The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

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Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 2, Number 47:  November 21, 1999: 
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. 
   

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES  

   We have three new subscribers this week: Mike Grogan, 
   Richard Jozefiak, and M. Iskender Targac of Istanbul, Turkey. 
   Welcome aboard!  This brings our  subscriber count to 251.  

   Address change:  numismatic literature dealer Karl Moulton of 
   Great American Sales has a new email address: 
   numiscats@aol.com 
   

NUMISMATIC LITERATURE SALES RECORD SET  

   A Press Release from numismatic literature dealer 
   George Frederick Kolbe announces that "For the first time 
   in history, a numismatic literature firm has sold over one million 
   dollars of numismatic literature at auction in less than a year."  

   In the eleven-month period beginning December 12th, 1998 
   (sale 75, the "Bass I" sale) $1,200,000 of literature was sold. 
   "approximately $500,000 were works on ancient and foreign 
   numismatic topics, the remainder being on American numismatic 
   topics. A great many alltime price records were set, especially 
   in the Bass sales."   Some highlights were:  

   * Two complete sets of the American Journal of Numismatics 
      ($11,000 and $9,000) 
   * Raphael Thian's 1880 Register of the Confederate Debt 
      brought $11,550 
   * Milford Haven's monumental work on British and foreign 
      naval medals realized $4,840 
   

ARMENIAN COIN FINDS PUBLISHED  

   Georges Depeyrot of France sent notice that the first volume of 
   the series "Inventory of Coin Finds in Armenia" by Khatchatur 
   Mousheghian, Anahit Mousheghian and Georges Depeyrot will 
   be available in January, 2000.  The series covers hoards and site 
   finds from Armenia, and includes new studies.  84 pages, maps, 
   graphics, 23 plates, BEF 3000   The book may be ordered via 
   http://www.cultura-net.com/moneta/ 
   

QUICK QUIZ ANSWER #1  

   A few subscribers came through with correct answers to last 
   week's quiz questions.   First question:  

    What well-known U.S. colonial numismatic items trace 
    their pedigree through the Bank of New York?  

     Tom DeLorey, Bill Swoger, and Michael Schmidt correctly 
     identified the answer as a hoard of Fugio Cents, the first coin 
     authorized by the Continental Congress,  minted by James 
     Jarvis.  [See "The Fugio Cents", by Alan Kessler, 1976]. 
     Bill Swoger gets bonus points for noting that the "$7 1/2 
     and $15 gold pieces struck by Ephraim Brasher" can also be 
     traced through the Bank of New York. 
   

QUICK QUIZ ANSWER #2  

    What famous 1930's crime was solved by tracing serial 
     numbers?   Bonus:  an item of numismatic ephemera 
     which led to the arrest of the suspect was sold in what 
     recent auction?  

     Tom Delorey, Bill Swoger, and Bob Cochran all correctly 
     answered the question, although no one collected the bonus. 
     Bob Cochran summed it up best:  

     "I  believe the second question has to do with a listing of the 
      Gold Certificates used to pay the Lindbergh baby kidnap 
      ransom.  

     "The note that "nailed" Bruno Hauptman was a $10 Gold 
     Certificate.  He passed it at a gas station, and the clerk was 
     so intrigued by the  "funny-looking bill" that he wrote the 
     license plate of Hauptman's car in the margin on the back. 
     The police were watching for notes from the ransom to hit the 
     banks, and when they noticed the numbers in the  margin one 
     of the officers had a hunch that it might be a license  number - 
     and the rest is history.  

      This took place in (I believe) 1934, about 2 years after the 
      ransom had been paid.  

      An article in "American History" magazine about 2 years ago 
      about the first "Trial of the Century" recapped the Hauptman 
      trial, and contained  illustrations of some evidence in the New 
      Jersey State Police Museum -   including a color photo of the 
      back of the $10 Gold Certificate with Hauptman's license 
      plate number written in the margin."  

      Here's an interesting web site about the crime and trial: 
      http://www.lindberghtrial.com/html/front.html  

      The bonus answer?   Lot 1660 of the June 19, 1999 R. M. 
      Smythe sale at the Memphis International Paper Money show 
      was a copy of "The Official List of U.S. $5-$10-$20 Notes 
      Paid by Colonel Lindbergh to the Kidnappers of His Son" 
      The 57-page pamphlet lists the "serial numbers of all the 
      small size notes comprising the Lindbergh ransom money." 
      The lot was estimated at $250-$300, but brought $1660. 
   

SUBSCRIBER PROFILE: M. ISKENDER TARGAC  

   A numismatist and coin collector since 1967, M. Iskender Targac 
   is a member of the Turkish Numismatic Society and the Oriental 
   Numismatic Society. "My main concerns are the Anatolian minted 
   coins and researching the Anatolian Beyliks ( AD 1071 - 1400 ), 
   which is the most dark area for Islamic numismatists." 
   

CENT CIRCULATION IN THE SOUTH  

   A visitor to my personal web site asked "Do have any idea why 
   pennies were not accepted in the South in the 1890s?  I am 
   researching a book based on my grandfather's memoirs and he 
   states that when he was in New Orleans in 1898 he was branded 
   as a Northerner when he tried to spend pennies."  

   Does this ring true to any of you?  I don't recall hearing this story 
   before.   I referred them to one of my favorite books, "Fractional 
   Money" by Neil Carothers, 1930. 
   

SHE'S GOT A POINT  

   Patricia A. McGuire, President of Trinity College and a member 
   of the committee of experts chosen to pick the design of the 
   new dollar coin, was quoted in the November 19, 1999 Wall 
   Street Journal in an article about the new Sacagawea coin:  

   "Ultimately, we decided that we wanted someone who had 
   actually lived, not an allegorical figure.  After all, no one ever 
   says we need to have mythical men on our currency." 
   

FEATURED WEB SITE  

   This week's featured web site is a story about the newly 
   announced designs for the U.S. $5 and $10 bills, featuring 
   new portraits of non-mythical men Lincoln and Hamilton.  

      http://www.cbs.com/flat/story_202895.html 
   

  Wayne Homren 
  Numismatic Bibliomania Society 
   

  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a 
  non-profit organization promoting numismatic 
  literature.   For more information please see 
  our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ 
  There is a membership application available on 
  the web site.  To join, print the application and 
  return it with your check to the address printed 
  on the application.   For those without web access, 
  contact Dave Hirt, NBS Secretary-Treasurer, 
  5911 Quinn Orchard Road, Frederick, MD 21701  

  (To be removed from this mailing list 
   write to me at whomren@coinlibrary.com)   

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