Next Meeting: AUGUST MAYBE??!! CANCELED August 25 Can you beat Sam Dibitonto’s Morgan? Sam will bring his MS Morgans. Bring your best and see if you can beat his. August 29 New Coins at the Museum Upcoming Coin Shows (ALL canceled) San Francisco Ancient Coin Society and LA Ancient Coin Society are meeting on-line with Zoom. RCC Officers David Elliott….......... President….......…815-8625 Rusty King..............Vice President......... 677-7057 Doug Larson............Past President..........843-0162 Mary Long..................Treasurer..............247-5796 Andre Azzam ..............Secretary….........338-0707 Laurel Hoggan….........Librarian..........…223-5096 Joe Wozniak.............…Director…......…853-4223 Ken Hopple ....…..........Director..............677-1544 Shannon Holmes...........Director..............827–4359 Paul Williams…..........ANA Rep.............720-5395 David Elliott...................Editor................815-8625 datbbelliotts@prodigy.net www.renocoinclub.org |
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https://renocoinclub.libib.com
Fred Holabird reminds everyone that the club’s large library is housed by him at
3555 Airway Drive #308 (around back as Holabird Americana). Call 851-1859
3555 Airway Drive #308 (around back as Holabird Americana). Call 851-1859
Got Ct .25, ordered Salt River. NA, Georgia $1 here, 2019S .25 sets here.
| Well, I am all twitterpated about getting two early coins of England Cnut (the Viking that ruled England 1016-1035 and Scandamavia and Edward the Confessor (1042-1066, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England). Of course, I didn’t spend $1000s and get a whole one from $300-$5000 and more, but almost a half and a half one for under $75. Both these monarchs have strange crowns that appear on the coins, which along with lettering and crosses and buying from reputable dealers let me know I got a couple of very rare coins at a price |
| I can afford. For $10 each I also got copies of Harold II and William I from the Battle of Hastings in 1066 that gave England to the Normans. Two complete the series Guernsey has a coin of William II and after them I have whole or cut pennies of everyone else. |
| Ancient and medieval often allow for worn, damaged, cut, copies ancient and modern and modern coins, so even rare coins can be collected on a budget. For example rare ancient silver coins, although too thick to cut, came in denominations from the size of a half dollar to 7mm with the same designs. In addition silver and gold coins often bare test marks or cuts to make sure the were not plated copper. An Athenian tetradrachm worth several thousand with lots of test marks becomes a $100 coin with the same design or history. Although Romans also had denomination in all metals, change was often made by cutting the coin in half or quarters with an axe. So, a $300 As of Nemausus |
| becomes a $10 treasure with a head of Augustus or Agrippa and the crocodile of the legion that conquered Egypt and Cleopatra that were settle in Gaul or France. Thin medieval silver pennies were even easier to cut and often had a cross on the back to guide the cut. We did the |
| quartered, worn, or damaged coin I find a photo of a perfect one and put in my flip. Or give up and get a copy. This month after getting a copy of a 6th century AD Gepid coin for $3. (They defeated Atilla the Hun’s army and were in turn defeated by the Lombards.) The coins were copies of the Gothic King Theodoric in Rome coins and have his monogram on the reverse with a copy of the Byzantine emperor Justin coin on the obverse. I surprisingly got a real one, so the copy will be my picture. You can hold a great piece of history in your hands for very little if you give up having a perfect mint state coin and the largest example of a particular design coin. Try it, you'll like it. |
| The new Innovation dollar designs are out with a reverse proof of the first and ugliest out July 21 for $10, Connecticut has a mechanical enlarger drafting tool. Massachusetts celebrates the rotary dial phone. Maryland has the Hubble telescope, and South Carolina applauds Septima Poinsette Clark, who promoted literacy and citizenship classes in 1950s-1970s. The 100th anniversary of th Women’s suffragettes silver dollar comes out August 18. The clad half and silver dollar basketball coins, both curved, get colorized, the first US coin to do so. |
| August 28 for $55 for the clad half and $95 for the one ounce silver, limit 2, 9AM on-line orders only. The silver dollar just has a red rim and white net. The half has an orange ball, red rim, and white net. 2020 US mint set to get the W nickel cheaply is still to be determined TBD. |
| The Mint insisted on charging outrageous postage and handling fees to Alaska banks after Congress authorized Alaska to get 5 million 2020 Native American dollars to put in circulation. No Alaska bank would order them from the Federal Reserve with the surcharges involved. Even an Act of Congress will not let us buy our own coinage at face value. The interruption of shipping by the US Mint and Federal Reserve has caused a coin shortage in some areas. Shipping has just renewed. Covid19 has encouraged cashless transactions as no one want to touch “dirty” money. The sale of uncirculated W eagles sold less than a hundred thousand on initial offering. No phone orders and website had a notice that they were unavailable. And some people want the government to run healthcare? A cool $100 (33mm) pattern coin proposed by George T. Morgan came to light in Australia. Made by Jeff Garret about 12 years ago to raise funds for a numismatic museum only 999 were made. Morgan’s sketch is found in The Private Sketchbook of George T. Morgan, America's Silver Dollar Artist. A nice bit of sleuthing by E-sylum. Britain is celebrating its 1.5 million treasure finds mostly by metal detectorists since the 1997 Portable Antiquities Act. BBC History Magazine lists the ten best: https://bit.ly/3f8shje that includes bronze age and Celtic gold, papal bullae, 320, 000 Roman coins, and Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Viking coin hoards, a lost Roman Emperor Domitianus, new coins of Harold II and Alfred the Great’s competitor for English rule Ceolwulf II, and significant jewelry of Richard III and Thomas Becket. The Portable Antiquities Act allows you to keep what you find once registered or sell it to a museum at market value. The |
| landowner gets 10%. Auction houses are doing well selling rarities despite closed stores and cancelled shows. At least $150 million of US coins were sold by auction firms in the first half of the year. One of the many examples of superb quality rare coins commanding record prices was the $101,251 winning bid for the finest known 1905 Barber design silver quarter dollar graded PCGS MS68. It sold for four times its price guide value. Over a half dozen coins brought $1 million or more. The two most valuable US coins sold at auction so far in 2020 were a record $2,160,000 for a 1927D Saint Gaudens gold $20 graded PCGS MS 65+ and $1,920,000 for an 1854S gold $5 graded PCGS AU 58. Stack’s Bowers Galleries is auctioning a collection of British Coronation Medals formed by the “Duke of Lansing” in their August 2020. Beginning with James I and continuing through the coronation of the current sovereign Elizabeth II. One of eight 1787 Brasher Doubloons, the only with the minter's 'EB' initials counterstamped on the eagle's breast, is now available for $15 million. The sale is being marketed by Jeff Sherid, of LA PCAG Inc., who identified the owner as a former Wall Street executive. Another interesting gold coin. Kagin is selling for $39,500 an 1853 $20 PCGS MS64 San Francisco Assay Office $20. Only 8 graded higher at PCGS! |
| Everything Australia in one coin for $73 with an opal Australia. Silver proof set selling well at $63.25 and you get the W nickel with reverse proof (not silver). The initial offering sold out, but they are making more. NGC is certifying a stockpile of backdated gold and |
| silver coins from US Mint. The hoard includes 2016 and 2017-dated American Silver Eagles, American Gold Eagles, First Spouse gold coins and silver medals. The US Mint sold tens of thousands of gold and silver coins from its reserves to bulk buyers. The coins include: the 2016W 30th Anniversary 1 Ounce Proof Silver Eagle, the 2017W 1Ounce Proof Silver Eagle, 225th Anniversary American Liberty Silver Medals, and First Spouse 1/10 Ounce $10 Gold coins. The 2020 West Point Mint Hoard designation are available exclusively from Rare Collectibles TV and other retailers. Probably overpriced, but at least they will be authentic unlike buying them from China. PCGS has confirmed a new die marriage for the 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar. The coin was struck with a previously unknown obverse die. The 1st new die variety for a 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar in 90 years. The 1831 Capped Head Left half eagle is the third finest known with PCGS Coin Facts estimation of the surviving population at 25-30 examples in all grades, a solid R6. Heritage is auctioning it in August. |
Numismatic Potpourri
New US Coins
Numismatically yours, David Elliott
Not Entirely the Other Coin: Bits, Bitten, and Bitty Bits
| same with Spanish coins as small change was hard to come by until after the Civil War. The silver dollar size eight real was cut into 8 bits. 1 bit 12 and half cents, 2 bits a quarter, 2 quarters a half dollar. We did this to our own coinage as well. Pictured is a quarter of a Barber half or a 12 ½ cent bit. US and Mexican silver coins were given test marks to assure the Chinese that the coins were silver. It would be smart not to buy any silver coins from China because they are not usually silver. They make nice copies, however. Again Spanish reals and US trade dollars can be had for a fraction of the cost without chop-marks. I got mine from Sears in the 1960s for $65. When I get a cut, |
| My book Two Souls and a Body: What Every Educated Person Knew to be True and How the Educated Christian Developed Christianity in Hellenistic Times, Creating the Ideas of Free Will and Modern Psychology is being printed and will be at Amazon and Barnes and Nobles soon or can be purchased from me for $32. 524pp., oversized 8 x 10 with lots of charts and images, Learn what every educated person knew to be true when the New Testament was written and Christianity defined. You will discover what was accepted from Hellenic culture, what was changed, and what was rejected to develop Christian theology in a Roman Empire very much like our own multi ethnic globalist America. You will know how to lead a truly Christian life according to the Early Church. On the cover, St. John Chrysostom ("the golden mouth"), doctor of the Catholic Church and chief theologian of the Orthodox Church looks back to Plato and Aristotle. Christ came in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4) when the best of Greek thought and Christian revelation was joined just as the person of Christ Jesus united God and man. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teachings, you are truly my disciple. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," (John 8:31-32) |
After the Last Cancelled Meeting
Everything July is cancelled. Everything July is cancelled. Hopefully just a month more of this quarantine, but we fell from level
2 to 1.5 with only groups of 6 allowed when we were hoping for 50, so churches and coin club meetings can happen. We need
to declare ourselves a riot or something. Museum is running press from 11AM-3PM on Saturdays, but doesn’t want me to attract
anyone until were back to level 2 or higher. Probably for the best as my MD says I have all 5 co-morbid conditions. Ordered the
Salt River Mangrove tree .25. The Women’s Suffrage silver dollar and colorized basketball coin come out in August. A
woman in Fresno won the 3 club medals. I HAVE SOLD 8 OF THE 40 $10 TICKETS FOR THE 1884 CC BOXED DOLLAR
RAFFLE. Please mail me a check at 2845 Edgewood Drive, Reno 89503 for your chance to win. Coin drawn as soon as I have
sold 40 tickets. Let me know how you are doing, so I can tell everyone. Most people are hiding out. We cancelled trip to grankids
in Seattle and AZ grankids cancelled trip here. All exposed to virus. Robert got some more treasures. Stay safe. Contact me with
any ideas or problems: datbbelliotts@prodigy.net 775 815-8625.
Treasurer’s report: Minimal activity, especially since we had no monthly meeting due to COVID-19. Income was $30 for our
coin raffle. Normal expenses were paid for the newsletter, our website, and bank fees.
Everything July is cancelled. Everything July is cancelled. Hopefully just a month more of this quarantine, but we fell from level
2 to 1.5 with only groups of 6 allowed when we were hoping for 50, so churches and coin club meetings can happen. We need
to declare ourselves a riot or something. Museum is running press from 11AM-3PM on Saturdays, but doesn’t want me to attract
anyone until were back to level 2 or higher. Probably for the best as my MD says I have all 5 co-morbid conditions. Ordered the
Salt River Mangrove tree .25. The Women’s Suffrage silver dollar and colorized basketball coin come out in August. A
woman in Fresno won the 3 club medals. I HAVE SOLD 8 OF THE 40 $10 TICKETS FOR THE 1884 CC BOXED DOLLAR
RAFFLE. Please mail me a check at 2845 Edgewood Drive, Reno 89503 for your chance to win. Coin drawn as soon as I have
sold 40 tickets. Let me know how you are doing, so I can tell everyone. Most people are hiding out. We cancelled trip to grankids
in Seattle and AZ grankids cancelled trip here. All exposed to virus. Robert got some more treasures. Stay safe. Contact me with
any ideas or problems: datbbelliotts@prodigy.net 775 815-8625.
Treasurer’s report: Minimal activity, especially since we had no monthly meeting due to COVID-19. Income was $30 for our
coin raffle. Normal expenses were paid for the newsletter, our website, and bank fees.
| SF set of all five 2013-2019S .25 in case $5 National Park Quarters PDS .50 Presidential, Native American D P $1.25 |
Next Meeting: SEPTEMBER MAYBE??!! CANCELED August 25 Can you beat Sam Dibitonto’s Morgan? Sam will bring his MS Morgans. Bring your best and see if you can beat his. August 29 New Coins at the Museum Upcoming Coin Shows (ALL canceled) San Francisco Ancient Coin Society and LA Ancient Coin Society are meeting on-line with Zoom. RCC Officers David Elliott….......... President….......…815-8625 Rusty King..............Vice President......... 677-7057 Doug Larson............Past President..........843-0162 Mary Long..................Treasurer..............247-5796 Andre Azzam ..............Secretary….........338-0707 Laurel Hoggan….........Librarian..........…223-5096 Joe Wozniak.............…Director…......…853-4223 Ken Hopple ....…..........Director..............677-1544 Shannon Holmes...........Director..............827–4359 Paul Williams…..........ANA Rep.............720-5395 David Elliott...................Editor................815-8625 datbbelliotts@prodigy.net www.renocoinclub.org |
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| Back Issues |
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| Back Issues |
https://renocoinclub.libib.com
Fred Holabird reminds everyone that the club’s large library is housed by him at
3555 Airway Drive #308 (around back as Holabird Americana). Call 851-1859
3555 Airway Drive #308 (around back as Holabird Americana). Call 851-1859
Got Ct., Salt River.25. NA, Georgia $1 here, 2019S .25 sets here.
| Seals are even older than coins and used to identify the owner or sender of missives or trade goods among other things. The earliest seals, all the way back to Neolithic and Sumerian times 6000 BC were made of clay, but by Roman times lead was the common medium for seals. In addition to use of seals on letters and goods, lead seals or tessera were used as local coinage in Egyptian nomes and Roman cities. The Roman tessera were used like hard time tokens to advertise good and services for theaters, games, food, and even brothels. Sumerian cylinder seal of the sun god Shamash (2200 BC) and his sister moon goddess Ishtar or Inanna each with their tutelary animal grasshopper and gazelle. Clay seal of Hezekiah, King of Judea (727-698 BC) with Hebrew inscription: Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah. With a winged Sun and ankh symbols. A Darius I seal 6th BC has a trilingual inscription in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian: I (am) Darius, the king. A lion hunt is depicted. Note that Sumerian, Jew, and Persian are all worshiping the sun god Shamash, Ra, and Ahura Mazda. |
| Seal art like engraved gems was the basis for designs on coin. Stone cylinders were replaced by stamps and signet rings with designs on lead surviving readily over wax seals. Lead seals are usually cheaper and sometimes cover periods where coins are rare like rural Egypt, Syria during the Muslim invasion and Crusades, Kievian Russia, or our own pre-Civil War hard time tokens. Like the hard time tokens the lead seals and tessera can copy coins or have completely new designs promoting politics, religion, and businesses that are non-governmental. Roman seals of the 4 tetrarchs: Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, an Constantius I and Constantius II with an inscription from coins : DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG or our lord Constantius, pious and fortunate Augustus (emperor). Below are two tessera, a square one with Diana and hound/ stag and tree, Medusa and aD, and one of the famous erotic tessera/ V. |
| The early years of Kievian Rus produced few coins and were Byzantine copies, which were likely medals, not currency. There are thousands of lead seals from trade goods going to and from Byzantium, usually in Greek or attempts at Greek, but sometimes with Russian letters and words. A seal depicting the Annunciation of Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich, 1095-1138. A seal of Sviatopolk II of Kiev, 1100–1118 with John the Baptist identified by Greek letters and Russian DbNbSLOVO, which is a name Dinslovo maybe of a town. Small seals probably of goods have VII and the Greek letter psi or a cross and H, which is the Russian letter N. Metal detectorists have found tens of thousands of these seals and allow you to have “coins” from a period that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars. |
| The Egyptian nomes or districts used the lead tessera as coinage. Winged Nike holding palm over victor with kantharos below/ Nilus (the Nile) riding left hippo and pharaoh with papyrus branch/ crocodile god in wreath with name of nome in Greek around (Arsinoe). |
| Similarly, expensive Crusader coins can be replaced with a variety of lead tokens Here St. George and the dragon and a pilgrims cross to be worn as a souvenir from the Holy Land. Both around 12th AD and a seal of Baldwin IV, king of Jerusalem 1173-1183 enthroned with Latin: Baldwin by Grace of God King of Jerusalem. Reverse has towe of David center, temple of Jerusalem left and the Holy Sepulcher right. A spectacular seal cheaper than any coin. For many Crusaders there are inexpensive coins too. |
| This 1944 Allied military note for Germany is a forgery by the Russians. The US notes (same design) have a nine digit serial number printed by a numbering device with nine wheels. The Russians didn’t have nine wheel equipment, so they had to nudge together a six wheel and a three wheel machine, thus the irregularity in the serial number. Favored design for Trump presidential medal with “the forgotten men and women of our country will not be forgotten again” from Trump’s inaugural address and 45 stars denoting Trump as the 45th President of the United States. It will be made in silver and bronze. A unique set of face and back proofs of Series 1914 and 1918 Federal Reserve notes of each denomination: $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1000, $5000, and $10,000, all housed in a custom binder. In the Fall of 1914, proofs were printed from the actual currency plates onto card stock. The Treasury seal and the all zero serial numbers were glued on by hand by the pressman. The $5000 and $10,000 notes are only collectable as part of this set. There are no examples of either denomination in private hands. |
| Barbara Bush’s new coin is the only one out this month, aside from the colorized basketball coins mentioned last month. The Barabara Bush coin is a half ounce gold in proof and uncirculated. You have to order on-line; they are not taking calls due to the virus. No call centers open. |
| This is one of the finest Rose ryals from the second coinage of James I, 1604-1619. It has one of the finest and detailed strikes. These are huge coins 39mm, 13.68 g, 30 shillings, which was a large sum at that time. A months wages for skilled laborer in 1600 or $890 for the gold now. James I enthroned, facing. Around the obverse edge is the inscription in Latin, “James by the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland.” Reverse, This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes (Psalms 118:23). The reverse has the Tudor Rose with English crest of Irish harp, Scottish lion, and English banner with 3 English lions and3 French lis. Robert is proposing further research on the 1792 half disme with the cyclotron. He was also off to an auction with high hopes, but no pictures have come in the e-mail. |
| Colonial History in Your Hands: A Colonial Coin Collector's Collection by Peter Jones,598pp., $89. A lifelong collector of colonial coins, Jones gives the fascinating stories behind each coin with up to date scholarship on the current thoughts about each series. The book is profusely illustrated with color photos, and includes full page pictures of almost 300 coins. And from the same author, The First Medals of America: Comitia Americana and Associated Medals by Peter Jones 100pp, $29.99. The American Continental Congress issued eleven medals for valor during the American Revolution. This book tells the stories behind these brave men and their exploits, and the long process of procuring their individual medals. Twenty-six medals are pictured in full page color photographs. The book includes full information about types of medals available and their cost. Canada beats Perth this month for cool coins: a kilo-gram of gold polar bear, 3 and 5 ounce silver incuse maple leaf with black rhodium and a coin celebrating the 150th of the North-West Territories. |
| Coin World is offering a free 30 day digital trial at https://digauth.amospress.com/free-trial/CWCC0620 An updated and revised seventh edition of the Guide Book of United States Paper Money will be available in September 2020. The new book is a collector's price guide and history of the paper currency of the United States dating from federal issues introduced during the Civil War to modern day cash. Written by numismatists Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, the 416 page guide is printed in full color with hundreds of high resolution images. It retails for $24.95.The coin commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower is stalled in Congress by inaction, but the Treasury Department is going ahead on its own. 26 designs were proposed in April 2019 and the final candidates are unknown, but will be gold and silver and paired with the British Mayflower coin. CoinNews.net has all 26th designs in their April 16, 2019 issue. A metal detectorist unearthed the ‘biggest haul of his life' when he found more than 1,000 silver coins estimated to be worth £100,000 near a Suffolk pub. Luke Mahoney, 40, and two of his friends stayed up for 3 nights straight as they searched a field behind the Lindsey Rose pub. Starting at 10am on Sunday, July 26, Mr. Mahoney scoured the 15 acre field and first found a gold coin and sixpence before taking a break for lunch. Upon their return to the field the trio began discovering coins “everywhere,” as well as a cracked clay pot. They stayed up over three nights keeping watch over the field to prevent ‘nighthawks' (rival detectorists hoping to loot valuable sites in the dark) away. Overall, the group unearthed 1,061 silver hammered coins dating back to somewhere in the 15th to the 17th century |
| This 1973S proof error coin, an Eisenhower $1 really went astray when it was made and somehow escaped quality control to be available for error coin collectors today. The dollar was struck on a half dollar planchet. Next, the portrait as well as the reverse are doubled with two heads and two tails sides. A spectacular error coin. And being auctioned now, a US 1970S quarter overstruck on a Canadian George V 25 cent coin. You can see the maple leaves on line. |
Robert's Treasures
New US Coins
Numismatically yours, David Elliott
The Other Coin: Seals
| Byzantine lead seals are even more numerous and made by private people, religious, and government officials among others. Below is Virgin and child stands/ Emperor Anastasius II Artemius, 713-715.faces, cross globus and law scroll, d N APTEMIVS ANASTASIVS MVL “our lord Artemius Anastasius the Second. A very rare, short lived emperor. And a lead seal of John, Archbishop of Ephesus 6th AD that has a cruciform monogram the spells out in Greek “Mother of God, help you servant, and John, archbishop of Ephesus on reverse. |
| After the Last Cancelled Meeting Everything August is cancelled. Cinemark is opening the 19th with old movies, but no churches are opening against Sisolak’ s orders. We can probably set up a Zoom program or something, but ANA is doing lots of on-line programs as noted. We can also do a chat on Facebook. Let me know if any of this appeals to you. Medal Craft that made our medal wants twice as much to make more silver medals and will not give us our dies, so no new coins, I guess The mint is coming out with their women suffrage silver medal August 18 and Barbara Bush’s gold coin August 20, but the Mayflower coin, other quarters and Innovation dollars are set for Fall 2020 or TBD as is the uncirculated set with the W nickle. Gold and Silver eagles will be stamped V75 for the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, but no special commemorative. The museum is running the press from 11AM-3PM on Saturdays, but doesn’t want me there yet. Have the Salt River Mangrove tree .25. I HAVE SOLD 11 OF THE 40 $10 TICKETS FOR THE 1884 CC BOXED DOLLAR RAFFLE. Please mail me a check at 2845 Edgewood Drive, Reno 89503 for your chance to win. Coin drawn as soon as I have sold 40 tickets. Let me know how you are doing, so I can tell everyone. I asked Robert to send me pictures of any new treasures and am starting a Robert’s Treasure column. Stay safe. Contact me with any ideas or problems: 775 815-8625 datbbelliotts@prodigy.net Treasurer’s report: Minimal activity, especially since we had no monthly meeting due to COVID-19. Income was $100 for our coin raffle. Normal expenses were paid for the newsletter, our website, and bank fees. |
| SF set of all five 2013-2019S .25 in case $5 National Park Quarters PDS .50 Presidential, Native American D P $1.25 |
Numismatic Potpourri
