Chatter

Call for Club Auction Lots
November 14, 2012

The club auction is scheduled for 7PM, near 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. Some printed material also has shown good results. Please consider using the club auction to dispose of the numismatic items you no longer need.

You can place a reserve on each lot, and there is no commission charged to either the buyer or seller. Auction lot viewing will be held before the meeting starts, and again briefly before the auction starts.

The November Chatter will contain a list of all auction lots that are known to us by Tuesday, October 30. You can either e-mail your list to Paul Hybert by Tuesday, October 30 if you plan to bring your lots with you to the November meeting; or you can ship your items to Bill Burd by Tuesday, October 30.

If you have questions, Bill can be reached at 773-586-7666.

Minutes of the 1125th Meeting

The 1125th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was held September 12, 2012 in the Chicago Bar Association Building, 321 S. Plymouth Court, Downtown Chicago. First Vice President Elliott Krieter called the meeting to order at 6:45 PM with an attendance of 21 members and 1 guest, Darrell Luedtke. VP Krieter reported President Jeffrey Rosinia is recovering and hopes to attend a Board meeting September 26th and the October 10th regular meeting.

A motion was passed to accept the August Minutes as published in the Chatter. Treasurer Steve Zitowsky gave a detailed report showing August revenue of $183.78, expenses of $281.36 and total assets of $20,250.79 held in Life Membership $1,670.00 and member equity $18,580.79. A $25.00 expense for lost safe deposit key was highlighted. Steve reported the Club’s safe deposit box at the Chase Bank was closed and the material moved to a vault at Chicago Coin Company. A motion was passed to approve the report.

The membership application of Harold Eckardt received a second reading and a motion was passed to accept him into membership.

Reports from the recent ANA Philadelphia Convention included:

• Mark Wieclaw, Host Chairman of the 2013 Chicago ANA Convention, reported on his meeting with Rhonda Scurek, ANA Convention Director. He asked for members to volunteer to work and consider serving as Assistant Chairs to the Chairmen of Pages, Scouts, Volunteers, Exhibits, and Numismatic Theatre. He announced the next ANA Committee Meeting will be September 19th at the offices of Harlan J. Berk, 77 W. Washington, Suite 1320, Downtown Chicago.
• Robert Leonard — plaque honoring the Club’s 100 year membership in the ANA.
• Eugene Freeman — early bird program, international material section, and Numismatics 101 sessions.

It was announced that the Club will sponsor 7 “ABCs of Collecting” talks for beginner collectors at the ILNA Show, September 13-15, 2012 in Tinley Park. Future programs were announced including Gerard Anasziewicz “Russian Wire Money,” Fred Holabird, Reno, NV “The Casa Grande Improvement Co. & the Arizona Land Fraud,” and Bob Wallace “A Coin-Collecting American Boy in Rome” at the December 12 Annual Banquet. Steve Zitowsky & Carl Wolf, Banquet Co-Chairs, reported the banquet cost remains at $45.00 per person with reservations required. Banquet location is Marcello’s Restaurant, 645 W. North Avenue. Cocktails & hors d’oeuvres begin at 6 pm, and dinner at 7 pm.

V.P. Krieter introduced featured speaker Darrell Luedtke who traveled from Milwaukee and spoke on Wonderful World of Wooden Money. Following a question and answer period, Elliott presented Darrell with an ANA Educational Certificate and an engraved Club medal.

Second V.P. Rich Lipman announced the evening’s ten exhibitors: PHIL CARRIGAN – an 1831 Cap Bust dime, Old Ironside’s plaque, and two books; EUGENE FREEMAN – Montreal Cheval bridge token, 1776 Hesse-Cassel thaler, and Lakota tribal 2-unit copper coin; RICHARD LIPMAN – Compound Interest Treasury Notes, National Gold Bank Note, and $1 note with a serial number of all sixes; DARREN HOOPER – copy of the lawsuit involving the ten 1933 Double Eagle Gold coins and 2 Eisenhower Dollars; DALE CARLSON – 2012 ANA Panda and the 7 coin 2012 Canadian specimen set; ROBERT FEILER – watch made from 1948 Mexican 5 peso; MARK WIECLAW – aluminum token issued by Kerry Wetterstrom, Chairman of the 2012 ANA Philadelphia Convention, two $5 gold Canadian coins, two ancient staters, and an ancient Roman lead seal; ROBERT LEONARD – an historical atlas and five numismatic books reflecting a recent trip; MARC STACKLER – 2 Mexican hacienda tokens of wood and cardboard; and STEVE AMBOS – Chinese tael boat sycee and Nurhachi cash coin from 1616-1626.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:49 PM with the next meeting scheduled at 6:45 PM, October 10, 2012 at the same location.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl Wolf, Secretary

Speaker’s Wor[l]d
Wonderful World of Wooden Money

a presentation by Darrell Luedtke,
to our September 12, 2012 meeting

Drawing on a background good enough to be the President of the International Organization of Wooden Money Collectors, Darrell followed a brief history of wooden money with a wideranging, current overview of the field. He was upfront in explaining part of the attraction to collectors — most pieces are inexpensive. Another attraction is the many possible ways of collecting. The split tally sticks of medieval England was the program’s first example of wooden money.

A thin wooden stick was split lengthwise — not in a straight line, but with sawtooth notches of varying widths, so that one piece was a mirror image of the other. The translation from notches to values was quickly covered. As a record of a loan, the borrower and lender each received one side when the loan was made, and they were presented when the loan was paid. They also were used for payment of taxes. Tally sticks were used in England from 1100 to 1826. During an 1834 government effort at housekeeping, the old sticks were burned; the fire spread, and both houses of parliament were destroyed.

Chinese banks used wooden bank notes from 1736 to 1936. We some a few examples from his collection; thay have a hole at one end, and Chinese chracters on the shown side. Wooden Mexican hacienda tokens were issued from the mid-1880s to the 1930s; one side of the shown round pieces has a number — it is the number of sheep sheared. The first European city to issue official wooden money was the Austrian city of Hadersfeld. It issued five series on thin plywood in 1920, in denominations of 10, 20, and 50 heller; a quick view of all 15 pieces ended the background part of the presentation. On to the terminology!

In the United States, a piece of wooden money is known as a “wooden nickel” no matter what the denomination or the item it is good for. We were introduced to the four general classes — official, semi-official, common, and maverick — while being shown samples of each. “Offical” wooden money is used for an official function or event, and is issued by a state, county, or city; since a Chamber of Commerce would actually issue the piece, any piece produced by a Chamber of Commerce is considered official. Official pieces were issued in two shapes: rectangular (known as flat) pieces were, in general, issued before 1955, while round pieces have been produced since 1955 due to their lower cost of production. In the current market, examples of official flat wooden money are priced at $5 and up, but rarities can go for more than $1,000; examples of official round wooden money are generally priced by the issue year: $2 for newer than 1990, $3 if from the 1980s, $3.50 if from the 1970s, $4 if from the 1960s, and $5 if from the 1950s.

“Semi-official” issues are very similar to the official issues, differing in the issuer and quantity: they are issued by an individual, business, or organization instead of a Chamber of Commerce or special committee, and they could be issued in the thousands. The pricing of semi-official issues starts at $1. “Common” wooden money covers issues from businesses, groups, or individuals — in other words, anybody; they can mark any type of event, or just be promotional. The only requirement here is that the issuer of the piece be known. The prices for these pieces start at 25¢. “Maverick” wooden money includes anything that cannot be identified as to its origin — once the issuer has been identified, it moves to common. Some are of stock design, and prices start at 1¢.

Having completed the overview, it was time to look at a range of US wooden nickels! The first US wooden money was issued in Tenino, Washington after the Citizen’s Bank of Tenino (pronounced 10-9-oh) failed on December 5, 1931. Faced with a shortage of change in their isolated community, the Chamber of Commerce had the local newspaper print on rectangular pieces of thin wood, each good for 25¢. Of the forty pieces made, the fragile one gently passed around is one of only 17 known today. The first round wooden pieces were issued in 1933 in Blaine, Washington, when their bank failed. We saw a set of five denominations: 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, and $1. Some other places soon issued their own pieces — some flat, some round. The 1933 Century of Progress expo in Chicago was the first place to use wooden money as souvenirs. The USS Constitution was visiting Washington ports in 1933, and the Chambers of Commerce in Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Brenerton, Olympia, and Longview issued souvenir pieces — the Olympia piece used oyster shell instead of wood.

The Fenton, Michigan Centennial Committee was the first to commemorate a centennial with wooden money, printing 2,500 pieces in each denomination: 1, 2, and 5 wooden nickels. The flat pieces show Col. Fenton, while the 20 special 1 wooden nickel pieces for the planning committee members show a Mr. Leroy, who had lost the naming rights to the new town in a hand of poker with Col. Fenton. To add some local flavor to the presentation, flats from the 1935 centennial celebrations for Elgin and Des Plaines, Illinois were shown. Flats from Amarillo, Texas celebrate the opening of the “Will Rogers Highway (National U.S. Highway 66)” on August 15-18, 1838.

A 1964 issue by The First National Bank of Monroe,Wisconsin led off a range of round nickels. With 20,000 printed they are not rare, but their storied history was guaranteed after the US government seized the last 450 from the bank — the bank had been promoting them, too hard for the government’s taste, in response to the shortage of silver coins. Many VFW and American Legion posts have issued wooden nickels either to advertise their posts or specials, and we saw just a small sampling of the many thousands out there. Among the restaurant chains whose issues we saw were Sambo’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Dairy Queen, and McDonald’s.

Darrell concluded the program with notes on current resources: the ninth edition of the Guide Book of Wooden Money, published in 2010, lists over 32,000 official and semi-official issues; and the IOWMC serves its many members with its monthly newsletter, Bunyan’s Chips.

Current Advertisers

Show and Tell

Items shown at our September 12, 2012 meeting.

1. Phil Carrigan showed recent acquisitions:
   • From Joe Levine, a round, thin metal tag fastened to a wooden plaque. The tag identifies the source of the oak as the U.S. Frigate Constitution, commonly called “Old Ironsides,” when it was rebuilt at the Boston Naval Yard 1927-1930.
   • The book The Copper Collector’s Guide to the Identification of 2x2 Envelopes by Ralph Rucker with Del Bland. A real size image, in color, of a typical envelope used by notable collectors of US Large Cents, from the earliest to the contemporary. These storage materials enhance the provenance and pedigree of Large Cents, and are avidly preserved by many collectors; the information on the envelopes adds to their appeal. The fanciest are actual boxes, with the date and variety embossed in gold. Off the main road, but fun.
   • There have been four editions of Overton’s guide to the varieties of early US Half dollars, but Dick Graham’s new book, A Registry of Die Varieties of Reeded Edge Half Dollars 1836-1839, is a worthy counterpart for the reeded-edge varieties. This book builds on Reiver’s book, providing more and better coverage, in an easier-to-use volume.
   • Phil acquired several dimes from Stack’s Bowers auction of the David Davis dime collection. He showed us one of them, an 1831 dime graded AU-50 by PCGS; it is variety JR-6.
2. Eugene Freeman showed a range of items tied to North America:
   • A Lakota (Sioux) Tribal piece dated 2010 and denominated in 2 units. It contains one ounce of pure copper; pieces with other denominations are available in silver and gold.
   • The earliest bridge tokens for Canada were the Bout de L’Ilse tokens for the three bridges that connected the east end of Montreal Island to the mainland. There were three different source/destination combinations, and each was struck in four varieties — for a person on foot, on horseback, in a carriage, or in a wagon. The bridges were carried away by ice in the spring of 1808. This CHEVAL (horseback rider) token was discovered in a local collection of Canadian tokens.
   • A 1776 thaler from the German state of Hesse-Cassel. This coin was known as the “blood thaler” because it was used to pay King George&$8217;s German troops (the Hessians) who served in North America with the Britsh Army.
3. Rich Lippman continued his theme of early US Federal paper money:
   • An 1864 $10 Compound Interest treasury Note. Before the design was printed on the front, “COMPOUND INTEREST TREASURY NOTE 10” in a block font was printed using bronze ink. A schedule of interest payments is found among the typical scroll work design on the back; the rate was 6% annually, and a check of the schedule shows it did indeed compound. The schedule shows the amount payable at redemption, at six month intervals from the date stamped on the front; after 3 years, when worth $11.94, no further interest would accrue. This type of instrument was issued in denominations from $10 to $1,000, but examples of the $500 and $1,000 are unknown today.
   • An 1864 $20 Compound Interest Treasury Note with the date Aug 15 1864 stamped on the front. Rich directed our attention to the lower right corner on the front, where the design includes a small shield with the words IN GOD IS OUR TRUST. That led to a short discussion of the various phrasings of the IN GOD WE TRUST motto first introduced on coinage at about that time.
   • An 1870 $5 National Bank Note. Issued by The First National Gold Bank of San Francisco, California, the note is from the original series of National Gold Bank Notes. The note is printed on gold colored paper and is payable in gold. Four signatures of bank officials appear on the front; many US coins are shown on the back, surrounded by punishments for counterfeiting.
   • A 1995 $1 Federal Reserve note from the James W. Key Collection, with serial number 66666666.
4. Darren Hooper showed some recent acquisitions:
   • A lawsuit document (more than a hundred pages) from a Federal case, the final memorandum explaining the case from background to ruling. After his mention of the official name of the lawsuit drew no response, he stated this recent case involved ten 1933 double eagles &mdash that produced a response.
   • A 1971-D Eisenhower dollar found in a dealer’s stock. The name of this variety, the Friendly Eagle, results from the lack of an eyebrow on the reverse’s eagle. Another characteristic of this good variety is the very round earth, instead of the typical slightly oblong shape.
   • A 1972 Type II Eisenhower dollar, acquired from the same dealer, completed his set of Ike dollars.
5. Dale Carlson showed acquisitions from the ANA convention:
   • A 2012 Chinese one ounce silver Panda, one of 2,000 pieces made for the ANA convention. The reverse design appears only on these convention pieces.
   • A 2012 Canadian specimen set (similar to a US proof set); 15,000 sets were produced.
6. At his recent retirement party, Bob Feiler was given a windup watch made out of a silver 1948 5 peso coin of Mexico. Stopping at a jewelry store on the way to our meeting, Bob was told the well-made piece was made in the Philippines, using a very good Russian movement that is no longer manufactured.
7. Mark Wieclaw showed a wide range of items:
   • An aluminum token from the Host Chairman of the 2012 ANA Convention, Kerry Wetterstrom. Larger in diameter than a half dollar, one side’s design is inspired by the obverse of the 1792 US half disme.
   • A lead seal from Constantine VII (945-953). In great condition for a lead seal, looking like a small Byzantine bronze coin.
   • Gold 1912 and 1913 Canadian $5 coins, each containing just under a quarter of an ounce of gold. Bought about 15 years ago as bullion, which they might be still.
   • Two silver staters from different cities, Tarsus and Mallus, in the same country, Cilicia, from the same era, 361-334 BC. One has a lion attacking a stag, while the other shows a lion attacking an ox. Mark finds it curious that both of these coins suffer from the same weakness of strike on the coin’s reverse.
8. A July cruise around the Black Sea led Robert Leonard to show one numismatic book for each of the five countries he visited (four of the books were acquired on the trip).
   • The Adventure of Currency in Anatolia by Turgay Türker is written in Turkish and translated into English. This is a history of money, starting with the earliest barter and trade items. The illustrations include such interesting pieces as a gold ducat of Venice with an Arabic countermark for “good,” but the book has it share of little mistakes, such as the caption for a coin calling it a banknote.
   • Coins from Gonio-Apsarus by I. Varshalomidzee, written in Georgian and has summaries in Russian and English, covers coins found in this eastern Black Sea region. The city names in the title are modern and from the Roman era, so it is no surprise that many Roman coins are presented; a more modern piece is a bad gold ducat.
   • A Kiev Rus book was bought before the trip; it shows examples of coins starting at about 1088.
   • Catalog of Odessa Numismatic Museum starts with such early items as arrowhead and dolphin pieces, and also shows an early Rus piece.
   • The Coins of Messambria, is a pamphlet from Nessebar, Bulgaria written in Bulgarian and English, but the text mainly consists of captions for the large images, in color, of real ancient Black Sea coins.
9. Marc Stackler showed hacienda tokens from the Mexican Republic and Revolution eras:
   • A uniface token from Hacienda Trancoso, made of mesquite wood, has a TAR monogram. These were given to workers in lieu of cash, to be used at the “company” store.
   • A round cardboard 10 centavos token from Hacienda de San Francisco, Valentín Soberón y Castro. The ink on this 1914 private issue from San Luís Potosí is mostly faded.
10. Steve Ambos showed some recently acquired Chinese items:
    • A one tael sized boat sycee piece of silver from the late 1800s or early 1900s.
    • A Nurhachi two cash coin from 1616-1626, part of a series of three. It is round, with a central square hole; one side has Manchu script. The issuer went on to found the Ching Dynasty.

Minutes of the 2013 Chicago ANA Convention Committee

September 19, 2012

The third meeting of the 2013 Chicago ANA Convention Committee was called to order by Assistant Host Chairman Bill Burd on Wednesday September 19, 2012 at 6:15 PM in the offices of Harlan J. Berk, 77 W. Washington, Suite 1320, Downtown Chicago.

The following members were present: William Burd, Robert Feiler, Richard Lipman, Eugene Freeman, Harlan Berk, Sharon Blocker, Kevin Blocker, Marc Ricard, and Carl Wolf. Harlan Berk was given a warm round of applause for providing dinner from Reza’s Restaurant and parking vouchers for those parked in the Wabash-Randolph Self Parking Ramp at 20 East Randolph.

Committee Reports:

1. Carl Wolf, Volunteer Committee Chairman
   • Reported good results with 42 volunteers already enlisted.
   • Email blast will go out soon asked Club members and non-member 2011 volunteers to:
     • Mark their calendar and “Save the Date.”
     • Enlist, reenlist and recruit new volunteers.
   • Committee members asked to keep the Host Chairman and Volunteer Chairman posted when they visit local clubs to promote the convention.
2. Eugene Freeman, Scout Committee Chairman
   • Reported on the many Coin Collecting Scout Merit Badge programs in the area which leads to a smaller than expected attendance at the ANA.
   • Spoke on plans to add a Scout Activity Patch to the ANA Scout Merit Badge program; received approval from the ANA Scouting Committee and the Northwest Suburban Scout Council.
   • Received a commitment from the Illinois Numismatic Association to assist in funding the program.
3. Richard Lipman, Page Chairman
   • The ANA web site will post the Page Application after the Fall Convention.
   • Discussed thoughts on:
     • Since the 2011 concession food menus had incorrect prices, discussed the possibility of printing menus at the convention.
     • The 2013 convention floor is planned to be greatly expanded and how this might affect the pages.
     • Whether a Pre-Show event would be held and if pages were needed.
4. Dale Lukanich, Money Talks Chairman
   • Planned to attend, but contacted the Secretary late in the day that overtime work was required.
5. Marc Ricard, Exhibit Chairman
   • Gave Paul Hybert’s report on the exhibits at the Philadelphia Convention.
   • Reported on the expanded exhibit space at the 2013 Chicago event.
   • A desire for more signage directing people to the exhibit area.
   • Joseph Boling to be the Chief Exhibit Judge.
   • Time for judges and exhibitors to discuss the material in the cases.
   • Recruit CSNS exhibitors at their convention in Schaumburg.
6. “Money Talks” Speaker Medals
   • This is a gift from the Club and the final decision rests with the Club Board and general membership.
   • Committee comments included:
     • Positive feedback on the Bronze Standing Lincoln medal with maroon ribbon lanyard presented to the 2011 speakers.
     • Positive comments on the same medal, with updated date/event side, and struck in nickel silver with a royal blue ribbon lanyard.
7. Miscellaneous:
   • Budget – expect to see after the fall ANA Convention
   • Parking Vouchers – Secretary to review 2011 records and report on how many were needed.
   • An affordable kick-off dinner
     • Roof-top party across from Wrigley Field not recommended by committee members.
     • Good reviews received by committee members on a dinner cruse on Lake Michigan.

The Assistant Host Chairman asked for the next meeting on October 17th, at 6:00 PM in the offices of Harlan J. Berk, 77 W. Washington, Suite 1320, Downtown Chicago. A number of committee members could not make that date and requested October 24th. Host Chairman Mark Wieclaw will get back to the committee on this.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:18 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl Wolf, Secretary
Chicago Coin Club

Minutes of the Chicago Coin Club Board of Directors

September 25, 2012

The September 25, 2012 meeting of the Chicago Coin Club Board of Governors was held at Connie’s Pizza, 2372 S. Archer, Chicago, IL. President Jeffrey Rosinia called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM with the following in attendance: Mark Wieclaw, Steve Zitowsky, Eugene Freeman, Elliott Krieter, Marc Stackler, Robert Feiler, William Burd, and Carl Wolf.

• Safe Deposit Box: Steve Zitowsky, Bill Burd and Carl Wolf reported on closing the Club’s safe deposit box in the JP Morgan Chase Bank in downtown Chicago. An inventory of the holdings was reviewed and Bill Burd is holding the contents in a safe at Chicago Coin Company until a more suitable location is found. Nothing was added to the Safe Deposit from 1989, so Bill Burd will locate in the archives Club medals in 1990 and after and add them to the written inventory. A discussion followed on possible new locations.
• Constitution: The agreed upon changes brought up at the June Board meeting were added to the Constitution. The biggest change was the addition of 2 more Directors to the Board. A motion was passed to recommend this revised Constitution to the general membership and authorized Paul Hybert, Chatter Editor, to spend the extra postage needed to send a complete copy to every member.
• Checking Account Co-Signers: A review was made of the Constitution’s Article VI Duties of Officers, Section 3(D), where the President may authorize up to three Board members as co-signers on the Club’s checking account with two signatures required for any amount of $500 or more.
• 2013 ANA Convention: A detailed breakdown was given on Club costs associated with the 2011 Numismatic Theatre Speaker medals and the Club’s convention commemorative medal. Costs for 2013 were promised for the next Board meeting, but everyone felt the project would be within the budget.
• Digital Passwords: Since trusted Club members need access to digital passwords in case of an accident, health issue, etc., it was reported that Paul Hybert (Web) has shared passwords with Carl Wolf and Steve Zitowsky. Steve Zitowsky, Treasurer, has shared passwords with Carl Wolf.
• Nomination Committee: President Rosinia announced the appointment of Mark Wieclaw, Bill Burd, and Robert Feiler to the Nomination Committee. They are to put forward a slate of members in good standing to serve 2013-2014. The committee will announce their selection at the October 10th or November 14th meeting. The election will take place at the December 12, 2012 meeting.
• “The ABCs of Collecting…” The Club-hosted series of beginner coin collecting lectures at the Illinois Numismatic Association (ILNA) Convention on September 13-15, 2012 in Tinley Park was a success. Those who participated found attendees very sincere and willing to learn. Good publicity contributed to the success, with some attendees carrying the program schedule on a post card. William Burd (ILNA Treasurer & Club Archivist) donated a supply of Red Books to be given to every attendee. Several Board members expressed hope that the synergy between the Club and ILNA will result in future joint projects.
• Numismatic Seminars in Chicago’s Cultural Museums: A long discussion was held on the merits of the Club sponsoring all-day seminars in different cultural museums in the Chicago area. The Secretary passed around a copy of a form requesting all numismatists to make presentation proposals which the Club can begin to file electronically by subject, country, era, etc.
• Exhibiting: A discussion was held and every Board member was encouraged to build an exhibit for the upcoming Central States Numismatic Society Convention, April 24-27, 2013 in Schaumburg, and use it also at the ANA Convention, August 13-17 in Rosemont.
• ANA Convention Committee: A brief report was made on the September 19 meeting of the 2013 Chicago ANA Convention.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:29 PM.

Sincerely,
Carl F. Wolf, Secretary

Our 1126th Meeting

Important Dates

Chatter Matter

All correspondence pertaining to Club matters should be addressed to the Secretary and mailed to:

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

http://www.ChicagoCoinClub.org/

Club Officers

Contacting Your Editor / Chatter Delivery Option

chatter_editor@yahoo.com

The print version of the Chatter is simply a printout of the Chatter web page, with a little cutting and pasting to fill out each print page. The web page is available before the Chatter is mailed.
If you would like to receive an email link to the latest issue instead of a mailed print copy send an email to chatter_editor@yahoo.com. You can resume receiving a mailed print copy at any time, just by sending another email.