The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

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Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 4  January 23, 2000:  
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.  
Copyright (c) 2000, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.   

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES   

   Andy Bennett dropped out, but we have four new subscribers  
   this week:  J.P. Martin of ICG (Independent Coin Grading Co.),  
   James Castledine of the U.K.,  French numismatic author and  
   journalist Bruno Collin, and Robert Galiette, referred to us by  
   Fred Lake.    Also, the "Jim N", who joined us last week, is  
   Jim Neiswinter.  Welcome aboard!  This brings our subscriber  
   count to 275.  
   

 RICHARD STOCKLEY BOOK LIST AVAILABLE   

   Richard Stockley writes: "Anyone wanting an email copy of  
   my numismatic book list can request one at  
   stockley@total.net.   For those who requested one before  
   and had trouble decoding it, it is now in plain text format."  
   

ANGLO-BOER WAR CURRENCY BOOK PUBLISHED   

   A new book by John Ineson, "Paper Currency of the  
   Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902"  has been published by  
   Spink and Son.   According to an article by George  
   Cuhaj in the January 2000 issue of Bank Note Reporter,  
   "For over 30 years, Ineson has been researching this  
   historic group of paper money, postage stamps, and  
   emergency tickets issued during the Anglo-Boer War.  
   His work culminates with this publication."   For more  
   information contact Spink and Son at 5 King James Street,  
   London, SW1 1YT 6QS, United Kingdom, for 30  
   

ANS ACQUISITIONS   

   The Fall 1999 Museum newsletter of the American  
   Numismatic Society includes these notes of interest to  
   bibliophiles:  "... the Society had received the numismatic  
   library of the late Charles A. Hersh, a collection which  
   reflects Mr. Hersh's own interests, namely, the Roman  
   Republican coinage and the coinage of the Macedonian  
   kings."   

   The following note may be of interest to U.S. collectors:  
   "In closing his report on acquisitions, the Librarian  
   mentioned that the Society had just received the Garrett  
   Numismatic Archives, an outstanding donation about  
   which he would have more to say at a later date."   

   Could this be the archives of the Garretts of Baltimore, MD  
   stored at Evergreen House?   The archives were discussed  
   in The E-Sylum v2#35, August 27, 1999, after Michael  
   Berkman described his visit there.   At the time, it was  
   suggested by some that the archives be donated intact to  
   an organization such as the ANS, rather than allowing them  
   to be destroyed or dispersed.  
   

NUMISMATIC BIBLIOGRAPHIES   

   In reference to Fred Lake's talk at the recent NBS meeting  
   at the FUN show, Jan Monroe writes:  "I attended Fred's  
   talk and he hit the main sources for printed material quite well.  
   He did not discuss however, the ANS Numismatic Literature  
   series of  publications, nor did he mention that the ANS is  
   putting its library catalogue on CD-ROM.  It would also have  
   been appropriate to mention the NUMISMATIC INDEXES  
   PROJECT (NIP) by the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research  
   Foundation (HBRF) which I have found to be quite useful  
   along with the printed ANA library catalogue."  
   

 BIBLIOGRAPHY UPDATE   

   The following new sections on modern coinages have been  
   added to the NBS online numismatic bibliography by Larry  
   Mitchell.  The bibliography resides on our web site:  
   http://www.coinbooks.org/   

      78. ITALY, PAPAL STATES & MONACO  
      79. SPAIN & PORTUGAL  
      80. AUSTRIA AND THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE  
      81. GERMANY  
      82. FRANCE & THE LOW COUNTRIES  
   

PRINTING THE E-SYLUM REVISITED   

   W. David Perkins writes:  "re. Harold Welch  / "Printing the  
   E-Sylum," try highlighting the document, then "right click" and  
   "copy."  Then paste into a word processing (new) document.  
   You will get a much better left margin, or can play around  
   with it until you get it looking pretty good, then print.  It  
   worked pretty well for me when I tried."  
   

BACK ISSUES OF THE E-SYLUM   

   Harold Welch writes: "Is it possible to receive back issues of  
   The E-sylum online?   Or do you have a disk with all issues?  
   Is their a way to allow someone to go back and download all  
   past issues?  Just wondering."   

   Well, the back issues are archived on the NBS web site, and  
   have recently been brought completely up to date.  Go to  
   http://www.coinbooks.org/ and click on "E-Sylum Archive".  
   

WHO'S KIDDING WHO?   

   An advertisement on p84 of the January 31, 2000 issue of  
   COIN World reads: "$25,000 REWARD for the location  
   and legitimate recovery of my 1804 SILVER DOLLAR.  
   The coin was stolen from my upstate New York home.  
   Remarkably, this coin has extensive circulation wear and  
   has (or had) three initials deeply cut into its surface.  All  
   replies confidential.  FRANK A. BROWN, P.O. Box  
   924, Clearwater, Florida, 33757"   

   Among the rarest and most valuable U.S. coins, the 1804  
   silver dollar provides perennial fodder for pranksters,  
   crooks, and the less-informed collecting public, who think  
   they have a fortune on their hands when all they really have  
   is a replica of the famous coin.   

   The new ad recalls the now-famous ads by Samuel Brown,  
   beginning in the December 1919 issue of The Numismatist,  
   offering to buy examples of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel.  
   Brown had worked at the Philadelphia Mint, and after  
   running his series of ads he unveiled an example of the coin  
   at the 1920 Chicago ANA convention.   

   Only five examples of the coin are known, and all originated  
   with Mr. Brown.  Eric Newman wrote in 1963: "I still have  
   the special leather case made for these nickels and had the  
   opportunity to study all five coins at one time.... Samuel  
   Brown, original owner of all five nickels, was guilty of  
   deceptive practices from which one could conclude that  
   the coins were improperly or unlawfully acquired by him."  
   (As quoted in Adventures with Rare Coins, Q. David  
   Bowers, 1979, p13)   

   At the time of his ads, Samuel Brown lived in North  
   Tonawanda, N.Y.   Hmmm, same last name (Brown), and  
   towns in upstate New York.  Coincidence?    There are at  
   least four possibilities:   

   1. some wag is setting up the hobby for an April fools' joke.  
   2. someone is trying to legitimize a fake 1804 dollar.  
   3. Frank Brown is for real and once had a fake 1804 dollar  
   4. there really exists (or at least existed) a heretofore  
       unknown specimen of the coin.   

   With the recent issue of  reproduction 1804 dollars by The  
   Gallery Mint, it was inevitable that they would fuel an new  
   round of tomfoolery.  The coins are all marked "COPY" on  
   the reverse, in compliance with the Hobby Protection Act.  
   I wonder if the three initials on the mystery coin will turn out  
   to be "COP" or "OPY"...?  
   

FEATURED WEB SITE   

   This week's featured web page is from the library of  
   the American Numismatic Association.   The first in a  
   planned series of web pages featuring high-resolution  
   images of rare books, it shows digital images of one of  
   the rarest works in American numismatic literature,  
   Perkins' Bank Bill Test.   

   Printed in 1809, the book "offered the public original  
   impressions of Massachusetts paper currency whereby  
   they might determine a note's authenticity."   

      http://www.money.org/library/perkins/main.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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