Indianapolis Coin Club

September
2003

A.N.A. C-131170 - C.S.N.S L-600 - I.S.N.A. LM 243
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2897, Indianapolis, IN 46206

The Indianapolis Coin Club is a non-profit, educational organization founded in 1939 for the purpose of educating people of all ages in the greater Indianapolis community about the coins theypresently own or may wish to collect. We hold eleven monthly meetings each year (presently at the Firemen’s Union Hall, 748 Massachusetts Ave.) during which various programs of an
educational nature are held for the benefit of our membership and the general public. All meetings are open to the public and there is no charge for attendance unless a person wishes tobecome a member of the club. Adult annual dues are $12.00 per year, junior membership dues are $5.00 per year.

THE MONTHLY PLANCHETTHE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM COMMEMORATIVE HALF DOLLAR- By Bill Jones

Yesterday, September
17th, marked the anniversary of the bloodiest day in
American History, the Battleof Antietam.
In September of 1862,
Confederate general Robert
E. Lee launched an offensivethat he hoped would give
the South a decisive victory.
Lee planned to march hisarmy into Pennsylvania.
There, he would attack arailroad center that supplied
the Union forces opposing
him. Lee hoped to cripple
the Union army and strike a
psychological blow. By attacking the Union in its own
territory, Lee wanted to terrorize Northern citizens andconvince European governments that the South could
win the war.

Through an unusual turnof events, Union general
George McClellan knew of
Lee's plans. But McClellan-always the procrastinator-delayed his attack for several days. Finally the Union
forces made a stand in an
area
just
outsideSharpsburg, Maryland,along the Antietam Creek.
The battle was one of the
Civil War's turning points.
There were over twentythree thousand casualties
on both sides--making
Antietam the bloodiest
single day in all of American history.
Although the battle ended
in a tactical draw, President
Lincoln used the occasion toissue the Emancipation
Proclamation. This executive order legally freed allslaves living in the statesthat were still in rebellion.
Although Lincoln's order did
not actually free any slavesat the time, it isolated theSouth diplomatically andprecluded European aid to
the Southern cause.
The heroism of the soldiers at Antietam was celebrated 75 years later, on
the Antietam commemorative half dollar. Collectors
have long admired the coinfor its beauty, remarkableclarity and depth of field.
This article was written by Bill Jonesfor the September 18, 2000 broadcast of “Money Talks”. "Money
Talks" is produced and underwritten by the American Numismatic
Association, in Colorado Springs,
America's coin club for over a century. Take a tour of ANA's virtual
Money Museum on the web at
http://www.money.org.

Our next meetings are scheduled for Monday, September 22, and Monday,October 27, at
7:00 PM at the Fireman’s Union Hall Building, 748 Massachusetts Ave. at College Ave.,
Indianapolis. Parking is available in the lot west of the building and on the streets
north and south of the building.
Officers: President: Jim Luckey, Vice President: Vacant,Secretary/Editor/Webmaster: Gail Phillips:
Treasurer: Tom Ferverda, Sergeant-at-Arms: Jim Warden.
Past President: Vinton Dove

Directors: Karl Kreck, Lawrence Wisthoff, Donald Black,Coz Raimondi, Charles Alber, Allen Dove

InsideThis

President’s Report
Secretary’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
Puzzle Page
Kid’s Page
Other News

Issue:
2
2
2
3
6
4,5,7

Shop Amazon.com at: http://www.indianapoliscoinclub.org
1Treasurer’s Report
September 2003

From Our
President
The August meeting turned out quite
well, considering the lack of a tv/vcr
to show our video on coin grading. Rick
Jones did a great job and his presentation was enjoyed by all. I was happy
to see some members step up to help
on 2004 Coin Show. I know Karl appreciates the offer of help. We still needpeople to step up for the forthcoming
election and chair the Christmas party.
The coin auctions each month appear
to be a success. Does anyone have
have a suggestion to increase our attendance? Call and bring a friend andor family member to our next meeting. I was happy to see Jim Goaziou
back to our meeting. The 50/50 winner was Lyle Pelkin and the puzzle contest winner was Mrs. Pelkin.
Pres. Jim

INCOMEClub Shirt Sales
Statehood Quarter Display Sales
50/50 Drawing
Total Income:$40.005.00
14.50$59.50EXPENDITURES
Room Deposit for 2004 Show
Newsletter Printing
Hall Rental
Total Expenses$150.00
14.44
25.00$189.00

Net Expenses$129.94

Balance in Checking as of September 1, 2003 - $5060.33

Secretary’s
ReportThis is the ISNA Commemorative medal that will beavailable at their November Show. See Coz for details.

The August meeting was called to order at 7:15
PM. There were 23 members and one guest
present. The Secretary’s and Treasurer’s Reports
were read. It was announced that Karl Kreck,
who chaired the ICC Spring Show last year needs
volunteers to assist with the show next year. A
sign-up sheet was passed around. Vinton Dovevolunteered to be on the committee. The location was secured by Jim Luckey and Karl Kreck,
and is changing to Valle Vista, which is located inGreenwood, exit 99 off of I-65. The show will be
March 16, 2004. There will be room for 30-35
dealers, and our rental cost will be $700, which
will include tables and coffee.

The scheduled showing of the coin grading video
for the educational program was pre-empted,
due to the lack of a TV/VCR. Rick Jones stepped
up to the plate to do a presentation on the topic
with very short notice, and did a commendable
job. After break, Lyle Pelkin spoke to the membership about WWI and Depression-era
Reichsmark, Mark coins and currency, and how
by WWII, they were devalued.
The auction followed, and Jim Goaziou asked if
any members would like to accompany him to
the Columbus, Ohio show that he would be attending. Lyle Pelkin won the 50/50, and his wife’sentry won the puzzle contest. The meeting was
adjourned at 9:00 PM.

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Constructed using Crossword Weaver

BARBER
B MAX MEHLFIVEGEORGE WALTONLIBERTY
NICKELACROSS
1 Canoe type3 MO is the ____________ state to be
admitted to the union
5 Explorer William
8 Corps of _________
10 Event where MO quarter was released
11 MO state motto
DOWN
2 _______ Arch
4 Third person in canoe, Clark's slave
6 Explorer Meriweather
7 MO is part of the Louisiana ________
9 Number of men in canoe on quarter

PHILADELPHIARAREREUNITEDROMAN NUMERALSAMUEL BROWNUNOFFICIAL

There will be a prize for this month’s
crossword. Good Luck!

August Puzzle Solution

Congratulations to
Mrs. Pelkin, who
won last month’s
puzzle contest!

I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor.
Rich is better.
- Sophie Tucker3

Transcript No. 2079 of “Money Talks”,
the ANA radio program.
September 21, 2000

FIRST COINAGE OFQUARTER EAGLES

of quarter eagles were issued before 1834, and most of them weremelted because they contained too
much gold.

- By Bill JonesOn this day in 1796, the UnitedStates Mint produced the first 21/2 dollar gold coins. A 2 1/2 dollar gold piece may seem like an
odd denomination by today's standards . . . but to our founding fathers, it fit right in.
The Coinage Act of 1792 statedthe value of our money in terms ofgold and silver. The basic silver
unit was the $1, which was divided
into smaller coins, including thehalf dollar and the quarter dollar.
The basic gold unit was the $10
gold piece, which everyone calledan "eagle." It too, was divided into
the half eagle, a $5 gold piece, andthe quarter eagle, a 2 1/2 dollar
gold piece.

The quarter eagle was about thesame size as the dime. In fact, in
1804, the mint used the same reverse die to produce dimes and 21/2 dollar gold pieces. Early quar-

In 1834, President Andrew Jackson signed a law that reduced theweight of all U.S. gold coins to amore reasonable level. Thanks tothat law, far more quarter eagles
were minted . . . and today, mostquarter eagles dated after 1833 arepriced within the range of manycollectors.
In 1848, the first shipment ofgold from the California gold rush
was converted into 1,440 quarter
eagles, which were stamped on theback with the abbreviation C.A.L.
for California. These historic coins
are now worth as much as a luxury
car . . . if you can find one.
This article was written by Bill Jones.
"Money Talks" is produced and underwritten by the American Numismatic
Association, in Colorado Springs,
America's coin club for over a century.
To hear more "Money Talks" scripts,
or to obtain a transcript, log on to the
ANA's web site at
http://www.money.org.
Transcript No. 2066
September 4, 2000

COMPANY SCRIP- By Gerald Tebben

ter eagles are highly prizedcollector's items because so few ofthem exist. Only a small number

Today is Labor Day, and you may
remember the old song that Tennessee Ernie Ford sang . . . "Sixteen tons and what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in
debt."
And the miner's debt in that famous song was figured in tokens

4that coalmine owners in Kentucky
and West Virginia claimed weremoney. Until miners took the law
into their own hands, during whatbecame known as the "Red Neck
Rebellion" of 1922, mine-owners
held their workers in virtual bondage.
Work had to be done to company order and workers were often paid in company scrip. Miners
used the money to pay rent on
their company-owned shanties, orbuy food at inflated prices from thecompany store. The United States
Coal Commission was appointed byPresident Harding in 1922, to investigate conditions, after 600,000
miners walked off the job.
The commission found thatcompany stores charged anywherefrom 4 percent to 12 percent more
for food, than privately owned
stores. There were some reportsof company stores charging as
much as 200 percent more on individual items.
Miners were paid in the mineowners' funny money, only after"cuts" had been made for suchthings as fuel for the lights the laborers used in the mines, and theservices of the company doctor,
whom they rarely had the opportunity to see.
Congress restricted the use of
scrip after the rebellion, declaringthat free laborers in America areentitled to be paid in U.S. money.
More than 20,000 different varieties of coal mine tokens have beencataloged. They range from a quarter cent to $20, and are often foundin coin dealers' junk boxes. They
can be bought for as little as adollar.
This article was written by Gerald
Tebben. "Money Talks" is produced
and underwritten by the American Numismatic Association, in Colorado
Springs, America's coin club for over a
century.

Transcript No. 2067
September 5, 2000

STUDENTS PAY THE PRICE- By Barbara Gregory
Susan DeGrasse, a teacher at
Summit Elementary School in Divide, Colorado, has found the perfect antidote for her students'
start-of-school blues . . . a healthy
dose of capitalism and free enterprise.
For five months every year,
DeGrasse's class operates like amini-community, with students
acting as bankers, mayor, retailmerchants and police. Safe within
the confines of the classroom, thekids learn to deal with the complexities of the adult world . . . including the headaches of budgeting on a fixed income, choosing a
job and accepting its responsibilities, balancing a checkbook, andinvesting in the stock market.
Realizing that no capitalistic
society can function without
money, the students design andprint their own paper currency.
Before they can spend it, however,they must earn it. Community"jobs" are available on a firstcome-first-served basis; salaries
reflect the responsibility and difficulty of each position.
To supplement their incomes,
many of the young entrepreneurs
launch their own businesses. But,
before they can open their doors,they must purchase a business license from the mayor of the community. In the spirit of the West,some of the affluent students put
up "grubstakes" . . . floating loans
or purchasing business licenses for
those who can't get enough working capital together.
Just like Wall Street, the stock
market trading going on in theclassroom is not without risk. Students can purchase stocks with

their surplus earnings. The ups
and downs of the market are simulated by rolling a pair of dice . . .
which is not too far from reality.
DeGrasse says, "I hope the experience of having been a part ofthis community will better prepare
my young spenders for the realworld they have yet to discover.
How they apply this acquired
knowledge is difficult to measure,but I'm hoping to produce some
responsible and respectable citizens of the future."
This article was written by Barbara
Gregory. "Money Talks" is produced
and underwritten by the American
Numismatic Association, in Colorado
Springs, America's coin club for over a
century. For information about educational seminars on coin coilecting andgrading, call 1-800-367-9723 and request a brochure.

Transcript No. 2069
September 7, 2000

KIDS AND COINS- By James Taylor
Well, you made it! It was agreat summer--a little hot, andmaybe a bit too hectic, but that's
summer! And now the kids areback in school.
You got them ready--with newschool supplies and clothes, maybe
even a new alarm clock! But I'll
bet it never occurred to you to getthem really ready for school--or
maybe even for life--by encouraging them to start a collection of afew, inexpensive coins.
Educators and doctors agree
that one of the most importanttasks of parenting is teaching children to be patient. Doctors tell usthat children who learn to be patient will be better able to cope withlife's many stresses and crises,
once they grow up. The eminent

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psychiatrist, Theodore Rubin, sayschildren should be encouraged totake part in activities in which patience leads to a personal reward.
Rubin specifically suggests fishing,working on jigsaw puzzles, andcoin collecting.
But how do you get a child interested in coin collecting, especially if you're not a collector yourself? Nearly everyone is saving the
50-state quarters, and here aresome other suggestions. With
small kids, get some shiny coins-maybe they could all have dates
from the year the child was born-and look at them together. Besides
the date, look for the mintmark.
This tells where the coins were
made: "P" for Philadelphia, "D" for
Denver, "S" for San Francisco.
Tell your child a story about thepresident whose portrait appearson the coin. Perhaps your childwill want to collect a coin for eachyear in a coin's series. For example, Lincoln cents have been
made each year since 1909, andthe Kennedy half-dollar since1964.
You might have your child collect coins from the countries ofyour family's ancestors. World
coins, both old ones and those incirculation, are inexpensive. They
can serve as a springboard forlearning more about other countries. Think about mounting thecoins on a world map. With over
250 countries today, that's quite achallenge.
This article was written by James
Taylor. "Money Talks" is produced andunderwritten by the American Numismatic Association in Colorado Springs.
America's coin club for over a century.
You are invited to attend ANA's National Money Show™ in Portland, Oregon, USA, March 26-28, 2004.
Information about this and many other
ANA events can be found on ANA's
website at http://www.money.org.

History of the Nickel,
Part Four- by John Maag
The famous “Buffalo” or “IndianHead” nickel continued the nickel
series with two different 1913 types- the buffalo on raised ground on thereverse, and the buffalo on a line.
The “raised ground” type didn’t stack
well, or work in early vending machines. James Earle Fraser used

three different Indians as the model- Chief John Bigtree, Chief Iron Tail,and Chief Two Moons. He combined
their features, for a “composite” portrait on the obverse. The reverse featured the New York Zoological
Garden’s buffalo, Black Diamond.

Black Diamond didn’t fare as well as

the nickel - he was served as buffalo
steak at a New York restaurant in
1915. The Buffalo nickel was one of
the US coins that was inspired byPresident Theodore Roosevelt’s wish
to have all American coins be as
beautiful as legendary ancient coins,and he found famous artists to design them. Before that, most of thecoinage had been designed by employees of the Mint. Although President Roosevelt was out of office by
the time it happened, ALL the circulating coinage of this era would bedesigned by artists whose designs
were considered classic and beautiful. When the Mint started issuingbullion coins in the 1980’s, they went
back and re-used Augustus St.
Gaudens’ design that was originallyon the twenty-dollar gold piece, andAdolph A. Weinman’s ‘Walking Liberty’ design originally used on the
1916-1947 half dollar. In 2001,
Fraser’s Buffalo design made it’scomeback on a commemorative dollar, and the coin was quickly sold out.
The Buffalo nickel did have one
drawback that earlier designs didn’t
have - the dates wore off easily, because they were placed in a raisedarea under the Indian’s portrait.
There are many “dateless” nickels of
this type still around. They could
even be found in circulation as lateas the 1970’s, but many of themwere converted into jewelry, andthey soon disappeared, too.
There are two favorites in this series - the 1918 over 1917 D, which
was the result of a 1917 die being
repunched with an “8” over the “7”,and the 1937-D “three-legged buffalo”, where the right front leg of thebuffalo is missing, because of a filled
die. These two types of coins are valued highly. Because the dates wore
off of this type of nickel so easily,
there are other rarities, especially inthe higher grades (fine or better).
Despite the beauty of the Buffalo
nickel, it was replaced by the Jefferson Nickel in 1938. The Mint held adesign contest, and Felix Schlag was
the winner. His design was changed
somewhat for the coinage, and thisnickel is the design we have today.
Schlag’s original design had a threequarter view of Monticello for the reverse, instead of the straight-on

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front view of President Jefferson’shome. Felix Schlag didn’t get any
credit for the design of the coin until
1960, when his initials were placed
under Jefferson’s portrait. There aresome plans being discussed now to
temporarily change the design of ournickel, to honor the Lewis & Clark
Expedition.
There are some interesting variet-

ies in this series, including the last
“rare” nickel - the 1950-D which wasconsidered rare enough during the
1960’s that it was counterfeited oraltered, along with the 1939-D,
which was also rare. The first change
in the nickel came during World War
II, when the metal, nickel, was inshort supply. The mint created theso-called “war nickel”, which wasmade from a combination of copper,

silver and manganese. It was minted
from 1942-1945. To make it easier
to tell the difference between thistype and other years, a larger mint
mark was placed above the dome ofMonticello. This is the first time that
Philadelphia ever placed a mint markon one of the coins they minted. Alarge “P”, “D”, or “S” can be foundover the dome. Other issues have asmall mint mark to the right ofMonticello. The regular metal composition was restored in 1946. In
1968, the mint mark was moved to
the right of Jefferson’s head, and the“S” mint mark returned to the first
circulating coin since 1955. The last“S” nickels had been issued in 1954.

Transcript No. 2085
September 29, 2000

ROSH HA-SHANAH,
THE JEWISH NEW YEAR
- By Bill Rosenblum
Today at sundown (this Saturday, the 27th -ed.), Jews aroundthe world began the celebrationof Rosh Ha-Shanah, the Jewish
New Year. Unlike the secular New
Year . . . which most of us celebrate with food, drink and football . . . Rosh Ha-Shanah begins
the start of a ten-day period of
spiritual self-examination and repentance.
Rosh Ha-Shanah is marked
each year by the blowing of the
shofar, which is traditionally madefrom a ram's horn. It's the religious duty of all Jews to listen to
the sound of the shofar. Three
distinct sounds are made by theshofar player . . . 'TEKIAH" is along, drawn-out sound . . .
"SHEVARIM" is a broken, plaintive
sound . . . "TERUAH" is a series of
sharp, staccato-like sounds.
There have been numerous explanations and theories as to why
the shofar is blown at Rosh HaShanah services. There's nosingle explanation of the exact
meanings of the three sounds, or

why a total of 100 notes are heard
throughout the synagogue service.
The blowing of the shofar is an
event of great solemnity, as well
as a joyous occasion for Jews. The
prophet Josiah wrote, "Happy is
the people that know the soundof the trumpet."It's notsurprising,
then,
that
trumpets appear on anumberofcoins madeduringthe"Bar Kochba
R e v o l t "against the Roman Emperor
Hadrian, during the years 132 to
135 A.D. The Jews rose up against
Hadrian because of his plans tobuild a pagan
temple over theruins of their sacred temple built
by Solomon.
The coins of thisrevolt are among
the most symbolicof any coins everproduced. One of
the more popularand symbolic coins
has a bunch of

grapes on the front side--while thereverse side shows two trumpets,
surrounded by an ancient Hebrew
inscription which reads, "For theFreedom of Jerusalem."This article was written by Bill
Rosenblum. "Money Talks" isproduced and underwritten by
the American Numismatic Association,
inColorado
Springs,
America's
coinclub forover acentury.
Take atour of
ANA's virtual Money Museum on
the web at
http://www.money.org.

Upcoming Coin Shows:
September 27, 2003 - Greencastle - Saturday, 9 AM until 4
October 18, 2003 - Green County 4-H Fairgrounds - SaturPM, Putnam County 4-H Fairgrounds on HWY 231, just northday, 9 AM until 4 PM, Green County 4-H Fairgrounds on HWY
of Greencastle. Raffle drawing and door prizes. Free admis54, just west of the intersection of HWYS 57 and 54. Rafflesion, everyone welcome. Presented by the Putnam County Coindrawing and door prizes. Free admission, everyone welcome.
Presented by the Bloomfield Coin Club.
Club.
October 25-26, 2003 - South Bend - Saturday & Sunday, South
Bend Coin and Currency Show, Comfort Suites, 52939 SR 933
N., South Bend. Free Admission. Tables: 10-15. Table Fee:$50. For more info, call David Brody, 574-272-9198.

October 3, 2003 - Logansport -Sunday, 10 AM until 4 PM,
Holiday Inn, Logansport, 3550 U.S. 24 East. Admission Free,
Public Welcome. Come and view: Paper money issued by Logansport Banks, Logansport Merchant tokens, Coins of the
Bible, 50-State Quarters. Sponsored by the Logansport CoinClub.

October 31 - November 1, 2003 - Indianapolis - Saturday &Sunday, ISNA Show, Indianapolis Marriott East. Free Admission. Tables: 100. Table Fee: $295-$395. For more info, call
Joyce Fischer at 765-649-0253.

This month’s educational program will be a surprise.
Or maybe not.
Don’t miss it!

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