WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: MARCH 22, 2026

Tuesday March 17 was the date of the latest dinner meeting of my Northern Virginia numismatic social group, Nummis Nova. Tom Kays attended and submitted this great write-up. He'd asked about a length limit, but with paper and ink free and unlimited online, I told him to go to town, and he did. Thanks!

Tom's Nummis Nova March 2026 Notes
Southern comfort food was on tap at Southside 815 as Nummis Nova dined again. We happily occupied the Alexandria restaurant on St. Patrick's Day, adjacent their noisy bar at full capacity which was hopping with revelers in green. Some of us got the memo about the wearing of the green, and in one case the orange, but for the most part, Nummis Nova assumed a neutral stance on Irish-American displays of festivity-readiness. We are always ready to party.

 

From left to right are many of the usual suspects including Roger Burdette, Chris Neuzil, Dave Schenkman, Eric Schena, Wayne Homren, Mike Packard., Julian Leidman (presiding head of table), Tom Kays, Robert Hoppensteadt, Mike Markowitz. Jon Radel, Erik Douglas, and Roger's guest Curt Gammer. Steve Bishop is out of frame at the other head of table. Before arrival of preliminary bread baskets with apple butter and peach salsa, the long table was awash with show-and-share items and stories moving in both clock-wise and anti-clock-wise directions simultaneously, making it difficult to know on first glance, who brought what, and why it has a cool backstory. For example, a normal-looking, high-grade, 1850 Seated Liberty dime passed by.

 

Seems nice and normal right? This coin was discovered locked in the safe of a ship's purser on the S.S. Central America. The S.S. Central America was a ship of gold coming East from the California gold fields, a sidewheel steamer that sank 8000 feet deep, 200 miles off the coast of the Carolinas during a hurricane in 1857. After a century and a half in the deep, the massive safe was located underwater by teleoperated submersible, safe-cracking robots that opened the safe underwater and pulled out a canvas bag full of dimes used for small shipboard transactions. Did I mention the ship also carried about 30,000 pounds of California gold? Its loss contributed to the Panic of 1857. Purchasing a dime from the salvors, one also gets their yarns about the ship, its voyage, all the artifacts, their recovery and dispersal at auction. Included is a special edition of R. S. Yeoman's 2002 Red Book of United States Coins with S.S. Central America embossed in gold on the cover, Lost Gold of the Republic by Priit J. Vesilind, and Christies December 14th, 2000 Auction Catalog of Gold Rush Treasures from the S.S. Central America.

As befits a Nummis Nova evening, here are more curiosities seen before Red Beans and Rice and the other fabulous Southern Comfort entrees arrived.

 

Amazing sculptural art medal "Autoritratto di Fantasia" by James Licaretz, a retired U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver and past president of the American Medallic Art Association

 
Cuban Medal for the Veterans of the Spanish-American War of 1898

 
1871 Republic of Mexico Twenty Pesos of Guanajuato with mintage of 20,000

 

1932 George Washington Bicentennial Medal – Given to Florence Marydell of Baltimore, Maryland by William Tyler Page, Clerk of the House of Representatives for many years

 

Art Deco 100 mm Titanium, Brass, and Plexiglass Commemorative Medal for Christian Johannes van der Hoef, with silhouettes/shadows of Eagle, Flying Eagle and Vulture by Da van Daalen

 

Silver 1872 New England Agricultural Society Medal by William Barber and struck at the U.S. Mint – Awarded to S. Lawrence for Best Dentistry

 

Five Cent (Half Dime) Note issued by the C.B. Rouss Auction House in Winchester, Virginia from September 7, 1861 – Not shown is the (one bit) Twelve and a Half Cent C. B. Rouss Auction House Note (Probably unique and quite fragile)

 
"Counterfeit" Corporation of Winchester, Virginia 15 Cent Note of June 24, 1861

 

A L Halsted & Son (Importers & Dealers in English, German & American Hardware Cutlery &c.) Fifty-Cent Advertising Note – 259 Pearl Street, New York

By chance, several of us brought Achaemenid Empire coins of the 5th-4th Century BC. Here is a gold Daric showing a hero-king with bow and spear, having an incuse punch reverse.

 

This same design was also used on the silver "Siglos," as seen in a small collection of coins of the Bible below.

 

• Persian (Achaemenid) Kings (485 – 420 BCE) from the time of Artaxerxes I, silver "Siglos" shows king kneeling holding a bow and spear with incuse punch mark on the reverse from the time of the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah when Hebrew people return from Babylonian exile to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
• "Star of Bethlehem" bronze of Antioch, Syria from Year 43 of the Caesarian era, Augustus (12 – 13 AD) with Head of Zeus / Aries the Ram (Zodiac) looking back at a star. Recently scholarly studies say this was the Star of Bethlehem (Jupiter appearing after an eclipse by the moon on April 7th in the year 6 BCE) an astrological portent of the birth of a divine and immortal person that caused the Magi (three Wise Men) from the East to go looking for a new King of the Jews per the Gospel of Matthew.
• "Herod the Great" bronze Prutah (40 – 4 BCE), the King of Judea under Roman rule at the time of Jesus birth showing double cornucopia with caduceus / anchor reverse mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew who met with the wise men seeking to find any new King of the Jews to pay his respects (and reduce competition)
• "Widows Mite" bronze Prutah (103 – 76 BCE) of Alexander Jannaeus with Greek and Hebrew legends showing an eight-rayed diadem (crown) and Anchor as mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark 12:41-44.
• "Divine Augustus" bronze of Rome struck after his death under Tiberius (22 – 30 AD) during Jesus lifetime with Ara Providentiae Augusti (Roman altar of the Forethought of Augustus) that celebrated the continuity of the imperial house and elevated Augustus to an official Roman deity.

• "Tribute Penny" of Tiberius Caesar (14 – 37 AD) is a silver denarius showing Tiberius as Pontifex Maximus (High Priest of the Church of Rome) with his mother Livia as "Pax" on the reverse. Mentioned in Mark 12 and Matthew 22 in a challenge to Jesus about paying annual taxes "Render unto Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is Gods."
• Herod Archelaus (Son of Herod the Great) (4 BC to 6 AD) bronze Prutah with bunch of grapes and tall Macedonian helmet with crest and cheek straps. He ruled over Jews in Samaria, Judea, and Idumea. In Matthew 2, an angel told Joseph in a dream to return with Mary and Jesus from Egyptian exile back to Israel, since those trying to find them were dead. Joseph soon found another Herod "Herod Archelaus" in power in Judea causing Joseph instead to flee to Galilee to the town of Nazareth.
• Herod Agrippa (41 – 42 AD) bronze Prutah of Jerusalem struck under Claudius for Herod Agrippa in Year 6 of his rule over Judea (37 – 44 AD), with royal umbrella-like canopy and three ears of barley. In the Book of Acts 12, Herod Agrippa put to death James, the brother of John during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and then seized Peter for trial.
• Antonius Felix was the Judean Procurator under Claudius (52 -59/60AD), bronze Prutah of 54 AD with two shields and spears / six branched Palm Tree with two bunches of dates and ( "Brittanicus"). He imprisons Paul in Acts 21.
• Porcius Festus of the Judean Kingdom under Roman rule (58 – 62 AD), bronze Prutah struck by Nero for Porcius Festus in year 5 of Nero's rule with upright palm. Porcius Festus in Acts 25 contends with Paul asking him to go to Jerusalem to stand trial among Jews. Paul appeals instead to Caesar and Porcius Festus decides to send Paul to Rome to stand trial.

Coins from the Roman Province of Judea, the breadbasket of Rome at the time of Christ, seem small and monetarily inconsequential compared to the grandeur of the Roman Empire, despite having wonderful historical provenance. Artifacts from the long ago beginning of great things often pale in comparison to artifacts at the zenith of achievement. For example, lets look at coins of the United States before/after 250 years.

 
New 1776 – 2026 Liberty Cap Dime from the Denver Mint with "Liberty over Tyranny" motto

We understand the right talon is empty for now, but we wonder if it will pick up an olive branch by 2033 at the 250th anniversary of the conclusion of the War for American Independence as peace in 1783 was once and again established.

As we look for more of our redesigned change for America's quarter millennial birthday in juxtaposition was a frame of "American Coins from Year Zero" including artifacts found at colonial sites in DelMarVa (prior to 1776). These are real colonial money found in the ground or underwater that were above dirt just prior to 1776, as an unhappy English colony began separating from the Mother Country.

Ready money was scarce and everyday change in both Patriot and Tory purses included many cut coins "frontier change" or "sharp silver." Most abundant were English Georgian copper half pence, Spanish silver pistareens, and recently acquired, Spanish Colonial big silver "pieces-of-eight" that suffered a blacksmith's "guillotine" into useful-size, bits and bobs. Pieces of Massachusetts silver, English silver, Irish copper, Spanish coppers, and counterfeits added to the common man's stash. Bright Virginia Half Pence were released into commerce at the Virginia Capitol at Williamsburg on the eve of Independence at the end of the colonial era. Colonial coins are scarce finds today. Additional period-correct items from spur buckles to buttons and cufflinks fill out the case as typical items found alongside cut pieces.

 

Many more coins, medals, books, and ephemera were passed around but not pictured including a "Half Baked" Medal, a Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society Medal, 19th century private notes issued by the Colorado Supply Company, the Victor Fuel Company, the Coeur D'Alene Water Supply in the Territory of Idaho, the Vulcan Iron Works Company Store, and the Beaver Creek and Cumberland River Coal Company. As empty Key Lime Pie with raspberry sauce plates littered the table after another grand Nummis Nova evening, we departed Southside 815 filled with good food, genial comradery, and expansive and educational numismatic experiences.

Wayne's Numismatic Literature
Our table was packed tight without proper room for me to photograph my show-and-tell items. So I took some photos at home Saturday. As usual, my exhibits consisted mostly of numismatic literature, but I did bring one of the coins Tom highlighted, and it's pictured here showing its full slab.

 

I'd been wanting to buy a silver coin recovered from the S.S. Central America but hadn't been able to find one at shows or on the Finest Known website. When they emailed an offer for a random dime with some free books for $199, I was happy to press the buy button, and even more delighted when the well-packed shipment arrived. The 2002 Special Edition S.S. Central America Red Book is one I've never owned, neither have I had a hardbound copy of the 2000 Christie's sale of recovered SSCA gold. Rounding out the group was a copy of a book on the SS Republic that I'd never owned or read, and naturally some marketing literature. All were in as-new condition. As a collector of both coins, coin books, and numismatic ephemera, I was very pleased. Some of my fellow Nummis Nova members were interested as well. I don't know how long the offer will last, but contact Troy Baker at 888-751-1933 ext. 4530.

See an article elsewhere in this issue for another (way more expensive) SSCA artifact - the 64-Pound 'Eureka" gold bar.

 

 

Here's another book I brought along, and my cameo photo of the gang talking and looking at the goodies being passed around the table early in the evening.

 

Next up is Eric Schena's commentary. Thanks!

Eric Schena's Rarities
I brought a number of items to pass around the table: a selection of Colorado coal mining notes, a very rare privately issued 12½ cent note from Winchester, VA, a couple of Upham counterfeits (mostly to show Dave since he and I are working on an article on him presently), a 1932 Washington Bicentennial Commission medal, and a very nice Cuban Span-Am War veteran's medal.

I got a few Colorado coal mining notes (all from Denver) over the past several months and wanted to bring a couple of neat ones. The 5¢ note from the Colorado Supply Company (the company store for the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co.) is dated 1905 and is not especially rare as these things go (a "common" Western mining note is still quite a rare thing comparatively speaking), the reverse is neat. There's a notation from a Mrs. Westfall of Floresta, Colorado, dated August 8, 1906. Floresta was a coal camp for CF&I and there was a Colorado Supply store there). Today, Floresta is a ghost town. The 10¢ note, also from Colorado Supply, is dated 1910 and interesting because it's in high grade and says it's good everywhere except their store at Trinidad, CO. The Victor Fuel Co. note is quite rare and seldom shows up. The Western Trading & Supply Co. of Denver $1 note is a case of "ratty but rare." It's in an uncommented (!) PCGS G4 holder and really isn't much of a looker, but it may be a very, very long time before I see another.

 

 

 

 

 

I also brought a pair of S. C. Upham counterfeits: a 15¢ Corporation of Winchester, VA note in a PCGS AU58 holder and a raw 25¢ note from the County of Camden, NC. What's nice about these is that they both have fully intact Upham imprints, something that was usually cut off promptly so they could be passed in the South during the war.

 

The 1932 Washington Bicentennial Commission medal came with most of its original Bailey, Banks & Biddle box which was helpfully annotated on the inner lid: "Given to Florence Marydell of Baltimore, Maryland by William Tyler Page, Clerk of the House of Representatives for many years."

 

This medal is an interesting one. It's the Medal for Veterans of the Spanish-American War awarded by the Cuban Republic in 1912 to US veterans of the conflict. This one is particularly nice because of the fully intact original ribbon in the form of the Cuban flag. It's small and hard to see, but the brooch is marked: Villardebo y Riera/Hecho en Cuba.

 

I hope everyone enjoyed their dinner at Southside 815. I know it's a crowd favorite and somewhat centrally located for our motley assemblage.

Wrapping Up
For an overview of Samuel Upham and his counterfeits, see the article elsewhere in this issue. We'll look forward to Eric and Dave's detailed treatment.

It was a great turnout and another great nice of numismatic fellowship. I always enjoy the wide range of material our members and guest bring along. 'Til next time.

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