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Montgomery County Coin Club

January 1998 Bulletin — Early Edition

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A Happy and Healthy New Year to All!

Next MCCC Meeting: Tuesday, January 20, 1998 -- Come and Play Numismatic Bingo!

The Montgomery County Coin Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 1998, at the Senior Citizens Center at 1000 Forest Glen Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. The main activity of the meeting will be Numismatic Bingo -- please come and play! We will play 3 or 4 games and prizes include Morgan and Peace dollars and a foreign silver coin, courtesy of Jack Schadegg and Simcha Kuritzky.

Russian Gold Coin Raffle at January Meeting

At the January meeting MCCC will raffle off an 1899 five-rouble gold coin of Russia.

Black Patriots Coin to be Featured at February Meeting

In honor of Black History Month, Wayne Smith of the Black Patriots Foundation will speak at MCCC's February 17 meeting. His presentation will include information on the U.S. Mint's soon-to-be-issued commemorative coins in support of the Black Patriots Memorial. (In February, MCCC members may wish to exhibit Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver-Booker T. Washington commemorative half dollars, or other thematically related material. Check your collection, and share with your fellow numismatists!)

Donation to B&G Clubs Approaches $400!

Thanks to the generosity of MCCC members, the Silver Spring and Wheaton Boys and Girls Clubs will receive approximately $400. Cash donations are still being accepted; please contact Treasurer Simcha Kuritzky before the January meeting if you wish to make a last-minute gift.

Dues Remain $6 for 1998

Your 1998 MCCC dues are due now! Dues are $6 for regular memberships and only $1 for Young Numismatists. Pay Treasurer Simcha Kuritzky at the earliest opportunity. Membership has increased in 1997 --- let's continue this trend --- bring your friends and encourage them to join the Club!

December MCCC Meeting Highlights

MCCC President Ken Swab called the club to order shortly after 7 p.m. About 43 members were present, including 7 YNs and a visitor:

Zachary van Luling, a YN who came at the invitation of Ezra Berch, and who has already joined the MCCC. Zachary's collecting interests include Lincoln cents.

After a brief report from Treasurer Simcha Kuritzky, Vice President William C. Massey announced the evening's door prizes --- a 1927 Mercury dime, an 1867 Italian 10 centessimo, an 1835 Indian half anna, a 1973 French 5 franc, a 1985 Italian 500 lira, and a 1982 Greek 50 drachma.

Auction Fee Note

At its December meeting, the MCCC Executive Board voted to raise the maximum ceiling on auction fees to $2, up from $1. Auction fees are 5 percent of a lot's sale price, up to a maximum fee of $2. If you have coins to auction, please bring them to Jack Schadegg.

Should MCCC Change Its Meeting Night?

Our current meeting on the third Tuesday of the month conflicts with both the Washington Numismatic Society and the Bowie Coin Club meetings. There are no known conflicts if we move to second Tuesday of the month (which is when our club met a few years ago). The club will discuss the pros and cons of changing the meeting night at the January meeting, and will vote on it in February if there is sufficient interest. Anyone who can make the third Tuesday but not the second Tuesday should notify a club officer. If the change is adopted, it would probably take effect beginning with the April meeting.

Uncut Sheets of $5 Notes Now Available

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is now selling uncut sheets of $5 notes for $33.50 for a four-note panel section, and $190 for a full sheet.

Exhibits and Displays

Showcase activity at the December MCCC meeting included:

Simcha Kuritzky showed two Spanish amulets made in 1860, copies of Persian Hebrew amulets designed to ward off the Evil Eye. Simcha also displayed the new Encyclopedic Dictionary of Philately, which includes material he contributed such as a translation table from Hebrew to English.
Herb Hall exhibited two philatelic First Day covers in honor of the holiday season --- Christmas cards, one from the Isle of Man and the other from Gibraltar.
Richard Jozefiak displayed a shilling from Queen Anne (1702-1714); this silver was only used by merchants, as it was the equivalent of a whole week's wages for a working man. He also displayed a Hibernia half penny.

Colonial Coinage of the American British Colonies

Richard Jozefiak, a new member of MCCC, gave a slide presentation on the coinage of the American British Colonies.

Most of the coins from that era followed the British system: 1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence. Most pence were made of copper; shillings were silver (though very few circulated); pounds were gold (and were virtually non-existent). The Colonial period covers 1652-1792, and can be divided into three major parts:

The British Period (1652-1775) --- during which most coins were either struck in England for use in the US, or were struck in one of the 13 original colonies with the approval of the Crown. In either case, these coins typically carried the King of England's image. John Hogge of the Massachusetts Bay colony struck the first coins, pine tree shillings, in 1652. He assumed it was safe for him to do so, since England's internal strife at the time kept much attention from being paid to colonial activities. Oak tree and willow tree shillings were similarly produced. Also at about that time, Lord Baltimore had coins struck in England for use in his Maryland colony. A two pence coin made its debut in 1723; made of copper and zinc, it bore the head of King George II.

The Revolutionary Period (1776-1782) --- epitomized by the Continental Dollar with its "mind your business" motto. Many coins were struck in the Colonies at this time with cleverly ambiguous images, which could have been either King George III or General George Washington. They were designed so that they would be acceptable regardless of which side (the British or the Revolutionaries) won the War!

The Confederation Period (1782-1792) --- when each of the 13 original Colonies received the right to mint their own coins. The Fugio cent of 1787 was the first such coin authorized. This period also included the 1783 Revolutionary War Hibernia piece, made in England for Ireland, but shipped over and actually used here.

Mr. Jozefiak warned that vastly more copies and replicas of Colonial coins exist than genuine ones --- so collectors should beware and should have Colonial pieces authenticated before purchasing them!

1998 MCCC Officers Elected

Nominations Chairman Ed Russell called for nominations from the floor for MCCC officers for 1998 and Richard Jozefiak was nominated as a director. The vote was held on the slate as listed in the December MCCC Bulletin, plus the nomination from the floor:

President: Kenneth E. Swab
Vice President: William C. Massey
Second Vice President: Ed Russell
Treasurer: Simcha Kuritzky
Secretary: Jack Schadegg
Sergeant at Arms: John Herman
Directors: Richard Jozefiak, Andrew Luck, Don McKee, John Pylypec, Kermit Smyth and Mark Zimmermann

The new officers will be sworn in at the January meeting.

Nominations for the Walt Mason Award

The Walt L. Mason, Jr. Award Committee is now accepting nominations for the 1998 Walt Mason Award. (Mason was a member of MCCC for many years before his death in 1987.) The award was established in 1988. The nominee must be numismatically active within the mid-Atlantic area. The award recognizes those who have shown a spirit of generosity, integrity and selflessness in numismatics. For information about the specific award criteria, please contact the Walt Mason Fund, P.O. Box 2301, Springfield, VA 22152. Nominations are due by July 1, 1998. The award will be announced at the annual convention of Virginia Numismatic Association in September 1998.

Prizes

Frank Guerrero's name was chosen for the Bison Chip --- he now has the second of three legs needed to capture that prize. Laura Carter garnered the 50-50 raffle pot. John Chiusano, Rachel Schadegg, Aaron Roamer, Leonard Breitstein, and Ezra Berch captured door prizes.

Mae Clarke donated a splendid vanilla cake with lemon frosting, which was auctioned off to Jack Schadegg for the benefit of the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Thanks

Jonetta Russell kindly provided roast beef and turkey sandwiches on homemade bread, and a beautiful salad plate, along with the regular refreshment break goodies --- bravo!

Thanks to Ed Russell, Merle Zimmermann, and Robin Zimmermann for their help in gathering and organizing the material for this issue of the MCCC newsletter.

Note from the President

I hope that everyone has had a fine holiday season and will have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. The year looks like it will be a very exciting one for MCCC, with a number of exciting and interesting speakers already in the works. There are still plenty of dates for programs available, so please contact me if you have any suggestions for speakers, or if you would like to make a presentation yourself.