WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: APRIL 20, 2025

Tuesday, April 15 (Tax Day!) was also the monthly gathering of my Northern Virginia numismatic social group, Nummis Nova. Our host Robert Hoppensteadt chose Clyde's at Mark Center in Alexandria. I arrived a little early and caught up with texts and emails on my phone before heading inside. Our table wasn't ready yet and I joined the other earlybirds in the bar.

 
Kellen Hoard, Eric Schena, Dave Schenkman, Tom Kays

Eric Schena, Dave Schenkman, Tom Kays and my guest Kellen Hoard were in deep conversation. Kellen had spent his last semester abroad and will start his summer with a trip to Taiwan, Singapore and elsewhere. Eric recounted his trip that began in the Soviet Union and ended in Russia.

Jon Radel soon arrived and showed me the enormous bronze medal he'd brought. Before long we all moved to our table in a back room. Robert and Chris Neuzil were already there and Mike Packard arrived quickly afterwards. The final attendee was my guest Greg Bennick, who'd flown in from Tennessee, where he'd been visiting fellow counterstamp collector Bill Groom. As Greg entered I loudly whispered - "cover for me. I owe Greg money and I'm going out the kitchen.."

We'd agreed I'd pay him cash for the coin I'd bought from him at the recent Baltimore show. Luckily I'd remembered and handed him an envelope which came in doubly handy as Greg made some purchases from Dave Schenkman. Here's my group shot.

 
Clockwise from front left: Greg, Kellen, Chris, Tom, Mike, Robert, Eric, and Dave

Tom's Take
Here's a report from Tom Kays.

 

 
April 2025 Nummis Nova Dinner Table - Viewed from either end

Nestled in the beautiful "Duck Room" at Clyde's of Mark Center, the April 2025 Nummis Nova flock sported Mike Packard, Wayne Homren, Host: Robert Hoppensteadt, Eric Schena, Dave Schenkman, Guest: Greg Bennick, Guest: Kellen Hoard, Jon Radel, Chris Neuzil, and behind these iPhone pics, Tom Kays. Amazing numismatic items were shown and discussed as is the norm for this merry group. Here are samples of some of the delicacies

 
1794 Flowing Hair Half Dime designed by Robert Scot - PCGS Extra Fine

 
1887 Liberty "V" Nickel - Struck 20% Off Center in PCGS AU58

 

The finest and most complete collection of Admiral George Dewey (1837 – 1917) tokens including this ‘C. H. Hanson – Engraver and Medalist' Token from Chicago. Admiral Dewey explored a run for the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 1900.

 

Twenty-Five Cent Check from Kents Store, (1868 – 1947) Fluvanna County, Virginia – Kents Store was a general mercantile establishment catering to tobacco wagon traffic heading for the James River Canal that sold household goods, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizer.

 
Kents Store Post Office (Established 1874) Cancellation Stamp dated "June 8, 1910 P.M."

 

Very large (dinner-plate size) cast-iron medal given for ten years participation in reporting Finnish, Dynamic Regional Sector Agricultural Productivity to help manage efficient choices in aggregate production control

 

 

1899 Santa Rita – Twenty-Five Cents Note of J. B. Gilchrist & Dawson Inc. (operated in Grant County, New Mexico Territory from April 1899 – August 1899) in PMG Choice Uncirculated-64 condition, ex: John J. Ford Collection. This may be a unique example.

Also passed around were old and new literature including:

• Various bindings of the new, 2026 The Official Red Book – A Guide Book of United States Coins, 79th Edition, which has a new layout. (Note: several Nummis Nova members are on the 2026 Advisory Panel);
• Imprint – Journal of the American Historical Print Collectors Society, Volume 19, Number 1, Spring 1994 which include the article "The Angel in the Factory: Images of Women Workers Engraved on Ante-bellum Bank Notes" by Francine Tyler;
• The Connecticut Collection February 1975 – A 50th Anniversary Retrospective of EAC 75 by Randall Clark who in 2025, rearranged the original 1975 Pine Tree Auction Company catalog from an ordering by where the coppers were minted, into Miller Variety order.

Many more fascinating items passed by as dinner progressed but were not captured at that time in pictures including:

• A mint error, 1873 with arrows Seated Liberty Dime, struck 5% off-center with struck through reverse;
• A scarce, Fifty-Cent, British Darien Gold Mining Company Limited of Panama (1894 – 1903), octagonal copper token (second series) with English legends on the obverse, showing a miner propping his right foot on his shovel, and Spanish legends on the reverse Para Simplificar Las Cuentas – Cincuenta Centavos – Nada Mas;
• A case of old, mostly thaler-sized coins, dating from 1567 to 1876, along with a double reverse 1749 English Half Pence, cleverly crafted by soldering together two reverses of half pence made in the year of the H.M.S Mermaid delivery, and likely one of the earliest magic coins to be found.

The Connecticut Collection February 1975
Most of the numismatic literature was mine. Mike Packard brought the new Randy Clark book on The Connecticut Collection. Here are some of my photos.

 

 

 
Greg Bennick perusing the book

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: THE CONNECTICUT COLLECTION (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n14a05.html)

More Photos
The off-center 1873 Arrows Dime was what I'd bought from Greg at the Baltimore show. Here's the PCGS photo.

 

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: MARCH 30, 2025 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n13a21.html)

 
Goodie Box

 
Greg examining a coin

 
Tom Kays with a Fairfax County Coin Club note

Gilchrist & Dawson Scrip
Dave Schenkman writes:

 

 

Admiral Dewey Storecards
Dave Schenkman writes:

 

 

 

 

Dave adds:

It was great to see everyone, and a pleasure to rummage through some great numismatic material. Conversations I was part of (or in earshot of) included ancient coins depicting architecture, coin auctions, Finnish and Swedish medals, error coin prices, and life advice from one's elders. Another great evening of numismatic fellowship. 'til next month!

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