Library Mini-Fest
April's been a busy month. Last Saturday I hosted Jonas Denenberg and Kellen Hoard for a visit to see my numismatic library. In preparation I'd worked to organize a few last boxes of unsorted ephemera. The pair arrived at the recently opened Metro station after 11am and we went to a local Indian restaurant for a nice lunch.

Here's a photo taken prior to the visit, before we started pulling books and binders from the shelves for show-and-tell.

Kellen came prepared to shoot video of the event, and did a great job of handling the camera and interview. The footage is in the hands of the Newman Numismatic Portal for editing. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here's a shot of the three of us after a long afternoon of biblio fun.

Kellen was unable to attend our dinner because of a conflicting event - he'd been at the U.S. Mint headquarters downtown for meetings after getting sworn in as a new member of the Citizen's Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). Congratulations, Kellen!

Love, Andrea
One evening this week I drove to a nearby carwash to get the spring pollen off my vehicle. The attendant returned this dollar to me when it wouldn't go thru the bill acceptor.

No idea who Andrea is or where I got this, but I'll have to spend it elsewhere before I have some 'splaining to do to my wife.

Nummis Nova
Thursday April 18th brought the monthly dinner of my Northern Virginia numismatic social group Nummis Nova. Robert Hoppensteadt was our host, and he'd chosen Clyde's at Mark Center in Alexandria. It's a beautiful venue with a leafy parking lot with a great canopy of old trees. Here are Tom Kays' notes on the evening, opening with his composite group photo.

Tom's Take

Here you see all the usual Nummis Nova suspects of numismatic funny business. From left to right are Steve Bishop, my guest Lorne LaVertu, Dave Schenkman, Robert, Mike Packard, Wayne Herndon, Wayne's guest Jonas Denenberg, Chris Neuzil, Wayne Homren, and Julian Leidman with me behind the camera. These images fail to show the safe distance this group was allotted by restaurant staff, since we have dined at Clyde's at Mark Center before, and they no doubt remembered what happened last time. We were wisely seated as far back out of view of normal patrons as possible, exiled into our own rumpus room way out back. That was a smart move. Let the coins fly.

I saw many nice coins that I don't own. We rely on those who do own them to supply adequate portraiture using good lighting to share images with you all. Floating along before appetizers were many high grade items including a bronze Neapolitan medallion of Antonius Pius showing temple, altar, shrine, steps, and colonnade of Mount Gerizim, the place where the Israelites celebrated blessings in Canaan as told in the Book of Deuteronomy; an eight reales of the Central American Republic with New Guatemala mint mark from 1826 showing the sun rising over five volcanos; an Attica Athens silver tetradrachm, circa 430 BC, with Owl and Helmeted head of Athena, a scarce Chalmers 1783 Three Pence made in Annapolis that was sold as part of the Sydney F. Martin collection, an original 1688 American Plantation Token of James II, valued at 1/24 of a Real, an 1863 Yankee Robinson Big Show token of rare composition, attributed to Peoria, Illinois, a J.S.G. Boggs 1994 elongated cent, along with obscure numismatic ephemera, recent newsletters, and a relic frame stuffed with random old coins of no particular relationship.

First order of business - we gave a toast to Howard Daniel III, (ex-Nummis Nova Sargent-at-Arms) who will be missed. Talk topics revolved around the health of other, missing Nummis Nova regulars, the Syd Martin sales, 19th century magic coins, the C4 Newsletter, differences between relic shows versus coin shows, English coronation medals, the long fabled Wayne Homren Numismatic Ephemera collection of rare pamphlets about numismatics with some published way back in the 1700s, a future book release about Congressional gold medals, and officially joining this never ending, Nummis Nova juggernaut. Remember, don't simply be at the party - Be the party! Oh, and no dancing on the tables as Clyde's management sincerely wishes to remind us and maybe next time, we can be seated closer to the grown-ups out front.

Gifts!

I was greeted with some nice gifts on my arrival - a Star Coin Book and an elongated cent issue by my friend "Money Artist" J.S.G. Boggs. Many thanks to Lorne and Tom for their thoughtfulness. I once had a shelffull of the B. Max Mehl Star books, but had sold them off to regain shelf space. Maybe it's time to start a new collection.

Coins, Coins, and More Coins
With the spring evening sunshine coming through the windows the lighting was better than many of our dinners, although the glare from overhead lighting provided the usual difficulty in capturing good coin photos. But here are some of the goodies that came my way during the meeting.

Syd Martin Sale Lots

Dave Schenkman told me at last month's dinner that he'd won a few lots in the Stack's Bowers Syd Martin sale. He brought them this month, and above are my photos of the colonials in slabs. He also purchased a rare Civil War token. Here are better images from the website.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Undated (1688) American Plantations Token. Original. Newman 1-A, W-1130. Rarity-6+. ET. HB. REX. AU-55 (PCGS).(https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-11DNI3/undated-1688-american-plantations-token-original-newman-1-a-w-1130-rarity-6-et-hb-rex-au-55-pcgs)

To read the complete lot description, see:
1783 John Chalmers Threepence. W-1760, Breen-1018. Rarity-5. EF-40 (PCGS).(https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-11DMZ5/1783-john-chalmers-threepence-w-1760-breen-1018-rarity-5-ef-40-pcgs)

To read the complete lot description, see:
Illinois--Peoria. 1863 Yankee Robinson. Fuld-692A-3b. Rarity-8. Brass. Reeded Edge. MS-64 (NGC).(https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-11BYGV/illinois-peoria-1863-yankee-robinson-fuld-692a-3b-rarity-8-brass-reeded-edge-ms-64-ngc)

All great pieces!

Judean Coin of Antoninus Pius

The Judean coin of Antoninus Pius was Robert's score from the CNG Triton XXVI sale (Lot 575). Here are the images and description from the company website.

JUDAEA, Neapolis. Antoninus Pius. 138-161 CE. Æ (32mm, 21.88 g, 12h). Dated CY 88 (159/60 CE). AYTOK KAICAP [ANT]?NINOC C?BAC ?VC?, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / F? N?AC ?O???C CYIAC ?A??CT, Mount Gerizim with two peaks; between, ravine with sloping roadway; left peak with temple in perspective; to right, another building and steep stairway with shrines attached; right peak with shrine on top and trees at base; colonnade before with open gateway; ET ?H (date) in exergue. Rosenberger 9; RPC IV.3 Online 10934.2 (this coin, one of 2 catalogued) cf. Sofaer 21-2 (date unclear). Dark green patina with earthen highlights. Good VF. Very attractive.

From the Kenneth S. Abramowitz Collection.

The modern day city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, Neapolis was located in a strategic position between Mts. Ebal and Gerizim, the latter of which figured prominently on its coinage. This mountain, sacred to the Samaritans, was believed to have been the location chosen by Yahweh for a holy temple rather than the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, some 40 miles south. The Samaritan shrine on Gerizim can be clearly seen on this appealing bronze of Antoninus, together with the staircases leading up to it. However, the original temple was destroyed by the Hasmonean king John Hyrcanus in 112-111 BCE, so the shrine seen here seems to be a retrospective view, like that of the Jerusalem temple facade seen on coins of the Bar Kochba Revolt.

Central American Republic 8 Reales

Lorne brought this great Central American Republic 8 Reales piece. Nice coin.