We applaud the author (Len Augsburger) and everyone who contributed to the "100 Greatest Items of American Numismatic Literature." We are sorry that we couldn't have contributed more for this worthwhile project. We have several of the top 100 that are listed in our own library. It was sad that the catalogs from Smythe (later Spink / Smythe), containing the collection(s) of Herb and Martha Schingoethe were not included in the survey. If you collect obsolete notes, other numismatic paper money or ephemera items you will need these sales catalogs.

Herb and Martha Schingoethe were two of the greatest collectors of obsolete paper money, depression scrip, college currency, checks and other items that ever lived. We were very good friends of Herb and Martha and even bid against them in some of the sales we both attended. The first sale was held on October 22-23, 2004 and the last, Part 18 on June 25, 2009. The firm also had some other related sales containing selected items that were added to the 18, or just separate sales.

We are glad the Haxby four volume set is included in the top 100. If you collect obsolete U. S. obsolete notes you will need that four volume set, along with the very important Christie's sale of Important Early American Bank Notes (archives of ABNCo), 1810-1874 held on 9/14-15/1990 and the Spink America sale of Important Early American Paper Money (the collection of the Western Reserve Historical Society) held on 11/25-26/1996. If you have the four volume Haxbys, Christie's ABNCo sale, and Spink Western Reserve Sale catalogs you are pretty complete with most information you will need on collecting U. S. obsolete notes. However, without the Smythe / Spink-Smythe Schingoethe sales you will be lacking many thousands of notes that are not in the aforementioned four volume Haxby and two other sales.

Trying to get the 18 Schingoethe sales catalogs (and related sales) today would be very hard.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:NBS U.S. NUMISMATIC BIBLIOGRAPHY PROJECT UPDATE(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n38a02.html)