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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 MAY 3, 2026

New subscribers this week include: Joe Hayden. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,545 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 two new books, a book review, a new pedigree research service, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, and more.

Other topics this week include the Roman emperor Probus, coin photography, a dramatic stolen coin recovery, the Rockwell Lecture, NLG awards, John Nexsen, fixed price and auction selections, another San Francisco treasure hunt, and charm pricing.

To learn more about the Ten Cash coins of the Republic Of China, the S&S Library, Herbert Kreindler, Frank Robinson's coin auction and photography evolution, a stolen 1715 Treasure Fleet coin, Pine Tree Shillings, the Most Influential People in Numismatics, Sir Moses Montefiore, the Logan Talks Collection, Swiss shooting medals, Domitius Domitianus, the Lepczyk box, and robbing Peter to pay Paul, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

 

NEW BOOK: THE TEN CASH COMMENTARY, 2ND ED.

I would like to announce the second edition of my book, "The Ten Cash Commentary: The General Issue Ten Cash Coins of the Republic Of China," which greatly expands on the 2015 first edition. It covers all general issue ten cash and one fen coins of the Republic of China issued before 1949. It is 105 pages long, and available on Amazon at a very low price (less than $20 for American purchasers). This edition's noteworthy features include:

• Meticulous descriptions of 182 varieties, as compared to the 49 varieties in the Standard Catalog of World Coins and the 125 varieties in Woodward's guide. (The first edition covered 162 varieties.)
• Detailed step-by-step identification instructions for all coins, with variety-comparison explanations and detailed photographs. Anyone confused by descriptions in the Standard Catalog will find easy methods for distinguishing related varieties in this book. For example, there is a very clear distinction between Y-307 and Y-307.1 that is far easier to see than the Standard Catalog's reference to leaf size and ribbon length.
• Coverage of many collectable varieties not covered by any Standard Catalog listing. For example, Y-301.7 (with the obverse of Y-301.6 and the reverse of Y-301); Y-302.2.1 (obverse of Y-302 and reverse of Y-302.2); Y-302.6 (obverse of Y-302 and reverse of Y-303.4); and Y-306.5 (obverse of Y-306.4 and reverse of Y-306.1).
• Details of the many distinct varieties that fall under each Standard Catalog listing. For example, the seven varieties of Y-301; the eleven varieties of Y-302; the five varieties of Y-303; and the eighteen varieties of Y-306.2. Most of these are not esoteric rarities, but readily available in the market.
• Correction of many mintage dates found in the Standard Catalog. For example, contemporaneous evidence reflects that the coins listed as Y-303, Y-303a, Y-303.1, Y-305, and most of the coins in the Y-306 series, are more correctly dated as "circa 1913-1920."
• Discussion of the major design elements: the flags, the Chia-Ho wreath, and the ancient P'u spade-coin and twelve-ray sun found on later one fen coins.
• Explanation of the different denomination designations found on the many coins currently lumped together as "ten cash" or "one cent" coins.
• An entirely new bonus section on the Qing Dynasty "Hu Poo" ten cash coins, covering seven varieties, as compared to the Standard Catalog's two varieties. Everyone can easily identify coins covered by Y-4.1, but the coins falling by default under the only other Standard Catalog listing, Y-4, can have many distinct designs. My book reorganizes those different varieties into seven listings, Y-4.0 through Y-4.6, with descriptions of the subvarieties encompassed by each of those numbers. This bonus section by itself is worth the price of the book.

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NEW BOOK: ATTRIBUTION OF THE TENPO TSUHO

New subscriber Joe Hayden writes:

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BOOK REVIEWS: U.S. PROOF COINS VOL III: SILVER

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S&S LIBRARY PEDIGREE SERVICES

Over the past several years, the S&S Library and Newman Portal have collaborated to digitize out-of-copyright reference material for the collector community—a partnership we've valued deeply. The effort has yielded remarkable results: our own numismatic reference holdings now span over six thousand entries, encompassing everything from single publications to multi-volume sets, and the collection continues to grow.

As we've approached true virtual library status, we've recognized an opportunity to redirect our focus toward something increasingly vital to serious collecting: establishing original auction pedigrees. Services like Ex-Numis, CoinCabinet, and the newly launched L5 Provenance research have demonstrated the market appetite for this work. We occupy a singular advantage: the S&S Library houses the largest private catalog archive for ancient coin auctions, with ongoing expansion into U.S. and world coinage categories. Many of our catalogs are annotated—a feature that transforms provenance research from tedious to genuinely rewarding.

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HERBERT LEWIS KREINDLER (1935-2026)

Herbert Lewis Kreindler, an internationally renowned numismatist, passed away on April 25, 2026 in Burlington, Vermont, after a short illness. He was 91 years old.

Born in Manhattan in 1935, but raised in Liberty, in the Catskill region of New York State, Herb graduated from Carnegie Tech in 1957 with a degree in Engineering. Employed by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation and recently married he moved to Suffolk County on Long Island, New York where he continued to live with his wife and family until shortly before his death. However, in the early 1970s, he boldly changed careers having decided to become a full-time professional numismatist specializing in ancient coins. From 1974-1983 he joined in partnership with David Hendin as proprietors of Amphora Coins after which he established a highly successful solo practice that remained active until his retirement some two years ago.

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ST. LOUIS ANCIENT COIN GROUP: PROBUS PRIMER

St. Louis Ancient Coin Study Group Presentations Online

The St. Louis Ancient Coin Study Group meets monthly and features varied topics related to ancient and byzantine numismatics. At the March 19th meeting, David Grant focused on the extensive and highly varied coinage of the Roman emperor Probus (reigned AD 276–282), especially the antoniniani radiates. Grant explained how Probus inherited an empire recently reunified by Aurelian and worked to stabilize its military, economy, and administration while continuing coinage reforms. Much of the talk examines the complexity of Probus coinage: the numerous imperial mints, differing portrait styles, rare legends and titles, military and consular bust types, and the importance of modern scholarship and online databases in attributing and studying these coins. Grant emphasized that the six-year reign produced an enormous variety of coin types, making Probus one of the richest and most rewarding areas of Roman numismatics.

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VIDEO: E-SYLUM, NUMISMATIC BIBLIOMANIA AND NNP

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ROBINSON AUCTION AND PHOTOGRAPHY EVOLUTION

IN THE BEGINNING, all was darkness.

I started collecting coins in 1957; selling them around 1978. Not as a regular thing; just getting rid of excess stuff. But gradually it took over my life.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 3, 2026

Dannreuther's United States Proof Coins Volume III: Silver Update
John Dannreuther writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: U.S. PROOF COINS VOL III: SILVER (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n49a06.html)

STOLEN 1709 LIMA 8 ESCUDOS RECOVERED

Coordinated efforts by five dealers and a specialist collector at the recent Central States Numismatic Society (www.CSNS.org) convention near Chicago led to the recovery of a stolen sunken treasure gold coin and the arrests of two suspects who reportedly offered the coin for sale at the show on April 24, 2026.

The recovered coin is a 1715 Treasure Fleet 1709 Lima, Peru eight Escudos. The 1715 Treasure Fleet refers to the July 31, 1715 sinking of 11 Spanish galleons in a hurricane off the coast of Florida. The ships were sailing from the New World back to Spain, loaded with silver and gold coins and bars.

The rare gold coin recovered at the CSNS convention was part of that famous treasure and later pedigreed to the McGregor Collection. It was sold at auction in November 2025 for $40,500 (including buyer's fee) by Sedwick & Associates in Winter Park, Florida.

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2026 ROCKWELL LECTURE: DR. DONALD A. SLATER

We are pleased to announce that this year's speaker is Dr. Donald A. Slater who will be speaking on Paul Revere and the Social Memory of the Pine Tree Shilling in Colonial Massachusetts. This timely topic for the nation's semiquincentennial will explore imagery from 17th  century Massachusetts silver coinage and a variety of 18th  century Massachusetts currency issues in an attempt to reconstruct the thinking of the local patriot and renaissance man, Paul Revere.

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2026 NLG AWARDS RULES AND SUBMISSION INFO

2026 NLG Awards Rules & Submission Info

Below you will find the entry information, categories and deadlines for the 2026 Numismatic Literary Guild's (NLG) annual contest for numismatic writers, bloggers, authors, editors, podcasters and other content creators who are current NLG members. With the exception of the category for "Best Numismatic News or Feature Article in a Non-Numismatic Publication," the contest is open to NLG members only.

However, if you are interested in joining the NLG, we would love to have you as a member. The membership dues are $15 per year, plus a one-time application fee of $25 in addition to the dues, for a total of $40.

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2026 COIN WORLD MOST INFLUENTIAL VOTING

Since 2021, we've polled the numismatic community to determine the Most Influential People in Numismatics.

The buzz and commotion surrounding this big issue returns again for 2026.

We're writing once again to request your opinion: who are the Most Influential People in Numismatics?

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VOCABULARY TERM: SIMILAR

Similar. Nearly the same as; a cataloging term for a medallic item that is slightly different from one that is listed in a published catalog. Because medals are customized and are frequently changed from time to time, many varieties may exist. While it may be impractical to describe each separate item, and call this a variety, numismatists are willing to accept an item like one already published and call it "similar." The changes are more that a different lettering that is inscribed, say, with a recipient's name, date and such. This personalization is to be expected as an inscribed medal is bestowed to each recipient. In fact, medal designers purposely leave a space for this (called a reserve often within a cartouche) in their design.

More often the changes indicated by calling an item similar to a published one is the result of die retooling. This can be a change in a date, or the name of the organization, or the new name of an award (with new raised lettering), or a change in the organization's logo, or some pictorial element. Thus a new die is created (or, maybe, a new stock die is used) creating the new state. In numismatic cataloging, similar is abbreviated: sim. See cataloging.

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JOHN ABEEL NEXSEN (1821-1909)

Len Augsburger sent me a note on April 4, 2026, suggesting that I add a listing for John Nexsen to American Numismatic Biographies.

Cal Wilson was preparing to publish a list of about 250 biographies in 1988 that included Nexsen. I had not included him in ANB.

Then on Saturday, April 25, 2026, Len and Joel Orosz made an NNP Symposium presentation on The Fantastic 1894 Dollar at the Central States show. They discussed the contributions made by Nexsen to our understanding of 1804 dollars. I offer this biography of Nexsen.

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NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: MAY 3, 2026

103468 | GREAT BRITAIN. Botanical & Horticultural Society silver Award Medal. Engraved and awarded in 1827 to Lieutenant Henry West, Esq. by the society based in Durham, Northumberland and Newcastle-on-Tyne (48mm, 39.47 g, 12h).

BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, Flora, reaching toward potted plant to left and grapevine to right, seated right in front of gazebo; decorative potted plant to outer right; gardening tools in foreground; in two lines in exergue, INSTITUTED 1824 / SOCIETY // DURHAM NORTHUMBERLAND AND NEWCASTLE ON TYNE, "PRESENTED / to / LIEUt. WEST R. N. / for the best / DISH OF CHERRIES / 18 Augt 1827" engraved in six lines in various styles of scripts; all within complex floral wreath. Edge: Loop attached at the top, otherwise plain.

BHM –. Mint State. Deep gunmetal gray toning, with some delightful iridescence nearer the edges; some scattered hairlines are noted for completeness.

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STEPHEN ALBUM RARE COINS AUCTION 55

Stephen Album Rare Coins will hold its next premier sale Auction 55 from May 14-17, 2026 at their offices in Santa Rosa, California. The auction is made up of 4050 lots of Ancient, Islamic, Indian, Chinese, and general World Coins. The first two days will include in-person bidding as well as online bidding, while the third and fourth days will be online sessions.

The firm's CEO Joseph Lang notes: "The market for numismatics remains exceptionally strong, and we are grateful for the enthusiastic participation of our consignors and bidders in our recent auctions. Our current sale presents a diverse array of items that bidders have come to expect from our firm. It has the potential to be one of our best auctions on record".

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STACK'S BOWERS: LOGAN TALKS COLLECTION

Fr. 60. 1917 $2 Legal Tender Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 EPQ. Radar Serial Number. Already an impressive note by virtue of the grade assigned. This $2 Legal Tender Note issued under the Series of 1917 boasts another rare distinction by virtue of the eight-digit Radar Serial Number which reads "D95000059A." Eight-digit Radar serial numbers are exceptionally among notes of the period.

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SINCONA: MOORE SWISS SHOOTING MEDALS

The shield is shattered / the sword broken in two / the banner lies in a dying hand. / Triumph! / The fatherland remains free / God bless the fatherland. This is the translation of the verses that adorn the reverse of a medal created by Antoine Bovy to mark the major federal shooting festival in Basel on 16 August 1844. The image on the obverse visualizes the legend: We can see a youthful hero lying on the ground. The broken shield slips from the dying man's hand. With what little strength he has left, he raises the banner bearing the Swiss cross.

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NAC: AUCTIONS 164 AND 165

C. Coelius Caldus. Denarius 51, AR 19 mm, 4 .00 g. C·COEL·CALDVS Head of C. Coelius Caldus r.; in l. field, standard inscribed HIS; in r. field, standard in the form of a boar. Rev. Tablet inscribed L·CALDVS/VII·VIR·EPVL, behind which figure prepares epulum; on either side of tablet, a trophy. In outer l. field, C. CALDVS, in outer r. field, IMP·A·X. In exergue, CALDVS·IIIVIR. Babelon Coelia 7. Sydenham 894. RBW 1551. Crawford 437/2a.
Rare and in exceptional condition, possibly the finest specimen in private hands.
Light iridescent tone, almost invisible mark on reverse field,
otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc

Ex NAC sale 138, 2023, 585.

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THE 1635 GOLD SAXONY 10 DUCAT MEDAL

L. E. Bruun collected coins and medals from all over the world, but at his death in 1923 only the Scandinavian part of his collection was sealed by the will for 100 years. The rest were sold at auction in 1925, except for the coins of the British Danelaw, which were bequeathed to the Danish National Museum.

Within the Scandinavian collection, which Stack's Bowers Galleries has been entrusted to sell, are a few coins and medals which at first glance seem to break that rule. One is the Saxony 10 Ducat of 1635, a medallic issue struck on the marriage of the daughter of the Saxon Elector John George I (Johan Georg), Magdalene Sibylle. The Scandinavian connection lies in her betrothed, the prince elect of Denmark, Christian, son of Christian IV. This large gold medal, graded a magnificent MS-62, features interesting, historical details:

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TO ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL'S OFFICE

The process of cataloging Obsolete bank notes, although time-consuming, can shed light on the minutiae of a state's banking history which, in many cases, was rife with failure and speculation. Minnesota has a rich history on the subject of Obsolete bank notes, discussed in detail by the Hewitt text Minnesota Obsolete Bank Notes & Scrip a must-have in my opinion for collectors who seek to build comprehensive numismatic libraries. Among the banks discussed by Hewitt, the intertwined circumstances of the Nicollet County Bank (St. Peter) and the Peoples Bank reflect the expression "to rob Peter to pay Paul" or at least Paul's office in this context.

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ANOTHER SAN FRANCISCO TREASURE HUNT

Somewhere in San Francisco, buried one foot underground, rests a treasure chest filled with $1 coins — 10,000 of them, so many that the booty weighs 150 pounds.

In this city of exorbitant wealth, where a modest home can top $2 million, $10,000 is not life-changing. It might pay two or three months of rent. And who really wants to haul that many coins to the bank?

Nevertheless, people armed with shovels and maps fanned out across San Francisco this week determined to find the loot. In this high-tech city, the center of the artificial intelligence boom that could upend society, an old-timey adventure that required getting outside and digging in the dirt proved irresistible.

Baxter Zrob, 16, was sitting in his high school history class when his dad texted him a link to the hunt with two words: "It's on!"

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CASH REGISTERS AND CHARM PRICING

Pay close attention to prices and you'll notice that hardly anything ends in a zero.

• A standard Netflix subscription costs $19.99.
• Target had an online sale on Pokemon Crocs last month for $49.99.
• A variety pack of LMNT electrolytes went for $26.91 on Amazon.

These last-digit choices likely weren't made at random. The practice of intentionally ending a price in something other than a zero is often called charm pricing.

For decades, researchers have found that retail prices ending in precise numbers, often a nine, occur way more often than chance would predict. It's one of the oldest psychological tricks in the capitalism playbook, dating back to the 19th century and enduring today.

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FEATURED WEBSITE: SCRIPOTIME

This week's Featured Website is the scripophily website ScripoTime.com, recently updated to include a marketplace for collectors.

https://scripotime.com/

ABOUT THIS ISSUE: MAY 3, 2026

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