Chopmarked Twenty

Earlier this week I noticed that a $20 bill in my wallet had multiple chopmarks on it. I counted five altogether, Here are some closeups.

To read an earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CHOPMARKS ON MODERN U.S. PAPER MONEY(https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n07a21.html)

The Whitman Expo
On Thursday June 9, 2022 I took an afternoon off work and headed up to Baltimore for the Whitman Expo. The summer show is smaller than the others, and I missed seeing a lot of regulars. But it was great fun and relaxing. PRO TIP: If you have some time and don't want to pay convention center prices for a soft drink, wander down to the Cheesecake Factory and order one at the bar. $1.59 plus tip with free refills. It was odd to be there without ordering food, but I was still full from lunch and used the time to catch up on email and news.

At the Whitman booth I took a few minutes to have a closer look at the Bob McCabe book on Counterfeiting and Technology. It's very nicely done and worth picking up for your library.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
BOOK REVIEW: COUNTERFEITING AND TECHNOLOGY(https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n07a03.html)

David Lisot
I also spent a good bit of time with David Lisot, and he took time to film an interview with me about my numismatic experiences and work with The E-Sylum and the Newman Numismatic Portal. Stay tuned for the published video.

Don Kagin and the World's Oldest Living Pioneer
In earlier issues I remarked on how it would be good for the hobby to have more reenactors at coin shows, such as the portrayers of Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln and Gen. William T. Sherman at the recent PAN show in Pittsburgh. So I stopped by to see Don Kagin and ask, "When's the last time The Oldest Prospector came out?" Don's dress routine brings forth entertaining and educational "you are there" stories of private and pioneer gold coinages. He also has a "Colonial Man" routine to cover U.S. colonial coinages.

Fortunately, some of Don's performances have been captured in David Lisot videos. Follow the links to watch!

Here's Don at his table with David McCarthy, holding a $50 US Assay Office slug from the California gold rush.

Don as the World's Oldest Living Pioneer at a 1996 Long Beach show.

To watch Don's performances, see:
Kagin's Oldest Pioneer (2007)(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/578906)
World's Oldest Living Pioneer (1996)(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/560377)
Oldest Living Pioneer (2011)(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/544786)
Colonial Man (2010)(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/548786)

Gerry Fortin & Co.
Newman Numismatic Portal Project Coordinator Len Augsburger is also President of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, and can often be found at the table of Liberty Seated specialist dealer Gerry Fortin. I passed by and stopped at the table a number of times during the afternoon.

I didn't partake, but at the end of the afternoon the crew relaxed with a round of "Baltimore Water".

Len Augsburger & the Newman Portal
Afterwards Len and I repaired to the nearby Morton's restaurant for a leisurely and tasty steak dinner. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation, including upcoming new content for NNP, a new intern and student staff, my photos from visits to the libraries of numismatic bibliophiles and dealers, and more - cabbages, kings, politics, and the world in general. Neither of us had room for dessert, but I paid out more than enough to the Baltimore restaurant scene to make up for my Cheapskate Factory visit.

Wrapping Up
It was about 9pm when I got back to my car and headed home to Northern Virginia. It had been a productive day. I met with E-Sylum supporters Wayne Herndon, Julian Leidman, Jeff and Mary Lynn Garrett, and Tom Caldwell and Chris Clements of Northeast Numismatics. I also had the chance to meet with a few potential new advertisers, and got some ideas for recruiting new E-Sylum readers from Andy Singer and David Lisot. I'm already looking forward to my next shows!