Chatter

Prepare for Club Auction

The club auction is scheduled for 7PM, at the start of the regular November club meeting. In the past few years, club related material (and Chicago area numismatic items) have had the best results.

Please consider using the club auction to dispose of the numismatic items you no longer need. Details will appear in the October Chatter, but it should follow the pattern from recent years.

Minutes of the 1076th Meeting

The 1076th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was held August 13, 2008 in the Chicago Bar Association Building, 321 S. Plymouth Court, Downtown Chicago. President Robert Feiler called the meeting to order at 7 PM with 25 members and 2 guests, Jonathon and Mimi Lipman, present.

The July Minutes as printed in the Chatter were approved as published. Treasurer Steve Zitowsky reported July income of $635.00 and expenses of $428.73. Total assets of $13,383.60 is broken into Life Memberships $2,630.00 and Members’ Equity $10.753.60. The Treasurer received compliments for separating the Life Membership account from the general funds and he stated the intent to debit and credit the account as new members come aboard and interest is accrued.

Following the second readings of the applications for membership of Bruce D. Bartelt, A. Ronald Sirna, Jr., and Bill Davenport, separate motions were made and passed to accept them into membership.

The featured speaker was Dennis Ciechna on U.S. Paper Money Errors and Unique Notes. After a question and answer period, First Vice President Jeff Rosinia presented Dennis with an ANA Educational Certificate and an engraved Club medal.

Second Vice President Lyle Daly introduced the fifteen exhibitors. DAVID G. GUMM: 1793 U.S. large cent (S9-R2), VG8+ that was not encapsulated due to “environmental damage.” DONALD DOOL: ten advertising cards that “look” like money, and a 1921 Peruvian medal on the centenary of Peruvian independence with San Martin on the obverse. EUGENE FREEMAN: an original and a re-strike of Austrian Maria Theresa dollar and an 1812 4-reales from Mexican Sombrereta. RICHARD LIPMAN: a first day cancelation postcard that included a medal. MIMI LIPMAN: Golem of Prague medal from the Jewish folktales medal series. JONATHON LIPMAN: Singapore’s Hongbao coin pack of 2007 and 2008. ROBERT LEONARD: TAMS literary award received at the recent ANA convention, the TAMS Past-President’s award that featured his portrait, and material relating to his participation on a panel discussion at the recent ANA convention in Baltimore. MARC STACKLER: one-quarter real from San Luis Potosi and contemporary counterfeit of same, and a 1916 Mexican 5 centavo and a 5 centavo coin from the revolution. PAUL HYBERT: two elongated coins from the 2008 ANA banquet and auction catalogs from the convention. ERIC SCHMIDT: hobo nickel, wooden nickel from 1991 ANA Convention, and several unique $1-bills with misprints, offset or low serial numbers. SHARON BLOCKER: book on Dominican Republic coinage and miscellaneous German notgeld. ROBERT FEILER: 1878 Morgan Dollar box coin and 1870 French 5-franc coin holding scissors and knife. MARK WIECLAW: Columbian Expo medal, 1904 Indian cent in a bell-shaped encasement commemorating the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, Bactrian tetradrachm of Eukratides, 171-135 BC, and two silver drachm of Brutus, 44-42 BC. WINSTON ZACK: error $2 note, the new Bust Quarter book Early United States Quarters, first quarters to circulate in the U.S. including 1787 2-reales, 1805 Draped Bust quarter and two 1825/4/2 Capped Bust Quarters. LYLE DALY: ink transfer error on $20 note, Connecticut treasury note for service in the Continental Army worth 8-shillings, 3-pence and 3-farthings, book Early Paper Money of America signed and dedicated to George Mallis, and an old wallet designed to hold large sized banknotes.

Under old business, Sharon and Kevin Blocker presented a donation of $250 to cover the room deposit for the December banquet. Serial no. 1 of the 2008 CICF Fur Money educational souvenir card was presented to Club Archivist, William Burd. Mark Wieclaw, Chairman of the Club’s 90th Anniversary Committee, announced a committee meeting on September 17th at Connie’s Pizza.

Under new business, Robert Leonard announced the sale of $30 in Club souvenir CICF cards at the 2008 ANA Convention. A motion was made and passed to drop from the rolls Paul Roberts, James Rondinelli and Robert Slobins due to non-payment of dues. President Feiler announced a meeting of the Board of Directors for August 20th at Connie’s Pizza. Several ideas and opinions were exchanged concerning the ANA coming to Chicago in 2011.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM.

Sincerely Submitted,
Carl Wolf, Secretary

Board of Governors Meeting,
August 20, 2008

The Chicago Coin Club Board of Governors held a meeting at Connie’s Pizza, 2373 S. Archer, Chicago. President Feiler called the meeting to order at 5:55 PM with the following in attendance: Mark Wieclaw, William Burd, Elliot Krieter, Eugene Freeman, Steve Zitowsky and Carl Wolf.

Following a report by Treasurer Steve Zitowsky on the status of the Club’s treasury, a motion was made and passed authorizing him to open a six-month certificate of deposit with TCF with money from Life Membership dues. A decision to open another certificate in three months was deferred.

The Nomination Committee (Mark Wieclaw, William Burd, Steve Zitowsky and Carl Wolf) reported the following slate of officers for the 2009-10 term: President Jeffrey Rosinia, First V.P. Lyle Daly, Second V.P. Elliot Krieter, Immediate Past President Robert Feiler, Archivist William Burd, Directors: Eugene Freeman, Marc Stackler and Carl Wolf.

A report that LCD projectors were installed in only two rooms at the Chicago Bar Association. Furthermore, CBA seminars receive first priority for these rooms. Elliot Krieter reported on an investigation for the Club to buy a projector and recommended a $799 Optima model. President Feiler reported three anonymous club members volunteered to cover the costs. A motion was made and passed directing Elliot to proceed with the purchase.

News from the recent ANA Convention in Baltimore was discussed, particularly where their Board directed the Convention Coordinator to cancel plans for a 2011 convention in Indianapolis and begin planning for Chicago.

Plans for the Club’s participation at the 2009 CICF and CPMX shows were discussed. The Chairman of the Club’s 90th Anniversary Committee, Mark Wieclaw, announced a committee meeting on September 17th at Connie’s Pizza. He also expressed a hope for another Club Souvenir Booklet with an updated history.

William Burd reported that ex-member Clarence Wills donated to the Club bronze and silver barrel-shaped CCC 500th Meeting Medals. A motion was made and passed to put them on the auction in Wills’ name.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl Wolf, Secretary

Speaker’s Wor[l]d
U.S. Paper Money Errors & Unique Notes

presented by Dennis Ciechna to our August 13, 2008 meeting

The program started with a slide showing the back side of a $2 note; the seal and serial numbers appeared there instead of on the front where they belong. Dennis used this to introduce us to the terminology used by error collectors — this was known as “third printing on back.” The terminology comes from the steps in printing US paper money: the back was printed first, the front was printed second, and the seal and serial numbers were printed (on the front) third. Sometime, such as when different color inks were used for the seal and numbers, the seal and serial numbers were added in two separate steps. A knowledge of how the notes were printed gives the collector a good idea of how and when a certain type of error note was produced.

A sheet of 12 1928G $2 notes was shown next; the seal was on the back, but no serial numbers appear. The next note, a 1928B $2, has the back inverted. That was followed by another $2 note where the third and fourth printings appear reversed on the back; probably transferred from another sheet when the sheets were stacked while the ink was still wet. Dennis mentioned that these types of errors were produced on one sheet at a time, and if the error sheet was not detected and destroyed, then all of the error notes from that sheet, all with that same error, entered circulation. Only one 1928D $2 with the third printing inverted is known from that series, so the others from that sheet either were worn out and destroyed, or are out there somewhere.

A run of three 1953 $2 notes with consecutive serial numbers was next, but the middle number (24417142) appears inverted on its note, while the serial numbers appear normal on the other two notes. The serial numbers on any sheet were not consecutive at that time; the left-most and right-most digits were the same on a sheet, with the only difference on each sheet in a few of the middle digits. The right-most digits would be incremented from sheet to sheet, so that after the sheets were stacked and cut, all notes within each stack were consecutively numbered. A 1928 $2 “star note” was shown as an example from a sheet that replaced a detected (and removed) error sheet.

Next up were many errors on 1976 $2 notes. That was the year when the Bureau of Engraing and Printing started using scanning equipment to detect errors. After many odd and subtle errors made it out, the Bureau went back to using people to find errors. One example had doubled serial numbers, but the numbers differed by four. One example had an inverted seal from a different Federal Reserve Distrct. And there was a sequence of notes with inverted third printing.

The scarcest error notes are the $2, followed by the $100; that is as expected because the $2 note is printed the least, followed by the $100. Dennis followed the $2 notes with examples from other denominations, such as a gold certificate with no seal and no serial number — one of only three known. One of the more striking errors was a sequence of three $5 notes that were missing the second printing — the fronts had only the seal and serial numbers!

After all of those sheet-level errors, Dennis showed some errors resulting from paper folds and paper obstructions. He then showed us Giori test notes in both brown and black ink, and he concluded by mentioning some well-known mismatch errors: the front and back from different denominations, and two different serial numbers on the front of one note.

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Show and Tell

Items shown at our August 13, 2008 meeting.

1. David Gumm showed a 1793 US large cent — an example of the S-9 variety. He grades in VG8, with some porosity. A grading service returned it without a grade, because of environmental damage.
2. Don Dool showed a range of items:
   • Ten printed advertising cards that “look” like money, at least on one side, including: ANA campaign pieces from Anthony Swiatek, John Wilson, and Gary Lewis; local pieces from the Elgin Coin Club and a Bob Feiler business card; and some Argentine handbills (very popular form of advertising there).
   • Postcards from Lima, Peru, showing San Martin statues.
   • A 1921 San Martin medal with a standing image as found on a statue. Don will try and match some status images with real statues during his travels during the next month.
3. Eugene Freeman showed some coins:
   • Two Maria Theresa thalers dated 1780, one original and one a restrike. The original is indicated by the letters IC and FA under the talons, as this was struck in Burgau 1790-1800; the restrike has no letters under the talons.
   • An 1812 4 reales from Sombrereta — a Mexican revolutionary piece.
4. Richard Lipman showed some recent US items:
   • A Gerald Ford inauguration Philatellic Numismatic Cover (PNC) with an Aug 9 1974 postmark on a “Rural America” stamp. A WIN button (Whip Inflation Now) is embedded in the envelope.
   • A US $2 note with two 10-cent Banking and Commerce stamps, postmarked Apr 13 1976.
5. Mimi Lipman showed a Golem of Prague medal, part of the Jewish Folktales Medal Series, and then summarised the tale for us.
6. Jonathan Lipman showed 2007 and 2008 proof sets from Singapore. The packaging is heavy on the color red which is appropriate for these hongbao (red envelope) sets, for good luck.
7. Bob Leonard showed some recent acquisitions from ANA in Baltimore, where he was appointed to the ANA Publication Committee:
   • His past-president medal from TAMS, in gold-plated silver, silver, and bronze.
   • A 1966 Redbook, where he pointed out the beware of spurious specimens in proof condition disclaimer for the 1853 $20 gold US Assay Office piece listing.
   • A 1967 Redbook that no longer carries that disclaimer; the prior year was the only year for the disclaimer. About 200 pieces had come onto the market in the late 1950s.
   • Some of the documents that were reviwed during a meeting that unanimously declared the pieces as counterfeit, including John Ford’s defence of their authentcity and Eric Newman’ indictment of them. The major piece of evidence against their authenticity was the original coin from which the proofs were made — defects in the original (nicks, bag marks, etc) match the defects found on the proofs. The scary part is that, 50 years later, we do not know how to make counterfeits that so well match the characteristics of nicks and scuffs that are picked up after striking.
8. Marc Stackler paired a real Mexican coin with a counterfiet or a copy inspired by it:
   • A ¼ reale from the San Luis Potosi mint, but this piece was not legal tender; Merchants complained when they were not accepted in other states. A cast counterfeit from 1814, of this not legal tender piece; soon all copper coins were declared illegal.
   • A 5 centavos piece from Mexico City, of the standard 1910-1917 design. And a 5 centavos piece that mimicked the design, from Zapata’s forces in Guerrero; this was not a counterfeit as it was intended for use.
9. Paul Hybert gave a quick ANA trip report using paired items:
   • Two elogated coins from the banquet: a 2008 nickel from the Wilsons for their 50th wedding anniversary earlier this year, and a Maryland quarter for the ANA convention in Baltimore. They were given to a collector of elongateds.
   • Two specialized auction catalogs from the convention: the Ed Price collection of early dimes and quarter eagles (some issues shared a common reverse die), and selections from the Meyer collection (the first Capped Bust half collection complete by variety). These duplicates were given to a member who collects early US.
   • Mention of two recently published works: Doty on the Soho Mint, and Tompkins on early US Quarters.
10. Eric Schmidt showed a range of new and old acquisitions:
    • An undated Hobo nickel from the MidAmerica show; it has the look of a real piece.
    • Many paper items found in circulation, including: a 1976 $2 note stamped and postmarked Apr 13 1976; a 1993 $1 with the serial numbers and seal shifted to the right; and a 1995 $1 with the lowest serial number he has yet found, A00000313;
    • From the 1991 ANA convention, a wooden nickel from Carl Wolf & Co.
11. Sharon Blocker has been buying and seling on eBay, and she showed some recent acquisitions:
    • A 1979 book on the coins of the Dominican republic. It includes sections on errors and tokens.
    • Examples of German Notgeld; some weird, some obscene, and she is still trying to figure out how to classify them.
12. Robert Feiler showed some change coins:
    • An 1870 French 5 franc piec turned into a knife. Some of these were made from original coins, while others were made from metal stamped with original dies.
    • A hollowed out 1878 US dollar, his first such piece from a US Morgan dollar.
13. Mark Wieclaw showed some recent acquisitions:
    • A Columbian Exposition medal showing the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Pilgrims, and Columbus.
    • A 1904 indian Head cent encased in a bell-shaped metallic holder from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
    • A Bactrian tetradrachm of Eukratides, with his bust on one side, and the busts of his parents on the other side.
    • A silver drachma of Brutus, with a eagle in the style of an Egyptian tetradrachm.
    • A silver drachma of Brutus; is this a new type?
14. Winston Zack showed a range of items:
    • A 1976 $2 note with a foldover corner.
    • His just-received copy of Tompkins’ Early United States Quarters — 1796-1838. Then he showed some early quarters (or equivalent).
    • A Spanish colonial 2 reales, dated 1787.
    • An 1805 US draped bust quarter; it has slightly more silver than the previious piece.
    • Two of the 1825/4/2 capped bust quarters, both with cuds: one is on the reverse over UNITED, while the other is on the reverse near the arrow tips.
15. Lyle Daly showed paper money and related items:
    • A 1996 $20 note with an ink transfer error.
    • A 1780 Connecticut treasury note for service in the Continental Army, in the amount of 8 shillings, 3 pence, 3 farthings. The reverse has notes about paid interest.
    • A man’s wallet, suitable for large size notes.
    • Newman’s Early Paper Money of America, signed and dedicated to George Mallis, the author of a work on the paper money of New Jersey.

Young Numismatists at the ANA

At the ANA convention, there was an auction and breakfast for young numismatists. Coins were donated by adults for the auction. Then with a numbered paper plate, a young numismatist could bid on the coins using YN bucks. YN bucks can be earned by attending coin club meetings, submitting articles to a newspaper, or by exhibiting at a convention. There are also lots of other ways to earn YN bucks, but these are some of the most important. One of the lots was a half ounce Mexican gold coin.

At the convention, they had a series of foreign mint booths. You could buy a mint passport with a slot for a coin from each different country As you traveled to the different booths, you could also get you passport stamped.

We had a great time, learned a lot, and got lots of coins. Going to the convention was a very rewarding experience in many ways.

Mimi and Jonathan Lipman

Our 1077th Meeting

Important Dates

Birthday and Year Joined

Chatter Matter

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CHICAGO COIN CLUB
P.O. Box 2301
CHICAGO, IL 60690

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