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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 04/25/2026 Workman's Book Sale 8

 

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 MARCH 29, 2026

New subscribers this week include: Welcome aboard! We now have 6,594 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 research literature sale, one new book, new Whitman coin albums, an obituary, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from readers, and more.

Many thanks to Ian Marshall, who was able to provide a copy of our May 11, 2008 issue, when we switched over from plain text to a spiffy new format with color and images. We'll add this history-making issue to our archive.

Other topics this week include numismatic editing, engravers John Gregory Hancock and his son, New Orleans gold eagles, artist signatures, the Central States show, numismatic association items, auction previews, Australia's new kangaroo, and Trump's new signature.

To learn more about coins of the Kuninda kingdom, the Honduran Provisional Eight Reales, proof silver coinage, numismatic literature Instagram reels, Ed Schedler's counterstamp, the Vexator token, Victor David Brenner's hidden signature, the semiquincentennial coins, the 1787 Immunis Columbia, Civil War Tokens, QR codes on banknotes, a numismatic whist match, and the dealer who attended shows in his underwear, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

FRED HOLABIRD OFFERS RESEARCH LITERATURE

All of the following books are duplicates from my research library. As many of you know, I had two libraries, one at my regular office and another at my home office. After two weeks of unpacking and organizing, I’ve sorted out about seven boxes of duplicates. These items are key to mining, metals, numismatic and historical research. My primary focus has always been on primary source material, of which most of this group is.

The prices listed are of my own construct, as are the accompanying notes, which are kept to a minimum.

During this tedious process, I rediscovered why I gathered so much material, and how excited I’ve been in collecting books for my research library. I’ve written hundreds of papers and articles, and have undoubtedly cited each of these somewhere along the way. One of the fun parts of going through a major private library is rediscovering the signed books. In my case, I went after the great mining geologists and mining engineers.

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NEW BOOK: THE KUNINDAS AND THEIR COINS

The Kunindas and their Coins
Devendra Handa
Heritage of India Series

Known from literary sources like the epics, Puranas, classical and specialized texts under various names, the republican Kunindas continued to strike their coins in silver, copper or some alloys in the name of Amoghabhuti. The silver specie based on the module of the Indo-Greek hemi-drachms but purely Indian in form and devices are a visual feast to the eyes. Having purely indigenous types their preference for an alien weight-standard is an interesting feature.

The objects were first discovered by canal diggers near Behat, a location in the Saharanpur district (in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India) in 1834. These objects are now known from numerous hoards and stray finds, currently in the prized possession of collectors, museums, and institutions. Hoards refer to large collections of objects that are often buried together, while stray finds refer to items discovered randomly, not in structured archaeological excavations.

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WHITMAN SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL COIN ALBUMS

Whitman Brands™, a leading full-service provider of data, media, and product distribution for the numismatics and collectibles marketplace, proudly announces the launch of its U.S. 250th Anniversary Collection of coin albums and folders, created to celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial in 2026.

The year 2026 marks a historic milestone: 250 years since the founding of the United States. To commemorate the occasion, the U.S. Mint has introduced a special series of circulating coins featuring one-year-only designs, authorized by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. Spanning denominations from the dime through the half dollar, these coins honor America’s founding ideals, pivotal historical moments, and aspirations for the future—offering collectors a once-in-a-generation opportunity to assemble a meaningful set straight from circulation.

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DEAN G. OAKES (1936-2026)

Higgins Museum Curator George Cuhaj writes:

Born in Jefferson in rural Emmet County, Iowa. Graduate of the University of Iowa in 1961. Married to Evelyn Feddersen in 1958. They have two sons and two daughters.

He began collecting coins in 1949. In 1962 he formed A & A Coins, Inc. with Ben Marlenee and Roger Schnittjer. By 1965 he had become sole owner and sold the store in Iowa City in 1978. PNG member 1fter 1966. Oakes bought out Hickman and Waters in 1972. He joined partner John Hickman in 1972 to conduct sales of currency under the name of Hickman-Oakes. They conducted 38 auction sales from 1976 through 1989.

Oakes was a founder of the Iowa City Coin Club. He has served as president of the Iowa Numismatic Association. He served as a governor of SPMC in 1981 to 1999. as treasurer in 1986-1993, vice president 1993 to 1995 and as president 1995 to 1997. He was a board member of the Higgins Foundation after 1974 and president 1999 to 2017.

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NNP ADDS HONDURAN PROVISIONAL EIGHT REALES PAPER

NNP Adds John Lorenzo Paper on Honduran Eight Reales Composition Testing

John Lorzeno’s recent paper, "Surface and Grading Issues in Honduran Provisional Eight Reales at the Tegucigalpa Mint: Insights from a Dual Analysis Method: XRF and SEM/EDS Analysis," is now available on Newman Portal. XRF and SEM/EDS work differently and answer different questions – XRF is typically used for alloy identification, while SEM/EDS is more useful for analyzing microstructure, including specific particles or spots. Lorenzo’s objective here is to characterize the "signature" of authentic examples.

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VIDEO: NUMISMATIC EDITOR'S FORUM

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ENGRAVERS JOHN GREGORY HANCOCK AND HIS SON

Clarifying Biographical Detail for John Gregory Hancock and his son

In last week’s E-Sylum, Allan Davisson wrote about the "DIE ENGRAVING PRODIGY JOHN GREGORY HANCOCK." While there does exist a charming series of tokens made by the young John Gregory Hancock (born c. 1791), the fine work attributed to J.G. Hancock was done by his highly skilled artistic father.

As I wrote in a footnote to my article "John Harper, J.G. Hancock, and the Washington Cents," which was published in the Journal of Early American Numismatics (December 2004) and republished in Penny-Wise earlier this year:

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MARCH 29, 2026

Numorum Hungariae Transilvaniae Information Sought
Michael Wehner writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
STEPHEN ALBUM: AUCTION 54 AND ACCUMULATIONS 4 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n09a09.html)

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NEW ORLEANS $10 GOLD WHIST MATCH

Doug Winter Arbitrates a Whist Match

"Old cent whist," a game for comparing large cent collections, was popularized by William H. Sheldon in Early American Cents (1949). Sheldon named the collector George French as the inventor of the game, and half the fun seems to be that the rules were never precisely formalized. Sheldon described such a contest between French and Howard Newcomb:

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ED SCHEDLER COUNTERSTAMP INFORMATION SOUGHT

I am searching for information about a rare counterstamp on a coin of the second Mexican Empire. It was auctioned in Mexico City by Briggs and Bustos Auction XII (04 April 2025), lot # 345 (1).

Coin's characteristics:

• Denomination: $1 Peso
• Obverse: Bust of Maximilian Emperor of Mexico (1864-1867) with counterstamp "ED SCHEDLER" and "E S".
• Reverse: Crowned arms of the Mexican Empire with counterstamp "S" below eagle.
• Year: 1867
• Mint: Mexico City (M°)
• Metal: Silver 90.27%
• Host coin: KM # 388.1
• Graded: PCGS Damage AG-Detail

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THURSDAY LUNCH CLUB REPORT MARCH, 2026

We had another numismatic lunch here in Bordentown, NJ. I am so lucky to live within driving distance of so many fellow colonial collectors! And the diner has no problem with us using up 2½ hours at their tables. It has been brought up that our lunch group be named "C5" for Colonial Coin and Currency Collectors Club, but we need to seriously discuss this. Being humbled to be a part of this group, it looks more like a society than a club.

Pictured clockwise Ray Williams, Carol Wolf, Alberto Washington, Wayne Shelby, Roger Moore, Don Hartmann, Mike Brooks hiding behind Leo Shane and John Louis.

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VOCABULARY TERM: SIGNATURE

Signature. Any of a variety of ways the creator of a work of art signs that work. Signatures can be initials, monograms, symbols, a single name, or a signature in script. Artists have used such a variety of signatures, symbols and pseudonyms that art researchers and historians must use extreme diligence to identify the correct author of any given work of art. Signatures on coins are often the shortest of all, usually one, two or three initials.

Extreme limited space on coins and medals requires brevity, however full names have appeared on numismatic works. Published lists of initials and monograms revealing the original artist are required references for the person who must identify, describe or authenticate coins or medals. A numismatic item without a signature is unsigned (even though the creator may be identified by research). The item is called anonymous when it is unsigned and no amount of research reveals the artist.

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MORE ASSOCIATION ITEMS

This week I present another article on association items. I will mention a few I gathered to commemorate a meeting with someone.

In 1983, the ANA convention was at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego. The bourse and meetings were in town and the rooms were out in the country. That is, my room was in a building detached from the main hotel.

One evening I was walking back to my room and saw two men talking in the driveway. I walked up and introduced myself to Ken Bressett and Walter Breen. We chatted briefly and I walked on. At the time I was not prepared to ask either one for an autograph.

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CSNS AWARDS HOLLIS WITH BOWERS AWARD

United States Mint Director Paul Hollis will be presented with the Central States Numismatic Society’s prestigious Q. David Bowers Award during his opening day appearance at the 2026 CSNS convention (www.CSNS.org/convention) on April 23 in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois.

The annual award recognizes contributions to the hobby by numismatic professionals and is named in honor of well-known dealer and prolific numismatic author Q. David Bowers. Members of the CSNS Board of Directors select each year’s recipient.

"Paul Hollis’ appointment as Director of the United States Mint reflects a lifetime devoted to collecting, scholarship, and service to the hobby for which the Bowers Award was created. He has been a coin collector since childhood, and recalled that while classmates wrote reports about Babe Ruth or Amelia Earhart, he chose as a topic early American scientist and first Mint Director David Rittenhouse," said CSNS President Mitch Ernst.

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CSNS TALK ON THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL COINS

Award-winning author Dennis Tucker will speak in person at the three-day 2026 Newman Numismatic Portal Symposium in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois. His talk is scheduled for 5:00 pm Central on Friday, April 24, 2026. The NNP Symposium is accessible three ways: Visitors to the 87th Central States Numismatic Society convention can attend in person; the presentation will also be livestreamed via Zoom; and it will be archived online. There will be a Q&A portion at the end.

Tucker’s presentation is titled "The Semiquincentennial Coins: What’s Going Right . . . and What’s Going Wrong." He will give a behind-the-scenes history of how the United States Mint developed its coinage and medals program to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. He will describe the direction the program was headed in for several years, how it dramatically changed just weeks before the Semiquincentennial, and what it all means for American numismatics.

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STACK'S BOWERS: RENAISSANCE MEDAL OFFERINGS

Cristoforo di Geremia (fl. 1450-1475). Portrait Medal of Paolo Dotti (fl. ca. 1289) of Padua. Offered at: $1,100 61.5 x 61.3 mm. 108.4 grams. Bronze. Kress 214, Hill 758c. Truncated bust to right, DOTTVS PATAVVS MILITIE PREFETVS PROPTER RES BENEGESTAS / Constancy standing, CONSTANTIA. Medal turn. Neat hole atop portrait. A very early cast with good bold detail on both sides. Medium steel brown with some olive encrustation around peripheries. Some dull marks and evidence of handing, vestiges of vertical chasing lines in reverse field. An unusual 15th century medal, insofar as it commemorates a military leader from the 13th century. Quite scarce.

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HERITAGE: EARLY COPPER AND COLONIAL COINS

1787 Immunis Columbia, Plain Edge,Eagle Reverse, W-5680, High R.4, AU55 Brown NGC. Ex: Eric P. Newman Collection. This late-Federation era copper has sometimes been called a pattern, and the Guide Book states that this variety is 'believed to be a prototype for federal coinage.' It is also the only collectible issue of the Immune or Immunis Columbia coinage, and is highly sought as such. Although dated 1787, many from the issue were struck in 1788 or even as late as 1789. This near-Mint specimen is a splendid example with uniform chocolate-brown patina on satiny surfaces that flash subtle hues of chestnut under light. Marks are trivial and none stand out as individually significant, and the surfaces are surprisingly well-preserved for the grade. Listed on page 25 of the 2026 Guide Book.

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STACK'S BOWERS: THE KAPRINSKI COLLECTION

1864 Lincoln Portrait / Eagle on Cannon. Fuld-125/160 e, Cunningham 5-360W, King-203, DeWitt-AL 1864-50. Rarity-9. White Metal. Plain Edge. MS-62 (NGC). 19.0 mm.

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STACK'S BOWERS: NOMAD COLLECTION OF HOBO NICKELS

Bearded Man with Hat Hobo Lincoln Cent. Host coin: 1936.

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ANCIENT COINS SEIZED FROM SMUGGLER

Dozens of rare ancient coins, approximately 2,000 years old and bearing inscriptions in ancient Hebrew script, which are suspected to have been looted from Jewish sites dating to the Second Temple period, were seized during an inspection of a Palestinian vehicle by Border Police officers and customs inspectors at the Hizma crossing on the first Friday of the month of Ramadan, about a week before the outbreak of the war with Iran.

The driver of the vehicle, a Hadassah hospital doctor, allegedly attempted to smuggle the coins from the Judea and Samaria area into Jerusalem.

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AUSTRALIA'S NEW ROO

The Royal Australian Mint has released a new limited edition $1 coin to mark the 60th anniversary of the introduction of decimal currency.

The new coin has been changed subtly, with a sixth kangaroo added to the original design of five.

Titled Mob of Kangaroos, the illustration began circulating in 1984 and was created by designer Stuart Devlin.

But the traditional design with a mob of five kangaroos will be put on hold this year, while the new coins with a sixth kangaroo are minted.

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LAWSUIT FILED OVER PROPOSED TRUMP GOLD COIN

When retired lawyer James M. Rickher heard on the news last week that a federal arts commission had approved a 24-karat gold coin bearing President Donald Trump’s image, his legal radar went off.

"I thought that couldn’t be right," said Rickher, 56, who now lives in Portland after a career that included more than two decades working for the federal government.

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JEFFREY BRIGGS WINS MEDALS250 COMPETITION

Voting in the MEDALS250 contest for the favorite medal celebrating the 250th Anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence was very close. Readers of E-Sylum and other leading numismatic publications selected "Young Benjamin Franklin" by Jeffrey Briggs as the winner of the $500 prize. Jeffrey describes his medal as his "interpretation of the younger Franklin portrait appearing on the $100 bill and originating as a painting by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis in 1785. It is surrounded by his famous retort made at the signing of the constitution "A REPUBLIC, MADAM, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT.". The reverse is a promotional cartoon printed in his newspaper advocating for the unity of the 13 colonies, with the inscription "JOIN, OR DIE." The 4-inch bronze medal can be obtained for $290 by contacting jeffrey@briggssculpture.com.

Two medals were in a virtual tie as runner-ups, and each medalist will receive $175. These were "Rough Times" by Jim Licaretz and "Rise Up and Resist" by Tracy Mahaffey.

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TRUMP TO PUT SIGNATURE ON U.S. CURRENCY

President Donald Trump has spent much of his second term in office working to leave his mark on Washington, DC. He’s draped enormous banners of his face over government buildings, plastered his name onto the Carrara walls of the Kennedy Center, and covered the White House in gold accents while demolishing the East Wing to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

Now the Trump administration is taking another unprecedented step toward brand ubiquity: The Treasury Department plans to add the president’s signature to US currency.

Trump’s autograph will be added to all denominations of US bills, Vanity Fair has learned, replacing that of the treasurer for the first time in 165 years. The process of developing new printing plates is underway, I’m told, and the new bills will go into circulation in the coming months.

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PUBLISHERS ARE BLOCKING THE INTERNET ARCHIVE

Imagine a newspaper publisher announcing it will no longer allow libraries to keep copies of its paper.

That’s effectively what’s begun happening online in the last few months. The Internet Archive—the world’s largest digital library—has preserved newspapers since it went online in the mid-1990s. The Archive’s mission is to preserve the web and make it accessible to the public. To that end, the organization operates the Wayback Machine, which now contains more than one trillion archived web pages and is used daily by journalists, researchers, and courts.

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LOOSE CHANGE: MARCH 29, 2026

More on the Trump Gold Coin

The gold coin depicts Trump leaning over a desk, his fists clenched, pressing against the surface. It displays the word "LIBERTY" across the top, while on the back, a bald eagle is showcased taking off for flight.

The design commission approved the look of the coin with a five-word request: "make it as large as possible."

Can the Trump coin be used as money?
The gold coin cannot, as it’s just a commemorative symbol. It’s currently unknown how much the gold coin will cost; however, other coins featured on the U.S. Mint’s website go for thousands of dollars.

The Trump gold coin will join a line-up of special-edition currencies and medals from the Treasury for the semiquincentennial anniversary.

To read the complete article, see:
Design commission’s ludicrous 5-word order for Trump’s new gold coin (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/design-commission-s-ludicrous-5-word-order-for-trump-s-new-gold-coin/ar-AA1ZyfMG)

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ABOUT THIS ISSUE: MARCH 29, 2026

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