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November 1997 Bulletin
Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 18, 1997
Annual Charity Auction Extravaganza!
The Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18, 1997, at the Senior
Citizens Center on Forest Glen Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. The featured
event will be the MCCC traditional Charity Auction of donated material.
All proceeds from this auction will go to benefit the local Boys and Girls
Clubs; donors of material are entitled to any resulting tax deduction.
The numismatic items for sale are extraordinarily diverse and interesting
this year. Come and bid from the heart! (If you cannot attend in person,
cash donations are accepted; send your check to MCCC at P.O. Box 7087,
Silver Spring, Maryland 20907).
Nominations for 1998 Officers
Anyone interested in being an officer or member of the MCCC Board of Directors
for 1998 should contact Ed
Russell, the chairman of the nominating committee.
Gifts for YNs!
Every month, the Club has special gifts for Young Numismatists (YNs) who
attend, and extra surprises for any who exhibit coins, medals, currency,
or other numismatic objects. These awards are made possible by the generosity
of MCCC members. (Think about donating items from your collection to encourage
a new collector!)
October MCCC Meeting Roundup
MCCC President Ken Swab, somewhat despondent over the Baltimore
Orioles' loss in the ALCS but nevertheless wearing a bright, newly-acquired,
baseball-decorated tie, called the meeting to order. A crowd of about 35
members and guests were present, including 4YNs. First-time visitors included:
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Ezra Berch, a collector interested in stamps and US coins (especially
cents), who also brought his father Mark Berch; and
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Al & Ruth Taman, who have a collection of cents which they are
seeking to evaluate.
President Swab offered the YNs present an assortment of coin albums and
ANA literature. Treasurer Simcha Kuritzky reported that the Club's finances
were sound, and that membership dues were flowing in faster than expected.
Vice President William C. Massey announced the evening's door prizes ---
a Bicentennial of the American Revolution medallion in a first day of issue
cover, an 1885 Japanese 1 sen coin, a 1961 Liberian quarter, and two highly
circulated US silver three-cent pieces. Willy also presented Krause
Publications encased cents from the 1997 ANA
Convention to YNs. Members who have not yet received their MCCC membership
cards should see Secretary Jack Schadegg. Jim Evans reporte d no luck in
getting further information from the U.S. Mint concerning the status of
bullion coins in IRAs. He distributed 1997 tax law summary brochures to
anyone who wanted one. Jim noted that under the new law capital gains from
coins and other colle ctibles are still taxed at up to the 28 percent level,
and he encouraged everyone to report all proceeds from their numismatic
transactions to the IRS.
Exhibits: Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
Display case activity at the October MCCC meeting included:
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Ken Swab exhibited two Baltimore baseball-related tokens, one showing
former Oriole pitcher Dave McNally and the other the Babe Ruth Shrine.
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Willy Massey presented a $5 error Federal Reserve Note which a friend
found in circulation and gave to him.
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Herb Hall showed a program and brochure, with associated stamp,
honoring the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force which occurred in September
1997.
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Don McKee described the World Series mania in Detroit during his
youth, exhibited a pair of tickets from the 1939 World Series (the price
was $1.10 each for excellent seats), and quizzed the audience on 1930-era
baseball lore.
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Ed Russell showed two baseball mementos, a 1920 Ty Cobb statuette
and a 1940 Mobil Oil baseball-shaped bank.
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Ben Kalman displayed stamps with baseball themes from Panama, Nicaragua,
and the U.S., including an error stamp.
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Jerry Grzenda showed a medal honoring the 1921 Giants world championship
team, awarded by the Commissioner of Baseball. In light of the recent visit
to Latin America by the President and First Lady, Jerry also displayed
and discussed a group o f Brazilian coins and commemoratives, including
medals honoring the 1906 trip of the U.S. Secretary of State to Brazil,
the 1949 state visit of the President of Brazil to the US, and the visit
by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to that nation.
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Simcha Kuritzky showed a 1934 Lucky Tiger medal from the Michigan
Mutual Liability Company, issued in association with the Detroit Tigers
baseball team. Simcha also exhibited two medals from Japan, one showing
a lion in front of a rising sun h onoring the 1926 Imperial University
Baseball Competition, and the other of similar appearance but given by
a newspaper to a high school student.
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Rachel Schadegg displayed a U.S. Mint Young Numismatist item issued
for the Atlanta Olympic Games, a Baseball theme 1995 half dollar.
October Feature: David Schenkman on Baseball Tokens
As Game Three of the World Series began, medal expert David Schenkman spoke
to the MCCC on the long history of baseball tokens in a slide-illustrated
discussion. Mr. Schenkman is working on a catalog of baseball tokens, and
already has over 1,000 examples. (He confessed, however, that he last attended
a baseball game himself in 1978, when the ANA convention in Houston held
a barbecue in association with a game in the Astrodome; he reported that
he only lasted until the seventh inning. He warned the audience th at he
would be analyzing numismatic aspects of the National Pastime and did not
plan to answer baseball trivial questions!)
Mr. Schenkman talked about the frequent occurrence of baseball-related
themes in American life and language, and began by showing a token dated
1858 for Hampden Park of Springfield, Massaschusetts, created by diesinker
J. A. Bolen. By 1860, Hampden Pa rk had beaten all the other teams in the
area and were the undisputed regional champions. The reverse of the token
mentions the Pioneer BB Club. There were 125 pieces issued in white metal,
and 75 in copper, perhaps struck in 1861 and distributed to the team as
good luck pieces.
Mr. Schenkman went on to display and discuss a diverse range of other
tokens --- some issued by merchants in honor of local teams, some produced
for advertising, and others for use as season passes, press passes, watch
fobs, and so forth. Materials used included various metals, hard rubber,
enameled brass, cardboard with metal rims, and plastics. Among the pieces
illustrating his talk was a 1934 Lucky Tiger piece with the legend, Our
Insurance Brings You Luck, a specimen of which Simcha Kuritzky had coincidentally
exhibited earlier at the meeting.
Other noteworthy baseball tokens which Mr. Schenkman discussed included
a 1935 elongated cent for the Cubs-Tigers World Series, 1960 and 1962 passes
for the All Star Game and World Series given to wives of Yankee executives,
and advertising-related tokens honoring Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Dizzy Dean,
and other players, produced by cereal, tobacco, and alcohol companies.
Mr. Schenkman explained that the key to many token series is not by any
means the rarest token, but rather tends to be the one featuring the most
famous player.
Particularly interesting were tokens which included baseball team schedules
on the reverse; early examples shown dated from 1910 and 1912. A 1940 schedule
token also featured a raised dot in the center of the reverse and an arrow
on the obverse; the piece could be spun to determine who had to pay for
the current round of drinks. Mr. Schenkman concluded his talk by showing
a huge 1994 Baltimore Orioles token issued by the Baltimore Sun newspaper.
New issues of such tokens are available for sale annually at a nominal
price.
Other Announcements and Prizes
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Irv Blank's name won his second leg for the Bison Chip, and now
he needs just one more to capture that prize. (For those unfamiliar with
the Bison Chip rules: only members present at a meeting are eligible for
each month's Bison Chip drawing. As often happens, several names of absent
members were drawn and discarded before a winner was found. Come to the
next meeting if you want to win!)
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Ben Kalman won the 50-50 raffle pot.
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Ken Huff, Mae Clarke, Aaron Roemer, and David Goldberg garnered
door prizes.
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Club auction bidding was strong. Don McKee and Jack Schadegg
were the auctioneers.
MCCC Web Comments and Feedback
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The MCCC Bulletin is copyright (c) 1999 by the Directors of the Montgomery
County Coin Club.