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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 June 13, 2026 - Kolbe & Fanning

 

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 JUNE 7, 2026

New subscribers this week include: Steve Bieda and Carrie Motowski, courtesy Kathy Freeland; Tim Coil, courtesy Kolbe & Fanning; RJ McManamy, courtesy Steve Starlust; and Douglas H. Henkle. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,471 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 more Kolbe & Fanning literature highlights, an obituary, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, notes from readers and more.

Other topics this week include videos on rare coin books, ancient coins and Early American coppers, Justin Hinh's new Dansco library, a 1915 visit to the Denver Mint, the 2026 British Token Congress, auction selections, the first Anglo-Saxon gold coins, and Lincoln on U.S. paper money.

To learn more about the Roman Imperial Coinage series, Pat McBride, digitization & the Newman Portal, coin postcards, tri-metallic coins, spalling, Potlatch Copper, Squat Lobsters, the 1955 Doubled Die cent, Alexander von Humboldt's Cosmos and lust, revenge and murder, oh my!, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

KOLBE & FANNING SALE 177 HIGHLIGHTS

On Saturday, June 13, 2026, Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers will be holding our 177th auction sale, offering a wide variety of rare and out-of-print works on ancient, world and U.S. numismatics. The auction also features the extraordinary library on orders and decorations formed over the course of half a century by the late James C. Risk.

Some highlights of the sale include:

 

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PATRICK E. MCBRIDE (1952-2026)

Patrick McBride, an avid numismatist, a long-time wonderful Ben Franklin re-enactor, and a staunch supporter of PAN (Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists), was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on November 9, 1952. He passed away on June 2, 2026, after a heroic battle with cancer.

He and his wife, Dawn, opened their home at the end and over 120 friends visited over several days. A memorial service is planned for Pat at the end of the August 2026 World's Fair of Money in Pittsburgh.

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VIDEO: THE WORLD OF RARE COIN BOOKS

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VIDEO: ANCIENT COIN COLLECTING THEMES

St. Louis Ancient Coin Study Group Meeting Video

The St. Louis Ancient Coin study group is dedicated to education regarding ancient and medieval numismatics. The group meets monthly in the St Louis, MO area, with meetings simulcast on Zoom. Meeting video for the St. Louis Ancient Coin Study Group is posted on their Facebook page and is also archived on Newman Portal.

Doug Tomney's presentation from their February 19, 2026 meeting, "Ancient Coin Collecting Themes and Strategies" provides a useful overview of the subject and offers a collecting framework for those not necessarily familiar with ancient numismatics. Collections might be organized around history, geography, rulers, denominations, or even metallic composition. By illustrating the many paths available to collectors, the presentation demonstrates how ancient coins can serve as an entry point into the broader study of history and material culture.

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VIDEO: EARLY AMERICAN COPPERS

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JUSTIN HINH'S DANSCO LIBRARY

I thought readers would enjoy this update on my Dansco library and preservation project. When I moved to Los Angeles last summer, I was lucky enough to convert a garage into my new coin album library. It took many months of design and renovation, but the library of 1,000+ coin albums & folders is complete.

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MOVIE: THE NUMISMATIST

Storyline

A User Review

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JUNE 7, 2026

Ordering Corpus Numismatum Omnium Romanorum Pontificum: Pio IX
Kevin Beaulieu writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
IAPN 2026 BOOK PRIZES ANNOUNCED (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n22a04.html)

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VISIT TO DENVER MINT IN 1915 LETTER

I came across this interesting letter written in 1915 by a woman named Margaret to Mr. Charles King of Kansas City Missouri. It documents her experiences of a trip she made with a woman named Floy to Denver, Colorado. In her letter, Margaret describes in great detail their visit to the Denver Mint. Of particular interest is the way in which she describes her initial impressions of the Mint upon arrival, as well as the coin minting process that they learned during what seems to be a tour.

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CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS, NUMISMATIST

I've been reading and researching about the numismatic pursuits of the famous Adams family, namely John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Charles Francis Adams. Apparently John was not a huge coin collector, but received some coins as gifts. However, John Quincy and Charles Francis were avid coin collectors. I found the link below specifically talking about Charles Francis. It's an excerpt from a research paper: http://jstor.org/stable/25080756 .

Charles Francis inherited a collection of coins from his father, John Quincy. This further sparked his interest in coins and he dove deeply into learning about numismatics through books. He avidly collected coins the rest of his life. His coins eventually were donated to the Massachusetts Historical Society and then sold at auction many years later.

Regarding his numismatic literature, I didn't realize this until now, but apparently all of these books are still together as a collection! According to the link above, they are in a section of the "Stone Library", where thousands of books belonging to the Adams family are on display. It makes me wonder, what books are part of this collection? How many books are there? Has anybody catalogued them before? I actually already had an interest in visiting the Adams National Historical Park someday, but even more so now!

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ERROR 1834: THE COIN SANG BACK

Following the earlier Project 001 discussion, I wanted to share a small AI-assisted cultural work connected to the 1834 William IV sixpence investigation.

The piece is titled ERROR 1834 — The Coin Sang Back. It is a cinematic sound work created as an artistic interpretation of themes emerging from the project: industrial machine failure, material evidence, and human-supervised AI-assisted reasoning.

The work was created using the same human-directed, AI-assisted philosophy reflected in the IA STUDIO framework, while remaining separate from the evidential research record.

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BRITISH ANNUAL TOKEN CONGRESS 2026

I attended my first Annual Token Congress in Warwick in October 2017. I have to admit that I wasn't easily persuaded, having been a regular at our local Numismatic Society for several years (until a clash with our snooker league) I was worried that I would be easily bored. I still vividly remember some talks in our society, the guy that simply showed us the obverse of virtually every shilling from James II to Queen Elizabeth II will probably haunt me for the rest of my days.

It was Merfyn Williams that convinced me to go, he told me that once I'd been once my name would be quickly on the list for the next year. It didn't take me too long to understand how right he was.

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EXHIBIT: IDENTITY IN ANCIENT GREEK COINS

Coins convey powerful messages through their symbolic imagery. These tiny objects reveal how the ancient Greeks conceived of themselves and their relationships to their communities, histories, and beliefs, both religious and political. They bear information about geographies, power and propaganda, artistic techniques and more. The coins in this installation illustrate these many dimensions of ancient Greek culture, giving researchers and visitors a tangible connection to the past.

This exhibit was created in association with a class on Ancient Greek Numismatics taught in Fall 2025 by Elspeth Dusinberre. Participants were Ellen Alles, Julia Bowers, James Chanfrau, Caleb Curtis, Joseph Dias, Chancellor Fortenberry, Celia Frankenheimer, Jordan Garcia, Lindsay Howard, Ryan Johnson, Isabella Praslin, Grace Saunders, Camerynn Teuta, Emma Trotter, and Hejing Zhang, as well as Classics Department friends Mary McClanahan and John Nebel, and CUAM Director Hope Saska. Special thanks go to research assistant Phoebe Mock for creating the online component of the exhibit. Without the generosity and expert participation of John Nebel, neither class nor exhibit would have been possible.

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VOCABULARY TERM: SPALLING

Spalling. Minute chips of metal driven off the face of a die by stress during continued striking. Dies with a brittle surface are more likely to chip with small, thin flakes than those with a good tempering. Coins struck from such a die will either exhibit irregular raised areas, usually near the edge, or within detailed parts of the design where the die is weakest.

Working dies are subject to significant mechanical stress during constant striking. This amplifies minute discontinuities with metal crystal defects until the die cracks or deforms. The most common die defects not related to damage were spalling, cracking, chipping, and collapse. Cracks in dies are commonplace resulting from a combination of imperfect annealing and tempering of the steel plus excess mechanical stress on the weakest parts of a die.

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NORTHWEST COAST INDIAN CHIEF'S COPPERS

My item this week is not an article, it is a rant! I continue to be annoyed by ignorant interpretations of the Northwest Coast Indian Chief's Coppers that have persisted for more than a hundred years. I wish to make what I hope is a clear and unambiguous statement. The copper shields of the Northwest Coast Indians are not coins, not currency, not primitive money and never were.

Coins are produced as legal tender by authority of a sovereign nation. In the case of United States coins, their value is established by Act of Congress. The Chief's Coppers had no legal tender status among the Northwest Coast Indians.

Currency is a standardized, tangible medium of exchange for goods and services such as coins, banknotes and electronic bank balances. Chief's Coppers were not standardized and could not be exchanged for goods or services.

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TREASURE TALK WITH BOB EVANS, EPISODE 14.2

The water is very cold at the SSCA site, just a few degrees above freezing. It stands to reason that animals living in such a place conserve their energy whenever possible. So far, I have discussed organisms that barely move, filter feeders, and the clams that slowly burrow through the wood. But there are other animals that crawl and swim through this neighborhood. There is a complicated Food Web (a network more complicated than a simple Food Chain) that has developed around the SSCA shipwreck, as a host of species have found a way to make a living and raise future generations using this giant wooden resource resting in nutritious waters. Let's look at a few important highlights among those who "get around" the shipwreck.

Galatheid Crabs: (common name: Squat Lobsters)

When we first saw the paddlewheels and the extraordinary congress of starfish that had gathered there, we noticed another conspicuous inhabitant.

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KEN BRESSETT INTERVIEW, PART TWO

KEN BRESSETT: Yes, well, I am. And I don't know if I—you know, we've had some conversations—but I don't remember. Did I tell you about the 1955 double die coins?

GREG BENNICK: No, but I would absolutely love to hear the story. You made reference to the fact that there was a story, but I did not hear the story. So please tell me everything that you'd like about them.

KEN BRESSETT: (Laughs) Well, I'd be happy to do that. I'll try to make it as brief as I can.

GREG BENNICK: Oh, take all the time you like. I love this.

KEN BRESSETT: All right, let's set the clock back to 1955. My birthplace is in Keene, New Hampshire, almost on the Massachusetts line in southern New Hampshire. I was quite active in coins back in 1955 and thought that I knew a lot about them. In fact, I did know quite a bit. I would go to coin shows and got to meet a lot of people and see a lot of things.

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STACK'S BOWERS: THE MARGOLIS COLLECTION

FRANCE. Kingdom. Brass Louis d'Or Contemporary Counterfeit, 1787-W. Imitating Lille Mint. Louis XVI. EXTREMELY FINE Details. Scratches, Bent. cf. Fr-475 (for regular issue); cf. KM-591.15 (same); cf. Gad-361 (same). Weight: 5.93 gms. Despite the noted issues, an intriguing imitation of good style. SOLD AS IS/NO RETURNS.

Estimate: $100 - $200.

Provenance: Acquired from Hans Schulman.

To read the complete item description, see:
FRANCE. Kingdom. Brass Louis d'Or Contemporary Counterfeit, 1787-W. Imitating Lille Mint. Louis XVI. EXTREMELY FINE Details. Scratches, Bent. (https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-1T67R0/france-kingdom-brass-louis-dor-contemporary-counterfeit-1787-w-imitating-lille-mint-louis-xvi-extremely-fine-details-scratches-)

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ST. JAMES AUCTION 123: RICHARD PRINCE COLLECTION

Oliver Cromwell (1656-1658), crown, 1658 8 over 7, by Thomas Simon, laureate, draped bust left, OLIVAR.D G.R.P.ANG.SCO. ET.HIB&PRO, rev. crowned shield of the Protectorate, date above, PAX.QVAERITVR.BELLO, edge +.HAS.NISI. PERITVRVS.HISI.ADIMAT.NEMO.,(L&S 1; ESC 10; Bull 240 S.3226) with late die flaw, a magnificent example, beautifully toned with reflective fields, practically as struck, an exceptional example, certified and graded by NGC as Mint State 63+
*ex. St. James's Auction 9, 18 June 2008, lot 331

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STACK'S BOWERS: NUMISMATIC AMERICANA

"1799" (ca. 1800) Washington Funeral Urn Medal. Musante GW-70, Baker-166A, Fuld Dies 1-B. Silver. AU-53 (PCGS). 29.5 mm. 138.8 grains. Pierced for suspension at 12 o'clock, as typical. A desirable example of this prized medal in silver, showing evidence of a light handling, yet still remarkably sharp save for the often seen softness at the upper area of the urn. The obverse is mottled with dark bluish-gray toning intermingled with fairly light gray silver. The reverse is lighter overall, with gentle golden-brown and blue iridescence. A good bit of reflectivity remains on both sides, with more on the reverse. Some light handling marks, hairlines and small nicks are noted, while a couple of thin scratches are seen on the reverse. This piece is quite a bit nicer than most seen for the type. It is a most satisfying example of an immensely popular medal, one of a class "perhaps the most valued of all the earlier Washington pieces," to use Baker's own words. He continued, "The time and purpose of their issue and their legends, give to each an interest beyond all others."

Provenance: Ex William Spohn Baker Collection, to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by bequest, November 15, 1897; our sale of Washingtoniana from the Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania featuring the Collection of William Spohn Baker, November 2019 Baltimore Auction, lot 20055.

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KUENKER: HUMBOLDT'S COSMOS ON A MEDAL

HUMBOLDT'S COSMOS ON A MEDAL

In 1845 and 1847, the first two volumes of Kosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung (Cosmos: A Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe) by the Prussian world traveller and scholar Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) appeared. On the occasion of this event he was honoured with this medal, for which Peter Cornelius (1783–1867) produced the design and which was executed by Karl Fischer (1802–1862).

The medal was struck at the Berlin Mint by order of the Prussian king and on the commission of the Director General of the Royal Museums, Ignaz von Olfers (1793–1872). The first striking order specified one gold medal, ten examples in silver, and 50 examples in copper." ¹

We know, however, that Alexander von Humboldt himself possessed a gold example of the medal that is not identical to the example in the Berlin Coin Cabinet. We also know that Humboldt's example — described in the catalogue as "a gift of H.M. King Frederick William IV" — was sold as No. 356 in an auction conducted by the royal auctioneer Theodor Müller on 17 September 1860 in Humboldt's apartments. ²

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THRYMSAS: FIRST ANGLO-SAXON GOLD COINS

After Rome's power faded in western Europe, gold still spoke.

Small gold coins moved through the ports, markets, and royal courts of the early Middle Ages. They crossed the Channel from Francia. They passed through Kent, London, York, and other centers of power. Then, around 600 CE, Anglo-Saxon England began to make its own versions.

Today, collectors call these coins thrymsas. Their users probably called them scillingas, or shillings.

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN ON U.S. PAPER MONEY

One of the most recognizable men in American history, Abraham Lincoln has, since the early 1860s, been a consistent subject on various state-chartered and Federal banknotes. The earliest depiction of Lincoln on paper money was in the early 1860s on the $10 Demand Notes produced by the American Banknote Company. These featured a portrait engraved by Charles Burt adapted from a photograph taken by Springfield-based C.S. German shortly before Lincoln was officially inaugurated President in February 1861. That depiction of Lincoln would be used by various non-Federal institutions as well; it lingered on both the $10 Legal Tender Note and $20 Interest Bearing Notes (Compound Interest Treasury Notes included) through the late 1860s when the Series of 1869 $10 was introduced featuring a portrait of Daniel Webster.

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LOOSE CHANGE: JUNE 7, 2026

History of U.S. Proof Sets

Proof coins for collectors slowly grew as a hobby during the remainder of the 19th century as more people discovered the collecting hobby. When the "Renaissance of American coinage" started in 1907, striking Proof coins became more difficult as the fields were no longer uniformly flat. As the designs had greater depth to them, the fields were concave so that a matte Proof finish, which originated at the Paris Mint was perfected in Philadelphia. These new artistic designs posed numerous problems for the Mint and, by 1916, Proof coin production had ceased.

During the 1920s, coin collecting grew and, as the 1930s arrived, coin collecting became a very popular hobby. On April 28, 1936, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr. authorized the Mint to strike Proof coins once again. Louis McHenry Howe, the personal secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had encouraged Morgenthau to strike Proof coins for all current circulating issues. The current denominations, the Lincoln cent, the Buffalo nickel, the Mercury dime, the Washington quarter, and the Walking Liberty half dollar were struck in Proof format and were offered to collectors in sets as well as individually. Single coin prices were $.16 for Proof cents, $.20 for Proof nickels and dimes, $.50 for quarters and $.75 for a Proof half dollar.

To read the complete article, see:
Proof Sets Through History (https://www.greysheet.com/news/story/proof-sets-through-history)

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ABOUT THIS ISSUE: JUNE 7, 2026

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