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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 can go to the following web page Subscribe You may Unsubscribe Here 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 JANUARY 4, 2026

New subscribers this week include: Richard Jerram, courtesy Fred Liberatore; Ken Srail, courtesy Steve Starlust; and Christian FOUET, courtesy Per-Göran CARLSSON; Welcome aboard! We now have 6,681 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 a new periodical issue, two book reviews, a note from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from readers, and more.

Other topics this week include security edges, Joan Fagerlie, John Murdoch, Philippe Scheisser, auction previews, ancient Greek coins, the earliest coin minted in Scotland, and Isaac Newton at the Royal Mint.

To learn more about Japanese numismatists in the late 1790s, siege notes, Times Square, the Chain cent, gold dust as aquarium gravel, Melbourne Mint proof gold, Bust dollars, a Vermont Copper, the U.S. Colored Troops, Collectors Universe, paper napkins and the Smart People Hobby, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

 

PERIODICAL: NUMISMATIQUE ASIATIQUE NO. 56

Numismatique Asiatique
No. 56 | December 2025

ÉDITORIAL

Les VIe Rencontres de Numismatique Asiatique
The 6th Rencontres de Numismatique Asiatique

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BOOK REVIEW (BENNICK): SIEGE NOTES OF THE WORLD

Siege Notes of the World 1793-1913
by Lawrence Korchnak, Ph.D.

Reviewed by Greg Bennick

There are two ways to read Dr. Lawrence Korchnak's new book Siege Notes of the World 1793-1913. One could read it passively, as a reference book, where it sits upon a shelf and, might one happen in the wild upon a possible siege note, one could use this book to look it up. This is not the best or most exciting way to read this book. 

The other way to read this book is actively, utilizing it as a launchpad for true numismatic education, where it is paired with Korchnak's first book, Siege Coins of the World: 1453-1902 (published by CNG), and used as a means of learning more about the history, sieges, and conditions that led to specific note types to be issued. This reviewer far prefers the latter approach.

A topic on which less substantive information has been published than most other numismatic areas, siege notes can, because of this book, develop from here. Enthusiasts, or those curious about the topic, now have this book to serve as a synthesis of known information in one reference. This is a much-needed solution. For example, nearly 40% of the referenced bibliographic sources in this book were not published in English! Dr. Korchnak has done a service to the student of siege notes by compiling the most important information from known sources into one concise volume.

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BOOK REVIEW (BOLIN): SIEGE NOTES OF THE WORLD

Siege Notes of the World 1793-1913
by Lawrence Korchnak, Ph.D.

Reviewed by Benny Bolin

When Maria Fanning contacted me about doing a book review on a book related to Siege Notes, being the history nerd I am I say an emphatic YES. I was thinking of sieges that occurred around medieval times, times of King Arthur, dragons, knights.

Then, I got the book and it was about sieges of the 18th-20th century. I did not even know sieges happened that late. What I found out was Dr. Korchnak published the book of siege currency as a companion to Siege Coins of the World 1453-1902. He published it to get all the current information on siege notes in one reference instead of four or five. As much as possible, he cross-references the notes to the known catalogs. He also developed a rarity system based on known notes but that is sometimes hard to get right due to a lack of printing records and current survivors.

In the book, he details as much history as possible of nineteen sieges of that period. Primarily taking place in Europe and Africa, he lists the sieges in alphabetical order. He describes each siege as to the length, the time period and place as well as the ‘winner.' He lists the known notes by denomination, variety and type with pictures as available.

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TIMES SQUARE IN NUMISMATICS

Times Square in Numismatics

The annual ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve is an all-day event, with gates open to revelers beginning at 3pm. What they do for the next nine hours I have no idea, but perhaps the time could be spent in contemplation of numismatic connections to the so-called "Crossroads of the World." Fortunately, Newman Portal is a just a few clicks away via cell phone, and we can only acknowledge the patience of those who stood await in the pre-mobile phone era.

In 2013, Odyssey Marine mounted an exhibit of shipwreck coins at Discovery Times Square. Odyssey is perhaps best known for the thousands of 1861-O half dollars pulled from the SS Republic in 2003. Odyssey further recovered Bombay Mint silver bars from the SS Gairsoppa, a World War II shipwreck in the north Atlantic, with 99 tons of silver pulled from the deep in 2012-2013.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JANUARY 4, 2026

On Bent British Medieval Coins
Ron Bude writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: DECEMBER 28, 2025 : Covenant coins (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n52a10.html)

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VOCABULARY TERM: SECURITY EDGE

Security Edge. Edge treatment on a coin moreso than a medal, in which the edge is rendered more difficult to counterfeit. To some degree this is accomplished by a knurled or reeded edge; but to a greater degree by a lettered edge or engrailed edge. Some of the later were accomplished by applying design or lettering on the edge by the canneluring machine before the item is struck in a coining press with a smooth collar – which may slightly squeeze the edge but does not obliterate the sunken letters or symbols. See edge lettering and numbering.

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JOAN MARIE FAGERLIE, PH.D. (1930-2017)

Often I come across a topic for an article while I am searching for something else. In the case of Joan M. Fagerlie, my inspiration came from a highly unexpected source.

She was the author of Late Roman and Byzantine Solidi Found in Sweden and Denmark, published by the American Numismatic Society in 1967 as Numismatic Notes and Monographs No. 157. This was revised from her Ph.D. thesis for the University of Washington.

Joan was born in Minneapolis with her twin sister Jean on November 9, 1930, the daughters of Paul Olsen Fagerlie (1891-1962) and Ella Fredericka Lindberg (1900-1988) Fagerlie.

She graduated from (Minneapolis) Roosevelt High School in 1949. She received a BA cum laude in 1953 and MA in history and an MA in library Science in 1955 at the University of Minnesota.

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TREASURE TALK WITH BOB EVANS, EPISODE 10.2

By December of 2017, the legal and business matters following the 2014 recoveries had been resolved, at least as far as my business was concerned. The treasure was moved to a lab that was prepared for me inside the Collectors Universe building, right around the corner and down the hall from the PCGS grading room. For the next year and a half, I spent half of my waking hours there.

With the "new" treasure to take to market, we dusted off the Ship of Gold display for another big appearance at the Long Beach Coin & Collectible Expo, in February of 2018.

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JOHN MURDOCH'S MELBOURNE MINT PROOF GOLD COINS

The preface to the catalogue prepared by Sotheby's for the sale of Murdoch's collection stated it was: "…second only to the late Mr Montagu's. The two collections are probably the most important, valuable and extensive ever formed in England. Mr Murdoch did not collect Greek and Roman coins. If these series are eliminated from the Montagu Collection, we think Mr Murdoch's will be found to be the most important numismatic collection ever sold in this country".

The relevance of John G Murdoch to collectors of Australian gold coins lies in a request he made of the Melbourne Mint for proof coins "…in 1890…", principally because nearly all of the proof gold coins struck by the Melbourne Mint that are available to collectors today can be traced back to this request and Murdoch's collection.

Discussion of these gold coins from Murdoch's collection has felt very similar to the discussion of the Sydney Mint patterns and proofs struck by the Melbourne Mint in February 1927. On face value, both situations appear to be unorthodox - wealthy private collectors were closely linked to the Royal Mint's production of exclusive gold coins not available to the general public. Both situations, however were conducted with full knowledge of senior Mint staff, within Australia and London.

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GREAT COLLECTIONS: MICHAEL SULLIVAN COLLECTION

This 29-coin, PCGS certified bust coinage offering will be sold by Great Collections following the FUN show. The coins will be on display for preview at FUN.

Sullivan's core collection of key dates and Redbook varieties continues to be his passion to collect and improve. This portion of the collection is not available for sale, but is viewable on PCGS Registry.

1806 Draped Bust Half Dollar Pointed 6, Stem Overton 122 PCGS VF-30 (MJ Sullivan Collection) Overton-122; This is the latest die state with large reverse vertical crack and secondary cracks. Additional cracks from arrows to base of UNITED through the field to the ribbon.

Ex. Acquired privately from Jim Matthews 2015; GreatCollections 2026 (MJ Sullivan).

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HERITAGE: COLONIAL AND PRE-FEDERAL COINS

1652 Pine Tree Shilling, Large Planchet, No Pellets, Reversed N, Noe-10, W-750, Salmon 8-Diii, R.3, MS63 PCGS. 73.3 grains. Steel-blue and sunrise yellow coloration coat surfaces that are largely unabraded, save for an old mark southeast of the Pine Tree. The stretched out nature of the HVS on the obverse is an artifact of the rocker press employed for the coinage of this issue. Slight rim flattening above that H also suggests a minor clip, common among these issues to ensure proper weight.

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SBG NYINC ANCIENT AND WORLD COINS, PART II

PTOLEMAIC EGYPT. Arsinoe II Philadelphos, Died 270/268 B.C. AV Mnaieion (Oktadrachm/Octodrachm) (27.65 gms), Alexandreia Mint, struck under Ptolemy II, ca. 253/2-246 B.C. NGC AU, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5. Fine Style. CPE-388; Svor-460; SNG Cop-134. Obverse: Veiled head right, with ram's horn and wearing stephanos; lotus-tipped scepter in background, T to left; Reverse: Filleted double cornucopia, with grape bunches hanging at sides. Very well centered across both sides, this lustrous and rather beautiful specimen stands as an above average representative from the popular emission, and one that is undoubtedly of fine style.

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STACK'S BOWERS: NYINC CURRENCY AUCTION SECTION B

BELGIAN CONGO. Banque du Congo Belge. 1000 Francs, 3.11.1920. P-12b. PMG About Uncirculated 53. Kinshasa branch. Perhaps one of the most attractive designs of the Belgian Congo, and a notably difficult type in any grade. In our Spring 2023 Maastricht auction we sold the note consecutive to this piece, graded Choice About Uncirculated 58 by PMG for $36,000. While it is unlikely that this piece will reach the same level, as it has received a minor repair in the top margin (not impacting the printed area) it is still a very nice example of a challenging type. Issued at a number of different branches, the Kinshasa issue offered in the present lot is about the only variety of this type that ever becomes available for sale, thanks to the discovery of a very small group of notes many years ago. Most of those have long been dispersed into advanced collections, and offerings of any example of Pick-12 in any grade are very infrequent at best. A noteworthy offering for the specialist or the collector of trophy notes. PMG comments "Minor Repair."

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ARCHIVES INTERNATIONAL SALE 110 SELECTIONS

Belgium - German Occupation WWII, 1946. 100 Francs, P-M7a, Issued Banknote, Gray-blue and violet printing with denomination at center, Back is gray-blue with bank title at center, S/N A125635, PMG graded Very Fine 20.

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TOP TEN ANCIENT GREEK COINS

In 2008, Whitman Publishing released 100 Greatest Ancient Coins by long-time Chicago coin dealer Harlan J. Berk. Now in its third edition, this large-format book has proven to be a valuable resource for classical numismatists. The choice of coins and their ranking were based on a survey of museum curators, classical scholars, dealers, and collectors. Thirty-eight of the coins were Roman; six were Byzantine; and the rest were loosely categorized as "Greek", including some Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Judean issues. This article reviews our ten top-rated ancient Greek coins from Berk's list.

Athens Dekadrachm
A dekadrachm is a ten-drachma piece, weighing about 43 grams. This amount of silver represented ten days' wages for an ancient Greek laborer. Not part of the regular circulating coinage, dekadrachms were special issues commemorating significant events.

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THE EARLIEST COIN MINTED IN SCOTLAND

The earliest known coin to be minted in Scotland almost 900 years ago has been acquired for the nation after it was found by a metal detectorist.

The medieval David I silver coin, discovered in a wooded area near Penicuik, Midlothian in 2023, has been dated to the second half of the 1130s.

As required by law it was reported it to Treasure Trove and allocated to National Museums Scotland (NMS) by the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel.

The coin was valued at £15,000, which was paid to the finder as a reward by the King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.

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WALKING LIBERTY HALF ON STEEL CENT PLANCHET

Undated (1943) Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Struck on a Zinc-Coated Steel Cent Planchet. MS-62 (PCGS).

2.80 grams. An exciting offering for advanced Mint error enthusiasts, this is only the third confirmed example of a Walking Liberty half dollar struck on a steel cent planchet. In fact, wrong planchet errors in the Walking Liberty half dollar series of 1916 to 1947 are exceedingly rare, and regardless of the planchet involved. The most "common" of these are struck on quarter planchets, of which there are only 10 to 12 known as reported by Nicolas P. Brown, David J. Camire and Fred Weinberg in the 2010 reference 100 Greatest U.S. Error Coins, although more modern scholarship by Saul Teichman has confirmed at least 15 specimens. Brown, Camire and Weinberg go on to write:

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COLLECTORS UNIVERSE ACCUSED OF CARD MONOPOLY

A New York congressman has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Collectors Universe for potential antitrust violations after the company gained control of more than 80% of the sports card grading market.

Rep. Pat Ryan requested the investigation following Collectors Universe's acquisition of Beckett, which joined the company's existing ownership of Professional Sports Authenticator and Sportscard Guaranty Corporation.

According to Gemrate and data from November 2025, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) graded 1.66 million cards. Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) graded the second most sports and trading cards at 425,000.

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ISAAC NEWTON AT THE ROYAL MINT

Isaac Newton, father of modern physics, famed victim of rogue fallen apple, lived in a world of unreality, too. He believed in alchemy, and magic—as did many of his time. Witchfinders stalked the land, with political power behind superstition.

But he changed our understanding of the real. In between his work as a scholar, he was appointed to be Warden of the Royal Mint, and there took on a major role—stabilizing the currency. In the Spring of 1696 he joined the Mint—in what had been to that point a medieval patronage gig. Little was expected in such a role. No Warden had previously taken much of an interest in the activities of the Mint's clerks, who were tasked with tracking counterfeiters.

Newton, however, took it seriously.

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TRADING SILVER INTO BILLIONS

One day, as Peterffy delivered another batch of reports, Aranyi mentioned an unusual client: "I know a crazy psychiatrist who wants to do some computer work. You should meet him."

The psychiatrist was Dr. Henry Jarecki, a former Yale professor who had left medicine to establish the American operation of Mocatta & Goldsmid, one of the world's leading bullion trading firms.

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LOOSE CHANGE: JANUARY 4, 2026

German Bank Safe Deposit Vault Looted

Robbers used a large drill to break into a German savings bank's vault room and steal cash, gold and jewelry worth some 30 million euros ($35 million), police said Tuesday.

The heist in the western city of Gelsenkirchen saw the thieves break into more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes, they said.

While the criminals remained at large, hundreds of distressed bank customers massed outside the branch on Tuesday demanding information, but were kept at bay by police.

According to police, the robbers drilled their way into the underground vault room of the Sparkasse savings bank from a parking garage.

Investigators suspect the gang spent much of the weekend inside, breaking open the deposit boxes.

To read the complete articles, see:
Police compare Germany bank vault robbery to an "Ocean's Eleven" heist (https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/police-compare-germany-bank-vault-161212260.html)
Thieves drill into a German bank vault and steal tens of millions of euros' worth of property (https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/thieves-drill-german-bank-vault-162431170.html)

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THE CHARLOTTE LAROY PAPER NAPKIN COLLECTION

When Charlotte LaRoy was in elementary school, she had a quiet revelation.

Paper napkins are beautiful.

It was the 1940s, she was the daughter of a federal food-safety scientist, and she was just discovering the spectacular variety of face-and-finger wipes.

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FEATURED WEB PAGE: PHILIPPE SCHIESSER

This week's Featured Web Page is Philippe Schiesser's Academia homepage, suggested by Andrew Pollock.

Andrew writes:

https://independent.academia.edu/schiesserphilippe

ABOUT THIS ISSUE: JANUARY 4, 2026

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