The Planchet

February/March 2013

Issue #531

The next meeting will be
Monday, March 25th, 2013
The Meetings of the Indianapolis Coin Club are held
the fourth Monday of each month at theNorthside Knights of Columbus
2100 E. 71st Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Meetings consist of a business session, an intermission, educational program,and a numismatic auction. Doors open at 6:00pm, meeting will begin at 7:00pm.

Indianapolis Coin ClubThis months Educational Program will be:'Canadian and Newfoundland Coinage' - by David Reid & Paul Vaughn
Upcoming Meeting Dates & Programs:
April 22—TBA by Jim Warden
May 20—TBA by Jim Roehrdanz (3rd Monday)
June 24—TBA by Michael White
July 22—TBA by Gary Conner
August 26—TBA by Logansport Coin Club (annual speaker exchange)
September 23—I C C Exhibit Night
October 28—Small Size Type Currency by Donn Wray

Please keep this in mind each month; Regardless of who is giving the monthly program and/or thetopic, we owe it to that person and the membership to remain quiet and pay attention during theprogram. It’s important that we respect the knowledge that is being sharing with us as well as thetime and effort the speaker is donating to our club. Thank you.

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Fax(317) 257-2220

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The Monthly Planchet is the official publication of the Indianapolis
Coin Club. It is published monthly in Indianapolis, Indiana. All
inquiries should be sent to ICC, P.O. Box 2897, Indianapolis, Indiana,46206.

The 2013 Indianapolis Coin Club
Officers and Board Members:
President
Vice-President
SecretaryTreasurer
Newsletter Editor
Past President
Sgt-at-Arms
Board Member 2012-2013
Board Member 2012-2013
Board Member 2012-2013
Board Member 2013-2014
Board Member 2013-2014
Board Member 2013-2014

Donn Wray
Michael White
Vinton DoveMark Eberhardt
OPEN
Jim Roehrdanz
Jim Warden
Jim Fuson
Ron JacksonPaul Vaughn
Dave Reid
Bob Bettcher
Gary Conner

Dumb Coins
By *Alan Herbert
Coins Magazine
April 13, 2009

Perhaps you didn't know that "dumb" is a legitimate numismatic term? Actually, it has
two distinctly different meanings and both are used often enough to cause some confusion for the collector.
First, what is a "dumb" coin? It's an old term applied to a coin, or a blank, or a planchet, which
although genuine lacks the "ring" of a normal piece. The most usual cause is an internal crackor flaw. These pieces are ample reason for classing the "ringing" of a coin as only a negative
test, as well as being dangerous to the grade of a high-grade coin. An internal crack will make asilver coin sound like a lump of lead if it is rung.
Dropping a coin on a hard surface will make the coin ring or vibrate audibly. I doubt if there isa single collector who hasn't at some time used a ring test on a coin. As I mentioned, this is anegative test, because of the possibility of a hidden defect or flaw.
The second problem is that the coin, especially a large, heavy coin, is likely to be damaged byhitting the wood or stone you are using for the test. If the coin fails the ring test but is the correct alloy or clad, then it is classed as a dumb coin.
A variation of the ring test that I don't recommend is to balance the coin on a finger tip and rap
it with a fingernail. You not only subject the coin to the strong possibility of ending up on thefloor, you also violate one of the common handling rules which recommend holding the coin by
its edges.
It's interesting to note that the U.S. Mint uses a ring test to check clad coins. Its test is similar tothe ring test for the larger clad coins. They are run through a device that "bounces" the coin on ahard surface, but the test is to catch coins that are losing one or both of the clad layers due toimproper bonding. If the coin is splitting, it won't bounce into the right bin. Among foreignmints, the Canadian mint at one time used a ring test on its silver coins to detect any defectivepieces.
The second use of "dumb" has the term applied to a coin that fails to identify the issuing government or entity. If your collecting interests don't stray beyond U.S. coins, you probably havenever seen the second usage.
Not all countries identify their coins like the United States does, by putting the country name onthem. There are limited exceptions, but they have meaning in the native language. For example,"HELVETIA" on Swiss coins, "SHAIPERI" on Albanian, "MAGAYR KOZTARSASAG" onHungarian, "OESTERREICH" on Austrian coins all are associated with the coins of that particular country. The Arabic countries are the worst identification offenders, often lacking evensubtle hints as to the country of origin.

A very common example of this are the Austrian coins struck from 1898 to 1918, which have atwo-headed eagle and a large "2" but no other inscription or identification. The coin is a twoHeller, but you have to look elsewhere to find that out. That's why they are called dumb coins.
There also are matching mute or dumb coins with one, 10 and 20 Heller denominations. The
Austrian government felt the two-headed eagle was sufficient to identify the coins as Austrian.
There was a considerable element of snobbery in coinage over the years, perhaps most notably
the English coinage, which depended on size alone to designate the denomination. It would not
be much of a stretch to use the dumb classification for lack of a spelled-out denomination.
An interesting sidelight is the unexpected purpose of the marble shelf on some antique cash registers. While I doubt that many people have ever stopped to consider there might have beensome specific purpose - other than decoration - for this particular part of the ornate brass andbronze machines, it did have a purpose. The marble was used as a test for counterfeit silver
coins. Join in a collective shudder as we consider how many collectible coins were permanently
damaged by this destructive testing.
While I'm on the subject, this would be a good time to emphasize that you should never use any
destructive test, such as ringing, cutting, scratching, rubbing or cleaning with an abrasive. You
can usually learn more with non-destructive tests such as weighing the coin in question. Overthe years I've seen hundreds of coins wrecked by overzealous "experts" who take a file or aknife to a coin to test it.

This article was originally printed in Numismatic News.

*This article has been reproduced as a tribute to longtime “Coin Clinic” columnist Alan Herbert who died January 19, 2013 at the Fort
Meade Veterans Hospital near Belle Fourche, S.D. Also known as the ‘Answerman’ because of his Coin Clinic question-and-answer
column, Herbert began his professional numismatic writing career with a column for error and variety collectors in Numismatic News inlate 1968 called “Odd Corner”. Mr. Herbert was 86 years old at the time of his passing.

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INDIANAPOLIS COIN CLUB, INC.
Budget for 2013
RECEIPTS:Feb.

Total

Budgeted(+/-)%

Dues - Regular @ $12.00 ea.

$

72.00

$ 180.00$ 900.00$ (720.00)

20.00%

Dues - Junior @ $5.00 ea.

$

5.00

$$

20.00

$(15.00)

25.00%$ 105.00$ 140.00$(35.00)

75.00%$

25.00$ 58.00$ 330.00$ (272.00)

17.58%$$$0.00%

Donations - Auction Lot Sales:$3.00$ 21.00$ 220.00$ (199.00)

9.55%

ICC Library Book Sold (est):
Auction Lots Sheets @ $1.00 per Sheet:

$$

8.00
7.00

$ 13.00$ 15.00$ 20.00$ 130.00$(7.00)$ (115.00)

65.00%
11.54%

Sales of Coin Week Packets:$-$ 120.00$ (120.00)

0.00%

Amazon.com

$-$

$

0.00%

Advertising - Planchet @ $35.00 ea.
Fifty/Fifty Drawing:
Interest - CD's - 1st Merchant Bank (est)5.00-20.00-(20.00)-TOTAL RECEIPTS:$ 120.00$ 397.00$1,900.00$(1,503.00)

20.89%DISBURSEMENTS:

Feb.

Total

Budgeted(+/-)%

Dues - ANA:$-$

Insurance - Liability:$-$ 300.00-$$ (300.00)

-

0.00%
0.00%

Insurance - Treasurer's Bond:$-$ 100.00$ (100.00)

0.00%

Computer Website Maintenance:

$-$-$

-

0.00%

Mail Box Rental:$ 56.00$54.00$2.00

103.70%- Envelopes (#10 & #9):$-$-$-

0.00%- Postage:$-$50.00$(50.00)

0.00%- Supplies - Paper, Rubber Stamps, etc:

$-$-

$

-0.00%

Office Supplies:

K of C Meeting Room Rent:$50.00$ 100.00$ 550.00$ (450.00)

18.18%$-$ 250.00$ (250.00)

0.00%- Printing:

$-$-$

-

0.00%

- Postage:$-$80.00$(80.00)

0.00%- Paper/Ink Cartridges:$-$-$-0.00%- Software:

$-$

-$

-

0.00%

- Envelopes (#10):

$-$-

$

-0.00%- Christmas Banquet:$-$-$-0.00%- Coin Week - April:$-$ 175.00$ (175.00)

0.00%- Youth Educational Projects:

$-$

91.00

$(91.00)

0.00%- Museum & Library Displays:$-$-$-0.00%- ISNA Table (Candy, flyers, etc):$-$50.00$(50.00)

0.00%$-$ 200.00$ (200.00)

0.00%$1,900.00$(1,744.00)

121.89%

Exhibitors Nights Prizes:
Newsletter:

Club Functions / Promotions:2014 ICC Medal (75th Anniv.)
TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS:$50.00NET INFLOW / OUTFLOW:$70.00ICC CHECKBOOK:

Feb.

Starting Balance:$5,362.84

Cash/Checks in:$ 349.00

Checks Out:$Ending Balance:$5,661.84

Net Gain or Loss for the Month:$ 299.00

50.00$ 156.00

January 28, 2013 - Minutes of the Indianapolis Coin Club Meeting.
Open – The meeting was called to order at 7:12 PM by Club President, Donn Wray. 36 people
present signed the attendance book. We met at the Northside Knights of Columbus Hall, 2100
East 71st Street.
Visitors – Andy Nahrold, Sigmund Haider, Alison Broson and John (name not given) introduced themselves to the Club and told of their areas of interest in numismatics.
The Secretary’s report and the Treasurer’s report were accepted as published in thePlanchet.
Old Business – Minutes of the Board meeting were summarized by the President. The Board
passed a balanced budget for the year 2013. The Secretary, as a member of the 75th Anniversary Medal committee, announced that the Board had agreed upon a design for the medal, andthat Silver (and Gold) medals would be ordered for those who subscribe to receive them. Subscription will begin in the fall, and the date will be announced. The date of the Club’s Christmas banquet will be determined at a later date. The Board also decided to give a door prize ateach meeting. It will be a prize approximately equal to a silver US half dollar, and the Board
members decided to donate the prizes to the Club. A “kill report” was given by Gary Conner,
who was able to purchase a WWII coin set for $20.00.
New Business – None.
The Educational Program – Joe Boling gave a captivating presentation about the productionof the (as yet not released) new $100 bills, complete with slide show. He discussed the difficulties the Government was having with the printing process. The show will be included in his
ANA Summer Session Course in Colorado.
After the Break, the 50/50 Drawing was run by Bob Bettcher. Donn Wray won. The door
prize was won by Ivan Lephart.
Auction – Joe Boling ran the auction with assistance from Donn Wray, Bob Bettcher and Vinton Dove. There were approximately 45 lots, including a large number of donated lots.
The meeting Adjourned at approximately 8:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted, Vinton Dove, SecretaryFebruary 25, 2013 - Minutes of the Indianapolis Coin Club Meeting.
Open – The meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM by Club President, Donn Wray. 35 people
present signed the attendance book. We met at the Northside Knights of Columbus Hall, 2100
East 71st Street.
The Secretary’s report and the Treasurer’s report were accepted as published in thePlanchet. The Secretary reported that he had published the Planchet on the night before themeeting and sent it to all members with an e-mail address on file. He said he would send theUS Mail copies out later in the week.
New Business – Vice President, Mike White spoke on membership and handed out businesscards advertising the ICC, including the Club’s meeting dates for 2013 to the members. If you
want some, contact Mike.
Visitors – Christina and Harley Wise from Danville introduced themselves to the Club. She
said they were interested in Lincoln Wheat Cents.
Old Business – (The “Kill” report.) Andy said he found a 1916-D mercury dime in a batch ofsilver dime he will be selling for a friend. Gordon Knauer found a 1913 Lincoln cent in circulation.
The Educational Program – The Treasurer, Mark Eberhardt, held a numismatic quiz, handingout a list of 25 multiple choice questions about numismatics. Then he went over each questionand gave the correct answer. Everyone seemed to have great fun trying to get the correct answer.
After the Break, the 50/50 Drawing was run by Bob Bettcher.
The Door Prize was awarded.
Auction – President, Donn Wray, ran the auction. Assisting were Bob Bettcher, Jim Roehrdanz,
Steve Howery and Vinton Dove. There were several donated lots in the auction.
The meeting Adjourned at approximately 8:22 PM.
Respectfully submitted,Vinton Dove, Secretary