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  • Minutes of the 1194th Meeting
  • Michael Metras, 1943-2018
  • Exhibits
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Chatter

Minutes of the 1194th Meeting

The 1194th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was held Wednesday, July 11, 2018 at the Chicago Bar Association Building, 321 S. Plymouth Court, Downtown Chicago. President Richard Lipman called the meeting to order at 6:45 PM with attendance of 22 members.

President Lipman announced the passing of member Michael Metras. Robert Feiler and Steve Zitowsky gave short talks on Mike’s contributions and his numismatic specialties. The Club held a minute of silence in Mike’s memory.

The Minutes of the June meeting were approved as published in the Chatter. Steve Zitowsky delivered the Treasurer’s Report showing June revenue of $785.00 and expenses of $468.42. A motion was passed approving the report.

The membership application of Kazimierz Sebastian Gawel received a second reading and a motion was passed accepting him into the club.

It was announced that the Board voted unanimously via email not to have a Club table at the upcoming Philadelphia ANA Convention. Instead the Chicago 2019 Convention and our 100th Anniversary will be promoted at the ANA Future Conventions booth #600 staffed by member John Wilson and his wife Nancy.

Mark Wieclaw, Chairman, of the 100th Anniversary Committee, announced:

• More Century Club members were added, including Harlan J. Berk with a $500 donation.
• The Anniversary Banquet site will be the Rosemont Doubletree Hotel and catered by Gibson’s Steakhouse.

Rich Lipman, Host Chairman of the 2019 Chicago ANA Convention called on members to volunteer as workers, speakers, or committee members. He will be attending the upcoming Philadelphia ANA Convention and will speak with Jennifer Ackerman, ANA Convention Director.

Rich announced a CCC Board meeting, 6 PM, Wednesday August 1, at Connie’s Pizza, 2373 W. Archer Ave. Board members should email the Secretary of any subjects they wish to discuss and it will be put into the agenda.

First VP Marc Stackler announced the Club is seeking featured speakers for September and December. Interested speakers should email him at firstvp@chicagocoinclub.org. Marc introduced the evening’s featured speaker, Elliott Krieter, who gave a program An Introduction to Collecting Key U.S. Coins. Following a question and answer period, Marc presented Elliott with an ANA Educational Certificate and an engraved Club speaker’s medal suspended on a neck ribbon.

Second VP John Riley announced the 11 exhibitors. MARK WIECLAW: ancient Roman sestertius of Agrippina Senior. DEVEN KANE: a 1774 Russian silver ruble and an 1883 Hawaiian silver dollar. ROBERT LEONARD: photograph of Bob with Trygve Rovelstad, and three coins from the Barbarossa Hoard. RICHARD LIPMAN: three world banknotes. DALE LUKANICH: three British Mandate coins. LYLE DALY: an advertising note, a Roman bronze sestertius, and the surface coloring of copper cents. DAVID GUMM: 1793 U.S. Large Cent. WILLIAM BURD: a large 1939 CSNS wooden “Good For” token, and a convention program. STEVE ZITOWSKY: German ‘Coin’ cards, and a silver Papal States testone. ANDY PLIOPLYS: personal art creation including images of European silver ingots (grivnas). ROBERT FEILER: 1973 scrip from Virginia.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:39 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl F. Wolf, Secretary

Michael Metras, 1943-2018

Michael Eugene Metras, age 75, passed away June 26, 2018 in Santa Fe, NM following a heart attack.

Mike was born January 16, 1943 in Watervliet, MI, moved to Woodstock, IL in 1953, attended Marian Central Catholic High School, and graduated from college with a degree in classical languages. Mike enlisted in the U.S. Army, served in Phu Bai, Vietnam, and Asmara, Ethiopia. When he was discharged in 1970, he spent six months exploring East Africa and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Mike was employed as Service Manager for White Motors Co. and traveled extensively in Latin and South America. He was also employed by Computer Associates as a Technical Writer. When he retired he began to pursue a lifelong dream of traveling and writing, which began with a walk around Sicily.

Over his life Mike learned Swahili, French, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Greek, and German which served him well on many pilgrimages. In 2003 he walked the 588-mile Spanish “Camino De Santiago De Compostela” (Way of St. James). He walked segments of this pilgrimage 4 more times and met the love of his life, Petra Wolf, an environmental engineer from Constance Germany. They married and embarked on a 14-year odyssey of travel and many pilgrimages, including: walks across America, walk from Germany to Rome, walk from Southern Germany to Jerusalem, and a 23-month, 5,300-mile walk from Southern California to Jerusalem which he recorded in the book Encounters on the Road to Jerusalem. In 2013 they began an internal spiritual pilgrimage to India.

Throughout all his travels, Mike still had time to be a numismatist. In April, 1992, he joined the Chicago Coin Club becoming member #1030. He served on the Club Board, authored and co-authored several of the Club’s souvenir currency sheets issued for the Chicago Paper Money Expo and was an active exhibitor. Some of Mike’s electronic publications and essays include: Ethiopia: Travels of a Youth, Mike’s Morgans, Trains on Currency and Stock Certificates, Money Meanderings: An Introduction to Numismatics, and Axum: Coins and Places. He was a member and web-master for the Hillside Coin Club and newsletter editor for the Elgin Coin Club. He will always be remembered as a knowledgeable numismatist willing to share, and friend to all.

Mike is survived by his wife Petra Wolf, two brothers, and three sisters. A celebration of his life was held July 15 in Santa Fe. True to the way Mike lived his life as a pilgrim, writer, traveler, and wanderer, he requested his remains be cremated and, in lieu of flowers, his friends should take someone they care about on a walk, long or short.

For information about Mike’s life, see his web sites PilgrimageCreations.com and WorksandWords.com

Members who contributed to his obituary include CCC members Robert Feiler and Steve Zitowsky.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl F. Wolf, Secretary

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Show and Tell

Items shown at our July 11, 2018 meeting,
reported by John Riley.

1. Mark Wieclaw showed a Roman Sestertius of Agrippina, Sr. circa 41-54 AD, and told some of the story behind the coin including family background. One of her sons was the infamous ruler Caligula, and one of her other sons, Sejanus, had her murdered to accelerate his own ambitions. Interesting/y, the coin was struck several years after her death in year 33 AD.
2. Deven Kane showed two silver crowns.
   1. RUSSIAN EMPIRE: Catherine II, the Great, 1762-1796, AR rouble, 1774, KM-C67, Bit-218, Diakov-306, OA mintmaster, stained, NGC graded AU details. Obverse: Bust of Ekaterina II facing right. Translation: By God’s grace Ekaterina II Empress and Autocrat of all Russia SPB. Reverse Two-headed eagle with a crown above. Denomination, year. Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, was Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796, the country’s longest-ruling female leader. She came to power following a coup d’état when her husband, Peter III, was overthrown. Under her reign, Russia was revitalised; it grew larger and stronger, and was recognised as one of the great powers of Europe.
   2. HAWAII: Kalakaua, 1874-1891, AR dollar (dala), 1883, KM-7, VF to EF, light surface hairlines. Dies engraved by Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, and struck at the US Mint in San Francisco. Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono is a well-known Hawaiian phrase which was adopted in 1959 as the motto of the state of Hawaii. It is commonly translated as The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. This phrase was first spoken by Kamehameha III, the King of Hawaii, on July 31, 1843, on Thomas Square, Oahu, when the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii was returned by the British through the restorative actions of Admiral Richard Darton Thomas, following the brief takeover by Lord George Paulet. Today, the phrase is extensively used by both the state of Hawaii and by Hawaiian sovereignty activists.
3. Bob Leonard
   1. A photo by Roger Bear of designer Trygve Rovelstad standing in front of the head of the model of his Chicago “I Will” statue (never erected), used (in profile) on the Chicago Coin Club 50th Anniversary medal, 1969. Bob was seen in the picture with the great designer who also produced medals for the Club – see William A. Burd’s Medals and Tokens of the Chicago Coin Club, pp. 22-24.
   2. Three Coins from the Greatest Buried Treasure of the Crusades, the Barbarossa Hoard. Concealed circa 1189-1192 by the Crusading army of Frederick I Barbarossa, it comprised around 7,700 coins and fragments, plus four silver ingots and cut-up Seljuk silver jewelry, altogether weighing about 8 kilograms. It was discovered in Turkey between 1982 and 1985 and reached the coin market in several parcels.
      1. Cologne, Archbishop Philip I von Heinsberg, 1167-1191, silver denar. Enthroned archbishop and PHL ATPC EPISCOP, and reverse city wall within gate and three towers, and CIA COLONIA PAICNAI (almost 40% of hoard).
      2. Aachen, royal mint, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, 1152-1190, silver denar. Crowned emperor enthroned facing, holding upraised sword, and FREDERI. IMPR, and reverse palace with central tower, walls, and gate, and +ROMA CAPVT MVNDI (Rome, capital of the World) (over 10% of hoard).
      3. Aachen, royal mint, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, 1152-1190, silver denar, same design.
4. Rich Lipman showed banknotes in extremes of size, small and large.
   1. A small one sen of Japan, 1872.
   2. French West Africa 5000-francs note (Pick-43) used 1947-50 in high grade and featuring beautiful coloration and classical French facial engraving techniques.
   3. National Bank of Scotland 20-pound note, 1951 (Pick 260c), also in high grade with stunning countryside vignettes.
5. Dale Lukanich showed three uncirculated British mandate coins in certified encapsulations. The tri-lingual inscriptions carefully walked the line between British oversight and the lead-up to Israeli statehood in 1948.
   1. 1943 1 mil.
   2. 1927 5 mils.
   3. 1927 10 mils.
6. Lyle Daly
   1. A ’Rebus’ advertising note of R Kinsell & Co., maker of copper and silver tipped boots and shoes, 189 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio. Lyle walked us through the approximately 25 symbols to ‘interpret’ the advertising message, “A warm announcement to the public. All parents must understand that we have on hand always a stock of silver and copper tip boots and shoes. You cannot but be impressed when we guarantee that one pair will last two times longer than the boots not metal tipped. An invitation to come in is extended to all. Try our handsome gentle and durable tipped boots and shoes for children. Parents you can save enough to purchase your own boots and shoes.&rdsquo;
   2. Bronze Sestertius of Galarius Valerius Maximanius, Caesar 293 – 305 AD, and Augustus 305 – 311AD. This Legend is from his reign as Caesar: NOB C = Nobiltas Caesar; Concordia Militvm = Unity of the army.
   3. In June Lyle showed a half cleaned cent, and points out tonight that a key indicator of a cleaned coin is color uniformity (copper can be cleaned of corrosion and re-toned, but uncleaned coins have multiple shades across the surface).
7. David Gumm showed a lovely original 1793 U.S. large cent in Very Good condition, of the Liberty Cap variety (attributed as S13).
8. Bill Burd discussed how the Central States Numismatic Society was formed in 1939 in Chicago at a 2-day conference. In 1936 discussions were held regarding starting a Midwest numismatic association. In 1938 the discussions became more serious and finally the conference was held in Chicago in April of 1939. Chicago Coin Club was host with over 30 club members on various committees. J. Henry Ripstra, ANA President and Club member, was Honorary Chairman. Bill showed a souvenir token issued by Ripstra to commemorate the occasion. Lee Hewitt, publisher of the Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine, was very involved, from the beginning of discussions in 1936 through the Conference itself, later being cited as one of the founding fathers. Bill showed a wooden penny issued by Hewitt redeemable at the conference for one cent. Bill then showed a 16-page booklet titled Central States Numismatic Conference, listing the committees, the program, the banquet menu, exhibitors, and an auction. This book was certainly a creation of Hewitt’s as it has the same look as his Numismatic Scrapbook. There is only one ad in the booklet and that is for the Scrapbook. Bill was not aware of this booklet until he purchased it at the Central States show in April of this year. Ray Lockwood, in his book History of The Central States Numismatic Society, published in 2014, only lightly mentions a conference program. Bill is not aware of any mention of this booklet anywhere else. Several hand written notations are in his booklet and are of interest. The first is on page one, where it is written Central States Numismatic Assoc., a name considered but rejected. On the pages listing Exhibitors there are notations after several names such as Bd of Gov., Pres., 1st Vice Pres., and 2nd Vice Pres. All but one were elected into those positions. The auction was run by the Chicago Coin Club; prices realized are written in for each of the 259 lots. This certainly is a tangible piece of our Club’s numismatic history.
9. Steve Zitowsky attended the American Numismatic Association’s Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs and shared his experiences and some acquisitions.
   1. An album of German ‘Coin’ cigarette cards produced by a factory in Dresden, 1929 and featuring highly detailed and realistic impressions of circulating world coins of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The album itself was an art work and very well presented.
   2. A silver Testone of the Papal States of the period of Pope Clement X (1670-1676). The legend translates to “Cast Me Off Not In My Old Age” and was in the discussion in the class Steve attended on Papal States coinage taught by Alan Berman.
10. Andy Plioplys showed more of his personal artwork combining technology of the medical world (his own electrocardiograms – ECGs and EKGs &ndash'; combined with images of early European silver ingots. The work was entitled, “A Penny For Your Thoughts” (or more precisely, “A Grivna For Your Thoughts”)!
11. Bob Feiler showed mysterious 1973 scrip issues from Virginia, obtained from dealer Neil Shafer recently at a Milwaukee show – the notes were marked as “Consumers Friend Savings Money.” Research continues – it was not immediately clear if these notes were private scrip from a single entity or some form of a greater community effort.

Our 1195th 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

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P.O. Box 2301
CHICAGO, IL 60690

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