Volume 64 No. 7 | July 2018 |
---|
The next issue will be mailed in either late July or early August because I will be on a long vacation. I will not have access to email during most of my trip, so you might have to wait until late July for a reply.
Paul Hybert, editor
The 1193rd meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was held Wednesday, June 13, 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 23 members and guests.
The minutes of the May meeting were approved as published in the Chatter. Steve Zitowsky delivered the Treasurer’s Report showing May revenue of $1020.00 and expenses of $271.68. A motion was passed approving the report.
The membership application of Kazimierz Sebastian Gawel received first reading. Following the second reading of Jay Michalowski’s application for membership, a motion was passed to accept 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, reported for the 100th Anniversary Committee.
Robert Leonard spoke at length on the positive reasons the Club should consider creating a Hall of Fame. Following a discussion, Bob agreed to forward his suggested guidelines to the Board for consideration at their next meeting.
Richard Hamilton suggested the Annual Banquet be held in a western suburb every other year.
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, Gerard Anaszewicz, who gave a program Aksumite Coins, an Introduction. Following a question and answer period, Marc presented Gerry with an ANA Educational Certificate and an engraved Club speaker’s medal suspended on a neck ribbon.
Second VP John Riley announced the 15 exhibitors. LYLE DALY: three Iceni coins and a cleaned modern U.S. cent. ROBERT LEONARD: Warren G. Harding Dollar and coins featuring political counterstamps. STEVE ZITOWSKY: two Aksumite terra cotta heads. MARK WIECLAW: three British sovereigns. DEVEN KANE: coins from Seleukid Empire and a German city. DALE LUKANICH: ancient cut, counterstamped, and brockage coins. RICH LIPMAN: four pieces of currency. ELLIOTT KRIETER: silver bullion and an Eisenhower dollar. RICHARD HAMILTON: two silver facsimile notes. DAVID GUMM: a U.S. large cent and a guide to 2”x2” coin envelopes. GERRY ANASZEWICZ: six additional Aksumite coins, including fakes and fantasies. ROBERT FEILER: new book on obsolete banknotes, and Box Dollars. ANDREW MICHYETA: two world silver coins dated 1919. LOREN MILLER: die-struck bronze Vietnam Veteran lapel pin. PAUL HYBERT: four obsolete notes from before 1819.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:09 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Carl F. Wolf,
Secretary
a presentation by Gerard Anaszewicz,
to our June 13, 2018 meeting.
The city was named Aksum, as was the surrounding area; a map of the land to the west of the southern Red Sea helped us place it. A long, slowly growing interest in the culture and coinage certainly qualifies Gerry to introduce us to the coins issued there during approximately 250-700 AD. The influences were, in order, pagan, Christian, and Christian with Jewish influences. Gerry showed us images of coins in his collection with each coin identified by its MH number, as per the reference work by Munro-Hay.
The best place to start is in the beginning, so the first gold coin we saw was of King Endubis, from about 270. That was followed by a silver coin of King Endubis also from about 270. Both pieces are porous, have high relief, weigh about 2.2 grams, and are about 15mm in diameter. These are from the pagan period, as shown by the disc and crescent located above the bust on each side – both sides use the same bust but with different legends. We know the name of the king because the Greek legend on one side says King Endubis. The legend on the other side says Man of Daxy – which might be a town, tribe, clan, or something else.
Unfortunately there is no date on these coins, so other methods are needed to date them. Students of this coinage try to establish a chronolgy by looking at the style, design elements, legends, and more. The general priciples being that small changes occur over a short time, and that large changes do not happen quickly. Although the names of more than 20 kings are known on the coins, only two of the kings have their names known on other items or in records. So while the established chronolgy is generally accepted, it is subject to revision as new information becomes available.
Next shown was a small gold coin with a legend on one side, King Aphilas, to help us. This is dated to around 290, still in the pagan period due to the use of the disc and crescent. This coin weighs 0.32 grams and is only 8mm in diameter. A shown silver coin of this king is 13mm in diameter, but one side has a circular area of gold applied over the king’s bust. The use of a gold inlay on silver and bronze coins is one of the characteristics of Aksumite coinage. It is not used all the time, but neither is its use rare.
All coins shown so far have the same style of head gear on the busts. Once or twice Gerry called it a turban, but this is not a thick, bulky helmet-like object – it is made from a thin material. We next saw more silver coins from the pagan period, with legends stating: King Wazeba as Negus of Aksum, King Ousanas as Man of Gisene, King Ousanas as Of the Aksumites, and Ousana as King.
Gerry next showed us a sequence of coins of King Ezanas, one of the two kings known from historical records. The first, from about 330, still uses a disc and crescent and the simple legends state Ezanas as King. Another coin from about 330 does not have any religious symbol, while the simple legends still state Ezanas as King. The next coin continued the simple legends while using a gilded disc and rays above the king’s bust on one side, but still without any explicit religious symbol. Last in the sequence was a gold coin from about 330, after his conversion to Christianity, with legends stating King Ezana as Of Aksumites Man of Alene. One of the profile busts now wears a cylindrical crown, with the bust framed by what appear to be grain ears (but maybe they are laurel branches).
An anonymous silver coin was next followed by a similar anonymous bronze coin, both from about 340, by when Aksum had converted to Christianity. One side still shows a bust in profile, wearing a turban crown, but with a cross behind the bust; the other side has a central cross surrounded by the legend May This Please the Country. This is possibly the first coin with a cross as a central motif.
A group of gilt bronze coins of King Ouazebas from about 400 have turban wearing busts in profile on both sides, similar to on a pagan coin, but a cross is above each bust; the legend around the gilt bust states May This Please the People. There is no definitive reason for the gilding; maybe for aesthetics, or maybe to add value.
A group of gold coins of King Eon from 400 to 425 states Eon Man of Anaaph on the side with a turban wearing bust in profile flanked by grain ears. The other side has a profile bust wearing a cylindrical crown and flanked by grain ears. Although changes in the coin design have been made, we are seeing changes made within a few basic styles, and not a range of new styles being introduced. The last coin in this sequence has a bludered legend, so the society must have been experiencing some changes.
A bronze coin from about 450, of King Mehadios, has the legend By This Cross He Will Conquer surrounding a cross on one side. At the center of the cross is a sunken circle, in which gold still can be seen. Two gold coins of King Ebana, also from about 450, had uncertain or blundered legends, and the name Ebana was blundered on one of them. By blundered, Gerry meant some letters were backwards or rotated. These were followed by a simple silver coin with Ebana on one side and King on the other.
The coins from about 460 started with an anonymous bronze coin with the legend May This Please the Country, which was followed by gold coins of King Nezana and King Nezool with the legend Thanks Be To God. Those were followed by a gold coin of King Ousas, dated to about 470, still using the Thanks Be To God legend. At some periods, Aksum coins show many rulers in a short time span. Without primary sources to explain to us what was happening, we are left to conjecture. Gerry suggested that one king might have used two or more names, and maybe there were joint rulers.
Aksum around 500 was still in its Christian period, as shown by the gold coin of King Ousana using the By The Grace of God legend. The legend on two gold coins of King Kaleb, the second of the two kings known from historical records, state Son of Thezana, while one of his silver coins states He Who is Suitable for the Country. Most gold coins of King Kaleb were found in Saudi Arabia, where Kaleb conducted some military campaigns.
Gerry pointed out changes to the coinage at about 530. The local Ge’ez alphabet first appeared on Aksumite coins, with this alphabet still in use in the area. Although the designs of the bronze coins are becoming cruder, the designs of the gold coins remained good; but the fineness of the gold fell from the initial 95% to the later 60%. The bronze coins of King Wazena circa 530 state He Who is Suitable to the People, with a profile bust on one side and a central cross on the other.
We saw a group of silver coins from about 535, in what is considered the later Christian period, where a facing bust of the king is used on one side and the legend King Who Exalts the Savior appears around a central blockish cross on the other side. A group of silver coins of King Joel circa 550 continues to use a facing bust on one side, but uses a different style of cross on the other side and states By The Grace of Christ around it. But other shown silver coins of Joel sometimes used profile busts. We saw two with a Christ is With Us legend around a large central cross, with a depressed circle (this is a spot for a gold inlay) at the center of the cross on one coin but not on the other; are these coins different denominations. Joel is one of the names which show the Jewish influence in Aksum during the later Christian period.
The silver coins being shown have been rough looking, and the silver coin of King Hataz circa 570 has a crude, almost cartoonish, facing bust of the king. But a shown gold coin circa 575, of King Israel, still has a good design, and a King of the Aksumites legend. A group of silver coins of King Gersem, circa 600, continues the crude appearance, as does a bronze coin of him which states He Conquers Through Christ. The last ruler with coinage was King Armah, circa 625. We saw a silver coin with the Mercy and Peace legend, and then the last coin of the presentation, with the legend Let There be Joy to The People. This is the first coin showing the full figure of a king, and the king is seated. Gerry also mentioned that this is his first Aksum coin.
Bibliography
by William Burd
It’s a little early to discuss the Club’s annual auction in November, but we have already received a consignment of Club medals as well as Chicago Numismatic Society medals. Some highlights are: a 50th Anniversary “I Will” medal in silver, a bronze “Discoverers” medal, a silver “Pioneers” medal as well as one in bronze. Also a silver 1000th meeting “Owl” and a silver “Ferris Wheel”. Also a rare 1961 Fall Festival token in silver, one of only 10 struck. CNS medals include a Nashville in bronze and one in silver. Also a bronze “Progress in Aviation” medal and two Annual Membership medals.
Look for the official call for consignments in the September Chatter issue, and lots will be listed in the November Chatter as usual.
CSNS Convention | Chicago Coin Company |
Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. | Kedzie Koins Inc. |
Items shown at our June 13, 2018 meeting,
reported by John Riley.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
by John and Nancy Wilson
Medals and Tokens of the Chicago Coin Club by William A. Burd is a recently released hard-bound reference with 108 pages and over 150 photographs. All items are in color and actual size. We agree with Carl Wolf, that this reference will set the standard for the hundreds of collectibles which were issued for the club.
The author joined the club in 1993 and his first purchase was the club’s 75th Anniversary medal. From that beginning Bill has assembled probably the finest collection of CCC medals and tokens possible. The book starts with the Chicago Numismatic Society’s first meeting in January 1904 and first token issued in 1907. He continues with all items issued by the Society covering the history, mintage, metal content, etc. This theme continues throughout the book.
The Second Chapter explains the ANA’s Branch clubs, especially Chicago’s Branch #1, formed after the ANA received a Federal Charter in 1912.
Chapter 3 deals with Chicago Coin Club medals and tokens and associated ephemera issued from the club’s start in 1919 to the present day. They commemorate annual events as well as milestone anniversaries such as 25th, 50th, and 75th through the 95th in 2014. Most medals were issued in both copper and silver and 6 different issues were also available in gold. These include two reduced replicas of sculptures by James Earl Fraser and a medal depicting Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ “Standing Lincoln” statue.
Chapter 4 deals with the sixteen ANA Conventions held in Chicago. Described are the many different medals, tokens, badges, speaker’s medals, and souvenirs issued by the Chicago Coin Club to commemorate the conventions.
Chapter 5 covers the Central States Numismatic Society conventions held in Chicago and hosted by the club. In 1939 the Chicago Coin Club hosted a two-day event called the Central States Numismatic Conference at which time the Society was formed. Over the years the club hosted 5 additional events and issued various items for each.
There are 4 appendices which cover club awards, souvenier sheets, publications, and the Chicago Numismatic Roundtable.
We recommend this book to anyone who collects numismatic club
material.
It is also a good read for any officer of a numismatic club for
an insight into the workings of a dynamic organization that has
been active for 100 years.
The reference can be purchased for $30.00, which includes postage
and handling.
Checks should be made out to the Chicago Coin Company and sent to
them at:
Chicago Coin Co. Inc., 6455 W. Archer Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60638.
Date: | July 11, 2018 |
Time: | 6:45 PM |
Location: | Downtown Chicago
At the Chicago Bar Association, 321 S. Plymouth Court, 3rd floor meeting room. Please remember the security measures at our meeting building: everyone must show their photo-ID and register at the guard’s desk. |
Featured Program: | Elliott Krieter
— An Introduction to Key US Coins
This talk will cover what a key coin is, and why it is important to know. Specifically, Elliott will cover key US coins from 1877 to current, along with their population and price. |
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.
July | 11 | CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - Elliott Krieter on An Introduction to Key US Coins |
August | 8 | CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - Paul Hybert on Assayed at the Mint in 1818 |
August | 14-18 | ANA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this year, so we can relax and play tourist for one more year — for details, see http://www.money.org/worldsfairofmoney. |
September | 12 | CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - to be announced |
September | 20-22 | ILNA 58th Annual Coin & Currency Show at the Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 East Main Street, St. Charles, IL. Details, including hours and events, are available at http://www.ilnaclub.org |
October | 10 | CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - Melissa Gumm on Currency Backed by Gold Standard |
November | 14 | CCC Meeting - Club Auction - no featured speaker |
http://www.ChicagoCoinClub.org/
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
Elected positions (two-year terms): | |
Richard Lipman | - President |
Marc Stackler | - First Vice President |
John Riley | - Second Vice President |
William Burd | - Archivist |
Directors: | Lyle Daly
Melissa Gumm Dale Lukanich Mark Wieclaw |
Appointed positions: | |
Elliott Krieter | - Immediate Past President |
Carl Wolf | - Secretary |
Steve Zitowsky | - Treasurer |
Paul Hybert | - Chatter Editor, webmaster |
Jeffrey Rosinia | - ANA Club Representative |
chatter_editor@yahoo.com
The print version of the Chatter is simply a printout of the Chatter webpage,
with a little cutting and pasting to fill out each print page.
The webpage 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.
Sharing this complete Chatter issue with a friend is simple. Just let them scan this code into their smartphone! |