Chatter

archive also available

Editor's Notes

This issues's Show and Tell article is illustrated! The printed Chatter contains only those grayscale images which print nicely, while the on-line Chatter contains color images with each image being a link to a larger-sized image. Although some colors are off (the Sacagawea dollar is really more golden in color), the images are sharp enough to see the lint and dust on some pieces. But the images of paper money did not turn out at all, mostly because I practiced on worn coins. (A proof silver medal had such mirror-like fields that the image in the camera's view finder included the small printing near the edge of the camera lens!)

The URL is http://www.ece.iit.edu/~prh/coins/chatter/Jun/ and the images are best viewed with a setup that supports true-color (also called 24-bit color, or 16-million possible colors). Next time, a small millimeter scale will be located diagonally in some corner of each image.

Paul Hybert, editor

Minutes of the 976th Meeting

The 976th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was called on May 10, 2000, 7 PM, Bank One, 18th floor by president Carl Wolf. With the exception of typographical errors, minutes from the prior meeting were approved. The treasurer's report was read and approved. Guests for the evening were Sharon and Kevin Blocker from Oak Park, IL.

First VP Steve Zitowsky introduced our featured speaker for the evening, member Bob Feiler. Bob's topic was Odd Denomination Notes and Scrip. Bob displayed a whole range of odd denominations of U.S. paper money staring with low values and working to higher values. At the conclusion of his talk, Bob was presented with the ANA Educational Certificate award and the club Featured Speaker medal.

Exhibitors for the evening were as follows:

1. Bill Swoger - Old reference books on ducats, 1752 ducat
2. Mark Wieclaw - 1921 Mexican peso, owl coins, 1880 Morgan dollar
3. Don Dool - 1599 Naples bronze, 1681 heller, Baleric Islands coin
4. Carl Wolf - Souvenir sheet ABN Co Artisan Bank, NJ
5. Jeff Rosinia - Old coin holders and folders
6. Mike Metras - Sacagawea dollar 2000, ANA transportation token, Confederate note
7. Bob Feiler - Simulated 1909-S Lincoln cent, saving society bond coupon for $3 in gold coin

There was a second reading of membership for Satya Bhupatiraju, Michael Schmidt, and Russell F. Wajda and they were subsequently approved for membership. Also, there was a first reading of membership for Sharon and Kevin Blocker.

Under old business, minutes from the board of directors of April 26th were published in the May Chatter for members to review.

The metallic life membership cards are in and since Mark Wieclaw donated the costs, Carl presented the first card to Mark. Cards were then presented to the other life members present, Carl Wolf and Bill Burd.

Mark Wieclaw was also presented with the ANA Presidential Award lapel pin following the original presentation to Mark at CICF by Kermit Wasmer.

Under new business, mention was made of Bob Leonard's article on primitive money in the May 8th issue of Coin World and Steve Feller's article on internment camp currency in the May issue of The Numismatist. Don Dool mentioned that he has been writing a series of monthly columns on coins of conflict published in World Coin News.

Members said farewell to Mike Steffens for awhile as he is relocating to Scottsdale, Arizona later this month. Meeting adjourned 8:51 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Richard Hamilton
Secretary-Treasurer

Speaker's Wor[l]d
Odd Denomination Notes and Scrip from the United States

Our featured speaker, member Bob Feiler, summarized his interest in this material as follows:

What I find interesting about obsolete currency and odd denominations notes and scrip is the vast assortment which is still available to the average collector on a budget. It is possible to make and build a collection with as many or as few notes as one would like. Odd denomination notes and scrip can be obtained from thousands of issuers with very fanciful and decorative designs and vignettes.

His collection of odd denomination notes was started when he spotted, at a local coin show, a $3 bill that he just had to buy. The dealer then explained that a host of other unusual amounts could be found on bills and scrip, including a $4 bill. That encounter "set the hook" and kindled his interest in obsolete and odd denominations.

One of his first notes was an unissued $3 (remainder) note from the mid 1800s which featured a backwoods pioneer with his horse and dog. The man is depicted bending down to drink from a stream. One of his favorite notes is the $2.50 Illinois and Michigan Canal fund note from the 1840s which has a cross eyed buffalo as the central vignette.

There are only a few references devoted to obsolete denomination bank notes and scrip. One is Denominations by Roger Durand, and the other is Odd Bank Note and Scrip Denomination in American Monetary History by John A. Muscalus. There are annual price lists by Hugh Schull in addition to the listings scattered throughout the references by Haxby and Criswell.

After displaying many colonial-era notes with apparently odd denominations, Bob and the audience discussed the exchange rates between the different colonies. Although the term dollar generally referred to the Spanish 8 reales piece, the currency of most colonies was denominated in pounds, shillings, and pence. But the tricky part is that different colonies valued their shillings differently against the dollar. That helps us understand the existence of notes bearing such denominations as one-ninth dollar, two-ninths dollar, and one-sixth dollar. Some of the denominations of Pennsylvania notes shown were two shillings and six pence, 3 shillings, 6 shillings, and 14 shillings.

Along with warnings against counterfeiting, Bob pointed out some of the anti-counterfeiting measures taken in the colonial era. Such as a tobacco leaf reverse, fine pieces of mica embedded in the paper, and secret marks and mis-spellings.

Most of the odd denominations notes from the 19th century were issued by the many private and state-chartered banks, railroards, and insurance companies then in existence. These are usually called broken-bank or wildcat notes.

The local scrip issued in the 20th century provided the last examples of odd denominations in Bob's presentation. These notes typically have a low denomination, valued in either cents or fractions of cents. Issues from Moline, Illinois valued at one-eigth and five-eights cent were shown, along with issues from the First National Bank of Plaza, North Dakota valued at one-half, one and one-half, two, and four cents. Although mostly of a souvenir nature nowadays, the scrip from the depression-era met an actual need, as did the one cent food stamp program refund piece dated 1969.

Show and Tell

1. Bill Swoger started this session with a 1752 gold ducat from Waldeck. The piece is not listed in Krause or Friedburg. He also showed a two-volume 17th century reference work on gold coinage, and told how he acquired them.



2. Next was Mark Wieclaw with a wide assortment of items:
   • Mexico 1921 50 Peso - the key date of the series with only 180,000 minted.
   • A silver drachm of Tareton, with an owl one side and Athena on the other side.
   • A bronze from Syracuse, with an Athena obverse and a reverse of Nike seated on a bull.
   • British 1964 3 pence capped die error. This is viewed with suspicion because it shows many simultaneous errors and because many such specimens appeared on the market at the same time. They were allegedly struck by a mint employee.
   • 1880/79 CC US Morgan dollar and a photo of the overdate taken through a microscope. Mark invited club members interested in having such photos taken of their coins to contact him.
   
   
3. Don Dool likes those early copper coins, and showed us:
   • Naples & Sicily, 1599, Cinquenta, Phillip III of Spain, 1598-1621. Eklund 356. The obverse shows the cross of Burgundy with flames in angles. while a cornucopia divides the date on the reverse.
   • Sachsen-Coburg, 1681, Heller, Albert II, 1680-1699. Grasser 394; Eklund 1223. The obverse bears a crowned A between crossed palm branches, while the reverse is rotated 45°.
   • Hildesheim, 1658, Muhlenzeichen (Mill tax token) (also listed in Mailliet as an emergency issue?) About 30 entries in Neumann. In Friedrich Freiherr von Schroetter's Woeterbuch der Muenzkunde, the meaning of muhlenzeichen (as translated by Chris Ehrhardt of New Zealand) is given as:
     "Tokens which had to be handed over at the mills in payment of the grain-milling tax. Occur in the 16th and 17th centuries in Minden, Dortmund, and above all from 1600 to the beginning of the 19th century in Hildesheim, where they were systematically organized, with a different metal for each sort of grain and a different shape for each quarter of the city, and the amount was indicated by the number of corn-grains marked on each."
   • Ibiiza (Spain-Balearic Islands), 1686, 12 Dinereos, Graded fair by Canadian dealer
   • Tournai, 1709, 2 Sols, shown for comparison of grading to above, graded fine by European dealer


4. Continuing his theme of of Souvenir Sheets bearing replicas printed from the original plates, Carl Wolf showed a $10 note from the Artisan Bank of Trenton, NJ (1857-1858). The vignettes on their notes refer to craftsmen such as the mechanic and shipbuilder on this note originally printed by Danforth, Wright & Company, one of the firms that eventually merged to form the American Bank Note Company. The ABNC printed this replica on a larger intaglio printed sheet that served as a souvenir receipt for a $10 contribution to the American Numismatic Association's building fund of 1981.

   Carl next showed sovenir rounds from a banquet sponsored by Tudor Investment Group in 1982. The main design elements were a tuxedo-wearing bull and bear, with the phrases Cogito Ergo Sum (I think, therefore I am), and Memento Mori (Remember your mortality). The lead trial strikes appear below.




5. Long-time area residents took a trip down memory lane with Jeff Rosinia as he showed the coin holders issued by various banks and Savings and Loans in the 1950s and 1960s. Somewhat reminiscent of the Whitman "penny boards," these were promotional items used to encourage people to save the minimal amount to open an account. They were issued in dime versions and quarter versions to reach the $3 or $5 filled value (and one from the Northern Trust Bank would hold folded dollar bills to reach a larger amount!). Holders were from Exchange National Bank, Evanston Trust, Cook County Federal Savings, Harris Bank, Northern Trust, Gateway National Bank, First Federal Savings, Admiral Savings, Bell Savings, and Home Federal Savings. How many of those names do you remember?
   
   Jeff also showed some of the state quarter coin holders that are currently available.



6. Mike Metras showed two pocket pieces and some Confederate Notes.
   • Sacagawea dollar showing some loss of luster.
   • ANA transportation token form the 1999 convention in Rosemont. Mike will show us these pieces in the future so we can see how they wear down.
   • 100 dollar note from Richmond, payable 6 months after peace. It bears a postal marking from Jackson, Mississippi and interest-paid stampings from January of 1863, 1864, and 1865.
   • 20 dollar note from Richmond, payable 2 years after peace.


7. The last exhibitor was Bob Feiler with an oversize Avon lip gloss container as an oversized 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent. He also had a $4 (unusual denomination) note from the Equitable Savings Society (date 1900), and a February 1st 1929 $3 bond coupon note from the Pioneer Trust and Savings Bank. The wording on the coupon is unusual: "Lawrence L. Veit, a bachelor and Regina Hans Wolins and Leo Wolins, her husband promise to pay to the bearer" $3.00 in Gold Coin.

Harry Flower

Albert Einstein once said: "God does not play dice." He referred to the order of nature and the quantum theory. In many respects, with a little imagination, a similar phrase could be applied to Harry Flower, Pharmacist, Numismatist, Gentleman and Friend. When Harry began to collect some new aspect of coins, the order of his approach increased in a quantum fashion as he pursued his acquisitions of the coins and of the historic information about them. Thus, he followed in the path of his life-long idol, Albert Einstein.

Harry Flower, 87, passed away on May 24 of a heart related condition, in Grand Junction, CO where he and his wife Bess have lived in a retirement village for the past three and one-half years after leaving a 20 year residency in Wheaton, IL. He is survived by Bess, a son, Mark (Kenda Vaughn), a daughter, Phyllis and three grandchildren.

Harry grew up in Lexington, KY and attended the School of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He had his own pharmacy for 30 years, which he maintained until his partial retirement in the early 1990s, but continued to apply his pharmacy experience working part-time for several downtown pharmacies. Harry and Bess were longtime members of the West Suburban Congregation in Oak Park, IL.

Numismatically, Harry had one of the world's largest collections of coins and medals featuring Albert Einstein, including several pieces which were made specifically for him. He authored the definitive catalog on Einstein coins and medals and, in addition, had a large collection of ephemera devoted to the life and times of Einstein. Harry also authored the book Tokens and Medals Issued by Israel Numismatic Society.

A prayer book includes the line: "Lord, let me know mine end, and the number of my days that I may be certified how long I have to live." This was never a concern to Harry, who simply lived to the fullest every day of his life in pursuit of his interests.

Harry Flower joined the Chicago Coin Club in 1958 (No. 695) and remained an active member until leaving for Grand Junction. He was a founding member of the Hillside Coin Club and of the Israel Numismatic Society of Illinois, and was associated with the Oak Park and Morton Grove Coin Clubs. At the National level, Harry was a member of the American Israel Numismatic Association and the American Numismatic Association. He authored a number of manuscripts for The Shekel (AINA) and The Numismatist (ANA) and other journals. Among the many awards received by Harry Flower over the years was his appointment as a Numismatic Ambassador by Krause Publications. So thorough was Harry's pursuit of his numismatic interests that it has been said that he needed three copies of every coin, one to show the obverse, one for the reverse, and one for the edge.

He began collecting in 1928. In addition to his interest in things related to Einstein, Harry generated a large collection of items manufactured from coins, including coin boxes, fobs, ash trays, spoons, etc.

A graveside service was held in the West Suburban Temple Section of Glen Oak-Oak Ridge cemetary in Hillside, IL on Tuesday, May 30.

Saul Needleman

Our 977th Meeting

Date:	June 14, 2000
Time:	7:00 PM
Location:	Bank One Plaza Building (formerly the First National Bank Building) 18th Floor, on Dearborn between Madison and Monroe. Enter the building at the South entrance of the Dearborn side, sign in at the security desk and take the elevator to the 18th floor.
Featured speaker:	Robert Weinstein - The Coinage of the Sakas
	Saka was the name by which the Scythians refer to themselves. These were a nomadic people who are first mentioned in history in the 8th Century BC as raiders and plunders of Greece, Persia, Egypt and Assyria. They were held together by a common language and culture that reached from Eastern Europe to the borders of China. Within numismatics perhaps the most commonly known Scythian subgroup was the Parthians. Join Mr. Weinstein as he shares with members examples of the diverse coinage from these people (300 BC - 300 AD) and gives an update on the latest research in Indo-Scythian numismatics.

Important Dates

Birthday and Year Joined

Chatter Matter