction records. Pleasing toned EF with trace of undertype visible. Nice opportunity for the specialist. ($200-300)

To read the complete lot description, see:
Brazil 960 Reis 1810-R Rare Variety Toned EF - No Stops/Periods at 960 & Florets! None in Recent Auction Records! (https://numismaticauctions.nextlot.com/auctions/1421161/lots/11558758)

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DAVISSONS AUCTION 42 PREVIEW

Auction 42, closing Wednesday, March 1st 2023, is online now! Print catalogs will be sent tomorrow, and can also be viewed on our website.

Our major annual auction covers many areas—Greek and Roman, the British Isles from Anglo-Saxon to hammered, milled, and tokens, World, and U.S. It opens with select gold from several beautiful collections that have come into our office in the past year–fine style solidi of Constantius II and Honorius, a rare Julian II solidus, and a fascinating series of three tremisses showing the progression from Roman, to Byzantine, to Visigoth.

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NOONAN'S MARCH 2023 BANKNOTE SALE

An extremely rare £500 note from the Bank of England branch in Leeds dated 1936 will be offered by Noonans in their sale of Banknotes on Wednesday & Thursday, March 1 & 2, 2023. Signed by Kenneth O. Peppiatt who was Chief Cashier at the Bank of England, it is expected to fetch £18,000-22,000. It is the first one to ever be sold at auction and only the second one known to exist.

As Andrew Pattison, Head of Banknote Department at Noonans commented: It is indeed a fantastic note. £500 notes are very rare, and in fact only available from three Bank of England branches - London, Liverpool and Leeds, although some were issued in Birmingham and Manchester none have ever come to light. Of those available, Leeds branch, like this one, are the rarest. It comes from a long-term collector and is only the second example ever to come to the open market.

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MDC MONACO E-AUCTION 5 SELECTIONS

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S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA AUCTION PART II

Welcome to Part II of the SS Central America Shipwreck Artifacts Auctions!

After breaking world records in the Part I, December 2022 auction, we now present the second and final auction of unique treasure items from this world-famous 1857 Gold Rush treasure ship.

The 420 lots in this sale are split into five sections hosted over two days. Sections 1, 2, & 3 will take place on Saturday, March 4th, 2023. Sections 4 & 5 will take place on Sunday, March 5th, 2023.

Read more here

 

NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: FEBRUARY 12, 2023

Elis, Olympia, Silver Stater

Elis, Olympia, silver Stater, c.400 BC, 'Hera' mint, struck during the 95th Olympiad, head of Hera right, wearing stephane decorated with the letters H-P-A, and palmettes, rev. F - A, thunderbolt within olive wreath, 12.09g, 7h (Seltman, Temple 275 [dies EK/hn]; BCD -; SNG Copenhagen 381, these dies; BMC 63, these dies). In NGC holder graded Ch VF, Strike 4/5, Surface 5/5.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 3: CH VF 4/5 5/5 | Elis Olympia silver Stater Late 5th century BC (https://auctions.sovr.co.uk/index.php?option=com_bidding&view=timed&layout=details&id=755005)

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DIONYSUS ON ANCIENT COINS

WINE PLAYED SUCH a central role in Greek and Roman culture, economics, and religion that it is no surprise that Dionysus, the god of wine, appears on thousands of ancient coins, especially from regions famed for their grape vines. These are often regions that still produce fine vintages today. Grape clusters, vine leaves, and a two-handled drinking vessel called a kantharos often accompany Dionysus in classical art, along with his supernatural followers the satyrs and his animal companion the panther. On Greek coins, he is almost never identified with a written label, but he can usually be recognized by his signature attributes: a wreath of ivy leaves and the thyrsus, which is a staff or wand topped by a pine cone.

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2023 TRIAL OF THE PYX PREPARED

Britain's coins have been tested for their metallic composition, weight and size in the country's oldest judicial process called the Trial of the Pyx, which carries the maximum punishment of imprisonment for the chancellor if the coinage is found to be of poor quality.

Officials from the Royal Mint on Tuesday brought close to 10,000 coins to King's Remembrancer, the oldest judicial office in the UK, to be counted and weighed in an official ceremony at Goldsmiths' Hall in London.

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YORK MINSTER MAUNDY CEREMONY PLANNED

The King and Queen Consort will distribute Maundy money at York Minster in April in the first such service since the death of the late Queen Elizabeth.

The royal couple will attend the minster on 6 April for the traditional service where money is handed out to people in recognition of their work in the church and community.

The Dean of York, the Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, said it was an honour the minster had been chosen for the first Maundy service of the new reign.

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NATIVE AMERICAN FIVE MOONS BALLERINAS

The United States Mint announced a new $1 coin will be releasing this year featuring esteemed Native American ballerina dancer, Maria Tallchief, along with four others representing the Five Moons – an Oklahoma-based group of Native American ballerinas during the 20th century.

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QUEEN OF SALSA CELIA CRUZ QUARTER

For more than 40 years, Celia Cruz quartered in Fort Lee. In late 2024, her image will adorn a quarter. Officials at the United States Mint this month named the late Cruz one of five honorees for the American Women Quarters Program's 2024 series. Launched in 2022, the program is in its second year of a four-year run designed to create awareness for trailblazers in women's history, such as Cruz.

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COLLECTING AND CATALOGING U.S. MINT BAGS

This Carson City mint bag once held 1000 Morgan silver dollars. A Heritage auction recently sold this bag at auction for $6,000 including the buyers premium. I was totally amazed that an empty bag which once held 1000 Morgan silver dollars could sell for 6 times its once held contents.

Shown here are several pictures of vintage silver dollar bags of which literally hundreds, if not thousands were stored in vaults. It is strange that more than a few have survived, or have they, and are they part of long time old collections still in hiding. Or, were the vast majority simply tossed like garbage like an old candy wrapper? In any event, I will keep looking and hoping to find that elusive treasure someday.

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KELLOGG & HUMBERT ASSAYER'S GOLD INGOT

Historic numismatic items, including a nearly two-pound Kellogg & Humbert assayer's gold ingot, are included in the second and final auction of never-before-offered California Gold Rush artifacts recovered from the 1857 sinking of the fabled Ship of Gold, the S.S. Central America. The auction will be conducted in Reno, Nevada and online by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (www.HolabirdAmericana.com) on March 4 and 5, 2023.

Among the nearly 500 other recovered items in the auction are an intact treasure shipment box, a contemporary counterfeit Mexican gold coin, jewelry made from Gold Rush ore and nuggets, banknotes, coin shipment bags, and leather pokes that had carried miners' gold and other belongings on the voyage. Even Nemo, the 12,000-pound robot submarine that located and retrieved the treasure, is in the auction.

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SUPER BOWL COINS FROM THE HIGHLAND MINT

The Super Bowl is almost here and to kick it off, you need a coin toss.

The game doesn't start without us, so we are really proud of that moment, and we'll be in front of 50 million people, says Vince Bohbot, Highland Mint Executive Vice President.

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LOOSE CHANGE: FEBRUARY 12, 2023

YN Collects British Indian Coinage

My name is Aarav Dokania, and I'm a 19-year-old numismatist from India. I specialize in British India Coinage from 1835 through 1947. I started collecting coins at the age of eight or nine years old. My late uncle collected coins, and after his passing, his collection was inherited by my elder brother and sister, who also collect coins. This tradition of coin collecting in my home led me to collect coins naturally.

In my early days, I would collect foreign and Indian coins that looked different from the ones in circulation. I was such a pain for all my family and relatives, always asking for coins. I used to believe that the age of a coin determined its rarity. I didn't have much access to the internet and there were fewer resources available online then. Being from a rural part of the country also left me with little chance of fraternizing with any professional numismatist. Over the next few years, I would go on to collect without any knowledge and understanding, but with a passion to learn.

From the age of 12 to 17, my involvement with the hobby nearly came to a standstill because of my years in a boarding school. It was during the pandemic-related lockdown that I had the time to sit down and look through my collection once again, and it was then that I also was able to connect to the numismatic community. It all started when I came across a YouTube video that covered Indian coins, through which I was able to connect to all the groups on Facebook, where much of the hobby community interacts. I started to learn more about the subject and about coin grading, third-party grading, numismatic forums, and auction houses and started to have conversations with dealers and other senior numismatists who were always very kind to answer my questions and were of great help.

It was at this point that I got into British Indian coins, which I found fascinating with a very organized market. I quickly immersed myself fully and got very serious about it and started to give five to eight hours a day to the hobby, including reading books and articles, going through auction records, and evaluating major Indian collections that were auctioned.

I'm currently assembling a complete date-and-mint set of one rupee coins from 1835 to 1947, with the end goal of making it the best set of rupee coins ever assembled. The one rupee coinage has always fascinated me the most because of the beautiful designs and rich history it carries.

To read the complete article, see:
British Indian Coinage Draws This Young Numismatist (https://www.pcgs.com/news/british-indian-coinage-draws-this-young-numismatist#.Y-eTOSnEy7g.gmail)

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