The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 17, April 23, 2006, Article 4

THE VALUE OF SALES LITERATURE FOR NUMISMATIC CATALOGING

Dick Johnson writes: "The Calvacade of Sports Medal Series
pamphlet arrived in the mail today. I had mentioned in The
E-Sylum that I needed a copy for documenting four of the
medals (v9n14, article 26).

I found one of the medals for sale on eBay. I wrote the seller
asking if he had the pamphlet available (and offered $10 if he
did). He did but wouldn't talk about price unless I was the
successful bidder.  I overbid for the medal, got it and repeated
my offer. His invoice arrived and stated I could have the pamphlet,
he would only add a dollar to the postage. I sent a bonus payment
anyway (perhaps surprising him to see a check larger than the
amount billed).

The pamphlet answered my every question. Four sculptors created
the 12 medals in the set. They were struck by Metal Arts of
Rochester only in .999 fine silver in limited edition of 1,006
pieces and issued by Paramount International, then of Dayton, Ohio.
It pictured every one of the medals!

This does bring up the point about sales literature.  Are you
one of those people who saved all the letters and printed matter
you received from Franklin Mint?  Did you wonder why you did it?
You may be glad you did!

Sales literature often is a rare source of valuable data. In
cataloging some Franklin Mint medals I have often found some
data missing. What date was it issued? What series was it?  What
issue number in the series? Quantity struck? And for me I always
want to know who was the artist(s).(Some were designed by one
person and modeled by another.) Often sales literature has the
answers. Franklin Mint had yearly catalogs -- published by Krause
Publications -- and a monthly periodical, but even so there are
still unanswered questions.

All this is gist for the numismatic cataloger. All part of a
medal's collector lore. Let's hope someone saved all that lore!"

[As a numismatic bibliophile, I may be in possession of the only
remaining empty box of Almond Delight cereal, which pictures and
describes the set of banknote reproductions given away in the boxes
as a promotion several years ago.  If anyone else out there has one
of these, you're certifiably as nutty as I am about numismatic
literature.  Dick is dead-on right: often this sort of ephemera is
the only source of information about certain numismatic issues.
If no one saves them or records the information, it will be lost
forever.  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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