WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: APRIL 26, 2026

Tuesday April 21, 2026 was the meeting night of my Northern Virginia numismatic social group, Nummis Nova. Mike Markowitz and Robert Hoppensteadt were our co-hosts. Robert and various regulars were unable to attend this month, and we had a more intimate group consisting of me, Mike, Tom Kays, Dave Schenkman, John "JK" Kraljevich, Julian Leidman, and Erik Douglas. Our venue was a repeat performance from last month - Southside 815 in Alexandria.

My exhibits consisted of a group of recent numismatic periodicals and a couple of non-numismatic books. I recently completed "The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence" by Sebastian Mallaby, and just started the new book by Richard Vague, "The Banker Who Made America: Thomas Willing and the Rise of the American Financial Aristocracy, 1731-1821."

Although it was a smaller than usual group, the numismatic exhibits and conversation were as fulfilling as ever. JK and I talked about the 8th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops medal discussed by Matt Robinson last week, and the new book on British Evasion Coppers by Tim Montgomery. Since JK is currently cataloging Richard August's evasion coppers for Stack's Bowers Galleries, Montgomery's book release is timely. And since JK missed last month's dinner I brought along my slabbed 1850 dime recovered from the S.S. Central America. We agreed it's a nice one.

And speaking of Tom, here's his thoughtful take on the meeting and great photos of material passed around.

The April 2026 meeting of Nummis Nova returned to our cozy Southside 815 venue with a smaller crew than last month, but we had double the enthusiasm. From the left are Julian, Dave, John, Tom, Wayne, Mike, and Erik.

The first thing I noticed in swarms of things going by every which way were some no doubt scarce, notes and tokens for old patent medicine cures (be assured these were no quack remedies) for what was known back then as the social disease, the great social evil, the great scourge, or French disease. Remedies from ‘Con-Cure,' ‘Doctor Crooks' (perhaps aptly named?), Doctor L. C. Rose, and Doctor Andrews were on offer to poor sufferers.

Eric and Julian at Bonanza Coins in Maryland had a very nice 19th century proof set cross their coin shop counter recently and they decided to adopt it. From the denominations shown in reverse, can you guess the year of issue, or at least the possible date range for this denomination configuration of proof sets? Hint, the Morgan Dollar is missing. Look for the answer at the end of this section.

A nice bunch of ancient gold coins went by including Byzantine, Roman, and Persian coins. Here are two from this golden hoard.

Phillipicus is wearing a loros with globus cruciger and eagle tipped scepter. The reverse shows the Christian cross on top of globe.

Roman gold Tremissis of Aelia Eudocia Augusta (AD 423 – 460) wearing pearl diadem and earrings from the Constantinople Mint, struck under Roman Emperor Theodosius II

A frame of coins went by intending to show how the Spanish Dollar and Spanish Pistareen were cut to make sharp silver change. Typically, folks simply draw lines across a modern copy of a Spanish Milled Dollar to indicate how bits were guillotined, but such a simple drawing does not tell the whole story. Spanish colonial dollars, Spanish double dimes (pistareens) and half pistareens (basis for the dime) were all cut to make many fractions that would have been instantly recognizable to colonial merchants but often remain a mystery today. Whole coins are on the left and their cut equivalent sharp silver on the right. For instance, if you needed a half dime in change you could look for a half dime or quarter pistareen, but finding none, then cut a half pistareen in half, or a full pistareen into quarters.

Additional oddments included two shaving tokens (5 Cents at Cecil's Barber Shop in Florida), (One Shave – Hill) from Cincinnati, a T. W. Newman Steam-Powered Carousel token ‘Good for One Ride,' 5 Riyals in Saudi Arabian currency found at a shopping center, and a 2026 Heritage Auctions "Eid Mar" pin all have their own stories to tell.

In what years did the US Mint make Trade Dollars, Shield Nickels, and Three Cent Nickels (as well as halves, quarters, dimes, and cents)? Shield Nickels (without stars and bars) were made from 1867 to 1883. Trade dollars were made from 1873 to 1885. Three Cent Nickels were made from 1851 to 1889. No Two Cent Piece is present to rule out 1873. With no Morgan Dollar you might think the set dates between 1874 and 1877 but the hint was that it is missing. So 1878 – 1883 should have been your possible date range.

People gradually peeled away until it was just Tom and I. We talked about my impending retirement from my day job, Tom's advice and my plans (not much yet, other than continuing to edit The E-Sylum without having to cram all the work into my weekends).

It was another great evening of numismatic fellowship, but it wasn't my last outing for the week. Since many of our readers are history and colonial buffs, here's a report.

In the late autumn of 1775, Thomas Paine wrote his famed Common Sense to influence swaying public opinion on the 13 American colonies potential independency. The recently arrived Englishman's passionate yet clear-cut arguments were in print in a cheap paperback version released in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. It arrived in Loudoun County, Virginia just nine days later—which says something about its relevant urgency!

Shared from person to person, often read aloud in taverns, ordinaries, and other public houses, that it caught on this way—as was intended—gives us a sense of how its pithy arguments were able to influence public opinion. After it was read or heard, conversations (and likely arguments) inevitably followed. That American public opinion shifted towards independence between January and July of 1776 is one of the great, speedy crystallizations of public thought in history.

The Loudoun VA250 Committee, established in 2022 to promote interest and programming for America's Semiquincentennial during 2023-2033, is teaming with the Loudoun Preservation Society to offer a public reading of Common Sense on the evening of April 23. Presented as "an antiphonal reading," the public reading will be held at the historic Goose Creek Friends Meeting in the village of Lincoln (formerly Goose Creek) just south of Purcellville. Just across the street from this current 1817 meetinghouse lies the 1765 original meetinghouse, where central western Loudoun Friends—"Quakers"—attended at the time of the excitement over Common Sense.

Ironically, Goose Creek Quakers, who did not believe in war, were suspected by some of Loyalist rather than Patriot sympathies. But it was a lovely event, and the drive there was like time travel in itself. Although I live in the belly of the internet/AI beast, the data center capital of Ashburn, VA, one need only drive 15 minutes in the right direction to be in farm country. Lincoln is about half an hour away, and not long after leaving the highway my handy GPS led me down winding country roads past farms and fields. The last stretch of several miles was a gravel road and my car kicked up a sizable cloud of dust. It was a beautiful evening for a scenic ride and I wish I could have taken some photos of several classic farm houses, barns, and a log cabin.

As I approached my destination I spotted the old stone meetinghouse at the top of a hill and pulled into an adjacent parking lot which I pictured being filled with horsecarts and buggies 250 years ago. I took a few photos, then crossed the street to enter the 1817 meetinghouse where I was warmly greeted. A good crowd was already there and I took a seat in one of the wooden pews. About 80 people were in attendance. The costumed woman next to me was one of the readers. She and her husband grew up nearby and live down the road in an house built in the 1760s, already standing at the publication of Common Sense in 1776.

Attendees were asked to put away their cellphones and "encouraged to participate as 18th century listeners, responding to each of 32 arguments with their voiced sentiments as did our forebears." I got into it with footstomps and the occasional "hear, hear!" and "huzzah!" I stopped myself before shouting "No Kings!", because that phrase has a loaded meaning today. Navigating contemporary politics is a timeless problem.

Paine's words were powerful and poignant, and one reading brought me to tears, knowing how the words reverberate through the centuries and remain totally relevant today.

Afterwards snacks and drinks (water and lemonade) were served. Huzzah for the ginger snaps! I put cash in the collection box and picked up a copy of a nice pamphlet titled "A Guide to Loudoun in the American Revolution" by the county's Semiquincentennial committee. It was dusk when I left. Many thanks to the Loudoun Preservation Society and the Real (friendly) Quakers of Loudoun County.

Keep the Change, Boomer
Today my lunch came to $17.47. As one of the few, the proud, who sometimes pay in cash, I handed over 47 cents in coins and a $20 bill. The cashier handed me back three dollars and the two cents. The cash register rounded my payment down to $17.45. Maybe I should have kept the receipt for my numismatic ephemera collection - one more nail in the penny's coffin.