Chatter

7 Months until ANA in Chicago

With this year’s convention being held earlier in August than in past years, we hope to see more Young Numismatists on the bourse, in the meetings, and in the exhibit area. Our club has no YN members, but many of our members also are members of local clubs that have YNs in attendance — if you have any YNs who exhibit or make presentations at your local club, please encourage them to consider exhibiting at the ANA convention this August. The ANA web site has pages on building an exhibit, and also has the application and rules for exhibiting at the 2013 convention — very little of the details will change for 2014. Remember, August 5-9! Email any questions and comments to chatter_editor@yahoo.com and someone from the local committee will respond.

Minutes of the 1140th Meeting

The 1140th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was the Annual Award Banquet. The event was held December 11, 2013 in the Green Room at Foodlife in Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave. Mezzanine Level, Chicago. Members began to arrive as early as 6 PM to visit the many food stations. The meeting was formally called to order at 8 PM by President Elliott Krieter with 32 members and guests present. A motion was passed to adopt an abbreviated agenda.

Richard Hamilton delivered an invocation. The applications of membership of Dennis Gorman and Mike Clark received second reading and a motion was passed to accept them into the Club. The application of Melissa Morsi received first reading. First V.P. Richard Lipman received a round of applause for suggesting the banquet location.

Rich introduced the evening’s featured speaker, Mark Wieclaw, who spoke on Brookgreen Gardens: Art, Nature, Numismatics. Following a question and answer period, Rich presented Mark with an ANA Educational Certificate and an engraved Club medal.

Second V.P. Marc Stackler presented Cabeen Exhibit Awards for outstanding exhibits in 2013. Bronze Honorable Mention went to: Dale Lukanich, Robert Feiler, Eugene Freeman, and Robert Weinstein; Second Place Silver was awarded to Mark Wieclaw; and First Place Gold to Richard Lipman.

Member Brett Irick was visiting from Detroit and spoke of his involvement in arranging participation by the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association at the 2014 Chicago ANA Convention. He also summarized several upcoming numismatic events in the Detroit, MI and Windsor, Ontario area.

Jeff Rosinia conducted a raffle with large chocolate coins as prizes, then surprised his wife Kathy with a birthday cake and candles.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM. As an annual tradition, Jeff Rosinia brought a pocket trumpet and serenaded the group with a lively version of Jingle Bells.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl Wolf, Secretary

Speaker’s Wor[l]d
Brookgreen Gardens: Art, Nature, Numismatics?

a presentation by Mark Wieclaw,
to our December 11, 2013 meeting

Brookgreen Gardens is the world’s largest statuary garden, so that covers the Art and Nature in the presentation’s title — the works by artists who designed U.S. coinage explains the Numismatics. After the August 2012 ANA convention in Philadelphia, Mark and his wife drove to South Carolina to visit Brookgreen Gardens; many of the program’s slides came from that trip. The first slide was of the cover of the June, 1981 issue of The Numismatist, and featured the Fighting Stallions sculpture by Anna Hyatt Huntington which is located at the garden entrance. That issue was one of the first that Mark received as an ANA member, and he finally visited!

Brookgreen Gardens was established by the Huntingtons in in the early 20th century. Archer M. was the stepson of a railroad magnate, and Anna Hyatt was a scultor; together, they founded 14 museums, 2 state parks, and many other institutions. Four old rice plantations (one was named Brookgreen) were bought and combined to form a warm-weather getaway spot. It also was intended as a showcase for scultures. Mark showed us Anna’s early plan for the garden — the pathways form the shape of a butterfly — and a current map shows some of the orginal idea. He considers an admission ticket, costing $14 and good for 7 days, a great value.

Anna Huntington sculpted mostly animals, but she also sculpted one of the six Diana sculptures in the garden; a slide of this was among the slides of sculptures of mythological figures set among the lawns and vegetation of the gardens. Some sculptures are surrounded by a flower bed, while others are set in a fountain or a pond. There are more than 1,000 pieces in the garden, with the smaller pieces moved around. Some show some humor, such as the somewhat recent Eat More Beef by Sandy Scott — it is the sculpture of a mature pig. The buildings contain hundreds of smaller statues, some too delicate to be placed outdoors. Pieces are constantly being added to the permanent collection, while some pieces are on temporary loan. Regional history also is covered — one case holds plantation tokens, used by sharecroppers to purchase goods at a plantation store. Other cases hold medallions, some made there, that are for sale. That was a nice introduction and overview, but what about the numismatic artists?

The Hermit Crab, a 1991 bronze medallion for Brookgreen Gardens, by Don Everhart led off the works by numismatic artists. Between 1995 and 2005, Don’s designs were used on 21 US coins: first spouse, state quarters, commemorative dollars, and circulating coins (Jefferson nickel obverse, and the Professional Life Lincoln Cent reverse. We quickly saw a group of children around a flag pole by Glenna Goodacre (Sacajawea dollar obverse), a large circular plaque by Chester Martin (1992 White House dollar), a boy riding a porpoise by B.F. Hawkins (1936 Wisconsin half dollar), and a sculpture by Charles Keck (1915 Pan-Pacific gold dollar, 1927 Vermont half dollar, and the 1936 Lynchburg half dollar). Two works by Gertrude Lathrop, a small dog named Bosie and a white heron, were followed by her two coin designs (1936 Albany half dollar and 1938 New Rochelle half dollar). Sculptures and commemorative coin designs by Brenda Putnum, Robert Aitken, and Chester Beach followed, and Mark showed Daniel Chester French’s Benediction even though French never designed a US coin — but he did create the Minuteman statue shown on the 1925 Lexington-Concord half dollar, not to mention the seated Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial which appeared on the Lincoln Cent reverse starting in 1959.

The designers of circulating coins were more familiar to us, and we saw works by Anthony de Francisci (Peace Dollar), Hermon A. MacNeil (Standing Liberty Quarter), Adolph A. Weinman (Winged Liberty Dime, and Walking Liberty Half Dollar), Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Indian Head $10 Gold and Saint-Gaudens $20 Gold), Laura Gardin-Fraser (many commemorative coins, including her much praised design for the 1032 Washington Quarter that was finally used, in 1999, on the $5 Washington Death Bicentennial), and James Earle Fraser (Indian Head / Buffalo Nickel). Some of the shown sculptures were smaller versions, but still from the original workshops, of the monumental sized famous original bronzes that are in other museums and collections. Mark was impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, and highly recommends a multi-day visit. Brookgreen Gardens is open year-round, and the garden plants change with the season, but April and May might present the best weather.

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Minutes of the 2014 Chicago ANA Convention Committee

December 4, 2013

The second meeting of the 2014 Chicago ANA Convention Committee was called to order at 6 PM by Host Chairman William Burd on Wednesday December 4, 2013 in the offices of Harlan J. Berk, 77 W. Washington, Suite 1320, Downtown Chicago.

The following members were present: Paul Hybert, Steve Zitowsky, Mark Wieclaw, Robert Feiler, Eugene Freeman, Jeff Rosinia, Elliott Krieter, Marc Stackler, Rich Lipman and Carl Wolf.

Harlan Berk was unable to attend the meeting, but provided dinner from Reza’s Restaurant and parking vouchers.

1. William Burd reported:
   1. Rhonda Scurek, ANA Director of Conventions, and Kim Kiick, ANA Executive Director, will be at the committee’s next meeting January 22.
   2. The ANA Staff is busy planning the Atlanta Convention, but will have more to report at the January meeting.
2. Committee Chairman Reports:
   1. Ambassadors – Carl Wolf
      1. Plans to begin recruiting after January 1 and expecting about the same number of volunteers (80).
      2. Volunteers are ready to sign up because we provided them with shirts that fit, plus they were provided with parking vouchers.
      3. Beginning to think of ways Floor Captains along with 10 volunteers can specialize in some activity, such as: serving at key locations and passing along specific information of the day’s activities.
      4. Other committee members were invited to submit ideas.
   2. Scouts – Eugene Freeman
      1. Continues to receive good feedback from suburban Scout leaders and is expecting them to return with a larger contingent.
      2. Still working on changing the hours for the merit badge program which went from 10 AM – 1:30 PM in 2013. This left little time for scouts to spend on the bourse floor or exhibits.
      3. Trying to reach Rod Gillis, ANA Education, to discuss ways to improve the program.
   3. Pages – Richard Lipman
      1. No news to report, but knows that the ANA is working at resolving several minor issues.
   4. Money Talks – Mark Wieclaw
      1. They report receiving firm commitments from several numismatists who will submit in-depth presentation proposal
      2. Trying to resolve the lack of good signage in 2013
      3. Hoped signs could be placed on exhibits telling convention goers when and where the exhibitor would speak on the subject, but was told that signage in the exhibit area was prohibited.
      4. Was told that the ANA is working with the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association and may recruit 4 – 6 speakers on Canadian numismatics.
   5. Collector Exhibits – Paul Hybert: Nothing to report
3. Speakers’ Medals – Carl Wolf
   1. Reported the cost is the same to produce medals for every Money Talks presenter in 2013, with the exception of engraved letters and freight.
   2. The Committee favored the idea of a bright copper without antique finish and asked to see some samples at the next meeting.
   3. After reviewing the costs between 100 or 250 commemorative medals, the committee favored the 250 offer.
   4. The Committee favored the idea of holding back approximately 25 of each commemorative medal, to put into a package offer at or after the 2015 convention.
4. Hotel Lodging – Bill Burd
   1. No specific report
   2. Committee Chairmen were told to be ready to submit names and dates so the ANA could make reservations.
5. Budget – Bill Burd: still open but expect Rhonda to have the figure in January.
6. Other - General discussion on interesting program ideas
7. Tentative Upcoming Meetings:
   1. Asked all chairman to set aside the third Wednesday of every month through July.
   2. January 22, 2014 at a site to be determined as the ANA Staff will attend.
   3. February 19, 2014 at the offices of Harlan J. Berk.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:16PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl Wolf, Secretary
Chicago Coin Club

Minutes of the Chicago Coin Club Board of Directors

December 18, 2013

The December 18, 2013 meeting of the Chicago Coin Club Board was held at Connie’s Pizza, 2373 South Archer Ave., Chicago, IL.

President Elliott Krieter called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm with the following members present: Bob Feiler, William Burd, Mark Wieclaw, Paul Hybert, Carl Wolf, Steve Zitowsky, Rich Lipman, and Mark Stackler.

Treasurer Steve Zitowsky answered several questions concerning the Club’s finances.

After a discussion the Board passed the following motions to present to the general membership for approval:

• Strike 50 copper Standing Lincoln medals for suitable engraving and neck ribbons for presentation to all 2014 ANA Convention Money Talks speakers. Cost not to exceed $1300.
• Strike 150 bronze Standing Lincoln medals to commemorate the 2014 ANA Convention at a total cost not to exceed $1700.00 and sell for $20.00 each.

As 2014 is the Club’s 95th Anniversary year, everyone favored a special event to mark the occasion. A variety of ideas were presented and President Krieter agreed to appoint a committee of three to pursue this and report back in early 2014.

It was reported that featured speakers are scheduled for the Club’s first four meetings in 2014.

Everyone was in favor of holding another joint dinner meeting with the New York Numismatic Club at the 2014 ANA Convention. Carl Wolf agreed to speak to Mark Anderson about a meeting format, a joint medal striking, etc.

Mark Stackler announced the Club’s Facebook page now has 142 followers. A general discussion was held around the length of time some speakers spend during their exhibit presentation at regular meetings.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 PM.

Sincerely,
Carl F. Wolf, Secretary

Our 1141st Meeting

Important Dates

Unless stated otherwise, our regular monthly CCC Meeting is in downtown Chicago on the second Wednesday of the month; the starting time is 6:45PM.

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

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