We've already given our mea culpa about the late date of the sale, the lack of photographs in the printed version of the catalog and the amount of lots in the auction. However no apology is needed for the quality of the material being offered. Among the ancient coins offered are a number of rare tiny coins of Samaria and Gaza and some rare and high grade coins from the Bar Kochba Revolt. High and/or rare coins from Gadara, Joppa, Skotussa, Mytilene, Alexandria are offered along with two different coins with what is believed to be the head of Cleopatra VII in a countermark. An exceptionally well-centered Judaea Capta denarius and coins from the collection of the well-known Washington DC numismatist Bill Porter round out this section.

The world coin section is highlighted by the 2nd part of the Philadelphia Collection and high grade and rare coins of Egypt, Israel and Palestine are being offered. Included in these listings are three high grade 1948 25 Mil coins, the exceedingly rare 1960 Eight Grain Type I Agora, proof Pruta coins, error coins and some rare 21st century Israeli gold coins. From a different collection is an incredibly rare 1954 100 Pruta struck on an off- metal. Is it a pattern minted in Bern or an error minted in Tel Aviv? It's the first we've ever seen! The Palestine coins and tokens from this collection have numerous scarce and desirable pieces from five 19th century tokens, many key dates in high grade and a Proof single which is seldom avail- able.

Other highlights in the world coin section include some very rare and/or high grade African coins from Eritrea, Ethiopia, French Equatorial Africa, German East Africa, Guinea, Italian Somaliland and some remarkable pat- terns from Madagascar. In addition we offer eight rare and high late 18th and early 19th century coins of the Gold Coast as well as the exceedingly rare 1952 Proof set from Libya with a nice pedigree.

The world coin sections ends with a group of Lodz Ghetto tokens, a Swedish "Jehovah" 4 Mark silver coin US trade "box" dollar, and a long run of US merchant tokens. In addition to the "box" dollar there are 3 hand-engraved love tokens on 19th century silver crowns.

The World Paper section again is full of rare and seldom seen notes including a well-worn (and partially burnt) 1st issue Cyprus canteen chit from the Sylvia Haffner collection as well as the nicest 2nd issue set of 3 Cyprus Canteen notes we have ever seen. Other concentration camp and related highlights include notes from Buchenwald, Flossenburg, Nordhausen, Oranienburg, Sachsenhausen, Westerbork, Lodz and the Warsaw Ghetto.

The Israeli paper section has numerous rarities, specimens, trials and proofs. A few lots deserve special mention including a matched numbered set of 1948 carpet notes which we sold to "Mr. Philadelphia" nearly 30 years ago, a very high grade Neeman-Eshkol 100 Pruta Inverted signature error fractional note, a high grade and "slabbed" 50 Pound Bank Leumi note, a 1955 Bank of Israel Specimen set, a group of 23 different notes in a 1955 Bank of Israel Progress set of trial and proofs and a group of vignettes from the American Bank Note Company archives used on Israel Bonds in the early 1950s. In addition are 4 different Israeli errors as well a group of rare Six-Day War POW notes.

While the Palestine section doesn't have the block-busters of the last sale we do offer one of the very few known Palestine Currency Board errors which has a nice pedigree and is similar to the one in Rafael's Dabbah's book. We should know as we bought both of them at the same time more than 20 years ago. Also being offered are two high grade one pound notes, a nice 10 Pound note and 3 Anglo-Palestine Registered checks.

The paper money section ends with the last of the large lots of Lodz Ghetto notes that we have been offering for the past few years, a run of chits and coupons from Lodz and the only book in the auction. It's the actual handwritten manuscript of David Atzmony's classic Russian Paper Money Catalog, This original piece of research is dedicated to one of the great paper money enthusiasts of all time, Yasha Beresiner, who was given the book by Atzmony in November of 1974 who signed it for Yasha.

Our medallic Judaica section as always has numerous rare and seldom seen items. Lot 294 is a silver "Feather Jew" medal by Christian Wermuth from the famed Arthur Polak collection and the first in silver we've offered in at least 35 years. Other highlights in this section include an 1782 Edict of Toleration Medal, a medal of Alberto Cohn, an 1878 Vercelli Synagogue medal, a hand-engraved 1904 (on a British 3 Pence?) silver Bar Mitzvah? love token, 2 Boris Schatz items, a 1937 Benno Elkan Marriage medal, an exceedingly rare gold medal issued by the Iranian Jewish Community in 1966 and numerous Holocaust related medals including a huge one of Raoul Wallenberg. Two unusual amulets are in this section, one which we believe the late Bill Spengler found in the mid-east, the other a large unidentified piece.

Our state of Israel medal section contains more than a handful of rare patterns, test strikes, trials, off-metal strikes or errors and unlisted items.

Our miscellaneous paper section is, as usual, a selection of various items that don't quite fit anywhere else. Included in this section are numerous different Kollel notes some offered individually and others in groups. Perhaps the highlight of the section is a hand-written letter, with the original envelope, from Henrietta Szold address to a prominent attorney in Pennsylvania.

The sale ends with a small listing of Holocaust related notgeld, some very rare anti-semitic propaganda overprints and other documents and memorabilia.

To view the complete online catalog, see:
http://rosenblumcoins.com/45a