Chatter
Volume 71 No. 7 |
July, 2025 |
Editor’s Notes
This, the July issue of the Chatter, is going out on its usual
schedule, and I hope that the Postal Service will not “Return to
Sender, Not Deliverable as Addressed, Unable to Forward” as they
did with a number of members for a past issue.
All of the affected members live in the Western Suburbs of Chicago,
and the used addresses seem okay.
The next Chatter issue – the August issue – will be
sent in early August, a few days later than usual because of my summer
vacation.
I will miss the July meeting, but the August issue will tell you all
about the July meeting.
Paul Hybert, editor
Minutes of the 1277th Meeting
The 1277th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was called to order by
President Melissa Gumm at 6:45pm CDT Wednesday June 11, 2025.
This was an in-person and online meeting, with 15 members at the
CBA and 25 members plus one guest, the program presenter, giving
a total of 41.
Club Meeting Minutes
The May club meeting minutes were approved as published in the
Chatter, both in print and on the CCC website.
New Members
Secretary Scott McGowan reported there were no membership
applications.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Elliott Krieter reported Treasurer Reports for April
and May as follows.
April 2025 Revenue $390.00 (Dues, CSNS Sales), Expenses $ 270.00
(Chatter and Room rent), for total of $120.00.
May 2025 Revenue $770.00 (Advertising, Dues), Expenses $0.00, for
a total of $770.00.
Old Business
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Committee Reports:
Special Projects and Hall of Fame committees report no new business.
The Legacy committee reported that interviews will continue.
He has contacted individuals on the original list, and received
responses from most as to interest in having their numismatic story
documented for club history.
Josh Benevento will assist in the project and interview contacts as
well.
-
Noah J. Graf reviewed information on the Ancient Coin Collectors
Guild, and the possibility of CCC becoming an affiliate member.
The guild works primarily to facilitate the import of ancient coins
to the USA and related issues for ancient coinage.
The Ancient Coin Club of Chicago was an affiliate member, however
that club is now defunct.
This gives the opportunity for the CCC to become an affiliate member
for a one-time fee of $150.
After presenting this in May and giving time for members to review
the proposal, Noah made the motion for CCC to join.
Scott McGowan reported that long time CCC member Cliff Mishler
emailed the club with comments and strong support for this idea.
The vote for CCC to join the Guild was passed.
Member Julie Block inquired if this membership gives any guild
benefits to all CCC members, to which Noah answered, “No.”
Deven indicated CCC would receive communications about MOUs (US
State Department Memorandums Of Understanding) regarding various
countries restricting the importation of cultural property into
the United States, so our club membership can engage in comments
and conversation to support the Guild.
-
Treasurer Elliott Krieter submitted a list of 15 members still in
arrears for 2025 dues.
The club voted to remove them from the membership.
Membership can be reinstated when all arrears’ dues are
brought current.
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Reminder: ANA 2025 officer’s elections; all ANA members
are eligible to vote if at least 13 years of age, and after
one year of membership.
Visit
www.money.org/election
for more details.
Ballots are due by July 1, 2025.
New Business
-
There was no New Business.
Featured Program
Lianna Spurrier spoke on Samurai Silver.
This presentation covered the series of rectangular silver coins
issued in pre-Meiji Japan, from 1765 to 1868.
Following the presentation, VP Deven Kane informed Lianna she will
receive the CCC Speaker’s medal and an ANA Educational
Certificate.
Show and Tell
Second Vice President Ray Dagenais announced the eight Show and
Tell presentations for the evening.
Melissa Gumm reviewed the upcoming numismatic events, and also
said anyone who has the opportunity to visit the Art Institute
of Chicago should definitely see the “Myth & Marble:
Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection.”
The exhibit is well worth it, and is there through June 29,
2025.
President Melissa Gumm adjourned the meeting at 8:40pm CDT.
Respectfully Submitted,
Scott A. McGowan,
Secretary
Speaker’s Wor[l]d
Samurai Silver
presented by
Lianna Spurrier
to our June 11, 2025 meeting
Japanese Bar Money are rectangular gold and silver pieces used
as money for hundreds of years, up to 1868.
Some series of gold pieces appeared first, but were issued in
small numbers.
This presentation covered a later series of rectangular silver
coins issued in pre-Meiji Japan from 1765 to 1868 – these
were issued in sufficient quantities to make them available and
affordable to collectors now.
Little information is available in English, with Lianna citing
four books which include this series:
Coins of Japan by Munro, 1904;
Japanese Coinage by Vermuele and Jacobs, 1952;
Early Japanese Coins by Hartill, 2011;
and The Standard Catalog of Japanese Coins, 2021.
The highest denomination in pre-Meiji Japan was the ryo; a
bu was ¼ of a ryo; and a shu was ¼ of a bu.
(The denominations of the shown rectangular silver coins
will be multiples of bu and shu.)
The first four shown pieces reflect the frequent revisions
to the currency standard – though of the same
denomination, the declining amount of silver that was defined
to be the value of one ryo meant less silver was needed in
each denomination.
The first shown piece was of the Meiwa Go Momme type, which
had only 361,200 pieces minted from 1765-1768, (the lowest
of the series).
Each piece weighs about 18.75 grams and has a low silver
fineness of 46%.
These pieces were cast, with a few parts later struck.
These pieces continued the earlier tradition of marking coins
with their weight, not with a denomination.
“Go” means five, and “Momme” is a
weight.
The first word of a type’s name is the imperial era
when the design was first minted; a new imperial era started
when a new emperor ascended to the throne.
(Value basis was 103.5 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $1,500-$2,500.)
Although an official exchange rate of 1 gold ryo to 60
silver monma had been declared, the actual commercial rate
fluctuated.
Part of the reason was that gold money predominated in the
eastern parts of Japan, while silver money predominated in
the western parts.
The transaction of exchanging “weighing” coins
for denominated gold was akin to selling bullion today.
The value of the bullion changes over time, and you can
charge a premium or offer it under the market value to suit
your needs.
The Meiwa Go Momme changed moneychangers from bullion
dealers to bankers; they lost their ability to make a
profit by using an exchange rate.
The Ko Nanryo type was minted during 1772-1788 and 1800-1824.
The size was smaller, each weighing about 10.19 grams but
with a high silver fineness of 97.8%; 47,464,336 were made.
Details on the direct exchange of this silver coin to gold
is part of the coin’s design.
Silver obtained from melting old pieces of “weighing”
silver pieces was used to make these; with these, moneychangers
could charge a fee.
(Value basis was 79.72 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $150-$300.)
The word Nanryo means ⅛ryo, so it is equivalent to
two shu.
Pieces of the Meiwa Ko Nanryo type (1772-1788) have smooth
sides while filed sides are present on the Kansei Ko Nanryo
type (1800-1824).
The Shin Nanryo type was minted during 1824-1830, still
using a high silver fineness of 97.8%.
The pieces are smaller and lighter at about 7.5 grams;
60,625,280 were made.
The word Shin means new.
References differ as to which side is the obverse: PCGS
has it one way, while Krause, Hartill, JNDA,
Vermeule/Jacobs, and the British Museum have it the other
way.
(Value basis was 58.91 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $150-$250.)
The Nanryo Isshu type (1829-1837) shrank even more, down
to a weight of about 2.6 grams.
It uses a slightly higher silver fineness of 98.9%, and
139,914,768 were made.
To show relative sizes of these last four types, Lianna
showed a slide with them next to a US Roosevelt dime
– a Nanryo Isshu type is as tall as the dime, while
a Meiwa Go Momme type is 2.5 times as tall.
(Value basis was 41.62 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $100-$200.)
The Tenpo Ichibu type (1837-1854) was shown next.
This is a one bu (equal to four shu) denomination, so it
weighs about 8.62 grams; 78,916,556 were made.
These have a higher fineness of silver, known as
“flowering silver.”
Instead of the dots used around the edge of the prior
coins, 20 cherry blossoms are used around the edge.
(Value basis was 34.33 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $45-$90.)
On July 8, 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry of the US Navy
led his squadron into the harbor of Japan’s capital.
This was the opening act in the years-long opening of
Japan to wide US and western contacts.
In the ensuing decades Japan would see many changes,
including in the commercial realm.
The Kaei Isshu type (one shu), minted during 1853-1865
with a silver fineness of 96.8%, weighed about 1.89
grams; 159,244,800 were made.
The cherry blossoms no longer are around the edges,
having been replaced by dots.
(Value basis was 29.27 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $15-$40.)
The Ansei Trade Nisshu type (two shu) was issued for only
22 days in June of 1859.
Only 706,400 were minted, making this the type with the
second lowest mintage.
The fineness of the silver was 84.5%, and each piece
weighed about 13.6 grams.
(The average price range now is $700-$1,100.)
In most places in the world, one ounce of gold was valued
between 15 and 16 ounces of silver.
Because Japan had only limited contact with the outside
world for so long, one ounce of gold was valued as five
ounces of silver.
Now, the doors for commerce were open.
Can you say arbitrage?
The Mexican silver peso (8 reales) coins were a favored
method of bringing silver into Japan, and were used to
buy gold at the Japanese market price; export the gold back
to Mexico, and exchange it back to Mexican pesos at the
Mexican market price; you now have three times the number
of Mexican pesos as you originally had!
Want to play another round of this game?
Japan did not.
Gold was leaving the country.
For the Ansei Trade Nisshu type, the currency standard
reversed its earlier decline and used an increased valuation
of 92.07 grams of silver per ryo.
(Or, we can say the value of silver fell.)
The Trade Nisshu type was dropped after only 22 days, and
a new type was tried.
The Ansei Ichibu type (one bu) was based upon a value of
30.14 grams of silver per ryo.
During 1859-1868, 11,398,600 pieces were made using a
silver fineness of 87.3%; each piece weighed about 8.62
grams.
(The average price range now is $40-$80.)
The earlier 5-petal cherry blossoms reappear around the
edges on this type, on both sides.
All but one blossom on each side are oriented with one
petal pointing up; one blossom is inverted, with one
petal pointing down.
The inverted blossom can be located along the top, bottom,
or either side; on each side of a piece, the inverted
blossom appears in different positions.
The location of the inverted blossom indicates when that
piece was made: we saw the inverted blossom positions
highlighted on pieces from the Tenpo, Ansei, and Meiji
types.
See the book by Hartill for the details on this aspect.
The Meiji Ichibu type (one bu) was minted for 10 months
during 1868-1869.
They were a stopgap effort until a new mass production
capability was established.
Caligraphy variations impact values to specialists; if
collecting the varieties, get the book!
The fineness of the silver was 80.7%, each weighs about
8.62 grams, and 4,267,332 were made.
(Value basis was 27.95 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $100-$250.)
The Meiji Restoration saw the end of rule by the Shogun,
and restored effective imperial rule to Japan in 1868
under Emperor Meiji.
The Meiji Isshu type (one shu) are attractive, common, and
inexpensive; their eye appeal is great for a type collector.
These were minted during 1868-1869 using a silver fineness
of 88%; 18,742,000 were minted, and each weighs about 1.89
grams.
(Value basis was 26.47 grams of silver per ryo.
The average price range now is $20-$50.)
The Meiji Isshu type is very similar to the overlapping
Kaei Isshu type mentioned earlier – the lines atop
one of the characters is the only obvious difference.
The Shonai Ichibu type, issued in the summer of 1868, is
unusual – pieces of Tenpo Ichibu (the high-grade silver
pieces with cherry blossoms along the edges) were overstruck
with one mark on each side.
The mintage of 1,720,000 is unconfirmed, with
1,200,000 pieces made in Sakata and 520,000 pieces made in
Tsuruoka; the location of the overstrike identifies where
it was made.
With an average price range of $90-$175 (and a range of
$45-$90 for the undertype), counterfeit overstamps are a
problem.
On the typical counterfeits, the lines of the overstrike
characters are thick and have noticeably sloping sides,
while the genuine stamped characters have thin lines and
the sides are nearly vertical.
Lianna showed us closeup images of the stamped characters
on a known good piece, a typical counterfeit piece, and
the piece in her collection – which needs to be
replaced, because it matches the typical counterfeit
piece.
The last set of slides presented different possible type
sets, based upon a budget.
-
Standard Ichibu –
Tenpo Ichibu, Ansei Ichibu, Meiji Ichibu - $200
-
Ichibu and Isshu – Above, plus Kaei Isshu, Meiji Isshu - $275
-
Nanryo – Ko Nanryo, Shin Nanryo, Nanryo Isshu - $450
-
PCGS Registry Sets – All of above, plus Ansei Trade Nisshu - $1,425
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Full Set – All of above, plus Meiwa Go Momme, Shonai Ichibu - $3,325
Videos of Lianna giving earlier versions of this presentation
are available online – check NNP, YouTube, and Google.
Results from her ongoing research are available on her website
https://rectanglecoins.com.
Please review it for more background and details on this
interesting topic.
The material presented on her website will be going into her
reference book, which is estimated to be released in five
years.
Current Advertisers
Show and Tell
Items shown at our June 11, 2025 meeting,
reported by Ray Dagenais.
-
Tyler Rossi
showed uniface and undated prison notes from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Used in the late 1980s at the prison in Zenica, Tyler showed us
denominations of 15, 100, 150, and 300 dinars.
The simple designs show the name as Kazneno Popravni DOM.
Each note is hand stamped in blue ink; the word EKONOMIJA here
loosely translates to “corner store.”
Because this prison held numerous high-profile individuals, it was
called the Mafia prison.
Prisoners were generally well-cared for.
Although prisoners received covid vaccinations during the pandemic,
mental illness was not given the attention it deserved.
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Noah Graf
showed a Pope John XXIII medal struck in Rome; it is 45mm in
diameter.
The obverse features a bust of the pope in vestments and crowned
with the pearl- and jewel-encrusted Palatine Tiara.
The reverse features a papal glove holding crossed keys, the
centuries-old symbol of the Holy See.
This silver-clad bronze medal was created for the coronation of
Pope John XXIII on November 4, 1958.
John XXIII was the last Pope to be inaugurated with this
particular crown; the first had been Pope Leo XIII in 1878.
John’s successor, Pope Paul VI, was the last pope to
undergo the full coronation ceremony, but with a different
tiara.
The Palatine Tiara is now on permanent display in the Vatican.
The beautiful portrait on this medal is the work of Sicilian
sculptor and engraver Giuseppe Fortunato Pirrone (1898-1978).
This particular medal was a gift to Noah, in the early 1990s,
from Tom DeLorey, formerly of Harlan J Berk Ltd.
While it does have a few nicks in the silver gilt, it is
otherwise free both of ordinary wear and of any significant
tarnish, despite never being cleaned or polished in the 30+
years it has been in his possession.
-
Deven Kane
showed three coins.
-
A silver denarius, from Rome, featuring Faustina II (Augusta
147-175) on the obverse; this is a lifetime issue.
The reverse features a standing Juno, holding a patera and
long sceptre, with a peacock at her foot.
-
A silver jeton from France, featuring Marie-Adélaïde
of Savoy on the obverse; the reverse features the gods Hymen
and Cupid together.
Styled as Duchess of Burgundy after her marriage, she became
Dauphine of France upon the death of her father-in-law, Le
Grand Dauphin, in 1711.
She died of measles in 1712, followed by her husband a week
later.
Their son, the Duke of Brittany succeeded as Dauphin, but he
died the following March from the measles.
The only child to survive the epidemic was the future Louis
XV who was locked inside his apartments with his governess
Madame de Ventadour to avoid being bled to death by doctors
as his elder brother had been.
-
A silver 2 Kronor from Sweden, of King Oscar II (1872-1907); a
commemorative issue marking the 50th Anniversary of the marriage
of King Oscar II and Lady Sofia, with their conjoined busts
featured on the obverse.
Oscar II was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907
and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905, inheriting both thrones
when his brother died in 1872.
His reign saw the gradual decline of the Union of Sweden and
Norway, which culminated in its dissolution in 1905.
Americans probably know him best for sardines – the King
Oscar export brand was founded in 1902 when King Oscar II gave
one of Norway’s leading canning companies “special
royal permission” to use his name and likeness on a line
of sardine products.
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In honor of the new pope from Chicago,
Joshua Benevento
showed a papal bulla, a lead seal used by the Vatican
to authenticate official documents.
It is from the papacy of Pius IX, who reigned from 1846 to 1878
and was the longest-serving pope in history.
On the front, you can see the haloed heads of Saints Peter and
Paul facing each other, with a cross between them – this
has been the standard image on papal bullae for centuries.
The reverse reads PIVS PAPA IX, identifying the pope who issued
it.
The cords attached to the top and bottom are original and were
used to tie the bulla to a parchment document, ensuring it had
not been opened or tampered with.
Bullae like this gave rise to the term “Papal Bull,”
referring to the documents themselves.
This piece is especially significant because Pius IX was the
last pope to rule the Papal States before Italy’s
unification.
After Rome was annexed by the new Italian state in 1870, Pius
IX refused to recognize the authority of the Italian government
and confined himself to the Vatican – beginning the Roman
Question, a decades-long conflict over sovereignty that was not
resolved until the Lateran Treaty of 1929.
In this small object, you have both religious symbolism and a
key moment in European political history.
-
Laurence Edwards
showed three British tokens that have long been associated
with Pre-Federal America:
-
A Kentucky token, a Franklin Press token, and a Washington
Grate Cent.
-
Earlier editions of the Red Book (his oldest is the 13th
Edition, 1960) make statements such as, “During the
period of confederation following the War of Independence,
still more English tokens were added to the great variety
of coins and tokens employed in the new nation.”
Under this description are included Kentucky and Franklin
Press tokens, as well as several Washington pieces.
-
More recent editions of the Red Book are careful to say
that the Kentucky tokens “are not known to have
circulated in America;” the Franklin Press tokens
“did not circulate as money in America, but being
associated with a London shop where Benjamin Franklin
once worked, they have long been included in American
coin collections.”
The Washington Grate Cents were advertising pieces that
may have been meant “for circulation in the British
Isles” [but not America.]
They are included in collections of American Colonial /
Pre-Federal coins by tradition, but not because they add
to the picture of what was circulating in the young
United States before Federal coinage was able to take
over.
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Zach Filis
showed coins of the Isle of Man, which is located in the
Irish Sea between England and Ireland.
-
The cast 1709 penny and half penny are considered the first
issued coinage for the Isle of Man.
These were crudely made.
One side features an eagle over a baby in a nest, above the
date.
The other side features a central triskeles.
-
In 1723 and 1725, patterns were struck of this type –
they were not put into circulation.
They used the same design as before, but have a better
appearance than the earlier cast pieces.
-
Under the Coinage Act of 1733, pennies and half pennies were
to be produced on the island.
Amos Topping and Samuel Dyall came from England to the Castle
Rushen in Castletown to mint them, using the same design.
Lord James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby had the mint issue
milled pennies and half pennies.
These are considered the second series.
-
Proofs were struck in silver and copper, while forgeries have
been made in silver, copper, and brass.
We saw proof examples in silver.
The legend of the Eagle and Child originated in the fourteenth
century when Sir Thomas De Lathom heard the cries of a child,
which was found lying in an eagle’s nest.
He adopted the child and made it his heir, but the new son
died before Sir Thomas, so his daughter Isabel became the
heir.
Isabel married Sir John Stanley, who took the Eagle and Child
as his crest, which has continued as the crest of the Derby
family to this day.
Zach concluded his presentation with an image of the Child and
Eagle pub in Oxford, and it dates back to the 1600s.
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Joe Boling
showed examples of suspected counterfeit and genuine 100
peso Japanese invasion notes (Rizal Monument series) overprinted
with red characters meaning SPECIMEN.
-
Two notes with consecutive serial numbers (in two lots) at a
recent auction displayed unusual overprints which are brighter
in color, have a slightly different font, and with what Joe
called a “sloppy” appearance (stray ink outside
the characters of the overprint).
With his curiosity piqued, Joe won one of the lots for
a closer inspection.
-
Detailed high magnification images showed differences between
the purchased note and genuine notes with the same overprint.
The questionable note appears to have smooth fluid ink in the
overprinted characters, which have rough edges caused by the
red ink flowing between the intaglio horizontal black lines
on the note.
These appeared to have been produced with a silk screen
process – a shown closeup clearly shows the lines of
the silk screen.
-
At the edges of the overprint characters on a genuine note,
both the crisp edges and the narrow ink ridges are as expected
on an overprint applied with a letterpress process.
There are no letterpress diagnostics anywhere on the
suspicious overprint.
-
The grading service initially declined to change their opinion
of the two notes in the auction.
Joe intends to press the issue with them with the new
information.
-
Mark Wieclaw
showed two Greek coins.
-
A silver Athenian silver tetradrachm from 131-130 BC, of
the “New Style” from about 165-42BC.
The obverse is nicely centered, with a vertical die break
through the face of Athena.
The reverse has the lettering and the right eye of the
eagle doubled – why was the doubling on only part
of the reverse?
He suggested that the reverse doubling was the result of
the die break causing the reverse die to shift a bit before
a second strike.
-
A 1⁄10 stater (5.6mm in diameter, weighing 8.3 grams),
which was the smallest of the electrum coinage for North
Africa.
One side features the head of a horse – coins of
Carthage (Zeugitana) featured horses on their reverses.
The other side features a palm tree, on a very small field
only 5.6mm in diamter.
To emphasize the difference in the sizes of the 1⁄10
stater and the silver tetradrachm, he showed the gold coin
lying on top of the tetradrachm.
Reminders:
-
You can email to Ray a description of what you will
show at a meeting, to give him a start on this write-up.
-
Send it to cccshowandtell@gmail.com
-
After a meeting, all members who viewed the meeting should
email him their scoring sheet – a listing of each
exhibit number followed by a score (from a low of 1 to a high of
10) is all that is needed.
Minutes of the Chicago Coin Club Board
May 21, 2025
Chicago Coin Club Board Meeting May 21, 2025 6:00PM CST in person at
Connie’s Pizza.
In attendance: Melissa Gumm, Deven Kane, Ray Dagenais, Bill Burd,
Tyler Rossi, Mark Wieclaw, Carl Wolf, Steve Zitowsky, John Riley,
Paul Hybert, and guest Dale Lukanich.
Absent: Scott McGowan, Elliott Krieter, Jeff Rosina.
Call to Order by Melissa Gumm, Club President, at 6:09pm.
Old Business
-
Special Projects Committee.
Mark Wieclaw requests to step down as committee chair due to health,
but wishes to remain on the committee.
Discussion of current committee members and someone who might be
willing to step up as new Chair; Mark to ask Rich Lipman if he is
interested.
-
Outstanding Tech issues, equipment purchases.
Discussed budget to purchase club laptop with Windows software,
a microphone, speaker(s), and camera (or scanner) to better
project images, in addition to tablet.
Spending was approved at 2024 board meeting, decision was made
to set budget of up to $2000.
Expectation is that enhancements will improve experience for
in-person and online participants.
Dale offered to reach out to Lianna, who has helped with legacy
project, for possible suggestions for tech equipment.
-
Tabled, on absence of secretary, CCC Database discussion to
August board meeting – survey membership for association
memberships i.e. ANA, CSNA, ILNA, and others; offices held;
Collecting passions; First start in Numismatics; Other
questions.
-
December Banquet Committee: Mark Wieclaw, Scott McGowan,
Jim Ray, and John Riley.
Plan to check out banquet room at Elks Club in Des Plaines,
Illinois in June; it has lots of space, bar, free parking,
and close to I-90 and I-290.
Excited to have committee who will keep in mind location, cost,
type of food, and availability of parking.
New Business
-
Secretary recommends we create a document of all club tech
assets with: date acquired, model and serial numbers.
All present agreed this was a great idea and should be rather
easy to complete in a timely fashion.
-
Guest Dale Lukanich – for the legacy project, we have
better options for completing the interviews.
New club member Joshua Benevento does a podcast and is
interested/excited to help.
Dale will provide the questions as a guideline to completing
interviews of club members.
A new list of names for interviews will be compiled by Dale
with Carl’s assistance.
Editing will continue to be done with the assistance of the
Newman Numismatic Portal.
Dale also brought up the idea of creating plaques for living
Hall of Fame members on induction and for those already
inducted.
He has a friend with a laser etcher who can etch any type of
stone we provide; we provide a PDF file and pay $30.
It was agreed this was a neat idea; we will keep in mind and
consider stone options.
-
Addressed need for new board member to visit PO Box for mail
pickup as Lyle Daly is retiring and will no longer be commuting
to downtown regularly.
Board member Tyler Rossi volunteered; he was highly recommended.
Thank you, Tyler.
-
Paul Hybert, Chatter editor, has completed a basic Index
to Presenters (as recorded in Chatter issues); it is up
to date, and it will be slowly extended.
So when someone visits the club website, they are able to see
when someone was a Featured Speaker or did a Show and Tell.
Discussion was also made of adding “In Memory”
links, among other possible extensions.
http://www.chicagocoinclub.org/chatter/presenters.html
-
Paul Hybert asked about Chatter Advertisers; the new
annual ad-cycle begins with the June Chatter issue.
So far two of the four advertisers have agreed to continue
– Scott reaching out to the other two, but assume they
will continue.
-
Paul Hybert informed us that the ANA has voted to have the 2027
ANA WFoM in Chicago/Rosemont.
The CCC board agreed we would inform ANA of our interest in
being the host club.
Discussion as to possible host chair, which will need to be
approved by the ANA.
And we should start lining up members for various roles,
starting with those interested in being a Committee Chair.
-
Melissa Gumm brought up need to have backup plans, as
evidenced by the absence of the secretary at this board
meeting.
It would be good to have a list of interested club members
from the general membership, not just from the board, who
could step up and take minutes at a meeting or write up a
presentation in the absence of the Chatter editor.
There is a natural progression with president and vice
presidents, but we do not seem to have any natural coverage
for other positions.
At June club meeting, will ask for interested club members
to cover in such instances.
President Melissa Gumm adjourned the meeting at 7:11 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Gumm
2025 Future Board Meetings: August 27, November 19.
Our 1278th Meeting
Date: |
July 9, 2025 |
Time: |
6:45PM CDT (UTC-05:00) |
Location: |
Downtown Chicago
At the Chicago Bar Association, 321 S. Plymouth Court, 3rd or 4th floor meeting room.
Please remember the security measures at our meeting building:
everyone must be prepared to show their photo-ID and register at the guard’s desk.
|
Online: |
For all the details on participating
online in one of our club meetings, visit our Online Meeting
webpage at
www.chicagocoinclub.org/meetings/online_meeting.html.
Participation in an online meeting requires some advance
work by both our meeting coordinator and attendees,
especially first-time participants.
Please plan ahead; read the latest instructions
on the day before the meeting!
Although we try to offer a better experience, please be
prepared for possible diifficulties.
|
Featured Program: |
Jeffrey A. Amelse —
Civil War Tokens – With Emphasis on Those With Cracks, Cuds, and Other Oddities
The Civil War began on April 12, 1861.
Mintage of the Indian Head cent dropped to about 10 million
in 1861.
This led to a shortage of small change and the private
minting of Civil War tokens which were accepted by
merchants as emergency currency.
Thousands of varieties of each group were issued, so a
complete listing cannot be covered in a one-hour session.
Since these were private issues, they were not subject to
the quality control of the U.S. Mint.
This talk will focus on examples with mint errors,
including cuds, cracks, and other oddities such as
spelling errors.
A few varieties will be tracked by die state from early
issues with no problems to late states with multiple
cracks or cuds.
A few restrikes of Confederate cents have been produced,
some from defaced dies.
For those in attendance, a few of these genuine fake
Confederate restrikes will be given to lucky winners of
a lottery.
Participation in an online meeting requires some advance
work by both our meeting coordinator and attendees,
especially first-time participants.
Please plan ahead; reread the latest instructions
on the day before the meeting!
|
Important Dates
Unless stated otherwise,
our regular monthly CCC Meeting is
in downtown Chicago, and also online,
on the second Wednesday of the month;
the starting time is 6:45PM CT.
|
July |
9 |
CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - Jeff Amelse on Civil War Tokens – With Emphasis on Those With Cracks, Cuds, and Other Oddities |
|
August |
13 |
CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - Mike Nottelmann on Podcasts (and other digital info) for the Numismatic Enthusiast or How to Research Coin in the Misinformation Era |
August |
19-23 |
ANA in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.
Admission is free for ANA members —
for details, see http://www.worldsfairofmoney.com. |
|
September |
4-6 |
ILNA 2025 Annual Coin & Currency Show
at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center
Drive, Tinley Park, Illinois 60477.
Details, including hours and events, are available at
http://www.ilnaclub.org/show.html |
September |
10 |
CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - to be determined |
|
October |
8 |
CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - to be determined |
Chatter Matter
http://www.ChicagoCoinClub.org/
Contacting Your Editor / Chatter Delivery Option
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.
Club Officers
Elected positions: |
Melissa Gumm | - President |
Deven Kane | - First V.P. |
Ray Dagenais | - Second V.P. |
William Burd | - Archivist |
|
Directors: | Tyler Rossi
Mark Wieclaw
Carl Wolf
Steve Zitowsky |
|
Appointed positions: |
John Riley | - Immediate Past President |
Scott McGowan | - Secretary |
Elliott Krieter | - Treasurer |
Paul Hybert | - Chatter Editor, webmaster |
Jeffrey Rosinia | - ANA Club Representative |
|
Correspondence
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
Or email the Secretary at
Secretary.ChicagoCoinClub@GMail.com
Payments to the Club, including membership dues,
can be addressed to the Treasurer at the above
street address.
Payments
Renewing Members
Annual dues are $20 a year ($10 for Junior, under 18).
Annual Membership expires December 31 of the year through which paid.
Cash, check, or money order are acceptable (USD only please).
We do not accept PayPal.
Email your questions to
Treasurer.ChicagoCoinClub@GMail.com
Members can pay the Club electronically with Zelle™ using
their Android or Apple smart phone.
JP Morgan Chase customers can send payments to the Club via Quick Pay.
To see if your Bank or Credit Union is part of the Zelle™ Payments
Network, go to
https://www.zellepay.com
Please read all rules and requirements carefully.
-
The Club has registered the Treasurer.ChicagoCoinClub@GMail.com address
with Zelle™ to receive payments.
-
When you send a payment via Zelle™, we will receive
a notification.
-
Be sure to fill out the “What’s this for?” field
– e.g., “Dues 2025”; or “Dues 2025 & 2026”
to pay for two years
-
Once the transaction completes, the Club will receive your
payment typically within minutes, and you will know that
the payment was received.
-
Be sure to have your Location enabled on your phone for the
transaction.
 |
Sharing this complete Chatter issue with a friend is simple.
Just let them scan this code into their smartphone!
Or, you can check it out for yourself.
|