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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: Jeff Dickerson, Treasurer Numismatic Bibliomania Society P. O. Box 578, Weatherford, TX 76086 Asylum For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Jeff 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 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 APRIL 20, 2025

New subscribers this week include: Bill McCloskey and Jeff Peterson, courtesy Wayne Davis. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,257 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 one new periodical issue, two obituaries, an update from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from readers, a conference announcement, and more.

Other topics this week include the 1870 James B. Longacre sale, Bank of Canada Museum acquisitions, replicas, Charles W. Foster, fixed price and auction items, my numismatic diary, Maundy coinage, casino chips, the Frick medal gallery, and merchant scrip.

To learn more about Kakatiya gold coins, George Marlier, selling Jack Freidberg's Brasher Doubloon, Puerto Rico's provincial pesos, RIO 2025, the Botetourt medal, the Noah's Ark medal, the Rights of Men token, the Duck Room, Admiral George Dewey tokens, Dynamic Regional Sector Agricultural Productivity manhole covers medals, The Connecticut Collection, banknotes of the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion, and the Money Laundering Lounge, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

ORIENTAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY SPRING 2025

Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society
259 Spring 2025

Editorial
Paula Turner

A new date for an autonomous bronze from Seleukeia on the Tigris
Michael J.

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RICHARD GAETANO (1936-2025)

Richard Gaetano, 88, passed away on April 13, 2025

Richard is survived by his loving children Lori (Russ) Reich, Rick (the late Lynn) Gaetano, and Rob (Maria) Gaetano. Grandfather of Dominick Gaetano, Marcus Gaetano, Alex Reich, Brian Reich, Max Gaetano. Richard is also survived by extended family and friends.

Richard was a member of numerous organizations through out the area. He was preceded in death by Parents Anthony and Helen Gaetano

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DENNIS JOSEPH FORGUE (1944-2025)

Dennis J. Forgue of Westchester, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, passed away peacefully April 12th after a lengthy illness. He was 80 years of age. He was surrounded by family and was comfortable in his final days. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Mr. Forgue is survived by his brother Robert; his sister Holly (Jim) Cerny; his daughter Melissa Forgue-Heerboth and her three children: Christopher, Daniel and Aidan; and his son Martin (Debby) and their four children: Samantha, Thomas, Ella and Nicolas. Dennis was also a loving uncle to many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Vernon and his beloved wife Marcia Ann.

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THE 1870 JAMES B. LONGACRE SALE

The 1870 James B. Longacre Sale

Of all the Chief Engravers of the Mint, Longacre was the best archivist, putting aside extensive collections of both papers and coins. The papers are today in the Library Company of Philadelphia and have been explored by Michael Moran and Jeff Garrett (1849: The Philadelphia Mint Strikes Gold) and others. To be sure, work remains, and the Library Company recently offered an internship to improve their catalog descriptions of the Longacre papers. The Library Company also holds an important group of pattern pieces from the Longacre estate, which have been published by John Dannreuther, Saul Teichman, and other writers.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 20, 2025

Lithographic Stones, Artist Joaquín Sorolla
Bill Eckberg writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
WWII POLAND COUNTERFEITING PLATE FOUND (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n15a25.html)
HUNTINGTON COLLECTION TO BE SOLD AGAIN (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n15a22.html)

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RIO 2025 OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

5th International Convention of Historians and Numismatists to be celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 2-6, 2025

The hosts and planning committees of the 5th International Convention of Historians and Numismatists—RIO2025—have announced that registration is now open for this year's congress, set to take place Sept. 2-6, in the spectacular historic city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Widely lauded as the most representative and prestigious gathering of Ibero-American numismatists and historians, the International Conventions of Historians and Numismatists were launched in 2016 in Potosi, Bolivia, and take place every two years. Potosi 2016 was followed by Arequipa 2018, Cartagena MMXXI, and Santo Domingo MMXXIII.

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BANK OF CANADA MUSEUM ACQUISITIONS

Each year the Museum receives dozens of offers from the public to donate or sell objects to the National Currency Collection. Add to that the ever-growing list of objects the curators bring to the acquisition committee's attention to develop the collection. Yet beyond the donations and purchases, items that are otherwise restricted from public ownership can be obtained only from the organizations that are responsible for their manufacture or their seizure. Therefore, it is important for the Museum to have relationships with these organizations.

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VOCABULARY TERM: REPLICA

Replica. A copy of a numismatic or medallic item, similar to but differing somewhat from the original piece. A replica is a copy and while the terms are not that precise in their difference from each other, a replica is somewhat more liberal in its exact replication; a major portion of the original design must be used for the replica. Most replicas are made after the death of its original artist and the art work is in public domain.

While a copy is generally an exact duplication of the original (often with malicious intent), there exists a large body of replicas, most of which are highly legitimate and issued in good faith. A coin example would be the silver dollar bullion coin of 1986 which replicated Adolph Weinman's Liberty walking design of the 1916 half dollar.

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CHARLES WORCHESTER FOSTER (1907-1959)

Last week Charles Foster was mentioned in the article about Ray Williamson and M. W. Hanchett. This week Foster gets his turn for an article. In 1949, he made a bold prediction about Sheldon grading.

Foster was born at Monte Vista, Colorado, on May 16, 1907. He was the son of Charles Worchester Foster (1877-1918) and Anna Pearl Rankin Foster (1879-1928).

He was married in Monroe, New York, to Katherine Griswald Wallace (1907-1980). on April 5, 1928. They had a son and a daughter.

Foster joined the American Numismatic Association on June 1, 1930, as member 3723. He submitted a paper at the 1930 ANA Convention which was published in the December 1930 issue of The Numismatist. In 1931, Paul M. Lange of Rochester resigned as ANA Librarian. At the time the ANA cabinets were at the Rochester Museum. Charles W. Foster had been a member for less than a year when he was appointed to take Lange's place and served as Librarian and Curator from 1931 to 1937. He was also the librarian for the Rochester Numismatic Association. In 1947 he converted to ANA life membership as LM-171.

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ATLAS NUMISMATICS SELECTIONS: APRIL 20, 2025

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NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: APRIL 20, 2025

103046 | GERMANY. Silesia. Noah's Ark silver Medal. Issued circa 1736. On the desire for an end to famine (33mm, 7.31 g, 12h). By Johann Leonhard Oexlein in Nürnberg. BEFIEHL DEM HERRN DEINE WEGE (surrender yourself to the Lord...), Noah's Ark facing right upon the water; above, dove flying left, with olive branch in beak; in two lines in exergue, UND HOFFE / AUF IHN (...and place your hope in Him...) // ER WIRDS WOHL MACHEN (...for He will do it), seven worshipers on their knees in act of prayer; lighted altar between them; rainbow arcing across the sky above; representation of an ark (alluding to Noah's Ark atop Mt. Ararat) upon hill in background to right. Edge: Plain. F&S 4240; Erlanger 2751; GPH 1189. Almost Uncirculated Details. Darkly toned nearer the peripheries and around the devices, with a good deal of brilliance remaining, though some subtle graffiti is noted upon each side, and accounts for the designation. Nevertheless, a charming religious type, and one that is very rare in this larger format, essentially double the size of those which we have offered in the past. $365.

To read the complete item description, see:
103046 | GERMANY. Silesia. Noah's Ark silver Medal. (https://www.numismagram.com/product-page/103046)

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STACK'S BOWERS SPRING 2025 MAASTRICHT SALE

Our Maastricht sale is now posted online, and printed catalogs are due to be mailed out shortly. This is a true collectors' sale, featuring an excellent selection of notes from around the world that ranges from modern high denominations to classic types in circulated grades. In this blog, we will take an in-depth look at the notes in the sale, which encompasses a traditional session on Thursday, May 9, and an internet-only session of the Windsor Collection of QE II paper money on Friday, May 10. All lots are available for viewing and presale bidding at StacksBowers.com.

Read more here

 

WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: APRIL 20, 2025

Tuesday, April 15 (Tax Day!) was also the monthly gathering of my Northern Virginia numismatic social group, Nummis Nova. Our host Robert Hoppensteadt chose Clyde's at Mark Center in Alexandria. I arrived a little early and caught up with texts and emails on my phone before heading inside. Our table wasn't ready yet and I joined the other earlybirds in the bar.

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COINS REVEAL ROLE IN SWAHILI TRADE HISTORY

A recent study by Dr. Ignacio Montero-Ruiz and his colleagues examined the provenance of ancient copper artifacts discovered on the Island of Ibo off Mozambique's coast. The study, published in Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, provides new insights into the role small coastal villages played in the early development of the Indian Ocean trade.

For much of the Swahili trade history, the role of northern Mozambique has been considered marginal.

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2025 ROYAL MAUNDY COINAGE CEREMONY

This year taking place at Durham Cathedral, The King and Queen have attended the annual Maundy Service, during which His Majesty presented Maundy recipients – 76 men and 76 women – with two purses: one red and one white, containing Maundy Money.

The Royal Maundy gifts are given in recognition of recipients' outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in their local communities.

Recipients are selected from Church of England dioceses across the country, and Anglican and Ecumenical partners across the UK. This year, the Recipients have been chosen from the Dioceses of the Northern Province of England and Scotland.

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PLAYBOY CHIPS WILL NOT BE REDEEMED

Keith Hawkins thought he'd hit the jackpot. Nearly three years ago, he bought almost $60,000 worth of decades-old poker chips from the short-lived, long-shuttered Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, planning to trade them in with New Jersey officials for cash.

But a state appellate court ruled last week that his bet won't pay off. The two-judge panel of the New Jersey Superior Court's Appellate Division decided that, since the poker chips were supposed to have been destroyed after the casino closed in the mid-1980s, officials don't have to pay him from the fund set up to compensate gamblers with outstanding poker chips.

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FRICK COLLECTION MEDAL GALLERY

Over the course of six decades, Stephen K. Scher—a collector, scholar, and curator—has assembled the most comprehensive and significant private collection of portrait medals in the world, part of which he and his wife, Janie Woo Scher, gave to The Frick Collection last year. To celebrate the Schers' generous gift of what is the largest acquisition in the museum's history, the Frick presents more than one hundred of the finest examples from their collection in The Pursuit of Immortality, on view from May 9 through September 10, 2017. The exhibition is organized by Aimee Ng, Associate Curator, The Frick Collection, and Stephen K. Scher.

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WHY DID MERCHANT SCRIP EXIST?

Before banks were established in remote regions of Canada, paying employees involved shipping currency long distances into wild and often lawless regions. The alternative to this risky enterprise was for the company to issue its own money. Called scrip, this private merchant currency was redeemable for products at the company store and even frequently in the local economy.

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MORE ON BOSTON MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE

Come July 1, 2026, Boston's Seaport will welcome a new kind of tourist attraction, one that will be near and dear to the hearts of the PYMNTS audience: the Museum of American Finance. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, this venerable institution is finally planting its flag in Boston after decades of wandering the country's financial landscape, with its first permanent exhibit space outside of New York since 2018.

The museum will occupy approximately 5,400 square feet at Commonwealth Pier, a waterfront hub that's transforming into Boston's latest hotspot for dining, shopping and year-round programming. Founded in 1989, the museum has long been a custodian of the nation's financial history, housing an impressive archive of documents, including some from the Founding Father himself, Alexander Hamilton. Its collection of 18th-century U.S. financial documents, letters, and records is a treasure trove for anyone who appreciates the gritty origins of American capitalism.

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ABOUT THIS ISSUE: APRIL 20, 2025

To read the complete article, see:
Drawing Conclusions (https://www.bizarro.com/blog/2025/4/20/drawn-conclusions)

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