The 2013 American Numismatic AssociationWorld’s Fair of Money will be a show I am not likely to forgot. Even though I was only able to attend three days there was a lot to do, a lot to see, and work to be done.
As with every World’s Fair of Money nearly every national organization held their annual meeting during the show. These organizations cover the gamut of interests that fall under the category of numismatics. For me, it was the first time I attended the American Israel Numismatic Association annual meeting. After a few years of conversing with President Mel Wacks via email, we were able to me in person for the first time.
AINA President Mel Wacks (R) presents an Award of Appreciation to David Hendin for his talk at the AINA Annual Meeting
The highlight of the meeting was an illustrated lecture by David Hendin, curator at the American Numismatic Society and author of several books on ancient Jewish coins, on the discoveries made while examining ancient coins. His work is based on examining thousands of coins some as small as 10-15 millimeters in diameter. David presents an interesting case for the continuing study of these coins and how “common knowledge” can be challenged with new evidence.
We also heard from the director of the Holy Land Mint about their plans for future coins and medals.
Because I was at the AINA meeting, I missed the meeting of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, another organization which I belong. I really wanted to go to their meeting not only because I am a member, because as a blogger and soon-to-be publisher (my book is almost done), I want to work with the community on the best way to move forward with the concept of e-books. Not only should there be more e-books but there should be some way to preserve older books electronically.
In the news…
Here are some of the stories out of Chicago for the week:
Thursday evening I attended the part of the closed Board of Governors meeting that involved the Technology Committee and the new web infrastructure for the ANA. While I am a proponent of opening as much of the ANA business to the membership at large, I will say that there were discussion about the pending contract for the work that qualified for this discussion to be done in private. The meeting was productive in that the Board has an understanding what was being proposed and provocative in that the dissenting voices will ensure that the project does not fly off the proverbial rails.
At the open Board Meeting on Friday there was a lively discussion on the website, the costs, and the future. This is something I will comment on at another time. However, in a motion by then Vice President Walt Ostromecki, a motion to approve the contract with Riser Media to build the new ANA website and Euclid for their ClearVantage association management software. The motion was passed with a 9-0 voice vote.
During the open forum, a discussion was put forth by then Governor-elect Laura Sperber about the positioning of the auction companies and other non-dealers by the entrance to the bourse floor. Apparently, there has been a lot of angst amongst the dealer community about something referred to as the “star system” used to allow dealers, donors, and others to gain advantages to their position at the shows. As a collector, I agree with Ms. Sperber in that I would rather see the dealers than the auction companies and the other huge booths that are pushed up front.
This year, the World Mint Pavilion was the first set of tables you came to when you entered the bourse floor. In front was the booth for the Holy Land Mint who was showing off their new coins including a lot of gold. Near by were the Royal Australian Mint, the Bank of Russia with their Socci 2014 coins, the Pobjoy Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, and others. I was disappointed that the Royal Mint was not present.
At the end of the aisle was the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and next to them the U.S. Mint. Rather than being apart, the two money manufacturing bureaus under the Department of the Treasury were side-by-side. I was told by someone from the U.S. Mint that this was done on request of both bureaus and that there may be some co-sponsoring of collectibles and events.
It was in this area where I saw United States Treasurer Rosie Rios. Treasurer Rios, whose autograph appears on U.S. currency, is a regular attendee at ANA shows. She is very approachable and an interesting person. You can also tell that Rios still gets a kick out of her celebrity status within the numismatic community and will gladly sign a Federal Reserve Note with her printed signature on it (Series 2009).
The World’s Fair of Money is unique in that it is the center of the numismatic universe for the week. This brings out many different types of dealers of all types of collectibles. Not only were there coins, but there was artwork that was credited to the designers of coins but there were other collectible and ancient artifacts for sale. There were also four different book dealers, three supply dealers, auction companies other than the “official auction house” Stacks-Bowers, and dealers of all types of coins and currency.
One difference I noticed from last year is that silver was more popular than gold. A few dealers said that silver dimes and silver dollars were very popular. On Saturday when the scouts attended in force, the dealers were reporting better than average sales of silver Roosevelt and Mercury dimes.
Friday night I attended the ANA Banquet. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Gerald Kwok from Honolulu, Hawaii. Kwok is a collector of Hawaiian coins and I later found out a recognized expert in that area of numismatics. He also received his 50th anniversary pin for his service to the ANA. I hope he had a good trip back to Hawaii and I look forward to seeing him again next time.
Those who attended the banquet were given a set of three elongated cents, a reproduction menu from a past ANA banquet in Chicago from the 1950s, and a copy of David Lange’s Coin Collecting Boards of the 1930s & 1940s. If you missed the banquet and want a copy for yourself, Dave is selling them at half-off ($20, plus $5 for shipping+handling) at his website.
I spent a lot of time schmoozing rather than buying. Wearing my newly purchased red sports jacket as a representative of the Maryland State Numismatic Association and a new video name tag that captured a lot of attention, I wanted to talk more than buy. I did buy some items, but meeting people and talking about collecting, coins, currency, and the ANA was a lot of fun, too.
Aside from the various free items like elongated coins, the 2013 F.U.N. convention medal, I was able to fill in the some of the holes in my Canadian nickel and dime collection. I found a few tokens including the addition of another New York City Subway token with an error, which I thought was going to be the neat find of this trip until I found something even better.
While flipping through a box of tokens and medals I stumbled on a little medal that is 13 mm in diameter with a hole in it that looks like someone used it as a charm. On the obverse is an image of the Brooklyn Bridge with the legend “Brooklyn Bridge” across the top and dated 1883 when the bridge opened.
What makes this token unusual is that the reverse has the entire The Lord’s Prayer as it occurs in Matthew 6:9-13. The lettering is so small I had to use a 16x loupe to read the text.
Obverse of the 13 mm Brooklyn Bridge Medal showing an image of the bridge and 1883, the year the bridge opened.
Reverse of the Soley Brooklyn Bridge medal has the text of the Lord’s Prayer.
This mini-medal was produced by George B. Soley, a die sinker who ran a shop on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. In 1875, Soley bought the first steam-powered press that was used by the U.S. Mint after it was take out of commission. Soley exhibited the press around the country striking medals of his design to the delight of the crowds.
Soley displayed the press at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and used it to strike commemorative medals. In 1883, it appeared at the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Southern Exposition in Louisville. Soley brought the press to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo in 1891, and the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. During these events, Soley struck 13 mm medals with the something resembling the official logo on one side and The Lord’s Prayer on the other that sold for 25-cents.
The medals Soley produces were made of bronze and holed at the top to use as a charm. There are referenced to gilt and medals that were not plated.
It is difficult to tell whether the medal was struck at the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge or a re-strike made during the Columbian Exposition. According to an article that appeared in the December 12, 1894 edition of The New York Times, the Secret Service asked Soley to stop making the “History of the Philadelphia Mint” medals that he first struck in 1876. It suggests that he was re-striking medals at these various fairs. In either case, the medal is 120 or 130 years old!
The steam press that Soley used was acquired by the Franklin Institute from his widow in 1927. It was reconditioned, motorized and moved to the museum in 1933 to strike aluminum tokens for visitors. On March 23, 2000, the press was moved from the museum to the rotunda to celebrate the 164th anniversary of its first usage by the U.S. Mint. Later that August, the press was part of a special exhibit at the World’s Fair of Money in Philadelphia. Following the show, the Franklin Institute has since loaned the press to the ANA Museum in Colorado Springs where it is displayed at the entrance behind protective glass.
As you could tell from my first day report, I unapologetically had a good time and highly recommend everyone attend the World’s Fair of Money.
To bring back the weekly poll, I thought about my post the other day about desktop finds where I discussed the items I found while cleaning my desk. I was thinking about this and was curious as to what other collectors do? After all, many of these items are the results of my saying “oh neat” and buying something outside of my collecting interest. Others are items that were given to me that are also outside of my collecting interest.
I read articles that say if you’re not a collector you’re an accumulator. But it is not that simple. Sometimes I over buy just to get one specific item. For example, the lot of Canadian dimes I found on my desk were purchased because I wanted one of the dimes for my collection. I will probably resell the rest of the dimes, but in the mean time they are on my desk.
Other items are souvenirs like the faux million-dollar bill and the package of shredded currency. While I may not have an attachment to them, they are not salable and I just do not want to throw them away. Maybe I’ll create an auction lot of this stuff to see if someone else wants it but it is still here, too.
What about you? Do you buy extra items and think you’ll resell them later? What about those souvenirs? How many of you have cheap items that you know you cannot resell or even give away? Take the poll. Comments are always welcome!
What kind of "extra items" are in your collection?
I have bought something I thought was neat or unusual. (35%, 6 Votes)
I have bought lots of coins or exonumia just for one or two items. (24%, 4 Votes)
I have souvenirs that are not part of my main collection. (18%, 3 Votes)
I collect souvenirs but have bought more than I should have. (12%, 2 Votes)
I have a box of goodies, want to see it? (12%, 2 Votes)
I just have what I collect and nothing extra. (0%, 0 Votes)
Amongst my activities for the last month has been cleaning off the top of my desk. While for some this may be an easy project, for me it is a major proposition. One of the reasons is that the way I work can be best classified as “organized chaos.” Organized chaos builds piles of like items until there is no room. Rather than clean up the piles, priority items are reordered and piled on top of items that may not be needed until later. This keeps going until the desktop becomes unorganized as the piles get shifted looking for something that became buried. At some point the organization goes away and all that is left is the chaos. Finally, the day comes when a critical item can no longer be found.
I have had people tell me that the best way to keep my organization under control is to deal with the item right away. For some reason, I get attached to ideas, concepts, and the objects that are associated with them. Everything gets saved until I do something with them or I am faced with the difficult decisions to make it a priority when I finally dig out of the chaos.
But the digging can be fun because at the bottom of the pile, when the top of the desk is finally rediscovered, are the small items that are the most fun. In my case, there are a lot of coins, medals, tokens, and other items that I thought would be cool or nice to resell. Just to have a little fun, I gathered up some of the numismatic trinkets and decided to share it with my readers.
Some of the numismatic items found during my attempt to organize my chaos.
It looks like an eclectic little lot of stuff. I have a million dollar bill (talk about inflation money) sitting on top of a package of shredded currency that says has about $10 of chopped up notes, some Canadian money, and older U.S. coins. Those coins with the little numbered stickers were purchased at my coin club’s auction. There is a lot of five Canadian dimes, a copper 2-cent piece, and a nickel 3-cent coin.
Encased steel cent advertising John C. Roberts Shoes “for the particular man.”
But some of these coins are a bit interesting. Let’s look at this encased steel cent. Up until I bought this coin from noted error dealer Fred Weinberg through eBay I had never seen an encased steel cent. The aluminum ring says “Wear the John C. Roberts Shoe” around the top and “For Particular Men” on the bottom. The reverse has the address of a store in Chicago, Illinois.
John C. Roberts was one of the founders of the Roberts, Johnson & Rand Shoe Company of St. Louis in 1898 as a wholesaler. The other founders were Jack Johnson, Oscar Johnson, and Edgar E. Rand. They were a competitor to Peters Shoe Company that was founded in 1836 but organized into a formal corporation under Missouri law in 1891 by Henry W. Peters. The Peters Shoe Company was a manufacturer and wholesaler.
Although these two companies were competitors, their policies, ideals. and business standards were so closely aligned that they were drawn together by a mutual respect. The companies merged in 1911 and changed their name to the International Shoe Company. The next year, in 1912, the International Shoe Company purchased Friedman-Shelby Shoe Company, another St. Louis-based shoe manufacturer. In 1921, International Shoe Company was incorporated in Delaware.
International Shoe Company was once the world’s largest manufacturer of shoes with Red Goose shoes being its flagship brand. At one time, International Shoe Company owned Florsheim and Savage Shoes, Canada’s largest shoemaker. In 1966 the company changed its name to Interco and tried to become a conglomerate in apparel, footwear, and retailing. The company’s troubles began as it branched into furniture by buying Ethan Allen and Broyhill Furniture in 1980 as the furniture manufacturing was declining in the United States.
Eventually, Interco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991 and sold off all of its operations except for Broyhill, Lane, Converse (which it bought in 1986), and Florsheim. By 1994, the company sold Converse and Florsheim to exit the shoe business. The company was rebranded as Furniture Brands International 1996 after buying Thomasville Furniture. Now they only manufacture and sell furniture leaving collectors with these encased coins to raise our curiosity.
Obverse of Montgomery County Coin Club medal with standard logo that was gold plated for the 50th Anniversary.
Reverse of the Montgomery County Coin Club medal with the special sticker commemorating the club’s 50th anniversary in 2009.
My next interesting find was my “gold” medal commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery County Coin Club in 2009. As president of the Montgomery County Coin Club, it was my job to help lead a celebration honoring our 50th anniversary. Since I was not a member for as long as others, I leaned heavily on longer tenured members for assistance. I believe the celebration went well.
To commemorate the occasion, we wanted a special medal but we did not want to spend a lot of money. Rather than buy new medals, we dipped into our ample supply of pewter medals and had them gold plated. On the back, I created a “50” logo that was similar to our regular logo that uses the reverse of the Maryland Tercentenary half-dollar but uses the reverse of the Lincoln Memorial cent that was released in 1959. That logo was added to a sticker and numbered. The club as #1 as a souvenir. Since I was the president, I was able to get #2. I just wish I made the background of that sticker a bit lighter.
Miscellaneous Items with Canadian dollar, dimes, a TBTA token, and Keith Hernandez souvenir “coin.”
Sometimes there is just some loose stuff on the desk including a Canadian dollar commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens (they are a professional hockey team for those who do not follow hockey), a token from the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) in New York City, a small set of Canadian dimes, and a Keith Hernandez “coin” from a 7-Eleven promotion in the mid-1980s. Hernandez was the Mets’ star first baseman when they won the 1986 World Series. Yes, I know he played for St. Louis before being traded to the Mets, but that is inconsequential to my collecting interests!
The TBTA token is interesting because it is smaller than the ones I used to use because it is for other tolls than the East River bridges. This token was primarily used on the Henry Hudson and the Marine Parkway (now Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial) Bridges where the tolls were cheaper. The larger tokens were used on the Triborough Bridge, Verrazono-Narrows Bridge, the Queens Midtown Tunnel, and other nearby crossings.
Tokens are no longer accepted at the TBTA crossing and they stopped issuing special Staten Island resident tokens for the Verrazano Bridge in 1998 with the introduction of EZ-Pass. I should try to find a Staten Island resident token for my collection.
An 1865 3-cent nickel and an 1865 2-cent coin for my 2-, 3-, and 5-cent one-pager
Finally, something that was purchased relatively recently but made it to the bottom of the pile are two coins I bought to start my one-page collection of 2-, 3-, and 5-cent coins. The week after writing about this in a blog post, the coins were available in my coin club’s monthly auction. Since I plan to put the set together, I bought these 1865 2-cent and 3-cent nickel coins to begin the question. But like a number of items that ended up buried on the surface of the desk, this is where that stopped. Now that I found the coins, I am going to make note of where I am in this collection and bring the list to the World’s Fair of Money in August to see if I can fill in the holes. In fact, I will probably work on completing my one-page cent collection, too. It’s not like I will have anything else to do!
There is more but if I do not stop now I am not going to be able to finish my cleaning!
Growing up in the metropolitan New York area, you can find people who live around all of these famous landmarks but had never visited them. Whether it is visiting the observation deck Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty, sometimes jaded New Yorkers just never get around to it.
My mother was different. She grew up in Coney Island and was adept at navigating the subway, so she wanted her children to be as wise about our hometown. During breaks from school, especially the winter break, we would take the Long Island Railroad into Penn Station and do something or see something that a tourist would do.
One of the treats about taking this trip was seeing my father in his office in Manhattan. As a youngster, it was cool to see the people who you might have spoken with on the telephone when trying to call my father or someone he had spoken to my mother about. It was also my first look into my future of working in an office, something I tried to resist to no avail.
Lunch at the Automat (ca. 1940s)
Part of that visit was lunch at Horn & Hardart’s Automat. The Automat was first opened in Philadelphia in 1902 and New York in 1911 before becoming a real institution in the areas between the cities. First opened in 1902, it was a fast food restaurant that sold meals, beverages, and deserts through coin-operated vending machines. Diners would choose what they wanted to eat, insert the correct change, and lift the window to get your food. The food was wrapped in plastic wrap when I went with my mother but in a era long before I was able to go the food was wrapped using waxed paper.
Behind the machines was a kitchen that refilled the machines and a cashier was in the center of the dining hall to give change. When the Automat first opened, the machines only accepted nickels. Things were a little more expensive in the 1960s, an era before vending machines were able to accept currency, Horn & Hardart used tokens. Remember, this was a time there were almost no dollar coins in circulation, a reported shortage of coins, and when half-dollars stopped circulating because the silver was worth more than their face value.
Tables were set up all around the room like a cafeteria and the decor was what I would later understand to be art deco.
Automat in Times Square Postcard ca. 1939
I have a distinct memory of visiting an Automat with my mother the winter break of 1968. That year was the first time my brother went with us and my youngest brother was just a baby, so he stayed with my grandmother. We went to Rockefeller Center and tried to skate on the famous skating rink. There was a man teaching the kids how to skate and I took great joy in watching my brother fall on his butt even though my skating style would not win points at any competition.
A dash to see my father and then we went to the Automat. I remember I had a sandwich and soda. Then, as my mother ran to a quick shopping excursion, I argued with my father about getting a piece of pie. He finally gave in and bought the pie that the three of us shared as we waited for my mother to return. When she did return, packages in hand, my father went back to work and we took the subway downtown to see Macy’s front window. From Macy’s it is a short walk down 34th Street to Penn Station. We went downstairs under Madison Square Garden to board the Long Island Railroad to go home.
This trip down memory lane is courtesy of the Alexandria Coin Club whose annual show was held on February 2. It was a show filled with a nice mix of dealers with varying types of collectibles, I made the trip in the snow flurries to see what I could find. While searching through an exonumia dealer’s box, I found a token that was as irresistible as a youngster picking a sandwich from an Automat vending machine. A wide smile ran across my face as the memories of the food in the machines ran through my memories. There was no way I was leaving the show without an Automat token!
I am not sure what the token is made from, but it is heavier than aluminum. It is 20 mm in diameter, larger than the cent (19.05 mm) and smaller than the nickel (21.21 mm). The front has the distinct Automat logo and the reverse has a child at one of the set of vending machines reaching up for his treat. Around the edge, it says the token commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Automat, which dates the token to 1981. What a great addition to my New York collection. Not only is it different but the memories are priceless.
Along with the Automat token I also found a commemorative medal someone issued for the Statue of Liberty centennial in 1986 and an aluminum souvenir from the Democratic National Convention held July 12-16, 1976 in New York City. When I picked it up I thought it had the look of a Mardi Gras token. When I turned it over, it says it is from Louisiana. The reverse image is that of a pelican since Louisiana’s official nickname is “The Pelican State.” Since the convention was in New York, it is added to my New York collection. Now I need to find something numismatic related from the 2008 Republican National Convention that was held in Madison Square Garden to balance the collection.
By the time I was old enough to become interested in the Automat it was in its decline. In the 1960s saw a decline in their clientele as people started to leave the city to live in the suburbs. Then companies began to open their own cafeterias and buildings reconfigured their lobbies to bring in retail customers including eating establishments. Finally, the city closed a loophole that allowed cafeteria patrons to avoid paying sales taxes and it forced the Automat to raise prices to cover the new tax burden. High labor and food costs drove its regular customers away as quality declined and the restaurants grew seedy. H&H closed half of their locations by 1971. By 1991, the last Automat in New York closed its doors for the last time.
Additional Reading
Read more about the Automat by Steve Stollman who restores old Automat equipment.
Koch’s exuberance and love of New York propelled himself and the city from the what was seen as the bottom to a trajectory that you could not think of New York without Ed Koch or Ed Koch without New York. Koch’s perpetual question, “How am I doing?” will forever be his trademark throughout the streets, cabs, subways, highways, and byways of New York City.
A more happier note, it was on February 1, 1913 that Grand Central Station (really named “Grand Central Terminal” but that’s not what we called it growing up in New York) opened. It was not the first terminal on the site to bear the Grand Central name. The previous version opened in 1903 and comprised of three separate buildings. Over the next ten years the structure that stands there today was built in phases that including the underground rail tunnels that are still in use today.
Grand Central underwent a rehabilitation that started in 1994 through 2000 that cleaned up the famous ceiling in the grand concourse and reconfigured the above ground areas to include more shops. But it still represents the major transportation hub of New York.
Collecting transportation tokens are the ultimate numismatic collection that represents local history. Transportation has been at the heart of every city and can be used as a personal tie to your collectible. Tokens and medals representing local transportation can be more beautiful and significant than coins from the same era. Not long ago, I was able to find a pewter medal from the dedication of the East River Bridge. The bridge was rename in 1915 and is known today as the Brooklyn Bridge.
Having a collection of subway tokens reminds me of all those subway trips I had taken over the course of my life and the sesquicentennial medal of the Long Island Railroad represents my daily commutes from Long Island to my job at 30 Rock.
As I think about my hometown today, remember where you are from and consider starting a collection of tokens and medals that helps to tell your story. It can be as rewarding as your memories.
And to Hizzoner, you did just fine! Rest in peace.
Today was the ceremonial inauguration of Barack Obama for his second term as the 44th President of the United States. This is the 57th presidential inauguration in United States history. Obama is the 43rd person to hold the office of the presidency (Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms).
The inauguration was held the day after the constitutionally mandated January 20th date because for the seventh time in history, the mandated date fell on a Sunday. Obama was inaugurated for his second term during a private ceremony held in the Blue Room of the White House.
Although the only part of the inauguration required by the constittution is the oath of office, all of the 57 presidential inaugurals have been as unique as the presidents and the times they served.
Federal Hall on Wall St. N.Y. and Washington’s installation 1789 / lith. Risso & Browne.
The first presidential inauguration was held on April 30, 1789 on the stairs of Federal Hall in New York City. New York City served as the temporary capital until the permanent capital in Washington, DC was built. Washington’s second inaugural address on March 4, 1793 in Philadelphia was 135 words, the shortest in history.
Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, DC on March 4, 1801. Six presidents were not inaugurated in Washington, DC including Washington and John Adams. The last was Lyndon B. Johnson whose first inauguration was on in Dallas on Air Force One following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Johnson was the first and so far only president to be sworn in by a woman, U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes.
Presidential fashion was changed on March 4, 1825 when John Quincy Adams was the first to wear long pants rather than knickers.
2009 William Henry Harrison Proof Obverse
The longest inaugural address was presented by William Henry Harrison. His 8,445 word speech took more than two hours to deliver in the cold of March 1841. Harrison, a war hero, refused to wear an overcoat. He eventually caught pneumonia and died 32 days later making him the first president to die before completing his term in office. Of course this lead to John Tyler to be inaugurated as the first president not directly elected to the job by the people or the electoral college.
Speaking of ascension to the presidency by the Vice President, this has happened nine times. Aside from Tyler being the first, the last and most significant was probably Gerald R. Ford, who was appointed Vice President under the provisions of the provisions of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This made Ford the only president not to be elected to national office.
Although the U.S. Constitution requires the president to be born in the United States, New York-born Millard Fillmore was the first president not to be born a British subject. Although Tyler was the governor of Tennessee, the first state that was not an original colony, Tyler was born in North Carolina which was an original colony. Kentucky-born Abraham Lincoln was the first president not born in one of the original 13 colonies. Obama was the first president to be born in Hawaii and the first not to be born in the continental United States.
Photograph of the Inauguration of James Buchanan, March 4, 1857 by John Wood
The technology advances that have been added to inaugurals include the first time an inaugural was photographed was James Buchanan’s inauguration on March 4, 1857; William McKinley’s inauguration in 1897 was the first to be recorded using a motion picture camera; coordination of Theodore Roosevelt’s second inauguration was aided using newly installed telephones in the White House; Warren G. Harding was the first president to ride in an automobile to and from the ceremony in 1921; Calvin Coolidge’s 1925 inauguration was the first broadcast on radio; in 1929, Herbert Hoover’s inauguration was the first to be recorded on talking newsreel; Harry S Truman’s second inaugural in 1949 was the first to be broadcast on live television; and Bill Clinton’s second inauguration in 1997 was the first to be streamed live on the Internet.
Washington, DC is not known to have the best weather. Even the moving of the inauguration from March 4 to January 20 by the 20th Amendment (effective with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second inaugural) has not done much to change this. Rain plagued ten inaugurations. It snowed for seven inaugurations. Even though the warmest was 55-degrees for Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural on January 20, 1981, he experienced the coldest inauguration for his second go around on January 21, 1985 when the mercury was 7-degrees.
While Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only president to be inaugurated for four terms, Obama tied Roosevelt’s record for being the only presidents to receive the oath of office four times. Obama was given the oath of office a second time on January 20, 2009 after Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. did not exactly get the words right the first time. This year, Roberts delivered the oath on January 20, 2013 as required by the constitution and then delivered it again on January 21 in a public ceremony.
Finally, following the tradition of all presidents, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee commissioned an official inaugural medal that was struck in bronze, silver, and gold. Struck by the Medalcraft Mint of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Medals are available in bronze, silver, and gold. If you sign up for their mailing list, you will receive a code for discounts that can be applied to purchases. The last code I received was “2013” to take 15-percent off your order, but that could change as time passes.
Barack Obama Second Term Bronze Inaugural Medal
Barack Obama Second Term Silver Inaugural Medal
Barack Obama Second Term Inaugural Medal Set (L to R: bonze, gold, silver)
Credits
Inaugural Medal images courtesy of Presidential Inaugural Committee 2013.
Cool collectibles come in various forms from a number of sources. This week, I received a nice collectible just for doing something I like to do: talk!
I have been a member of the Washington Numismatic Society for about a year and wanted to become involved. During the Whitman Show and the Maryland State Numismatic Association Annual Meeting, I was approached by the bulletin editor who is also a member of my home club sort of cornered me and convinced me to be the November program. He did not have to twist my arm (much) to get me to talk about Maryland Colonial Currency.
Not only have I posted articles about Maryland Colonial Currency (see this, this, that, and here), but I had published a full story in the Maryland Numismatist (Vol. 38, No. 1) that won the MSNA Article of the Year.
Since writing the article I had purchased a few notes and found more information. So I had taken the first presentation [PDF] I made to my coin club that inspired the articles and interest in Maryland colonial currency, and edited it for time and content.
After the presentation, I was presented with a bronze medal from WNS’s 75th Anniversary. WNS is the one of the oldest numismatic organizations in the area who celebrated their 75th anniversary in 2002. The medal is 38mm in diameter and 4mm at the thickest part of the design. It is nicely made by the Medallic Art Company of New York.
Doing this presentation not only reminded me that I have more research to fill in some of the details, but that I am missing notes in my collection. I also found a new group of collectors in the area to learn from, which is always good. I paid my dues for 2013 and hope to attend more meetings.
On October 31, 2012, President Ben Shelly of the Navajo Nationannounced that Navajo Code Talker George Smith passed away on Tuesday at 90 years old. As a tribute to Smith’s service, President Shelly ordered the Navajo Nation Flag to be flow at half-staff through sundown on November 4.
After learning that Japanese intelligence experts broke every code the United States armed forces could devise, Philip Johnston, a missionary who learned the difficult Navajo language, proposed to create a code based on that spoken-only language. Johnston recruited 29 Navajo native speakers and they devised a code based on the Navajo language that Japanese intelligence was never able to decipher.
From the 200 word code, it grew to over 600 words and required 400 additional native Navajo soldiers to help with the communications across the Pacific theater.
President George W. Bush presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Navajo code talkers on July 26, 2001.
The “Honoring the Code Talkers Act,” introduced by Senator Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico in April 2000, and signed into law December 21, 2000, called for the recognition of the Navajo code talkers. During a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on July 26, 2001, the first 29 soldiers received the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Silver Medal was presented to the remaining Navajos who later qualified to be code talkers.†
As part of the authorizing legislation, the U.S. Mint produced bronze versions of the medal for the public. These medals are no longer for sale by are still on sale at the U.S. Mint. [Correction complements of the Mint News Blog]
“This news has saddened me. Our Navajo Code Talkers have been real life heroes to generations of Navajo people. They have brought pride to our Navajo people in so many ways. The Nation’s prayers and thoughts are with the family at this time as they mourn the passing of a great family man who served his country and protected his people,” President Shelly said.
We are all saddened by the passing of this true American hero. May his family and friends take comfort and pride in his memory.
The 2000 Navajo Code Talkers Bronze Medal sold to collectors by the U.S. Mint
On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Virginia Numismatic Association Annual Show in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Fredericksburg is about half-way between Washington, DC and Richmond. After a late morning start, I ate a quick breakfast and climbed into the old X3 and hit the road to make my first stop to honor National Coffee Day at a nearby coffee shop.
With hot java in the accessible coffee holder, the X3 was pointed to the highway and we headed south to Fredericksburg. For the most part, it was a pleasant trip except for the last 12 miles where I found myself in what was called a usual traffic delay to the Rappahannock River. Along the way, I was able to use the new iOS 6 maps program with GPS capabilities with no issue. For those who heard the alleged “horrors” of Apple’s map program, I found that for daily use I have had no problems. I think most people who do not try to find obscure addresses (i.e., like trying to map an weird address near a park) will find that it is a quite adequate app.
Relieved of the frustration caused by I-95 traffic, I exited at Route 3 and let the GPS guide me to the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center. It is a nice facility with nearby hotels and a large shopping area. Travelers who might have forgotten something would not have to travel far to find a replacement.
Interestingly, the USA Fencing Virginia 2012 KickOff Classic Circuit Fencing Tournament was being held in a different part of the center. It made for a good mix of numismatists and fencers walking in the parking lot. However, it was a little disconcerting when a gentleman was walking toward me in the parking lot carrying four fencing foils!
I registered at the front door and spoke with a number of the VNA people. I met a few of their officers and talked while I wrote my name on a few raffle tickets. Each hour, the VNA raffles of something. There were books, coins, tokens, and medals in the case that showed what was part of each hour’s raffle. You do not have to be present to win, but I did have to write my name and telephone number on 11 tickets which I purchased for $10. Once done, I walked by a Stafford County police officer and entered the bourse floor.
The show was in a pretty large hall with about 50 tables. There seemed to be a slight din of activity but nothing too overwhelming. As I walked around the floor looking at the items on a number of tables, I spoke with quite a few people. There were even a few I had met at other shows like the Whitman Baltimore show. Some said that Saturday was a bit slow, especially as compared to previous years. After a while, I asked some of the Virginia-based dealers if the nice weather and the college football games, specifically the Virginia Tech-Cincinnati game that was played at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland (home of the Washington Redskins) and the Virginia-Louisiana Tech game in Charlottesville (both Virginia schools lost).
It has been a long time since I have been to a smaller show (under 100 tables). Even with the large venue, the fewer tables and with dealers I have never met before from areas of Virginia and North Carolina, it made for a relaxing atmosphere. Many of these dealers also had a different way of handling their inventory such as currency dealers who did not have everything graded and many of their lower quality but desirable series in books in the table for collectors to browse. For the collector on a budget who wants to consider notes with character, being able to flip through a book of these notes is a great idea and, even if you are not a currency collector, a lot of fun just to look. I liked having this type of accessibility and it was refreshing.
There were not many exhibits at this show. I did capture two pictures of exhibits I thought were interesting (see my Pinterest board), but I wish there were more.
At the end of the aisles in the center was an exhibit of philately (stamps) along with pictures that were about Virginia and the its role in the Civil War and after. This exhibit has a few great, vintage pictures of General Ulysses S. Grant (before he became president) including one where his portrait is aside one of General Robert E. Lee. Unfortunately, the pictures had take did not come out well (and I forgot to try again after being distracted).
After four hours of looking and schmoozing, I went back to the X3, plugged in my iPhone, and found that the game was being streamed by CBS through their iPhone app. After a stop to make sure I supported National Coffee Day again, I plugged in the iPhone and listened to the broadcast during the drive home. I am not sure which was worse, the traffic or the lack of defense during the game!
I arrived home in time to see the fourth quarter and make sure the final score was at least in my favor. Feeling better for the win, I was able to reflect on the good time I had at the VNA Convention while having dinner with my wife.
Congratulations to the Virginia Numismatic Association for putting on a good show.
Virginia Numismatic Association pin that I purchased at the table where I also purchased raffle tickets.
A panorama view of the bourse floor at the 2012 VNA Convention
1949 Empire State Building Encased Cent announcing it as the “World’s Tallest Building,” which it was in 1949.
Token to ride the Port Authority of the Trans-Hudson subway system. PATH ties New Jersey to New York and is run by the Port Authority, the same people who own the World Trade Center.
25th Anniversary Middle Atlantic Numismatic Association Medal from 1977. MANA is now defunct but used to be an umbrella organization for the Washington, DC metro area.
Reverse of the 25th Anniversary Middle Atlantic Numismatic Association Medal.
This was hanging on the door leaving the convention hall. Based on the last line regarding no more proofs after 1964, I think this was produced in either 1964 or 1965.
Close up view of the text on the Coin Collector’s Crying Towel
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