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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 Workman's Books November 1, 2026 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 OCTOBER 11, 2026

New subscribers this week include: Carol Hartman, courtesy Richard Lobel; Patrick Wall, courtesy Roger Burdette; and Bob Black. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,336 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 book, a periodical, an online numismatic literature exhibit, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal, ANA, ACEF, and more.

Other topics this week include WWII Belgian steel francs and Jefferson nickels, the Oriental Numismatic Society, the Edward Worth library, Beth Deisher, Bill Fivaz, the ANA's Federal Charter, auction previews, coin finds, prisoner of war medals, and the National Medals of Science and Technology.

To learn more about numismatic references from the sixteenth, seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, Forrer's Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, Women Medallic Sculptors in America, William Ashbrook, Frank Duvall, Style and Technique, specimen banknotes, Nevada tokens, the Quantum coin, ferrotypes in Tagua nuts, Ethelred the Unready, Olaf the Holy, "Brenner foot" and "Menconi mouth", read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

NEW BOOK: STEEL CENTS TO BELGIAN FRANCS

From Steel Cents to Belgian Francs: A Collector's Investigation into the 1944 Belgian 2 Franc
by Patrick E Wall

Why was a Belgian coin struck in Philadelphia during World War II?

From Steel Cents to Belgian Francs explores the story of the 1944 Belgian 2 Franc, a coin produced by the United States Mint while Belgium remained under German occupation. Drawing on archival records, historical correspondence, and a study of surviving specimens, this book traces the events that brought Belgian coinage to Philadelphia and examines one of the lesser-known numismatic stories of the Second World War.

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PERIODICAL: ORIENTAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY AUTUMN 2026

Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society
265 | Autumn 2026

Editorial
Paula Turner

Record of a coin inscribed with the name Sarimitra from Gandhigram village in Akola, Maharashtra, India
S. D. Misar

Travellers' tales: Implications of a treasure-trove hoard of silver Indo-Sasanian Bhillamala drammas (‘gadhaiyas')
John Deyell

Coins of Sa?karavarman and Gopalavarman: Early rulers of the Utpala dynasty of medieval Kashmir
Gul Rahim Khan

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THE EDWARD WORTH LIBRARY EXHIBITION

The Edward Worth Library is a rare books collection, bequeathed to Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin, by Dr Edward Worth (1676–1733), who was one of the Hospital's earliest Trustees. This web exhibition celebrates Worth's extensive collection of numismatic texts and was curated by Dr Elizabethanne Boran, the Librarian of the Edward Worth Library, and Mr David S. Dunlop, Independent Researcher, Bookbinder and Member of the Numismatic Society of Ireland – Northern Branch; with photographic contributions from Mr Antoine Mac Gaoithín (Worth Library staff). It is the twentieth in a series of websites exploring the holdings of the Worth Library. For further details please contact our website: https://edwardworthlibrary.ie/.

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NUMISTA ADDS FORRER'S BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY

Leonard Forrer's Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, covering engravers, mint masters and gem-cutters from 500 BC to 1900, remains a fundamental reference in numismatic research. Compiled between 1902 and 1930, it preserves biographical information and historical evidence that might otherwise have been lost.

Numista has digitised the complete work and made it accessible through a dedicated search engine, enabling researchers and collectors to explore its extensive contents more efficiently. The structured data also improves accessibility for modern AI-powered search tools.

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NEWMAN PORTAL MIGRATION UPDATE

Newman Portal Migration Update

The new Newman Portal is now live and we appreciate the user feedback submitted over the last couple weeks. We resolve some issues quickly while others are more complex. The new site has additional capabilities, one of which I will highlight here. There has been demand to search within auction catalogs of a specific firm, and this is now possible. Taking the Chapman's, for example, I can ask NNP for to search within their catalogs for specific text. Navigating to the Chapman's home page (from the front page, Library -> Auction Catalogs -> Chapman, S.H. & H.), we then enter a search phrase in the "Search Chapman, S.H. & H." box to the right. In this case we'll enter "Libertas Americana" (include the quote marks to search for the entire phrase) and this will pull up a list of Libertas Americana medals appearing in the Chapman sales.

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VIDEO: WOMEN MEDALLIC SCULPTORS

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ANA HONORS DEISHER AND FIVAZ

Two long-time collectors were celebrated during the Pittsburgh World's Fair of Money®, August 25-29, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their contributions to the numismatic community have made waves over the years, earning them recognition during the 135th Anniversary Banquet on Friday, August 28.

The Elvira Clain-Stefanelli Memorial Award for Achievement in Numismatics is presented annually to a woman who has made significant contributions to numismatics through her research, leadership, and/or mentorship, and who has demonstrated a longtime commitment to the betterment of numismatics. This year's recipient is Beth Deisher.

Serving in several editorial roles at Coin World from 1981 to 2012, Deisher has advocated for the hobby and numismatic education. She was the founding editor of several subsidiary publications for Coin World, and she has received more than 200 awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild for her writing and editorial work. She testified before five Congressional committees on numismatic issues, and she served on two commissions to recommend designs for Ohio's state quarter and bicentennial medal.

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DEISHER ELECTED TO ACEF BOARD

Beth Deisher has been elected to serve as a board member of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation effective Sept. 15. She succeeds Mary Sauvain, who moved from board member to ACEF Executive Director Aug. 1. Sauvain was elected to the board in January 2024.

The ACEF Board of Directors welcomes Beth in her new capacity. She stepped down from her role as executive director Aug. 1 to allow more time to pursue other interests. "Her past experience operating within ACEF will be a tremendous asset to our organization and the numismatic community as a whole," ACEF Barry Stuppler said.

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HOW THE SMITHSONIAN IS USING AI

The distance in the march from the American Revolution to the age of artificial intelligence is almost beyond comprehension. But leaders of the Smithsonian Institution are using AI to bridge the divide.

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary of independence, Smithsonian leaders are turning to AI to better understand items in its collection tied to the fight that led to the country's founding.

The goal is to allow the public and scholars to both search the institution's collection and draw connections across the Smithsonian and other organizations, such as the Library of Congress, to gain a deeper sense of how communities formed and functioned at the nation's birth.

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: OCTOBER 11, 2026

Wikipedia Editing Assistance Complete
Joe Ceravone writes:

To read the Wikipedia entry, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Cox_(archaeologist)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
DOROTHY HANNAH COX (1892-1977) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n25a11.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 27, 2026 : Wikipedia Editing Assistance Sought (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n39a10.html)

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MORE ON THE ANA'S FEDERAL CHARTER

In 2007 I published a monograph concerning the ANA's Federal Charter and its congressional sponsor, William Ashbrook. (Charter Legacy, Numismatic Chronicle from the Diaries of William A. Ashbrook, 1905-1920). Ashbrook was an avid coin enthusiast and board member of the ANA at the time. He kept a daily diary from which I extracted all the numismatic entries as the subject of the monograph.

Fast forward to the present; I received correspondence from a gentleman who is a collector of political memorabilia from a county in Ohio that Ashbrook represented. He caught wind of the monograph and was interested in obtaining a copy, which I happily sent him.

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WHY WWII JEFFERSON NICKELS LAMINATE

John Lorenzo writes:

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VOCABULARY TERM: STYLE AND TECHNIQUE

Style and Technique. The manner and method of presenting a creative object. Style is the manner in which the object or any part of it is displayed, often done repeatedly on several objects until this becomes a mannerism of the artist. Technique is the method in which some creative action is accomplished. Such style and techniques are very personal, each artist must develop his own; he cannot have another artist hold his pen or brush or chisel or modeling tool, he must create on his own, develop his (or her) own style.

Mannerisms Influence Style
Artists often develop mannerisms – consciously or unconsciously – for any creative act that is repeated. This is evident in the numismatic and medallic field because of the ease of studying numerous pieces by the same artist. A medalist who prepares several dozen portraits, for example, will tend to do some portion of all portraits alike; an aspect of his design or modeling that is satisfactory to him on one portrait will be repeated on subsequent portraits. This is how a mannerism develops, and the repeated use of such mannerisms is said to be the artist's style.

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FRANCIS WENDELL DUVALL

Two weeks ago, I noticed that Frank Duvall was born in July of 1926. I wondered if he was the most recent numiscentenarian. This is a story with some big gaps. To learn more, read on.

I believe Frank W. DuVall was born in Arkansas on July 16, 1926. I believe he graduated from Benton High School. His parents may have been Frank and Irma. Some early records are unreliable. This is the first gap in the story.

Frank was an aviation cadet in the U. S. Army near the end of World War II. He attended the University of Arkansas during 1946 to 1949 and received a B. S. in electrical engineering.

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NUMISMATIC AUTHOR M. SORENSON/SORENSEN

A few months ago, I wrote a numismatic article about the Connecticutian Howard Lincoln Elton (1871–1916) who participated in the design of the 1916 Oaxaca $60 pesos gold coin and was executed by Mexican federal troops in Oaxaca, Mexico during the Mexican Revolution.

One of the numismatic references I used was the article "The Oaxaca Coinage of 1915" by M. Sorenson, published in "The Numismatist" in April 1920 (pages 142–145).

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HERITAGE: BYZANTINE ANCIENT COINS

Phocas (AD 602-610). AV solidus (20mm, 4.50 gm, 7h). NGC MS 5/5 - 4/5. Constantinople, 10th officina, ca. AD 607-610. d N FOCAS-P?RP AVG, draped, cuirassed bust of Phocas facing, wearing crown surmounted by cross, globus cruciger in right hand / VICTORIA-AV?? I, Angel standing facing, grounded staff surmounted by staurogram in right hand, globus cruciger in outstretched left; CONOB in exergue. Sear 620.

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NOONANS: SPECIMEN BANKNOTES OF THE WORLD

Almost 160 lots of Specimen Banknotes of the World will be sold on behalf of British Heart Foundation (BHF) at Noonans on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The collection, which was donated in albums to the BHF store in Edinburgh is expected to fetch in the region of £70,000.

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Chief Commercial Officer at British Heart Foundation, said: "We're hugely grateful to the donor for entrusting this extraordinary collection to British Heart Foundation. While donations of this scale and rarity are unusual, many people choose to donate special items to us knowing they can help make a lasting difference. Through our retail operation and eBay site, our teams are able to connect collectable treasures with passionate collectors who will cherish them for years to come. We're hugely grateful to Noonan's for their support with this particularly rare donation and ensuring the proceeds go towards lifesaving research. "This remarkable collection will help create a legacy that benefits both collectors and the millions of people affected by cardiovascular disease."

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GADOURY: AUCTION XXI FRENCH GOLD ROYALES

Henry VI, King of France and England 1422-1453 Angelot d'or for Rouen (initial mark leopard), AU 2.35 g. Obverse: The archangel Gabriel half-length facing, holding the joined shields of France and France-England. Reverse: Plain Latin cross flanked by a fleur-de-lis and a leopard. Ref: Dup. 444, Fr. 300. Ex Silberstein Collection. Grading: PCGS MS 61. Condition: An exceptional coin.

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SEDWICK AUCTION 40

Our November 5 and 6 sessions will be held on the floor, with live bidding beginning at 9:00 a.m., followed by an online only session on November 7, www.auction.sedwickcoins.com. The sale brings together important rarities and substantial specialized offerings, including superb Chilean gold and silver, an extensive selection of Colombian coinage, and rare banknotes from both countries.

More than 500 shipwreck coins include selections from the J. M. Morse III Collection, whose Atocha artifacts also feature in the sale. Historic gold and silver bars and the Special Collection of Odd Shaped Mexican Cobs add further interest, while several unique coins and numerous examples at the highest certified grades appear throughout the catalog. Many coins also carry important pedigrees from earlier sales and the collections of well known numismatists, with provenance recorded in several sections of the auction.

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HOLABIRD JACK HADDOCK NEVADA TOKENS, PART 1

Jack started collecting tokens before he could count his toes. I met him in 1976 when I was enthralled by embossed local drugstore bottles. The concept that these could come from remote Nevada ghost towns was one I couldn't get away from. Then the fact that as a mining geologist, I got to go all over Nevada to many of these sites … and get paid for it! Wow! Then Jack says "Wait a minute! There's tokens that go with these places!" I was hooked. Oh yeah – that was fifty years ago.

Jack worked for the First National Bank of Nevada, and he too got to get out and about a bit, as he got involved with bank real estate deals. A jovial character, he found and met many collectors across Nevada, and introduced me to many. I wasn't after tokens at first, but what really got me going later was after a number of years in the mining exploration business, I had been to so many of these crazy, nutty little mining camps that I just had to collect stuff rom them. Paper, tokens, bottles … it didn't matter. Bring it on!

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COIN OF KING ETHELRED THE UNREADY FOUND

Archaeologists in Scotland recently uncovered an Anglo-Saxon coin dating back 1,000 years that was minted under a king known as "the Unready."

The coin was unearthed during an excavation in Nesting, a coastal community in Scotland's eastern Shetland Islands, according to Jam Press.

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RARE COIN OF OLAF THE HOLY IDENTIFIED

Anne Skogsfjord had initially classified the coin as an English Æthelred II coin.

Since the summer, she has catalogued hundreds of coins from the Mørstad Hoard – Norway's largest coin hoard from the Viking Age, which was discovered by two metal detectorists this spring.

But then she read what was written on it: ONLAF R+ NORMANORV.

"Could I really be holding an Olaf Haraldsson coin in my hands? And it turned out that I actually was!" Skogsfjord says in a press release from the Museum of Cultural History.

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KING HAROLD II'S BAYEUX TAPESTRY DEPICTION

You may know King Harold II for one thing: losing the Battle of Hastings in 1066. But is this Harold's whole story?

In 2023 a remarkable coin hoard was discovered in Yorkshire, England, that shows Harold in a different light.

This is the first recorded hoard of coins which can definitely be dated to the year 1066. Containing only coins struck during Harold's brief reign of 282 days, the hoard reveals a king whose authority was recognised across England, and whose government could produce new coins with great speed.

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15TH CENTURY MOSCOW COIN HOARD FOUND

A hoard of over 2,600 silver coins were found during rescue excavations in Kolomna, the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archaeology announced in a statement late last week, marking it the the largest hoard of silver coins minted in the second and third decades of the 15th century ever found.

Many of the coins are dengi of the Grand Princes Vasily I Dmitriyevich (1389-1425) and Vasily II Vasilyevich "the Blind" (1425-1462), while there is a near-complete absence of coins minted by appanage princes.

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MORE ON THE BUFFALO BILL CENTER PEACE MEDALS

Two rare Jefferson peace medals that have been part of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West collection for decades have been confirmed as authentic artifacts from the 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition.

One is a large Thomas Jefferson "shell" medal — a hollow medal assembled from silver outer pieces. It is one of only three of that size carried by the Corps of Discovery from 1804 to 1806. The other is a 2-inch Jefferson shell medal, one of 16 of that size carried by the expedition.

Historical research suggests the large medal might be the one presented to a Mandan chief known as Black Cat during an October 1804 council. The smaller medal could be linked to Cameahwait — Sacagawea's brother — a Shoshone leader the expedition met in 1805.

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WWII PRISONER OF WAR AND OTHER MEDALS

My friendship with WWII veteran Edwin E. Kamaraininen began in February 2005 when I was doing research on another airman, Herman Bauer, whose roots were in in my hometown, College Point, NY. He was Navigator on the Dorty Treek, a B-24 Bomber shot down on November 26, 1944 over Misburg Germany near Hannover.

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TRUMP AWARDS 2026 NATIONAL MEDALS

President Donald Trump joined some of America's most powerful tech leaders Thursday at a summit the White House billed as the start of a "golden age" of American science.

Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Dell founder Michael Dell gathered with Trump and a host of administration officials and scientific luminaries for the Science: A New Golden Age Summit at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

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THE QUANTUM COIN

Jason writes:

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LOOSE CHANGE: OCTOBER 11, 2026

Red Book Podcast: So-Called Dollars

So-Called Dollars are historically important medals, generally about the size of a silver dollar, that commemorate events in American history. But as Jeff Shevlin explains, these aren't simply ordinary medals—they can feature incredible artwork, famous engravers, fascinating historical stories, extreme rarity, and surprisingly affordable prices.

The conversation covers everything from Augustus Saint-Gaudens and George Morgan to the Erie Canal, World's Fairs, the Columbian Exposition, Fort Sumter, and the Wilson Dollar.

One incredible example is the 1826 gold Erie Canal medal. Only a handful were struck, with just two known in private collections according to the interview, and examples have sold for tens of thousands of dollars—and as much as $200,000.

To read the complete Greysheet article, see:
Red Book Podcast: Rare & Undervalued? Yes! The So-Called Dollars Most Collectors Miss! [Video] (https://www.greysheet.com/news/story/red-book-podcast-rare-undervalued-yes-the-so-called-dollars-most-collectors-miss-video)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: INSPIRATIONS: SO-CALLED DOLLARS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n35a03.html)

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FEATURED WEBSITE: ÆTHELMEARC MONEYERS GUILD

This week's Featured Website is the Æthelmearc Moneyers Guild. I missed their club table at the Pittsburgh ANA and learned about them from Clifford Mishler's Summer Numismatic Travels column in the October 20, 2026 Numismatic News.

https://coins.aethelmearc.org/

ABOUT THIS ISSUE: OCTOBER 11, 2026

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