This is the MCCC ARCHIVE – for the CURRENT Montgomery County Coin Club see https://montgomerycoinclub.org
November 1999 Bulletin - Web Edition
Celebrating 40 Years of Coin Collecting: 1959-1999
Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Featured Event: Charity Auction
The Montgomery County Coin Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday,
November 9, 1999, at the Silver Spring Senior Citizens Center
(1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring,
Maryland, USA). The featured event will be the 1999 MCCC
Charity Auction, our club's annual fund-raising activity
for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wheaton and Silver Spring. Please
come and bid generously!
Penultimate Y2k Chance: A handful of the new (Year 2000)
hardback Guide Book of United States Coins by R. E. Yeoman remain for sale.
The Y2k "Red Book" normally sells for $12.95 --- but the
exclusive MCCC
member's-only price is $7.50. Such a deal! (Members
may wish to buy copies to donate to the bookshelves at
the Boys and Girls Clubs, and thereby cultivate young
numismatists.) See Ed Russell for Red Books
and for other numismatic supplies at unbelievable discounts;
all proceeds go to benefit the MCCC and its activities.
Local Heroes
The October 1999 issue of The Numismatist
cites two MCCC members who recently have achieved fame
and glory:
- Michael Berkman won first place, a free trip to
the August 1999 ANA convention in Chicago, and a $5,000
college scholarship in the fourth annual Professional Coin
Grading Service numismatic essay contest for high school
students. His prize essay was "The History of American
Numismatic Literature". In addition, Mr. Berkman won the
Maurice Gould Memorial Literary Award for his his article
"United States Gold Dollars". The prize was granted at the
Abe Kosoff Young Numismatist Awards Breakfast during the
Chicago ANA Convention. Mr. Berkman is a sophomore; he is
working on a book about U.S. gold proof coins. (pages 1153
& 1229)
- Simcha Kuritzky won the first place Menachem
Chaim and Simcha Tova Mizel Memorial Award for exhibits
on money of Israel. His display was "A Type Set of Israel's
Historic Sites Coins". Mr. Kuritzky received his prize at the
ANA's Chicago convention. (pages 1222 & 1225)
The MCCC meeting in October 1999 featured Richard
Jozefiak who presented a slide show "Tour of the
ANA Money Museum".
See the Featured Article below for
details.
At about 7:20 p.m. on the evening of October 12, 1999,
President Willy
Massey called the Montgomery County Coin Club to order.
About 30 coin enthusiasts (including but one Young Numismatist)
were present.
General Announcements
-
- Treasurer Simcha Kuritzky reported that the
MCCC's finances remain soundly in the black; he suggested
that the Club consider appropriate charities for us to donate
surplus funds to in years to come. Mr. Kuritzky noted that the
MCCC will be getting folders for commemorative quarters to
give to YNs. Also, Mr. Kuritzky asked, "How can we encourage
more MCCC exhibitors?" He suggested that we might award a
year's free membership to new exhibitors, with special
treatment for YNs. Along these lines, the MCCC plans to
have a feature talk on numismatic exhibiting at the April
2000 meeting --- a "How-To" show and tell --- where
MCCC mentors, some of whom are certified ANA Judges,
can offer advice and criticism to would-be exhibitors.
Finally, Mr. Kuritzky noted that Dylan brand scales,
accurate to 0.01 gram, are being offered at excellent
prices on the Internet numismatic list. He
suggested that MCCC members consider a group order.
- Secretary Jack Schadegg reminded members
to contact him in order to make MCCC Charity Auction donations.
- Librarian Kermit Smyth invited suggestions for new
book acquisitions; the MCCC Library has funds available for purchases.
- President Willy Massey reminded members that the
Western Maryland Coin Club will have a show on 6-7 November,
at a location near Cumberland, MD. He also issued a call for an
MCCC Club Historian --- please volunteer, somebody!
Door Prize Results
Awarded in October were six special prizes:
- Canadian quarter - 1973;
- Canadian 50-cent - 1969 & 1972;
- Italian 10 Lira - 1948;
- Chinese "1 cent" - 1936; and
- French 1 Franc - 1919.
Lucky door prize winners this month were David McGuiness,
Jonetta Russell, Jack Schadegg, Janna Shupe, John Huffman,
and auctioneer Don McKee.
The 50-50 raffle pot was awarded to our honored speaker,
Richard Jozefiak.
The Bison Chip drawing winner was Herb Hall;
this is his first "leg". When your name is drawn three
times for the Bison Chip, you
get a proof silver eagle. You must be present to win!
October Exhibit Extravaganza
The MCCC Display this month showcased several fine presentations:
- Jerry Grzenda exhibited some interesting badges
and medals that he acquired at the most recent Hagerstown coin show:
- a Welcome Home parade badge honoring returning Spanish American War veterans;
- a Delegate's Badge to the Chicago 1912 National
Progressive Party Convention which nominated Teddy Roosevelt
for President --- the so-called Bull Moose Party. The badge
depicts Lincoln, Washington, & Jefferson on the obverse;
- a celluloid button on silk backing showing a flying woman
with trumpet, heralding the arrival of the year 1901;
- a watch fob for the 1st Regiment, Maryland National
Guard, Gettysburg, dated 1910;
- an award badge from the Washington College of Law, 1911-1914 honors;
- five medals awarded to a Captain Soloman, from South Africa
before and after the Boer War; and
- an 1815 Waterloo medal.
Mr. Grzenda also displayed an 1892-93 Columbian Exposition
signed commemorative metallic plate, a bust of Columbus surrounded
by depictions of various events. The plate is solid bronze, perhaps
a galvanotype, and measures almost two feet across.
- Richard Jozefiak exhibited a Canadian millennium set
of 1999 quarters, one for each province & territory. On the
obverse they all show Queen Elizabeth II; the reverses feature
individual designs of such things as native art, aircraft, trains, etc.
Mr. Jozefiak also displayed a medal he acquired at an Ebay (Internet)
auction, from the Boeing Employees' Coin Club. It bears the 1916
date of the corporation's founding and shows a rocket, a 707 aircraft,
and the Mariner (Mars) spacecraft lander.
- Steve Lokey showed some of his finds from metal
detecting expeditions he has performed in Montgomery County:
a Spanish 2 Real piece, a 1721 silver coin, and another unidentified
piece found about 2" down. Mr. Lokey reported that his searches
have been most fruitful in the Germantown, Clarksburg, and
Hyattstown areas, and that he has located both Civil War &
Colonial era items. Among his finds was a church medal for Cardinal Richelieu, founder of the French Academy, plus many flat buttons
and large cents. Mr. Lokey observed that, unfortunately, only one
out of 20 older coins found in the ground have readable dates.
His searches have found Virginia colonial coins, for instance,
but they are usually severely corroded.
- Willy Massey displayed and gave away sample Maryland
Computer company elongated-cent advertising tokens, a new elongated
design which he has recently acquired.
Feature Attraction: A Tour of the ANA
Money Museum by Richard Jozefiak
Richard Jozefiak showed slides and discussed his visit this summer
to the American Numismatic Association's "Money Museum" in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. The museum is adjacent to the ANA
Resource Center, another site worth visiting; it is open to all, though
only ANA members can check out materials. At the museum entrance,
besides a huge coin press, there is a helpful receptionist and a gift shop.
Mr. Jozefiak reported that the Money Museum is well organized,
interesting, and impressive. He recommended spending at least two
hours to see it; if there are exhibits of special interest to you, you may
wish to extend that. The Money Museum is home to two famous 1804
silver dollars and a 1913 Liberty Head (or "V") nickel. Among the other
major exhibits are some on Chinese and other oriental money, on
Religion in Numismatics, on ancient money, and on error and variety
coins. The museum also hosts a safe containing a 1991 time capsule,
scheduled to be opened in 2091.
The Money Museum's Colorado Gallery features mining equipment,
scales, and other materials from the gold rush era. There are also coin
engraving exhibits, a $100,000 bill (on loan from the U.S. Bureau of
Engraving and Printing), and other paper money items. The "History
Through Money" display on the lower level is excellent, as are the
Americana Galleries of colonial and U.S. money.
Mr. Jozefiak has written an article about the Money Museum which
will appear in the Florida United Numismatists journal FUN
TOPICS. He answered questions from the audience, and when
his presentation ended he was applauded by all present. Simcha
Kuritzky noted in addition that the Money Museum contains
a special exhibit for the blind, galvano models of world coins,
available for touching.
MCCC Web Comments and Feedback
Please send bug reports and suggestions for improvement to
Mark Zimmermann via
z (at) his.com. The MCCC Bulletin is copyright
© 1999 by the Directors of the
Montgomery
County Coin Club --- who thank the American Numismatic Association (and
especially Ms. Susie Nulty!) for help in sharing this bulletin with numismatists everywhere.