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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 (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link 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 upcoming auctions

 

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 15, 2025

New subscribers this week include: Greg Darnstaedt and Howard Curtis. Welcome aboard! We now have 7,228 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 and a periodical, updates from the Newman Numismatic Portal and the ANA, notes from readers, and more.

Other topics this week include the Southern Cross of Honor, Asian numismatics, Lincoln Cent varieties, ribbon circlets, Sophia Holmes, Michael Dolley, auction previews, coin hoards and collections, coins of the San Jose shipwreck, and RARCOA.

To learn more about banknotes of Oldenburg, Germany, important rarities in the U.S. coinage series, the ANA's Medal of Merit and Adna G. Wilde Memorial Award, three-cent checks, Jerry Morgan, Ben Dreiske, the Spring Congress of the Brit­ish Asso­ci­ation of Numis­matic Soci­et­ies, gaming counters, a man dancing a jig, decisions contemplated in Cuba and Jersey, cryptocurrency ATMs, the Sher­iff of Not­ting­ham, and the Fish­pool Hoard Mys­tery, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

NEW BOOK: SOUTHERN CROSS OF HONOR, 2ND EDITION

The Southern Cross of Honor: Historical Notes and Trial List of Varieties, 2nd Ed.

Little Greybook #2a begins with a history of the Southern Cross of Honor, followed by detailed illustrations of the thirteen varieties identified by the author. This is followed by an examination of several forgeries and reproductions which are unfortunately also out there. It then takes a look at the four types of applications used by eligible individuals to apply to receive a Southern Cross of Honor, followed by a gallery of a few selected Crosses. Lastly the book lists some 574 veterans who received their Southern Cross of Honor on April 26th, 1900, the first day of the bestowals - 300 in Athens, Georgia, and 274 in Atlanta.

This second edition is primarily for those who perhaps missed the first edition in 2003, or just recently became interested in the subject. Most of the new information herein is mainly clarifications of the reproductions and forgeries.

Publisher : Independently published
Publication date : June 5, 2025
Language : English
Print length : 69 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8285924302
Item Weight : 5 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.16 x 8.5 inches
Part of series : The Confederate Numismatica Series

For more information, or to order, see:
The Southern Cross of Honor: Historical Notes and Trial List of Varieties (The Confederate Numismatica Series) Paperback – June 5, 2025 (https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Cross-Honor-Confederate-Numismatica/dp/B0FC69W1MQ/)

For all titles in Peter's Confederate Numismatica Series, see:
The Confederate Numismatica Series (3 books) (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DN3ZK7NR?binding=paperback)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
SOUTHERN CROSS OF HONOR BOOK PUBLISHED (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v08n38a06.html)
THE SOUTHERN CROSS OF HONOR (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v08n42a23.html)

 

BANKNOTE BOOK OLDENBURG CHAPTER PUBLISHED

To read the complete article, see:
Oldenburg chapter now available (https://banknotenews.com/?p=47000)

PERIODICAL: ASIAN NUMISMATICS NO. 53

EDITORIAL
Les Sixièmes Rencontres de Numismatique Asiatique en 2025
The Sixth Meetings of Numismatique Asiatique in 2025

CHINA
Research on Machine Minting of Fuzhou Shipping Bureau in
A Monetary History of China
by Jun Li

THAILAND
Reflections of Phibun Songkhram Cultural Reforms on coins of Thailand
by Valerii V. Gaganov

CAMBODGE
Deux types remarquables de monnaies cambodgiennes à l'oiseau Hamsa
par Alain Escabasse

Archives / CHINA
Coins of the Republic of China by Guiseppe Ros
by Craig Greenbaum

Série « Monnaies d'Asie »

* * *

76 pages in colors. Format A4 (21 x 29 cms).

For more information, or to order, see:
https://sites.google.com/site/societedenumismatiqueasiatique/revue

U.S. RARITIES CENSES ON THE NEWMAN PORTAL

Saul Teichman Adds U.S. Rarities Censes to Newman Portal

Recently added to Newman Portal is a group of photo files compiled by Saul Teichman, which serve as condition censes for important rarities in the U.S. coinage series. This follows on to Teichman's previous work on the U.S. pattern and territorial gold series. The collected work represents several hundred short monographs in total and serves to quickly identify the best coins of a given issue, or, in many cases, all the coins of a given issue. Teichman is a relentless researcher and has mined auction catalogs, institutional collections, and his own numismatic network to develop these richly detailed guides.

Image: 1873-CC No Arrows quarter, one of five known examples, NGC XF40.

Saul adds:

Link to classic U.S. coinage rarities on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/556362

Link to U.S. pattern photo files on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/548148

Link to U.S. territorial gold photo files on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/554268

VIDEO: LINCOLN CENT VARIETIES

A study of some of the more valuable but lesser known Lincoln cent varieties, including pieces from many years of "cherrypicking." Dr. Sol Taylor is the founder and former president of the Society of Lincoln Cent Collectors. He has also served as president of the Numismatic Association of Southern California and as an instructor at the ANA's Summer Seminar.

Speaker: Sol Taylor. From the 1990 ANA convention.

To watch the complete video, see:
Profit from Lincoln Cent Varieties (https://youtu.be/fNXTL4O3xz8)
Profit from Lincoln Cent Varieties (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/557335)

ANA ANNOUNCES 2025 SERVICE AWARDS

Every year, the American Numismatic Association (ANA) recognizes members who go above and beyond with their service and dedication to numismatics. The following awards, presented at the World's Fair of Money®, will be awarded during the Member Awards & Donor Celebration, Thursday, August 21 from 3-4:30 p.m. in Ballroom A of the Oklahoma City Convention Center.

The ANA's Medal of Merit honors individuals who have dedicated years of service to the Association and have worked to promote the hobby. This year's recipients are Wayne Homren, Patrick McBride, and Robert Mellor.

Wayne Homren is best known for creating and editing the Numismatic Bibliomania Society's award-winning newsletter E-Sylum. By providing collectors with news in the hobby, Homren keeps the numismatic community informed and updated. A recipient of a 2020 Glenn Smedley Memorial Award and an enthusiastic collector, he has served many numismatic organizations.

Also known for his Benjamin Franklin impersonation at conventions nationwide, Patrick McBride has a love for history that has inspired his many numismatic endeavors. He serves as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists and is an award-winning exhibitor. McBride advocates for numismatic education. His contribution of rare early issues of The Numismatist helped the ANA complete its digital archive.

Educating and recruiting collectors is a focal point for Robert Mellor. He helped establish the first ANA-approved satellite numismatic library in 2023, and he is an instructor for the ANA's Summer Seminar and traveling numismatic seminars. Mellor has introduced many people to the hobby, from volunteering with Senior Adventures in Learning to working with Scouts.

The Adna G. Wilde Memorial Award for Exemplary Service honors ANA members who have demonstrated years of enthusiastic service in volunteering time, expertise, and resources that contribute to the ANA's growth and success and have furthered the Association's educational mission. This year, the ANA recognizes Phil Iverson, William Bugert, and Michael S. Turrini with this honor.

Phil Iverson, an ANA life member since 1970, has spent more than five decades championing the hobby through education, exhibits, and service. He has held leadership roles in numerous local and regional clubs, including the California State Numismatic Association, the Numismatic Association of Southern California, and the Bay Cities Coin Club. Known for his engaging presentations and detailed historical exhibits, Iversen is also an award-winning author and mentor whose legacy spans generations of collectors.

William Bugert is a preeminent researcher of Liberty Seated half dollars and a life member of the ANA. His six-volume (and counting) Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties has become the standard reference on the topic. In addition to his scholarly work, Bugert has edited major club journals and earned accolades from leading numismatic organizations for both writing and research. His mentorship has been especially valuable to new collectors seeking guidance in the field.

Michael S. Turrini has held leadership roles in over 17 numismatic clubs and is best known for his creative and effective youth education initiatives. A dynamic organizer and speaker, he has coordinated regional symposiums, developed school programs like "What Is Money?" and championed international collaboration with Canadian numismatic groups. Turrini's passion for outreach and lifelong learning continues to inspire collectors of all ages.

 

THE GLORIOUS SS CENTRAL AMERICA COIN FOSSIL

Regarding the recent SS Central America exhibit at the PAN Show, Bob Evans writes:

Bob adds:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
TREASURE TALK WITH BOB EVANS, EPISODE 5.2 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n23a16.html)
WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: JUNE 1, 2025, PART THREE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n23a21.html)

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JUNE 15, 2025

Bicentennial Stamp and Coin Drummer Design
Wayne Pearson writes:

Remy Bourne's Three-Cent Check Collection Offered
Avis Bourne writes:

$5,000 Double Eagles Philadelphia Mint Bag

To watch the complete reel, see:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/
1691934741687342

 

10th Edition Redbook with 9th Edition Style Cover
Nelson Wolbert writes:

The ANA Medal of Merit

Donn Pearlman writes:

Pete Smith writes:

Allan Behul writes:

Nick Graver writes:

 

STUDENTS PRACTICE COIN STRIKING

PhD student Francesca Lam-March invited students to take part in the coin striking workshop as part of her project to emulate how coins were made during the Roman period.

Francesca describes the project aims:

After a lecture on ancient minting, the students used 2kg hammers to strike the dies using the ancient technique of inserting the dies into a tree stump. The experimental archaeology project yielded real results on how the depth of the die engravings impact the portraits of the emperor, showing that ancient bronze coin dies were likely struck hot rather than cold and that the deeper the die does not necessarily mean a better imprint of the portraits.

King's Department of Engineering provided space in the Wheatstone Lab for the experiment and the project was funded by the King's College London Arts and Humanities Faculty Small Research Grant in conjunction with the ERC funded Roman Emperor as Seen From the Provinces Project.

To read the complete article, see:
Students practice coin striking at Roman workshop (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/students-practice-coin-striking-at-roman-workshop)

VOCABULARY TERM: RIBBON CIRCLET

Riband Circlet or Ribbon Circlet. A design element completely encircling a center device, as a narrow band or belt which usually contains a motto or other lettering. Riband circlets are popular design elements in coats of arms and on decorations where the circlet sometimes has a design like a buckle at the bottom of the ribbon as if tying the ends of the ribbon together. So important is this band of lettering that it is seldom found without some wording. Most numismatic writers prefer to retain the early spelling "riband" since it was used thusly for so many years. However, "ribbon circlet," particularly in America, is just as correct.

Illustrated is a medal issued 1969 by the Franklin Mint for the Prince Charles Investiture in their Britannia Commemorative Society series. The riband circlet encloses the letter C, Charles' personal cypher, otherwise it is unusual to have so much openwork with the circlet. As per custom the riband has a motto and is affixed at the bottom, with loose riband end hanging down. The crown at the top, of course, is not a part of the riband circlet. The medal was designed by British artist John Brooke-Little.

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Riband Circlet or Ribbon Circlet (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516651)

JERRY L. MORGAN (1948-2024)

Sometimes the death of a numismatic author may go unnoticed in The E-Sylum. Sometimes I can correct that. I believe that The E-Sylum does more than just report news. It becomes an archive for information that may be reviewed in the future.

Jerry L. Morgan was born in Missouri on December 3, 1948, the son of David Franklin Morgan (1927-2011) and Anita Marie Root (1930-2024). His mother outlived him.

He was married to Nancy Price Rush and they had a son, Clayton. Jerry graduated with a degree in business from Southeast Missouri State University and served in the National Guard.

The life story of Jerry Morgan is a bit fuzzy during 1975 to 1996. I suspect that the subject of this story was employed in sales and marketing outside numismatics and that another Jerry Morgan was an active coin show promoter in the Denver area.

John Woodside of Scotsman reported that Jerry began work in numismatics in 1996. In that year he joined the ANA and logically, was honored as a twenty-five-year member in 2021. He was life member LM-5421.

Morgan was employed by Scotsman Coin & Jewelry in St. Louis after 1996. He travelled the country buying collections and attending coin shows. The company was an official distributor for products of the Royal Canadian Mint. They raised $10,000 for the Wolf Sanctuary in Eureka, Missouri, through the sale of the 1998 Gray Wolf proof platinum coin.

In 2000, Jerry was the fundraising chair for Women in Numismatics (WIN). He was given a service award by WIN in 2006. He was honored by the National Silver Dollar Roundtable as their "Man of the Year" in 2001. From 2001 to 2005 he was the president of the Missouri Numismatic Association.

Jerry Morgan was an active dealer member of the American Numismatic Association. In 2001 he served as co-chair on the ANA committee for the "Future of the Hobby." He also served on the Dealer Advisory Committee and on the "ANA Target 2001" Building Renovation Fund Committee. In 2002, he was honored by The ANA with the Glenn Smedley Memorial Award. He also received an ANA Presidential Award from John Wilson, noting his efforts to rescind the Missouri sales tax on coins and bullion. He received the ANA Medal of Merit in 2003.

Morgan appeared with a panel of "numismatic luminaries" at a "Question and Answer Forum" at a Georgia Numismatic Association Show on June 6 to 8, 2003, moderated by Bill Fivaz. The others included Randy Campbell of ANACS, Joel Edler of Numismatic News, David Lange of NGC, Brian Silliman of NCS and John Wilson of the ANA. As the one dealer on the panel. He was in good company.

During 2011 to 2018, Scotsman set up as a hotel buyer and ran large ads in local papers. Jerry L. Morgan was the face of the company with a color photo in each ad.

He died at home on January 6, 2024, and was cremated. There was no memorial service. His name was mentioned in "Memorials" in the March 2024 issue of The Numismatist without an obituary.

His obituary in local papers noted that he was an award-winning author. I was curious to see what he had written.

Morgan's article "Pennies from Heaven" appeared in the April 2001 issue of Winning Ways, the journal of Women in Numismatics. This earned him a literary award from WIN in 2002.The same article appeared in the spring 2001 issue of The Virginia Numismatist and again in the July 1, 2001, issue of the Missouri Journal of Numismatics. Later the article appeared in the Summer 2007 issue of The Centinel.

In the article, Morgan describes his adventures picking up a load of more than 6000 rolls of cents from a customer, getting a flat tire on his van and ultimately delivering the coins to a buyer.

I believe Morgan should be noted more for his multiple ANA service awards than for his one WIN Literary Award.

 

SOPHIA HOLMES, FIRST BLACK FEMALE FED

In 1862, an African American woman named Sophia Brown Holmes (c. 1825–1900), who was working as a janitor in the Treasury Department, discovered a box of unguarded currency while cleaning. The large stack included bills with denominations as high as $1,000, an enormous sum of money at the time. Ms. Holmes faced a difficult choice: she feared she could be accused of theft if she tried to report the discovery and was found carrying the money. Instead, knowing that Mr. Spinner routinely made evening rounds, she waited until he arrived. When Spinner came to the Treasury building, she handed him the stack of notes and explained the situation.

Deeply impressed and touched by her honesty, Mr. Spinner took the unprecedented step of promoting Holmes to the position of messenger, making her the first African American woman formally employed by the federal government. President Abraham Lincoln even commended her act of integrity. This appointment marked a significant milestone in the history of African Americans and women in federal service.

Sophia Holmes would go on to have a long and respected career in the Treasury Department, serving under nine presidential administrations over 32 years. She passed away in 1900 in Washington, D.C., and is now remembered as a trailblazer and a symbol of integrity.

Like Sophia Holmes's legacy, Spinner's represents a moment in American history when character, trust, and opportunity intersected to create lasting change not just in the Treasury but also in the broader scope of civil service.

To read the complete article, see:
General Francis E. Spinner and Fractional Currency (https://www.numismaticnews.net/general-francis-e-spinner-and-fractional-currency)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW SIGNATURES APPEAR ON U.S. BANKNOTES (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n50a29.html)

 

MICHAEL DOL­LEY AND IRISH NUMISMATICS

The North­ern Branch of the Numis­matic Soci­ety of Ire­land pub­lic lec­ture was held at the Ulster Museum on 5 April in part­ner­ship with the Museums and Gal­ler­ies North­ern Ire­land. This year, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pro­fessor Michael Dol­ley was cel­eb­rated in a series of lec­tures inspired by his extraordin­ary works. Michael Dol­ley (1925–1983) was a renowned numis­mat­ist and his­tor­ian, par­tic­u­larly known for his work on Anglo-Saxon, Irish and Manx coins.

To open the event, Philip Mac­Don­ald, archae­olo­gical finds officer of the National Museums NI, hos­ted a short tour of the new ‘Treas­ures' dis­play at the museum, which includes two coin hoards.

More than 50 guests atten­ded the event in per­son, with more watch­ing online via Zoom. The event com­menced with very per­sonal recol­lec­tions kindly given by one of the daugh­ters of Michael Dol­ley, who focused on his fath­erly per­son­al­ity, fam­ily moments and his humor­ous yarn. That was fol­lowed by a short wel­come address delivered by Tríona White Hamilton, cur­ator of mod­ern his­tory at Ulster Museum.

The present­a­tions star­ted with Dr Kristin Bornholdt Collins ‘Mak­ing Waves – Dol­ley and the Vik­ings in Dub­lin, Bel­fast and Man'. This offered a brief syn­thesis of the cur­rent under­stand­ing of the Dub­lin mint before turn­ing to Dol­ley's pion­eer­ing work in the 1970s on the col­lec­tion of coin finds in Douglas, Isle of Man.

This present­a­tion was fol­lowed by a reflec­tion on Pro­fessor Dol­ley and his works by Dr John Rainey, a founder mem­ber of the NSI (NB), who knew Michael Dol­ley from the age of 12. In a present­a­tion titled ‘Per­sonal Recol­lec­tions – Stand­ing on the Shoulders of a Giant', he described how much Dol­ley had influ­enced and inspired him, set­ting the scene for what was hap­pen­ing in the numis­matic world, espe­cially in Bel­fast dur­ing the 1960s and 1970s.

The event con­cluded with a present­a­tion titled ‘From Sihtric to Sar­sfield: Some Aspects of Irish Numis­mat­ics, in Memory of Michael Dol­ley' by Oisín Mac Conam­hna. Oisín reviewed the con­tri­bu­tions of Michael Dol­ley to Irish numis­mat­ics.

In 2025, the soci­ety con­tin­ues to explore new ways to reach out to pro­mote numis­mat­ics, and Irish numis­mat­ics in par­tic­u­lar. In addi­tion to stream­ing the monthly mem­bers meet­ing (email nsinbsec@gmail.com to be included in the invites), the web­site is act­ive, and they are now also act­ive on Face­book (@Numis­matic Soci­ety of Ire­land – North­ern Branch) and You­Tube.

To read the complete article, see:
(https://www.pressreader.com/uk/coin-collector/20250613/281715505562861)

 

2025 BANS SPRING CONGRESS

The Brit­ish Asso­ci­ation of Numis­matic Soci­et­ies (BANS) held its spring con­gress at the Orch­ard Hotel in the grounds of Not­ting­ham Uni­versity from Fri­day, 11 April to Sunday, 13 April. The event was co-hos­ted by the Numis­matic Soci­ety of Not­ting­ham.

The event star­ted on the Fri­day even­ing at the Not­ting­ham Museum of Archae­ology with a wel­come address by Dr John Rainey MBE, BANS'S president, who intro­duced the Sher­iff of Not­ting­ham to wel­come the attendees to Not­ting­ham. This was fol­lowed by a present­a­tion on the his­tory of numis­mat­ics in Not­ting­ham­shire given by Mark T Ray.

Sat­urday com­menced with a present­a­tion by Gareth How­ell titled ‘The Fishpool Hoard Mys­tery', then Dr Stu­art Jen­nings delivered an insight­ful look at the ‘Coin­age Dis­tri­bu­tion and Siege Coins Dur­ing the Eng­lish Civil War (1642–46)'. Mathew Mor­ris delved into the events of ‘Richard III: Solv­ing a 500-year-old Mys­tery'. This was fol­lowed by Tim Mil­lett speak­ing on the sub­ject of ‘Tokens of Love, Loss and Dis­respect'.

After lunch, del­eg­ates were taken to the National Civil War Centre in Newark to see the dis­plays (and siege coins) . Many attendees then took advant­age of a guided tour around parts of the town.

Back to the hotel, BANS held its AGM before the con­gress din­ner. The tradi­tional raffle after din­ner raised £625 thanks to the dona­tions of over 30 prizes from spon­sors and attendees.

Sunday com­menced with Dr Kerry Love provid­ing her exper­i­ences of ‘Numismat­ics Net­work­ing: Exper­i­ences of Col­lect­ing and Cata­loguing as a PHD Stu­dent'. Then Charles Farth­ing presen­ted ‘East India Com­pany Coin­age Out­side India'. After the break, Steven Jack­son gave a fas­cin­at­ing and con­cise over­view of the ‘Coins of the Cim­brian War'. The final presentation was the Marion Archibald Memorial Lec­ture given by Dr Richard Kelle­her on ‘Killing Time: Coins as Trench Art'.

BANS next event is the autumn week­end of 19–21 Septem­ber at the Cathed­ral Hotel, Lich­field. For fur­ther details, see www.bans.org.uk

NOONAN'S JUNE 2025 BANKNOTE SALE SELECTIONS

A very rare and early Irish Free State £50 Banknote bearing the portrait of Lady Lavery is expected to fetch in the region of £15,000 in Noonans Mayfair's sale of British and Irish Banknotes on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 [lot 478].

Andrew Pattison, Head of Banknotes at Noonans commented: "Since the 1990s, Noonans (and DNW previously) have always offered many of the best Irish banknotes in the world and this spectacular Irish Free State £50 note is no different and considerably rarer than the £100. This is certainly one of the finest-known examples of this first date for the iconic Lady Lavery series that was to circulate for almost half a century."

He adds: "It is known as the Lady Lavery note as it depicted the American-born wife of the artist Sir John Lavery on the front with a harp. Lavery had painted the figure as a depiction of Kathleen Ni Houlihan, the mythical figure from Ireland's past."

Also in the sale is an extremely rare full set of 7 Ballykinlar Internment Camp tokens, all printed in vibrant colours on circular cards. These date from around 1921, towards the end of the War of Irish Independence, and a full set has not come up for sale for a great many years. These are being sold by a long-term collector of Irish notes and estimates range from £400 to £700 [lots 346-352].

For the first time, an exceptionally rare proof £100 note from the Central Bank of Ireland, dating from 1979-80 featuring a vignette of Grace O'Malley, the 16th century Irish chieftain, is expected to fetch £2,000-2,600. [lot 501].

As Mr Pattison explains: "It has long been known that this £100 note was designed, and very nearly printed, but no final proofs or specimens showing the obverse have ever come to auction before. This proof is so beautifully designed and so well engraved that it really is a tragedy that it was never put into production, and it may be the only chance to acquire such an important piece of Irish banknote history."

Also included in the sale will the first part of the Boyd Family Collection of Scottish Banknotes. Comprising 108 lots, subsequent notes will be offered in every British and Irish auction over the next three years. Among the highlights is an exceptionally rare £1 note from the National Bank of Scotland Limited, dating from 11 November 1880. This is the first example to come to auction in many years and is estimated at £2,000- £2,600 [lot 744].

Within the Bank of England section is an extremely rare and very attractive specimen £20 from London and dated 7 September 1922, that is expected to fetch £5,000- £7,000 [lot 218], while a trial or proof, which is thought to be unique, for a £5 note for the Manchester branch of the Bank of England, dated 24 January 1852 is estimated at £3,000- £4,000 [lot 200].

This auction also contains some highly unusual examples of specimen Treasury Bills including two of the 2003 issued and cancelled examples in denominations that the experts at Noonans have never seen before. A £5,000,000 example dating from 8 September 2003, carries an estimate of £6,000- £8,000 [lot 198].

For more information, or to bid, see:
https://www.noonans.co.uk/

 

KUENKER AUCTION SALE 426

eLive Premium Auction 426: A Rich Selection of European Coins and Medals

Those who did not have a chance to acquire any items during Künker's three-day public auctions will have another chance to purchase interesting issues at favorable estimates in eLive Premium Auction 426. There are a number of lots with starting prices in the double digits, although one might expect the hammer prices of many pieces to be considerably higher.

World Issues

The auction starts with a small run of coins and medals from Europe. Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland – if you are interested in one of these fields, you should take a close look at the auction catalog.

Roughly 270 Lots with Coins and Medals from the Habsburg Empire

Are you interested in Habsburg issues? Catalog 426 offers a rich selection of these pieces. Starting with Ferdinand I, specialist collectors will discover guldiners and talers – including multiple and fractional pieces – in attractive condition. The offer also includes great rarities! They are from the many different mints of the Habsburg Empire: from Ceské Budejovice, Wroclaw, Brussels, Ensisheim, Graz, Günzburg, Hall, Klagenfurt, Kremnica, Kutna Hora, Baia Mare, Prague, St. Veit and, of course, Vienna. The time frame goes up to several issues minted under the rule of Emperor Franz Joseph. This is followed by the coinage of the Austrian clergy. Salzburg, in particular, is represented by a large number of coins.

German Coins and Medals

If you are interested in medals and German coins with unusual reverse motifs, you will be amazed by the offer in this section. Take the popular Bavarian "history taler" as an example. Collectors will find a wide variety of these pieces in eLive Premium Auction 426, including rarer types and patterns. Prussia is also well represented, with an extensive offer of coins and, most importantly, fascinating medals. These issues celebrate the military successes of the upstart of the 18th century. Early talers and even lösers represent Brunswick; and there is also an abundant offer of magnificent talers from Münster. Particularly noteworthy is a double representative taler focusing on the Nativity and the Presentation of Jesus. Of course, as we are used from Künker, there is a rich selection of Saxon coins and medals from the various branches of this house. And these are just a few of the highlights. It is certainly worth taking a closer look!

Sede Vacante Issues

A familiar theme from the current media runs through the entire auction: the sede vacante, i.e. the vacancy of the see. This is the state that occurs when a spiritual leader has died and his successor has not yet taken office. Every bishopric had precise rules regarding who was in charge in such cases. One of the deputy's powers was to control minting activities – especially when the election process took longer than the four rounds we recently witnessed in Rome. This period was often used to mint coins and medals that commemorated the sede vacante. A rich selection of such pieces can be found in eLive Premium Auction 426.

They all depict the rich array of images associated with a sede vacante period. Above all, these include the holy patrons of the diocese. For example, we see St. Martin for Mainz, and St. Rudbert and St. Virgil on a Salzburg medal. The saints are surrounded by the coats of arms of all those who were involved in electing the new bishop in the cathedral chapter. These coats of arms frequently appear, also on issues of Bamberg, Eichstätt and Speyer. Incidentally, on the first two medals, the empty bishop's chair symbolizes the sede vacante. This is a literal translation of the Latin term, as sede means "chair/see" and vacante "empty".

Small But Interesting: A Selection of Coins from the German Empire

The auction concludes with a small but interesting selection of coins from the German Empire.

To order a catalog contact Künker, Nobbenburger Straße 4a, 49076 Osnabrück; phone: +49 541 / 962020; fax: +49 541 / 9620222; or via e-mail: service@kuenker.de. You can access the auction catalogs online at www.kuenker.de. If you want to submit your bid from your computer at home, please remember to register for this service in good time.

KUENKER: GAMING COUNTERS AND NUMISMATICS

Do you know trictrac? No? Even though the board used for trictrac resembles the backgammon board, trictrac is not a precursor to this popular game. Trictrac was played according to different, and much more complicated rules. These rules are so complex that we will not go into them here. Unlike in today's backgammon, the aim was not to move pieces from one point to another. Instead, players could score points through various combinations of the position of their pieces. The first player to score 12 points was the winner.

A Game for the Nobility

In trictrac, success depended on a combination of luck and a clever strategy. A lack of luck could be offset by great skill; however, even the luckiest dice throws were useless to the unskilled player. In this way, trictrac – unlike the purely intellectual game of chess – reflected the real life of the aristocratic upper class: after all, a good leader was someone who made the best of the cards fate dealt them.

So it is no surprise that politicians and generals prided themselves on being masters of trictrac. Our oldest evidence of this game dates from the beginning of the 16th century and describes how young Federico Gonzaga played trictrac with Pope Julius II. By the mid-16th century, trictrac had arrived in Germany, where it was enthusiastically played by the nobility. In 1634, Euverte Jollyvet wrote a treatise on the game, characterizing it as follows: "Nearly all other games are as common among pages, servants and footmen as they are among princes, lords and nobles. [...] But regarding the Great Trictrac, only people of honor play it, and only the brightest, most agile and alert minds can understand it."

Anyone who wanted to be "in" with high society learned to play trictrac, even the middle classes. Mastering the game became a status symbol. And even if you were a poor player, it was considered fashionable to have an expensive trictrac set in your home for guests to see. Just as many chessboards with elaborately designed pieces are used more for decoration than regular play today, trictrac boards adorned the sophisticated households of the early modern era.

This increased the demand for precious gaming boards and pieces as the game became more popular. And this demand was met primarily in the two southern German centers of craftsmanship: Augsburg and Nuremberg.

From Hand-Carved Counters to Machine-Made Products

In the mid-16th century, the craftsmen in Augsburg and Nuremberg were delighted about the new product, as it had a wealthy customer base. The Reformation had caused many wood carvers to lose their traditional customers. Nobody commissioned them to create depictions of saints to be worshipped at home anymore. Initially, the demand for elaborately crafted gaming counters filled this gap.

However, it soon became apparent that the number of buyers who could afford hand-made counters and were willing to purchase them was incredibly small. This is when machine-made counters came in. In Augsburg, molds were developed to press motifs onto game pieces. Leonhard Danner, a Nuremberg toolmaker and inventor, developed this further. He had worked extensively with screws and presses, improving the letterpress among other things. Similarly, he was the first to use a press to transfer motifs on wooden pieces using metal dies. The trick was to adjust the screw press so that the motifs were sharp and deep without breaking the wood.

Thanks to Danner's invention, Augsburg and Nuremberg developed into centers of counter production, but this came to an end in the early 17th century. The economic decline associated with the consequences of the Little Ice Age and the Thirty Years' War caused demand for all luxury goods to plummet.

Friedrich Kleinert, an Entrepreneur from Nuremberg

This brings us to Friedrich Kleinert, the Nuremberg entrepreneur who is responsible for the full set of trictrac pieces to be offered by Künker in auction 425 on 5 July 2025. If you cannot wait that long, there is a wide range of gaming counters available to choose from in eLive Auction 87. For eLive Auction 87 presents a special collection of board game pieces.

But let us first turn to Friedrich Kleinert. Despite his importance to the German medal industry, we unfortunately know very little about this innovative entrepreneur. What we do know is that Friedrich Kleinert was born in Bartenstein, East Prussia, on 4 June 1633. After his father's death, Kleinert's mother remarried the wood turner Heinrich Machsen, and young Friedrich learned artistic woodturning from him. Like many other craftsmen, he embarked on a journey after completing his apprenticeship. In 1664, his path led him to Nuremberg. Initially, Kleinert worked in his craft there. It is said that he produced artificial dolls and similar items as a woodturner. Perhaps he also created simple game pieces. After all, the production of wooden blanks was the task of an artistic woodturner. In any case, Kleinert received a master craftsman's certificate and Nuremberg citizenship in 1668. However, it was not until he purchased a screw press in 1680 that Kleinert became a renowned medal producer.

Innovative Technology: The Screw Press

Screw presses were a new development in Germany at the time. In his catalog of available medals of 1742, Caspar Gottlieb Lauffer, a descendant of one of Kleinert's competitors, claims that his father was the first German to use a screw press. However, we have reason to doubt Lauffer's claim. After all, his next statement can easily by refuted: Lazarus Gottlieb Lauffer was certainly not the only private mint master to receive the imperial privilege to mint medals. On the contrary, in Nuremberg in the 1680s, four independent entrepreneurs, including Friedrich Kleinert, were minting medals with a screw press.

We know this because, as early as on 8 November 1686, the Nuremberg Council discussed the new technology. The city fathers must have feared that the new machine could fall into the hands of immoral contemporaries. After all, excellent forgeries could easily be produced with a screw press. It was therefore decided that no private individual was permitted to use a screw press to produce circulation coins. It was only allowed to produce representative pfennigs, i.e., medals.

Only four Nuremberg entrepreneurs were permitted by decree to own a screw press: Lazarus Gottlieb Lauffer, his brother Cornelius Lauffer, Johann Jakob Wolrab and Friedrich Kleinert. If any of them intended to sell a screw press or minting tools, they had to obtain the approval of the relevant official. The silver required for medal production was also subject to strict controls. It had to be obtained exclusively from the Nuremberg mint, and had to be alloyed with at least 15 lot and 2 quents of pure silver per mark.

Last but not least, the Nuremberg Council tried to grant a monopoly to its engravers, as Nuremberg medal producers were only allowed to hire Nuremberg engravers. But this decision was revoked only a few days later: on 26 November 1686, Friedrich Kleinert brought about a new resolution which allowed him to "have his dies made in Augsburg so that the our metal engravers, who are surpassed by those in Augsburg, might be encouraged to be more diligent as a result".

These two resolutions demonstrate the central role that Nuremberg played in the distribution of private medals. But how did collectors find out about Nuremberg medals? After all, an entrepreneur needed customers all over Europe if he wanted to operate profitably. Agents, played a central role in this. They worked for a prince and told them about all the offers that might be of interest to him. Those agents were called factors or court factors and procured works of arts for art chambers, as well as precious fabrics, weapons and furniture, books for libraries, and ancient as well as contemporary coins for coin collections. Great princes had agents in all important trading cities. Aristocrats of a lower rank and citizens, of course, did not.

New Distribution Channels

In 1697, Friedrich Kleinert followed in the footsteps of his colleagues in the book trade and did what they had been doing for decades: he compiled a catalog of all the medals available from his workshop. This catalog could then be sent to collectors. Needless to say, not every collector received an individual copy – book printing was extremely expensive back then! The catalogs were passed on among collectors and were repeatedly used to place orders with a local dealer who maintained a connection with Nuremberg. The fact that Kleinert wrote his catalog in Latin shows that he had customers all over Europe. Choosing Latin as the language of his catalog enabled him to ensure that all educated collectors understood his offer.

What probably fascinates us most about this catalog is the fact that Kleinert rather casually included medals relating to events that had taken place long before the catalog was printed. Given how long such catalogs remained relevant, some events must have occurred several decades before a customer ordered the corresponding medal.

Caspar Gottlieb Lauffer, who took over his stock of dies after Kleinert's death, published a new edition of this first catalog in 1709. In his much more comprehensive catalog of 1742, Lauffer switched to the German language. Kleinert's medal dies were still mentioned in this catalog. This means that collectors could still buy a medal commemorating Marshal von Schomberg even more than half a century after his death!

A Lucrative Sideline

All the producers of Nuremberg medals were thus private entrepreneurs who had to ensure that they produced goods that were easily marketable with minimal effort. In this context, counters for the fashionable trictrac game were a financially interesting addition to their business model that enabled them to re-use many of their dies.

After all, very few dies were exclusively created to produce gaming counters. The series of the counters shown as figures 10 and 11 is an exception. The allegorical depictions were created and perhaps even conceived by the Augsburg engraver Jakob Leherr. Born in 1656, the goldsmith and engraver had held the title of master since 1685. And his designs are truly masterful. The little cupid looking into an overflowing chest is particularly impressive: It's enough for the chest, but not enough for the eye. Or, differently put, there is never enough for someone greedy.

The same could be said of the creator of this game piece, Christoph Jakob Leherr. Alter all, by the time he produced these wonderful dies, he was already a prolific coin counterfeiter. The Nuremberg Council had been right to fear that the screw press would make counterfeiting easier! While Leherr produced coins, hie accomplice, the Augsburg merchant Emanuel Eggelhof, put them into circulation. Their activities went unnoticed for almost three decades. They were then exposed and the two were put to the sword in Augsburg on 10 April 1707.

Therefore, it may seem almost ironic that Leherr also created these allegorical dies: the example with the head of Janus bears the inscription "cautious and prudent"; the fallen stilt walker illustrates the modern proverb "pride comes before a fall" or rather – as the Latin inscription says – "he is lifted up until he falls".

Historical Gaming Counters

While most of the light-colored counters depict allegorical topics, the dark pieces were made with dies that Philipp Heinrich Müller had actually created for medal production. They deal with the politics of the time, although the events were probably long over by the time the game was made. This die, for example, commemorates the Habsburgs' victories over their enemies in 1694: at Peterwardein against the Turks; at Huy and on the Rhine border against the French.

Anyone looking for a deeper connection between the historical scenes depicted on the dark counters will search in vain. Logic was not required; only an impressive appearance. This board piece, for example, depicts the union of three virtues: strength, prudence and harmony. They join hands above an altar dedicated to the common good. The die was also created by Philipp Heinrich Müller and belongs to a medal issued for the congress of The Hague in 1691.

A Completely Underestimated Field

Let us get back to answering the question we posed at the beginning: gaming counters are a completely underestimated marginal field of numismatics that is closely related to medals in terms of production methods. After all, gaming counters were produced by the same workshops that created medals – even using the same dies and the same presses. Actually, board game pieces are medals made of wood.

Anyone interested in this topic will be pleased to learn that, although they are much rarer than silver and bronze medals, these wooden medals are (still) considerably cheaper.

This may be because the activities of the Nuremberg medal industry and its significance for European collecting have not (yet) been adequately researched. Unfortunately, most monographs on the topic of medals focus on the events they depict, on the nationality of the people depicted on them, or on the artists who created the dies. This loses sight of the fact that medals were goods whose appearance depended on the needs and the expectations of customers.

But this could change soon. A new German work by Hermann Maué with the working title "Friedrich Kleinert and Philipp Heinrich Müller" is expected to be published in 2025. Hopefully, this book will acknowledge the importance of the numismatic entrepreneur Kleinert in full, without neglecting gaming counters.

Bibliography:
Ulrich Schädler, Vom Trictrac zum Backgammon. In: Spiel und Bürgerlichkeit. Passagen des Spiels I. Vienna (2010), pp. 37-62
Dieter Fischer und Hermann Maué, Medaillen und Schaumünzen auf Ereignisse in der Reichsstadt Nürnberg 1521-1806. Nuremberg (2014)
Hermann Maué, Spielsteine mit Bildern. 16. bis 19. Jahrhundert. Bestandskatalog des Germanischen Nationalmuseums. Nuremberg (2020)

CONFUSING IMPERIAL NAMES ON ROMAN COINS

In Latin, "maximus" means "the greatest," as in the name of Rome's famous chariot racing stadium, the Circus Maximus. The high priest of the Roman state religion was the Pontifex Maximus, a title later adopted by the Popes. In the film Gladiator (2000), the hero, played by Russell Crowe, is named "Maximus Decius Meridius." Maximus was mostly an honorific title, not a common Roman personal name, but several emperors had names containing the root *max. On coin inscriptions, which are often heavily abbreviated and may be partly illegible, this can be a source of endless confusion, especially for beginners. A survey of the coins of these similarly-named rulers gives us a glimpse into the often chaotic history of the Roman Empire in the third, fourth, and fifth centuries.

Maximinus Thrax

Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus was born about 173 CE to a peasant family in the Balkan region of Thrace. He is known to history as Maximinus Thrax: "the Thracian." He was tall and strong – according to one ancient source, 2.4 meters tall (7 feet 10 inches!) Emperor Septimius Severus made him an imperial bodyguard. Emperor Severus Alexander promoted him to army commander. Following the murder of Alexander in 235, Maximinus was proclaimed emperor by the army. His coinage is extensive, with one reference listing seven types in gold, 21 in silver, and 37 in bronze. A magnificent gold aureus dated to Summer 236 bears his bearded, heavy-jawed profile. The reverse bears a standing figure of Providentia, the personification of forethought, "in the sense of a prescient power capable of creating or altering future events." The denarii of Maximinus (which are only about 50% silver) are common and affordable, even in high grades. Maximinus campaigned successfully against the Germans, Sarmatians, Dacians, and North African tribes, but his high taxes alienated the Roman senatorial class, which revolted against him. His troops murdered him, a fate that would befall many of his successors during the following decades. During his reign, he had never set foot in Rome.

Maximus Caesar

In 236 CE, Maximinus made his son, Gaius Julius Verus Maximus (born between 217 and 220), his designated successor and gave him the title of "Caesar." The coins of Maximus Caesar bear a youthful portrait that strongly resembles his father. He was murdered along with his father by mutinous troops at Aquileia in May 238.

Maximianus

Born about the year 250 to a family of shopkeepers near the vital garrison town of Sirmium (today Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia), Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus had a successful military career during the reigns of emperors Aurelian (270 – 275) and Probus (276 – 282). He established a lifelong friendship with his colleague Diocletian, who elevated him to the rank of Caesar (co-emperor and designated successor) in 285. While Diocletian identified himself on his coins with the god Jupiter, Maximianus was identified with the hero Hercules, adding the epithet "Herculius" to his name. There are no coins of Maximianus as Caesar, but by 286, he is identified as "Augustus." He ruled in the West with his capital in Milan, while Diocletian ruled the East from a capital in Nicomedia.

A superb gold aureus from the famous Beaurains Hoard of 1922, struck at the mint of Treveri (today Trier, Germany), bears a profile bearded bust of Maximianus, with the thick, muscular neck characteristic of imperial portraits in this era. The reverse depicts Hercules wearing his signature lion-skin headdress. A common antoninianus dated to 294 from Ticinum in northern Italy depicts Victory crowning Hercules, with the inscription VIRTUS AUGG ("Manliness of the Emperors"). By this time, the debased antoninianus was a bronze coin with barely a trace of silver in the alloy.

To read the complete article, see:
Confusing Imperial Names on Roman Coins (https://coinweek.com/maxxed-out-confusing-imperial-names-on-roman-coins/)

ROMAN SILVER COIN HOARDS IN ROMANIA

A Romanian metal detectorist named Marius M. recently made a discovery when he unearthed a hoard of 1,469 ancient Roman silver coins while hiking near the village of Letca Veche in southern Romania. According to the New York Post, the coins, known as denarii, date back at least 2,000 years and are of incalculable value.

"I never thought this day would surprise me and confront me with antiquity," said Marius M., as reported by the New York Post. He had set out for a hike with his metal detector for exercise and relaxation, not expecting to find anything valuable. "I even thought about pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming," he added.

As he walked through the field, his metal detector emitted a strong signal from a specific spot of grass. Curious, Marius began to dig and soon uncovered a quantity of coins. "At that moment, I could feel my heart beating quite hard," he recalled.

After spending two days meticulously photographing each of the 1,469 coins, Marius handed them over to the authorities at the Letca Noua Town Hall, about 15 kilometers from the discovery site. The coins were counted in the presence of police officers and are now being inventoried.

Under Romanian law, individuals who make valuable finds with metal detectors and report them are entitled to a reward of up to 45% of the value of the finds. While the exact value of the hoard is yet to be determined, experts believe the coins are of historical and monetary worth. Similar discoveries in the past have been estimated to be worth around 150,000 euros.

To read the complete article, see:
Romanian discovers 1,469 ancient Roman silver coins near Letca Veche (https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-856344)

CAROL ROSS ANCIENT COIN COLLECTION SOLD

A collection of ancient Roman coins amassed by a former Latin teacher from Connecticut was sold at auction for over $1 million this week.

Carol Ross' interest in ancient Roman currency and history led to her collection of over 130 coins. The sale of the coins was handled by New York auction house Doyle.

One of the coins is a "fascinating, rare piece," the auction house said. The gold piece shows a "detailed and lifelike" portrait of Marcus Junius Brutus, likely the most well known of Julius Caesar's assassins. The front of the coin also includes a laurel wreath and an engraving of Brutus' name.

The back features a trophy with a curved sword, two spears and the letter L, as well as a figure-eight shield and two ship's prows. It may have been mounted in jewelry, according to the auction house.

Only a handful of these coins are known to exist today, the auction house said, adding it would have been minted in Greece in 42 or 43 B.C. It was auctioned off for over $314,000, far outpacing an expected sale of between $100,000 and $150,000.

Another impressive coin in the collection shows the emperor Augustus. The coin is "very rare" and bears imagery "associated with Augustus' symbolic transfer of power back to the Roman Senate after his defeat of Mark Antony" in 31 B.C., according to the auction house. It was likely made in Rome or at a Spanish Mint.

That coin, which Ross described as "very important," sold for over $180,000.

To read the complete article, see:
U.S. Teacher's collection of over 130 ancient Roman coins auctions for over $1 million (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-rome-coins-collection-auction-million-dollars/)

For more information at the Doyle website, see:
https://doyle.com/

For the obituary of Carol F. Ross, see:
Carol Frost Ross (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nhregister/name/carol-ross-obituary?id=57957202)

PAUL NARCE COIN COLLECTION SOLD

A MASSIVE coin collection has been found in the walls of a man's home, and it's worth a staggering $3.5 million.

The collection was recovered from the house of a man who had passed away, with many of the coins dating back centuries.

It turns out the collection belonged to a rather mysterious figure, who is thought to have devoted all his money to his coin collection.

The collection was owned by Paul Narce, who lived a modest life in south-west France until his death in 2024.

Narce built up his collection over a number of years, and it contained more than 1,000 pieces.

The collection featured coins from the Kingdom of Macedonia, dating to 336-323 BC.

It also featured an almost complete series of coins used during the reigns of French Kings Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI.

The collection sold at the auction house Beaussant Lef èvre and Associates in Paris for a total $3.48 million.

The sale far exceeded the pre-auction estimate of $2.43 million.

Coin expert Thierry Parsy said in a preview statement before the sale: "Narce, who lived a modest life and didn't see a lot of the world, spent all of his money on his collection."

Very little is known about the owner of the collection, Paul Narce.

He had no direct descendants and very few people knew of his hobby, let alone the value it held.

Nobody even knew the location of the collection, and as Parsy added, it "could have remained undiscovered forever".

The collection was only found by one determined notary, who had purposefully set out to look for it.

To read the complete article, see:
HIDDEN FORTUNE Massive coin collection found in walls of mans home – experts confirm they're worth $3.5 million thanks to rare details (https://www.the-sun.com/money/14472403/coin-collection-auction-paris-france/)

To read the complete article, see:
Hidden treasure: rare coin collection found behind painting sells for nearly $3.5 million (https://en.as.com/latest_news/hidden-treasure-rare-coin-collection-found-behind-painting-sells-for-nearly-35-million-n/)

UNIQUE 7TH CENTURY BRITISH COIN FOUND

A tiny gold coin that is believed to be the oldest from the Anglo-Saxons in East Anglia has been found in a field.

Coin expert Adrian Marsden described the coin as a "massively significant" find that was struck in the 7th Century.

The design depicts a man dancing a jig while holding a Christian cross above a symbol linked to the Norse god Odin.

The coin was discovered by a metal detectorist near Norwich in the autumn and Norwich Castle Museum hopes to acquire it.

"It's the first one of this type of coin that we've seen and new types of shillings just don't turn up," said Dr Marsden, from the Norfolk Historic Environment Service.

"It's got this fascinating iconography of a little figure with a long cross - explicitly Christian - over the valknut design, which has pagan roots."

Dr Marsden said all the evidence pointed to it being "the earliest Anglo-Saxon East Anglian coin so far known", dating it to AD640 to 660.

It was struck at a time when pagan beliefs were starting to give way to Christianity, and its design appears to straddle this time of change.

Experts associate the design with the god Odin, whose roles in Norse mythology included ferrying the dead to the afterlife.

In the 20th Century, the valknut was adopted as a symbol by white supremacists among others.

The coin dates back to the same era as the famous Sutton Hoo ship burial, which, as Dr Marsden explained, had a mix of Christian and pagan grave goods.

On the reverse of the coin is a design that could be a cross or could be a swastika, then recognised as a good luck symbol, surrounded by an attempt at a Latin inscription.

To read the complete article, see:
One of a kind 7th Century gold coin found in field (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yg85nd5r9o)

ENGLISH CIVIL WAR SILVER HOARD FOUND

A treasure hunter who was inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up the hobby found a £50,000 silver coin hoard just two months later.

On a wet day in February 2023 he got a strong signal on his device and dug down to unearth a pottery vessel filled with silver coins.

In total, there were 1,064 coins spanning the reigns of Elizabeth I in the 1560s to Charles I in the 1640s.

The latest coins had been minted a few months before the Battle of Aylesbury during the English Civil War in November 1642.

The vessel may have been a wage pot to pay soldiers who fought in the battle, or the life savings of a wealthy individual who had planned to flee.

He is now selling the hoard, which includes 409 Charles I silver shillings and rare Aberystwyth mint issues, at Essex Coin Auctions.

Auctioneer Adam Staples said: 'This exciting Civil War hoard was uncovered near Aylesbury and consists of 1,064 silver coins hidden within a now broken pottery vessel.

'The earliest coins in the hoard date to the reign of Elizabeth I, and James I is represented by his English, Irish and Scottish issues.

'The latest coins were minted in the autumn of 1642, the beginning of the English Civil War and just prior to the Battle of Aylesbury, which took place a few miles away at Holman's Bridge.

'Amongst the coinage of Charles I are 409 silver shillings, including rare coins struck locally at Oxford, on which King Charles declared to uphold the Protestant Religion, the Laws of England, and the Liberty of Parliament.

'There are also very rare issues from the Aberystwyth mint.

'It is a wonderful discovery.'

To read the complete article, see:
Treasure hunter finds huge silver coin hoard two months after being inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up hobby (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14793739/Treasure-hunter-finds-huge-silver-coin-hoard-two-months-inspired-BBC-comedy-Detectorists-hobby.html)

IMAGES OF SAN JOSE GALLEON GOLD COINS

More than three centuries after a legendary Spanish galleon loaded with treasure sank off the coast of Colombia, researches have uncovered new details about gold coins found scattered around the shipwreck.

Dubbed the "holy grail" of shipwrecks, the San Jose galleon was sunk by the British navy near Cartagena in 1708, killing most of the roughly 600 crewmembers on board. The ship was believed to be holding gold, silver, gemstones and other treasure worth billions of dollars.

Now researchers have analyzed intricately designed gold coins found near the wreck, confirming they are indeed from the iconic San Jose. The coins feature depictions of castles, lions and crosses on the front and the "Crowned Pillars of Hercules" above ocean waves on the back, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Antiquity.

On some of the coins, researchers were able to discern the letters "PVA" — representing a Latin motto meaning "Plus Ultra" or "Further Beyond." That adage was used on currency to signify the expansion of the Spanish monarchy in the Atlantic, the study's authors said. Numbers depicting the coins' denomination and the date of minting (1707) could also be seen.

The study's authors said the coins from this period were often cut from gold or silver ingots.

"Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins — known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish — served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries," the authors said in a statement.

To read the complete article, see:
Gold from legendary 1708 shipwreck holding billions of dollars in treasure is seen in new images (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shipwreck-gold-billions-dollars-san-jose-new-images-details/)

To read the earlier Antiquity article, see:
The cobs in the archaeological context of the San Jos é Galleon shipwreck (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/cobs-in-the-archaeological-context-of-the-san-jose-galleon-shipwreck/66532DCA302A8C08A1EBFE4AC7E4E6C1)

To read some earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
SAN JOSE GALLEON FOUND: THE HOLY GRAIL OF SHIPWRECKS (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n49a26.html)
FINDING SHIPWRECKS IS GETTING EASIER AND HARDER (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n49a27.html)
SPAIN CLAIMS OWNERSHIP OF SAN JOSE GALLEON TREASURE (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n50a37.html)
THE LEGENDARY SAN JOSE WRECK (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n28a23.html)

WILL CUBA ISSUE HIGH DENOMINATION COINS?

An official press proposal suggests that the cash shortage currently suffocating many banking operations in Cuba could be resolved by introducing high-denomination coins into circulation.

A comment in the newspaper Victoria, from the Isle of Youth, even mentions the possibility of minting coins of 10,000 pesos or more, which would take up less space, last longer than bills, and be harder to counterfeit.

But this "likely solution" to "the exasperating current situation" of cash shortages in banks, as the media acknowledges, overlooks the root of the problem: a collapsed financial system, lacking trust and liquidity.

The reasoning behind the proposal is based on practicality: coins last longer, do not deteriorate like bills, and are less expensive in the long run. Furthermore, it is suggested that those who keep money at home—out of fear or distrust—would be more willing to exchange it if the physical volume of cash were smaller. In other words, if there were coins with a higher face value.

The uncontrolled inflation that the population suffers increases the cost of basic necessities while the wages remain stagnant and the purchasing power of Cubans deteriorates, exhausted by queues, blackouts, hunger, and despair.

To read the complete article, see:
High denomination coins to sort out the cash chaos in Cuba? (https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-06-13-u1-e209363-s27061-nid304975-monedas-alta-denominacion-arreglar-desorden-efectivo)

JERSEY UNDECIDED ON KING'S IMAGE

A decision on whether to use an image of King Charles III on new Jersey banknotes has not been made due to a "significant stock" of currency featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II, the government says.

Bank of England notes featuring the King went into circulation in June 2024 and Jersey's treasury minister said the creation of new Jersey notes had been explored.

However, Deputy Elaine Millar said stock levels of current notes meant no decision had been made on the introduction of new currency or what it would look like.

Deputy Helen Miles submitted a written question to the treasury minister asking for an estimated timeline for new notes and coins featuring the King.

In response, Millar said the government held a "significant stock of banknotes featuring the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II".

"This is due to the need for large minimum print runs, which are required to achieve value for money in a smaller jurisdiction such as ours," she said.

The Government of Jersey has updated its banknotes twice in the last 36 years, once in 1989 and again in 2010.

In April, the States of Guernsey announced it would not include a portrait of the King on updated currency for the island.

Millar said a decision on including the King on Jersey currency had not been made.

To read the complete article, see:
Government undecided on King's image on banknotes (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyvqjw3j87o)

WHEN COINS ARE INHERITED

Dave Bowers, in his delightful Expert's Guide to Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins, advised, "You may plan to keep your collections for all your life. If so, it is highly important that the future of your rare coins, paper money, and other items be included in your estate planning. It has been my experience that 19 out of 20 heirs who inherit coins have little interest in continuing the parent's hobby, and as an early order of business they set about selling them—often in the wrong way."

Tom Bilotta shared similar observations in Collecting Coins in Retirement: An Action Guide and Estate Advice for Hobbyists and Their Families: "For someone without coin-collecting experience, the task of managing the disposition of an inherited collection can be daunting. Trying to obtain fair value for hard assets that you do not understand is both stressful and likely to produce poor results. Many inheritors do not know where to start and are completely overwhelmed. As a result, many sell the collection quickly for cash, but this method frequently returns only a small portion of the potential value of the collection." Tom recommends that heirs approach the task methodically, spend a few weeks in research to build their confidence, and create an accurate inventory.

Beth Deisher even wrote a whole book on the subject: Cash In Your Coins: Selling the Rare Coins You've Inherited. As editor of Coin World for twenty-seven years, she fielded many phone calls, letters, and emails from readers who had inherited coin collections and knew nothing about them. "Not everyone who reached out to me inherited coins of great value," Beth says, "but it seems almost every family has a stash of ‘old coins' that's been passed down, and their stories have been remarkably similar. The heirs knew very little about the coins, and they were apprehensive about selling them, fearing they'd be ‘taken' by buyers." They have good reason to worry. One dealer I know bitterly described what he calls "the widow game"—when unscrupulous hotel-ballroom buyers and other fleece artists heartlessly rip off widows who don't know the true value of their inheritance.

Longtime dealers understand the pitfalls that heirs can face when they don't know about coins, paper currency, medals, tokens, and other collectibles. Many give this advice: Sell during your lifetime. Don't leave the majority of your collection to your heirs, unless they're collectors themselves. The process of selling your coins before you shuffle off this mortal coil increases your enjoyment of your collection. It gives you control over the process, in a field you understand and can navigate. And for your heirs, cash is always easier to divide than coins.

To read the complete article, see:
Collecting Friends: When Coins Are Inherited (https://blog.money.org/coin-collecting/when-coins-are-inherited)

LOOSE CHANGE: JUNE 15, 2025

What the End of the Penny Means

Will pennies be more valuable if the US stops making them?

Doubtful. The U.S. Mint made about 3.2 billion pennies in 2024, according to its annual report, so there will be billions of 2025 pennies available. "There's nothing, statistically, that says they should become valuable," John Feigenbaum, publisher of rare coin price guide Greysheet and executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), a nonprofit organization composed of many of the nation's rare coin experts, told USA TODAY.

The coin's legacy could be akin to the 1976 bicentennial quarter, Feigenbaum said. "Everybody, at the time, was hoarding them (and) you couldn't find bicentennial quarters in change. Now people have plastic bags full of them and they're still worth 25 cents," he added.

However, the 2025 pennies could have an alternative value as an entry point to collectors. "This would surely spike demand … in other Lincoln pennies, like the ones that go all the way back to 1909," Feigenbaum said, adding that the Lincoln penny, which first featured the 16th president in that year, has had "quite a run."

Parents could get a Lincoln penny coin collecting book – options include those from Whitman Publishing, which also publishes Greysheet – and talk to their children about "American history, and who this Lincoln guy is and what would the different designs be all about," Feigenbaum said.

To read the complete article, see:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/06/08/penny-going-away-2025-pennies-value/84072576007/ (https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/06/08/penny-going-away-2025-pennies-value/84072576007/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
DOGE TAKES AIM AT THE PENNY (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n04a26.html)

Britons Hoarding Cash

Britons are hoarding physical cash amid extreme economic uncertainty and to provide a safety net for possible banking system outages such as the recent one in Spain, according to the Bank of England's chief cashier.

Victoria Cleland said on Tuesday that UK households were building a cash contingency pot, much as they did during the Covid and cost of living crises.

She said the Bank had tracked a significant increase in the number of banknotes in circulation in recent months, continuing a rising trend since 2022, at a time when the volume of cash transactions has "gone down significantly".

In comments at the Cash in the UK conference, Cleland said cash hoarding suggested households were responding to a more volatile global backdrop after the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the trade uncertainty sparked by Donald Trump's tariffs, Bloomberg reported.

To read the complete article, see:
Britons ‘hoarding cash amid economic uncertainty and fear of outages' (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/10/britons-hoarding-cash-amid-economic-uncertainty-and-fear-of-outages)

Kavan adds:

To read the complete article, see:
The Boom in Benjamins (https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/06/what-makes-the-US-100-bill-so-popular-currency)

The State of the World Paper Money Market

From my (professional) perspective, I do see a few trends that are worth mentioning. First, collectors are focusing more on quality. While not everyone seeks uncirculated notes, premiums for notes that are deemed original and problem-free are becoming more and more pronounced. On the other side of that equation, problem notes (especially those that have been repaired or otherwise "improved") are becoming less desirable, and market prices reflect that. Another trend is that many collectors have abandoned the idea that completion is a feasible goal, except for the most modern collections. As a result, collectors are focusing more on notes they like, with the completion of sets or a country being less frequently taken on as a challenge.

One of the biggest challenges facing the world paper money market is the limited supply of quality material. I've mentioned this before, and it remains a major hurdle. Many rare notes are genuinely scarce, often unavailable for a generation or more. Unlike U.S. coins, where assembling a high-quality Morgan dollar set can be done in a single show or auction, world paper money presents far fewer opportunities. Watch our sales closely and you'll see notes that haven't appeared publicly in decades. This can be frustrating for serious collectors: the notes they seek may be locked away in long-term collections, with no clear path to acquisition. On the other hand, if those notes appear at public auction today, we can expect spirited bidding and results that match that.

To read the complete article, see:
The State of the World Paper Money Market (https://stacksbowers.com/the-state-of-the-world-paper-money-market/)

Fraudsters using crypto-currency ATMs

Almost as soon the new form of money called crypto-currency became widespread, sophisticated scammers turned to an even newer form of technology – crypto-based ATMs – to prey on victims throughout the New Orleans metro area.

WWL Louisiana previously revealed how crooks are getting people to feed money into these ATMs using false promises of getting their loved ones out of jail on electronic ankle bracelets.

But the scammers are going far beyond that, using every other trick in the book to steal from people using this new machinery of modern life.

Similar to old-school versions of fraud, con artists are using scare tactics to fool people into thinking their bank account has been hacked, that they urgently need to make a mysterious overdue payment or they need to pay to get a loved one out of jail.

"It's non-reversible, you can't charge it back, you can't reverse it and it's done in seconds," he said. "So it's the equivalent of convincing someone to go in their bank, withdraw cash and then go outside and give it to you."

And if anyone directs you to a cryptocurrency ATM, Matherne said, stop in your tracks because it's probably a scam.

To read the complete article, see:
Fraudsters using crypto-currency ATMs to steal from victims (https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/mike-perlstein/lafourche-cryptocurrency-atm-scams-rise-in-louisiana-new-orleans/289-5c22c8fa-97f7-4c9f-b73f-ed5ac6ef53e5)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
COMPANY MAKES A BITCOIN VENDING MACHINE (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n34a21.html)
BITCOIN ATMS APPEARING (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n20a32.html)

COLLECTING LICENSE PLATES

Some people dream of scaling a peak or writing a novel. Ethan Craft wants to collect at least one license plate from 500 global jurisdictions.

The quest has taken the 27-year-old across the world in search of junkyards, antique stores and other collectors willing to trade plates.

Stamp collectors are called philatelists. People who save coins are numismatists. License plate collecting is so arcane that there isn't a word for it. But there are thousands of people who so covet tags that they are willing to travel to remote corners of the globe—sometimes at great expense and personal risk—to score a rare find.

Some collectors focus on geographic regions. Others target tags based on design or color. Numbers are big draws, too, namely low ones, birth dates, the devilish 666 and the code for marijuana, 420. Some seek out diplomatic tags or presidential inaugural ones. Others pursue early porcelain plates or those from countries at war.

Tags from Vatican City are a holy grail for plate collectors. For enthusiasts of early American plates, it doesn't get much better than a 1921 Alaska tag, one of which is rumored to have changed hands for $60,000.

The Super Bowl of plate collecting takes place in July at the annual convention of the 3,000-member Automobile License Plate Collectors Association. This year's event, in Tulsa, Okla., marks the gathering's 70th anniversary.

Craft's obsession began at age four on road trips with his dad, peering out the back seat window to see how many different state tags he could identify. He later used a disposable camera to shoot out-of-state plates at the airport and malls, collecting them in a scrap book. Craft's parents took note. "One year, the tooth fairy left me a license plate instead of a couple of bucks," he said.

Craft has traveled to about 70 countries, collecting plates from 181 of the 193 U.N. member nations and about 400 global jurisdictions. He has about 2,000 plates in his core collection and another few thousand for trading.

To learn about the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, see:
https://www.alpca.org/

To read the complete article (subscription required), see:
They Travel the World—and Cheat Death—for License Plates (https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/license-plate-collectors-cars-21c7506e)

FEATURED WEBSITE: RARCOA

This week's Featured Website is an old name in American numismatics - RARCOA.

https://rarcoa.com/

ABOUT THIS ISSUE: JUNE 15, 2025

Wayne Homren
Wayne Homren is the founding editor of The E-Sylum and a consultant for the Newman Numismatic Portal. His collecting interests at various times included U.S. Encased Postage Stamps, merchant counterstamps, Pittsburgh Obsolete paper money, Civil War tokens and scrip, Carnegie Hero Medals, charge coins and numismatic literature. He also collects and has given presentations on the work of Money Artist J.S.G. Boggs. In the non-numismatic world he's worked in artificial intelligence, data science, and as a Program Manager for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Garrett Ziss
Garrett Ziss is a numismatic collector and researcher, with a focus on American paper money and early U.S. silver and copper coins. He is also a part-time U.S. coin cataloger for Heritage Auctions. Garrett assists Editor Wayne Homren by editing and formatting a selection of articles and images each week. When he's not engaged in numismatics, Garrett is pursuing a Master's Degree in Quantitative Economics at the University of Pittsburgh.

Pete Smith
Numismatic researcher and author Pete Smith of Minnesota has written about early American coppers, Vermont coinage, numismatic literature, tokens and medals, the history of the U.S. Mint and much more. Author of American Numismatic Biographies, he contributes original articles to The E-Sylum often highlighting interesting figures in American numismatic history.

Greg Bennick
Greg Bennick (www.gregbennick.com) is a keynote speaker and long time coin collector with a focus on major mint error coins and US counterstamps. He is on the board of both CONECA and TAMS and enjoys having in-depth conversations with prominent numismatists from all areas of the hobby. Have ideas for other interviewees? Contact him anytime on the web or via instagram @minterrors.

John Nebel
Numismatist, photographer, and ANS Board member and Fellow John Nebel of Boulder, CO helped the ANA and other clubs like NBS get online in the early days of the internet, hosting websites gratis through his Computer Systems Design Co. To this day he hosts some 50 ANA member club sites along with our coinbooks.org site, making the club and our E-Sylum archive available to collectors and researchers worldwide.

Bruce Perdue
Encased coinage collector (encasedcoins.info) Bruce Perdue of Aurora, Illinois has been the volunteer NBS webmaster from its early days and works each week to add the latest E-Sylum issue to our archive and send out the email announcement.