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Chatter

Editor’s Notes

It appears that the bourse and calendar for the 2025 ANA World’s Fair of Money in Oklahoma City are filling up. Hope to see you there!

Please consider submitting a Trip Report, detailing your memorable experiences, for inclusion in the September Chatter.

Paul Hybert, editor

Minutes of the 1278th Meeting

The 1278th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was called to order by President Melissa Gumm at 6:45pm CDT on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. This was an in-person and online meeting with 19 members at the CBA and 25 members plus one guest applying for membership online, giving a total of 45.

Club Meeting Minutes

The June club meeting minutes were approved as published in the Chatter, both in print and on the CCC website.

New Members

Secretary Scott McGowan completed the first reading of a membership application for Steve Starlust of Sevierville, Tennessee, a collector of tokens, medals, badges, souvenirs, World Columbian Expo, Civil War, Exonumia, US Coinage, and Presidential’s; he is a member of the TAMS, NGC, and CAC organizations.

Treasurer’s Report

President Melissa Gumm reviewed Treasurer Elliott Krieter’s treasurer’s report for June, 2025 as follows : Revenue $590.00 (Dues, Advertising), Expenses $347.38 (Chatter, CSNS Expense, Corporation Fee) for period total of $242.62. There are two club CDs for a total of $10,000 invested at 3.5% and 2%. Based on the 3-month CD, it should have been renewed. Noah Graf added that Wintrust bank now has a 7-month CD for 4.25%.

Old Business

1. Committee Reports: Special Projects Chair Mark Wieclaw reported that he will be stepping down as chair of the committee and the club is in need of new chairperson; the committee mission is to investigate and implement numismatic related projects and programs to spend a portion of the treasury for numismatic betterment. Hall of Fame reported no new business. The Legacy committee reported that Josh Benevento is working with interview schedules and contacting individuals for potential interviews.
2. Club President Melissa Gumm reported on updates from the May Board Meeting, explaining how Chatter Editor and webmaster Paul Hybert has created an online index to the text of both featured presentations and show-and-tell presentations, and intends to add in memoriams of past members. Melissa also indicated that the board is interested in a person to help back up the Secretary position in the event the secretary is not available. The primary backup task would be taking meeting minutes and program descriptions.

New Business

1. Melissa Gumm reported on receiving an email from Mark Anderson of the NYNC about a potential NYNC/CCC joint dinner at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Oklahoma City in August. A show of hands indicated about six CCC members at the meeting will be at the ANA WFoM and are interested in a Joint Dinner.
2. Second VP Ray Dagenais reported on receiving a flyer from ANS Vice President Alexander Krapf about a medal to celebrate the American Semiquincentennial. Ray will forward the Flyer for Board review to see if we want to publish it to club members.

Featured Program

Jeffrey A. Amelse on Civil War Tokens — With Emphasis on Those With Cracks, Cuds, and Other Oddities. Following the presentation, VP Deven Kane presented Jeffrey with a CCC Speaker’s medal and an ANA Educational Certificate. Jeffrey also gave away two of the 1961 token restrikes to two lucky winners through a drawing.

Show and Tell

Second Vice President Ray Dagenais announced the ten Show and Tell presentations for the evening.

Melissa Gumm reviewed upcoming numismatic events.

President Melissa Gumm adjourned the meeting at 9:23pm CDT.

Respectfully Submitted,
Scott McGowan, Secretary

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Show and Tell

Items shown at our July 9, 2025 meeting,
reported by Ray Dagenais.

1. Richard Hathaway presented three French coins, ¼ Ecus from the late 1500s to the early 1600s. The ¼ Ecu denomination was introduced (along with the ⅛ Ecu and several other denominations) in 1578.
   1. A 1587 coin from Rennes (mintmark is a ‘9’) issued by King Henri III.
   2. A 1591 coin from Nantes (T mintmark) issued by Charles, Cardinal of Bourbon (also known as Charles X).
   3. A 1603 coin from Rennes, issued by King Henri IV.
   The latter half of the 16th century was marked by the French Wars of Religion between the Catholics and Protestants. In 1584, the youngest brother of King Henri III died, making Henri of Navarre, who was Protestant, the heir to the throne. The Catholic League, led by Henri of Guise, opposed Henri of Navarre. As warfare erupted between the League and Henri of Navarre, King Henri III was caught in the middle. In 1588 when King Henri III was driven out of Paris by the Catholic League, he decided to have Henri of Guise assasinated. Then in 1589, King Henri III was in turn assassinated by League supporters, and so the throne passed to Protestant Henri of Navarre, who became known as King Henri IV. However, the Catholic League recognized Charles, Cardinal of Bourbon and proclaimed as Charles X, as King, although he had been imprisoned and died there in 1590. Over the next 9 years until 1598, Henri IV slowly reconquered all of France from the Catholic League, and even converted to Catholicism in an attempt to help end the war. During this time, mints controlled by the League issued coins posthumously in the name of Charles X (with the latest Charles X coins being issued in 1598), while other mints controlled by Henri IV issued coins in his name. Additionally, each side opened many new mints that were active for only a few years to replace mints controlled by the other.
2. Robert Leonard showed four coins and mentioned related literature.
   1. A contemporary imitation Venetian zecchino (made for the Ottoman trade) of Francesco Dona, 1545-1553, which Bob had acquired in the Republic of Macedonia (now Northern Macedonia), once part of the Ottoman Empire.
   2. Another contemporary imitation Venetian zecchino, but this of Lorenzo Priuli, 1556-1559; acquired as part of a Stack’s group lot.
   3. A genuine zecchino of Marino Grimani, 1595-1605, with counterstamp SAHH (“good” or “genuine”) behind figure of doge. In 1099 A.H. (1687/8) it was decreed that all zecchinos should be examined, and if found to be genuine, so counterstamped upon payment of a small fee in silver. This counterstamping apparently continued into the early 18th century.
   4. For comparison, a genuine zecchino of Pasquale Cicogna, 1585-1595. On the whole, counterstamps on gold coins are much rarer than on copper or silver coins, though these Ottoman counterstamps are merely scarce.
   5. There is very little literature, other than Ives and Grierson, The Venetian Gold Ducat and Its Imitations; and F. W. Hasluck, The Levantine Coinage. Lutz Ilisch has also written about these counterstamps.
   By the 18th century, the Ottoman Empire was in decline, with the weight of the standard gold coin reduced, so the counterstamping was soon discontinued.
3. Noah Graf showed a small (19mm in diameter) bronze tetarteron (1092-1118) from Constantinople of Emperor Alexius I Comnenus (1081-1118). The obverse features a facing bust of Christ, while the reverse features a facing bust of the Emperor. Noah purchased this coin from a bargain bin of ancients, impressed by the relatively good strike of the emperor’s portrait, but unable to read the legend or identify the timeframe of issue. This was the first time he had an opportunity to use his copy of Sear’s Byzantine Coins and Their Values to identify a coin in hand. Alexius instituted a major reform of the Byzantine coinage system in 1092, ending the series of anonymous bronze folles which had prevailed for more than a century prior, and putting the emperor’s likeness back on the bronze coinage with this new denomination, the bronze tetarteron. Its exact relation to other Byzantine denominations of the time is somewhat obscure, but its name may have its origins in being valued at a quarter of the old debased follis.
4. Deven Kane showed three coins.
   1. A Roman provincial coin from Lydia.
   2. A German Taler from after 1500.
   3. A Bosnian coin featuring the last king of Bosnia.
5. Laurence Edwards showed a medal, issued in 1908, featuring the German-Jewish industrialist Emil Rathenau (1838-1915) who founded the German Electric Company in 1883 after seeing an exhibition of Thomas Edison lighting. A public-private partnership provided electrification of Berlin. According to the 1930 Encyclopedia Britannica: “Prior to 1923 it was the largest electrical manufacturing concern in Germany and one of the most important industrial undertakings in the world.” The medal was distributed to loyal employees of the company. It was sculpted by Hermann Hahn, sculptor and medalist whose work is seen in many German cities, and also in Lincoln Park, Chicago: the Goethe statue on LaSalle Drive (1913). Laurence purchased this medal in the Stack’s & Bowers sale of the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection in January, 2023.  
6. Tyler Rossi presented two items.
   1. An aluminum “A Square Peg in an Oval Office…” medal issued in 2005 (75mm x 72mm x 25mm, weighing 162.03 grams). It was made by James MaloneBeach for the British Art Medal Society. On the obverse, a circular image of George W. Bush within a clear plastic disk, all set into an aluminum cube; on the reverse, a clear plastic vial of crude oil, all set into the same cube. On the sides, A SQUARE PEG | IN AN OVAL OFFICE | OR THE MAN | WHO WOULD BE KING. A very intriguing and provocative piece that drips with intense satire and is serially numbered 12 from an output of just 37 pieces.
   2. A banknote of the Hajduk Republic of Mijat Tomić. Spread over seven hectares between the mountains of Vran and Ĉvrsnica in the middle of the Blidinje Nature Park in the north-western parts of Herzegovina, this self-proclaimed fictional micronation is the private property of Mijat Tomić. The “Hajduk Republic” has its own constitution, passports, and currency.
7. Zach Filis showed recent additions to his Mills collection.
   1. A trial piece made by George Mills at the SOHO mint for a petition Guinea that was used by Mills to compete against William Wyon and others for the position of second engraver at the Royal Mint. The petition Guinea and this piece are thought to be unique and both have been in some well known collections over the years. Zach showed side by side images of the trial strike and the finished product. This uniface trial strike is made out of lead and the blank reverse has what appears to be a pin-like object struck into it; not sure what it is. Struck in 1816, its provenance includes the John G. Murdoch collection sold by Sotheby’s in 1904.
   2. A lot of seven tokens made for Henry Charles Englefield, a wealthy English Baron, in different sizes ranging from 18 to 33 millimeters; acquired at an auction in London.. Four are silver and three are in copper. The 33 millimeter silver piece with Englefield’s initials, dates, and other markings on it is unique. The 33 millimeter copper piece is unifaced and is also quite rare. Englefield was deeply involved in Greek and Roman history. He was the treasurer and secretary of the Dilettanti Society, and also a president of the Society of Antiquities. These tokens were made from pellets, not flans, to simulate Ancient Greek coins. The dates above and below Englefield’s initials are in Ancient Greek symbols for the year of his birth and for his accomplishment of obtaining the funds required to publish the Dilettanti Society’s work.
8. Dale Lukanich showed five 6th century coins, three follis and two half-follis, from the northern-most area of the Byzantine empire, Crimea on the Black Sea; the mint was located in the ancient town of Cherson, which was on the shore of the Black Sea, on the outskirts of the present-day city of Sevastopol. Ancient Cherson was destroyed by the Mongols/Tartars in the 13th century and should not be confused with the modern city of Cherson which was not founded until 1779. The produced coinage was distinctive to this region, usually including the legend XEPCONOC (“of Cherson”). The five shown coin types featured K, M, Δ, H, and Maurice Tiberius. The attribution of types with obverse legend XEPCONOC to Justin II is rejected by some in favor of the attribution to Maurice, as in Sear, but most dealers now attribute to Justin II. The types with M and K (S604, S609) in the name of Maurice probably do not exist, as no modern author has found an example. Old citations and the Sear line drawing are all from one source, Sabitier, who accidentally combined images of different sides from different coins. Dale concluded with a review of available resources.
9. Mark Wieclaw talked about the quinarius denomination. With at least 23 different denominations of coins issued between the beginning of the Roman Republic, circa 211 BC, and the coinage reform of Diocletian, 284-305 AD, the quinarius is the only denomination issued in both gold and silver, with gold and silver quinarii in circulation at the same time. The gold quinarius was equal to 25 silver denarii or ½ aureus. The silver quinarius was equal to ½ denarius. The first silver quinarius was issued by C. Fundanius, circa 101 BC. Under Valerian, 253-260 AD, it became a base silver coin. During the reign of Claudius II Gothicus, 270 AD, silver was completely absent and it became a bronze quinarius. Constantine I, The Great, 307-337 AD, was the last to issue the bronze quinarius. The first gold quinarius was issued by Augustus, circa 27 BC. Beginning with the reign of Trebonianus Gallus, 251-253 AD, it is sometimes referred to as a light aureus. The last gold quinarius was issued under Maximianus during his first reign, 286-305 AD. Mark showed only a few, representative items:
   1. Roman Quinarii: From the Republic to Diocletian and the Tetrarchy by Cathy E. King.
   2. The Carl Subak Collection of Roman Quinarii, auction 153, 18 May 2025, Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG.
   3. A brockage of Octavian, 29-28 BC (1.81 grams, 14.5mm).
   4. Caracalla, bust left, 201-206 AD (1.37 grams, 14.0mm).
   5. Caracalla, bust right, 207 AD (1.38 grams, 14.6mm).
   6. As a size comparison, all three previous coins set on top of a 1970 Kennedy Half Dollar.
10. Joe Boling showed how the Channel Islands dealt with German occupation currency. In the early days of WWII in Europe (June 1940), Germany occupied the Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey, and other smaller islands) and introduced their occupation currencies in use elsewhere. The islanders preferred to use their local currencies, but all British notes and small change went underground; fractional notes were introduced to facilitate commerce. As more local notes were produced, the Germans insisted that other currencies be surrendered. Rather than turn over their Sterling notes (useful in international trade), the Guernseyites overprinted them as WITHDRAWN, to prevent the Germans from using them. Decades later two hoards of the cancelled notes entered collector channels. The overprints have been replicated for collectors, using both rubber stamps and inkjet printers, but neither copyist has duplicated the font used for the originals. The genuine pieces must have letterpress overprints in violet, with a distinctive “9” in the overprint date (other characters also differ, such as the initial “C” in “Circulation”).

Reminders:

• You can email to Ray a description of what you will show at a meeting, to give him a start on this write-up.
• Send it to cccshowandtell@gmail.com
• After a meeting, all members who viewed the meeting should email him their scoring sheet – a listing of each exhibit number followed by a score (from a low of 1 to a high of 10) is all that is needed.

Our 1279th Meeting

Important Dates

Unless stated otherwise, our regular monthly CCC Meeting is in downtown Chicago, and also online, on the second Wednesday of the month; the starting time is 6:45PM CT.

Chatter Matter

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Club Officers

Correspondence

All correspondence pertaining to Club matters should be addressed to the Secretary and mailed to:
CHICAGO COIN CLUB
P.O. Box 2301
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