WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: NOVEMBER 23, 2025

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 47, 2025, Article 20

Tuesday November 18, 2025 brought the latest installment of my Northern Virginia numismatic social group, Nummis Nova. I left work and drove in the rain to J. Gilbert's steakhouse in McLean, VA, where Roger Burdette was our host. I ran into Jon Radel in the parking lot. Once inside we stepped into the bar where we found Dave Schenkman, Eric Schena and Mike Packard. Dave showed me a fragile macerated currency item that he didn't want to risk passing around (see images below).

Before long we were shown to our private dining room along with Roger, and soon we were joined by Wayne Herndon, Chris Neuzil, Erik Douglas, Mike Markowitz, and Julian Leidman. I ended up sitting at the far end of the table next to Wayne and across from Erik, Chris and Mike Packard. Sorry, no photos this time. The room was so dark that I needed my phone's flashlight to read the menu and see the numismatic items being passed around. Absorbed in conversation and looking at the material, I didn't try getting any pictures.

The first thing I pulled out of my case was something I'd brought in hopes of finding a movie memorabilia buff to gift it to - the Bugonia tote bag I'd picked up when my son and I went to the Emma Stone film on October 31st. It found a home with Eric Schena. Another member asked "Who's Emma Stone?" Well, there are those 2016 and 2023 Best Actress Oscars for La La Land and Poor Things, roles in Superbad, Birdman, Eddington and as Cruella de Vil in 2021's Cruella.

Some of the numismatic literature I brought was acquired at last week's Whitman Baltimore show. People were curious about the blank Whitman journal volume.

The one new item was a recent online purchase - the 1984 book by David Borthick and Jack Britton on Medals, Military and Civilian of the United States.

Gallery Mint Silver Dollars
One of the first items to be passed my way was this 1804 dollar. I saw the obverse first and asked, "so, is this number 17?" I was joking, but it's amazingly good workmanship.

With all the publicity surrounding the 1804 silver dollar, I thought it would be appropriate to bring mine. The 1996 Peace dollar was also given to me by Ron Landis. He told me that it was struck in coin silver, and that it wasn't made for sale, but "sent to our special friends of the Gallery Mint Museum as a token of appreciation for their support and/or assistance through the past year," and that "not more than 100 were made."

I own a couple of the Gallery Mint 1804s, but had never seen the 1996 Peace one.

I'd never seen this one before, either. The main image is a bit crude but I love the tiny tools at the top - pick, shovel, gold pan, and rifle.

"I purchased this from Joe Levine the last time I visited him, shortly before his death. He bought it in a Stacks Bowers sale; here's the catalog description:"

1859 Society of Colorado Pioneers Medal. Silver and Gold. 49 x 100 mm. 47.2 grams. Extremely Fine.

Obv: Inscription THE SOCIETY OF COLORADO PIONEERS around the border with a scene of a pioneer family travelling (sic) in a wagon in the center. The date 1859 is engraved below. Rev: Blank except for the maker's name DIAMOND / PALACE DENVER / COLORADO / STERLING. The badge is suspended from a pin back hanger engraved J.W. WATSON, below which are a crossed pick, shovel and rifle with a gold miner's pan superimposed over their intersection. Overall dark pewter gray patina.

J.W. Watson was born in 1830 in Ohio, arriving in Denver in 1859 where, for a time apparently, he was the manager of the Brown Mining Company of Clear Creek County.

1899 Macerated Currency Admiral Dewey "Medal"
As noted earlier we didn't pass this one around because of its fragility. Yet another never-seen-before item from Dave Schenkman.

I've bought and sold a lot of macerated currency over the years, but had never seen one of these until it popped up on everyone's favorite auction site a couple of weeks ago. It is four inches in diameter and an inch high; talk about high relief! the back reads "Made of money destroyed by U.S. Treasury estimated value $5,000. National Currency Souvenir Co. Washington D.C. Copyright 1899 by W. H. Abbott."

Finally, Dave also brought a few interesting ad notes. This first piece from New York umbrella manufacturer John I. Smith has a reverse detailing prices for many different types and sizes.

"John Smith note has a really unusual reverse. Carroll & Co. was evidently a very short-lived business. It is listed in the 1835-6 Baltimore directory as a lottery and exchange office at 185 Baltimore Street, and as it says, "we purchase broken and uncurrent bank notes - give the highest premium for gold...." It isn't listed in the 1834 or 1837 directories."

Both nice pieces. The second one is a receipt form and has great vignettes. Super ephemera for photography collectors.

Conversation at my end of the table was all over the map as usual. Topics included long-off-the-market coin collections, driving trucks, Buc-ees and Beaver Nuggets, the end of the cent, and recent sales of 250,000 wheat cents.

It was a great meal, but we were annoyed by the restaurant's new policy of no separate checks for our group. We all had to calculate our own tabs with tax and tip and drop cash into a bag Roger had brought for that purpose. We called him "the bag man." We came up pretty close to the actual total, but the exercise was no fun. Earlier in the evening I'd had to ask the bartender for change for a twenty to make sure I'd have my exact amount in cash.

Other than that, it was another great evening of numismatic fellowship, and we're already looking ahead to December.