Indianapolis Coin Club
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

June
2003

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 PLANCHET*ICC Exhibit Night – Tuesday, July 23rd *Every member is invited
to exhibit their numismatic items – coins, currency, medals, etc., at the2000 Exhibit Night. This
year, there will be two divisions (you can enterboth) – U.S. and non-U.S.
or World. You should prepare an informative, educational exhibit that is attractive and factual based
upon your personal research and knowledge.
Cases will be available –you will need to let meknow at the June meeting
if you need a case for thatevening. Cases are not required. Awards will be for
1st, 2nd, and 3rd in U.S.
and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in
non-U.S. All entrants will
receive a participants’award, and, time permitting, you can show and tell
about your project thatnight. The club members
vote for the “peoples’
choice” award.

We have had between 15
and 20 entries in past
years. Last year left a lot
to be desired. This year,
we would like at least 25
entries. If you have neverdone this before, now is
your chance. You will learn
more about your coins andshare your interests withothers through your exhibit.
Mark your calendar for
Tuesday, July 23rd.

The Maine - The United States Mint
The Maine quarter is the third quarter of 2003, and the 23rd in the 50
State Quarters® Program. Maine
became the 23rd state to be admitted into the Union, as part of theMissouri Compromise on March 15,1820. The Maine quarter design incorporates a rendition of thePemaquid Point Light atop a granite coast and of a schooner at sea.
Pemaquid Point Light is located in
New Harbor, and marks the entrance to Muscongus Bay and Johns
Bay. Since the beginning of ship
activity in the area, a shoal createdhazardous navigation conditions,causing many shipwrecks. As mari-time trade increased in the area, so
did the need for a lighthouse.
In 1826, Congress appropriatedfunds to build a lighthouse at
Pemaquid Point. Although the original building was replaced in 1835,
and the original 10 lamps in 1856,
the light is still a beacon for ships
and remains one of Maine’s mostpopular tourist attractions. The
schooner resembles “Victory
Chimes, “the last three-masted
schooner of the Windjammer Fleet.
“Victory Chimes” has become synonymous with Maine windjamming.
In March 2001, Governor Angus
King established the Commission on

the Maine State Quarter Design. The
Commission reviewed many concepts before choosing three to forward to the Governor for recommendation. Governor King added afourth concept to the three concepts
the Commission recommended andforwarded them to the United States
Mint. The United States Mint thenreturned four candidate designs
based on the concepts. They included “Nation’s First Light,” “Where
America’s Day Begins,” Mt.
Katahdin, and the lighthouse at
Pemaquid Point. The Pemaquid Point
Light design was chosen by popular vote, with over 100,000 Maine
residents participating.

Our next meetings are scheduled for Monday, June 23, and Monday, July 28, 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 southof the building.
InsideThis
Issue:
Officers: President: Jim Luckey, Vice President: Jim Roehrdanz,
Secretary: Gail Phillips, Treasurer: Tom Ferverda, Sergeant-atArms: Jim Warden. Past President: Vinton Dove
Editor/Webmaster: Gail Phillips
Directors: Karl Kreck, Lawrence Wisthoff, Donald Black,Coz Raimondi, Charles Alber, Allen Dove

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

Shop Amazon.com at: www.indianapoliscoinclub.org
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Treasurer’s Report
June 2003

From Our
President
I’ve been busy moving so I’m trying tocatch up with many things. There wasn’t
that much to report. Vinton will take careof the meeting for me in June as I’m going
to be out of town. We will make awards for
Exhibitors on that night in July.
- Jim

Our condolences go out to
Wendell Wolka and family
Edgar Wolka, 84, Indianapolis,
died June 1, 2003. He was born
Oct. 27, 1918 in Vallonia, IN. He
worked in shipping and various
other positions at Eli Lilly & Co.
for 42 years, retiring in 1989.
During World War II he was in the
8th Evacuation Hospital unit serving in North
Africa and Italy. Mr. Wolka was awarded aBronze Star and was discharged in 1945. He
was a member of Concordia Lutheran Church,
Greenwood and enjoyed Purdue Football. He
was preceded in death by his wife Ruth
(Oertel) Wolka; two brothers Harold andAlbert Wolka. Services were held June 4 inConcordia Lutheran Church, Greenwood. Survivors include son Wendell Wolka; several
nieces and nephews.

INCOME
Membership Dues
$ 5.00
Amazon.com Assoc. Program 16.95 (rec’d 4/30)
16.00
50/50 Drawing
Total Income$37.95EXPENSES
Newsletter Printing$ 26.71
Starter Kits for Juniors (10)69.80
New Checks for Acct.
19.70
Meeting Hall Rental
25.00
Total Expenses$141.21Net Expenses$103.26

Balance in Checking as of 6/1/2003 - $5634.30

Marcus Turner presented
research on the prisonerof war money of Gibraltar
used during World War II
at the International Paper
Money Show in Memphis,
Tennessee, on June 14.
Marcus is a collector andresearcher of Military andWorld War II paper
money and one of our clubmembers.

Secretary’s
Report
The May meeting was called to order at 7:15
PM. There were 25 people in attendance, including a guest, Katie Turner, Marcus’ daughter.
The Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports were
read, there was no old business to discuss, andDoc Gerth suggested a Junior Division for Exhibit Night.
Vice President Jim Roehrdanz introduced thetheme for the educational presentation for theevening, where all members present spoke
briefly about some aspect of coin/currency col-lecting that interested them most.
Marcus Turner brought an uncut sheet of “Zehn
Deutsche Marks” that were sold due to implementation of the Euro Program. Vinton Dove brought someframed sets to show - one of Wartime Coinage, one
titled “The Silver Story”, and one depicting “U.S.
Coins of the 20th Century.
There was a brief break, we held our auction, Allen
Dove won the puzzle contest, and Gail Phillips won
the 50/50 drawing of $16.00. The meeting adjourned
at 8:37 PM.

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Maine Quarter

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Constructed using Crossword Weaver

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AUGUSTAJOHNS BAY
KATAHDIN
LIGHTHOUSEMARITIME
MUSCONGUS BAYPEMAQUID POINT
PINE TREESCHOONERSHIPWRECK
VICTORY CHIMESWINDJAMMER

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ACROSS
1 He's on the cent and the quarter
3 Governor of Maine (in 2001)
5 Pine Tree State
7 Yellowhammer State
10 Unique feature on Alabama Quarter
11 Explorers featured on Missouri Quarter
13 Twenty-one of these on the IL Quarter
14 Prairie State
DOWN
2 ______ of Diamonds State Park
4 Grain pictured on Arkansas Quarter
5 Flower on Alabama Quarter
6 _______ Arch
8 The Show Me State
9 The Natural State
12 Number of original lamps in Maine lighthouse

There will be a prize for the
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ONLY.
Good Luck!

May Puzzle Solution

Allen Dove
was our puzzle prize winnerwith the only entry.
Congratulations, Allen!

Some people’s money is merited, andother people’s is inherited.
- Ogden Nash
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We were mentioned in the MPC
Gram again! They must like us!
Back to you, Fred!
-Ed.
The Monthly Planchet, the newsletter of the Indianapolis Coin Club,is an excellent coin club newsletter. Its main connection with theGram is a common activist—Marcus Turner. Marcus called our attention to the May 2003 issue. He
particularly liked the Planchet editorial quoting the Gram about circular comments Planchet-GramPlanchet-Gram etc. (see page 5).
I noted that the front page has astory about the new MPC collector
Madison Turner, but I thought thatthe most interesting part was thephotos from the club recognitionof national coin week. Several ofthese feature MPC! Certainly asmall step, but every promotion
helps.

2004
Scholarship
Fund Dive Kicks Off
by Marcus Turner
The 2003 ANA Summer Seminaris not even in the history books yet,however, we have received our first
donation for the 2004 Military Numismatists Scholarship Fund. Our
first donor for the 2004 fund was
Al Glaser of Ramona, CA. Past
years have seen early donations by
the likes of Steve Feller, RA Medina,
Marv Mericle and Ed Hoffman. This
year Al got the jump on all of them,sending in his donation before theMemphis IPMS next week. Thankyou Al!
-Ed. Note: If you would like to contribute to the Scholarship Fund,
please email Marcus Turner atmaturner@indy.rr.com.

Reprinted from the ANA
WebsiteANA Programs
for Young Numismatists
Boy Scout Coin Collecting Merit
Badge Requirements As ofJanuary 2003
1. Understand how coins are
made, and where the active
U.S. mints are located.
2. Explain these collecting
terms:
a. Obverse
b. Reverse
c. Reedingd. Clade. Type set
f. Date set
3. Explain the terms: Poor,
Good, Very Good, Fine, VeryFine, Extremely Fine and Uncirculated.
Show five different grade examplesof the same coin type. Explain theterm ‘proof’ and explain why it is
not a grade. Tell what ‘encapsulated’ coins are.
4. Know three different ways
to store a collection and describe the benefits, drawbacks
and expense of each thesemethods.
Pick one to use when completing
requirements.
5. Do the following:a. Demonstrate to your counselor that you know how to use two
U.S. or world coin reference catalogs.
b. Read a numismatic magazineor newspaper and tell your counselor about what you learned.
6. Describe the 1999-2008 U.S.
50 State Quarters program. Collect and show your counselor fivedifferent state quarters you haveacquired from circulation.
7. Collect from circulation aset of current U.S. coins. Include
one coin of each denomination(cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half
dollar, and dollar). For each coin,locate the mint marks, if any, andthe designer’s initials, if any.

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8. Do the following:a. Identify the people depictedon the following denominations ofcurrent U.S. paper money: $1, $2,$5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.
b. Explain “legal tender.”c. Describe the role the Federal
Reserve System plays in the distribution of currency.
9. Do ONE of the following:a. Collect and identify 50 foreign coins from at least 10 different countries.
b. Collect and identify 20 banknotes from at least 5 different
countries.
c. Collect and identify 15 different tokens or medals.
d. Collect a date set of a single
type since the year of your birth.
10. Do ONE of the following:a. Tour a U.S. Mint facility, theBureau of Engraving and Printing,or a Federal Reserve Bank and describe what you learned to yourcounselor.
b. With your parent’s permission, attend a coin show or a coinclub meeting, or view the Web siteof the U.S. Mint or a coin dealer
and report what you learned.
c. Give a talk about coin collecting to your troop or class at school.
d. Drawings of five Colonial-era
U.S. coins.
Copyright © 2003 ANAODD USES FOR COINS- By Gerald Tebben
What's a coin good for besides
spending? How about serving asa symbol of love . . . a teething
ring? Maybe as a cure for disease. . . or to ward off witches?
Over the centuries, coins have
served many more functions thanmere economic ones!
"Love tokens" were popular ahundred years ago--and they'reprized by collectors today for theirbeauty and sentiment. In the
1800's, a beau would commissiona jeweler to shave off the back ofa coin and re-engrave it with histrue love's initials--or maybe aheart, or some other fancy design.
These same beaus, now marriedand settled down, might havegiven their babies silver dollars as
teething rings. It's not unusual tofind silver dollar-sized coins
punched with holes, and attached
to a cord. The cord was used toattach the coin to the baby's
clothes. Large coins were used forsafety reasons; they were too big
to be swallowed.
"Touch pieces" were creditedwith cures, from ancient times
through the 1700s. Some people
believed kings could cure them-either by touching them directly,
or with a coin. In England, a goldcoin that showed St. Michael defeating Satan was a popular "touchpiece" for centuries. The coin took
on the powers of an amulet or
charm. The afflicted person wore
the coin around his neck until he
was cured--or until he died!
In Colonial America, one popular belief was that a coin--especially a Massachusetts shilling,
showing a pine tree--would ward
off witches. The coins were bent
in two, an worn around the neck,or nailed to the rafters of houses

to protect the dwelling. And sincevery few witches remain in New
England today--using bent coins toward off evil must have been pretty
effective!
This article was written by
Gerald Tebben and reprinted withpermission from “Money Talks”,
the ANA radio program. "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 atwww.money.org.

HENNING'S MINT
- by Thomas LaMarre
A nickel could buy a lot of thingsback in the 1950s, a bottle of pop,
a candy bar or a newspaper. But a
New Jersey man got more than hebargained for when his "nickels"bought him a ticket to the "BigHouse".
It was in 1954 that counterfeit
nickels began turning up in New
Jersey. They were oversize, overweight and poorly made. But thecounterfeiter made an even bigger
mistake, although most of his nickels were dated 1944, they didn't
match up to wartime specifications.
During the Second World War,nickel was needed to produce armor plate. So from 1942 to 1945,
five-cent pieces were made in analloy of copper, silver and manganese. To distinguish the "new" nickels from the "old" when it cametime to melt them, each Mint that
produced these coins placed an
identifying mark above the domeof Monticello, which is pictured onthe "tails" side. A large letter "P"stood for Philadelphia, "D" for Denver, and "S" for San Francisco.

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The letters were nowhere to be
seen on the counterfeit nickels.
And they were made from copper,
nickel and iron, with no trace ofsilver. Even so, they cost the counterfeiter three cents apiece tomake. Nearly 100,000 of the phonynickels were placed in circulation
before federal agents followed thetrail to a clandestine "mint" in New
Jersey.
The operator was Francis Leroy
Henning. He had already left town,
but not before he dumped 200,000
counterfeit nickels into Cooper
Creek, and another 200,000 into
the river. Henning was arrested in
Cleveland, Ohio, in October 1955,
tried, and convicted. He originallywas sentenced to three years in jailand fined $5,000. But the judge
tacked on another three years
when he got wind of Henning's
newest project--a plan to counterfeit $5 bills.
This article was written by Tom
LaMarre. "Money Talks" is produced and underwritten by theAmerican Numismatic Association,in Colorado Springs, America's coinclub for over a century. For information about educational seminars
on coin collecting and grading, call
1-800-367-9723 and request abrochure.

WORLD WAR TWO
PHILIPPINE PAPER
MONEY- By Gerald Tebben
Why would the U.S. government
take new paper money and put it
into a revolving drum . . . withsand, floor sweepings and soggy
coffee grounds?
The answer to that question is:
To win a war.

Continued on page 7

History of the Nickel,
Part One- by John Maag
Today’s nickel is one of ourmost common coins, but did
you know that it was named
for the metal it is made of?
Originally, it was a five-centpiece, and it was made of silver, like many other U.S.
coins. It used to be that people
would only take coins that
contained the actual value ofthe metal, so they used five
cents’ worth of silver to makethose pieces.
The first five cent coin was the“half-disme” (pronounced“half-deem”). It was minted in
1792. Legend has it that theseearly coins were struck using
some of George Washington’ssilver, and the Liberty portrait
was his wife, Martha. The first“official” half-disme was struckin 1794, but there were nomarks on it to identify it as afive cent piece - it was half thesize of the ten cent piece, so
people knew it was worth five
cents. At that time, the half
dollar was twice the size of thequarter, too. The first halfdisme featured a Liberty obverse with a scrawny-looking
eagle on the reverse, surrounded by a wreath. These
were struck only in 1794 and1795.
After that, the new design wasa type known as the “drapedbust, small eagle”, and it was
followed by a type known as“draped bust, large heraldic
eagle”. The “draped bust” design was named because of

the type of dress on the figure. These coins were struck
until 1805. There were no fivecent coins struck again until
1829, when the “Liberty Cap”
design was used. They werenamed this because of the hat
the figure wore, a “Phrygiancap”, which was worn by freed
slaves in ancient Rome. Thiswas used to symbolize our
freedom. This coin was the6

first to have its value statedon the coin - “5 c.”. It was issued until 1837, when it was
replaced by the “Seated Liberty” type. This design wasused until 1873, when the coin
was discontinued. There werevarieties of this design - onewith stars, and one without
stars surrounding the seated
Liberty figure. It was the firsthalf-dime to be struck at the
New Orleans Mint, which
opened in 1838. Christian
Gobrecht designed this coin.
All silver coins carried this“Seated Liberty” design at thistime, although the dollar, halfdollar, and quarter all had theeagle reverse, and the dimeand half-dime had a wreath on
the reverse. The varieties ofthis design are as follows:
1837-38 - no stars
1838-40 - no fold of cloth
hanging down from the Liberty figure’s arm that is holding the liberty cap on a pole.
1840-53 - drapery type
1853-55 - arrows at dateThis last variety was madewith less silver, and that was
because the silver was worth
more than the coin at thattime and people were melting
or exporting coins for their silver content.
From 1856-59, the design
went back to the pre-1853
design. In 1860, the designchanged again, placing“United States of America” onthe obverse instead of the reverse, and the stars were removed.

Next month, Part Two!

Continued from page 5
During World War II, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing,which manufactures the paper
money of the United States and a
few other countries, was asked
several times to help with the war
effort.
In early 1943, the War Department urgently needed a large
amount of circulated Philippine paper money. The Army was supporting guerrilla operations in theislands, then held by the Japanese.
Infiltrators needed to buy supplies
in the Philippines, and they needed
to buy them inconspicuously.
The Bureau had a large supply
of Philippine paper money on
hand, printed before the war. But
these brand-new crisp bills
wouldn't do for the military's
needs. New bills would have at-

tracted unwanted attention in theislands, and tipped off the enemy
that something was afoot.
So a small cadre of federal employees, sworn to secrecy until
after the war, counted out the newstock of Philippine bills . . . andthen, aged them. The bills wereplaced in a gigantic rotating drum,
along with the mixture of sand,floor sweepings and soggy coffee
grounds. After several hours ofspinning the money in the drum
at a speed of 60 revolutions per
minute--the now-crumpled anddirty bills were removed from thedrum, packed for shipment, andsecretly dispatched to the Philippine guerrillas. Today, it's impossible to distinguish these bills fromthe paper money that circulated
in the Philippines before the war.

All we know is that the Philippine
guerrillas were well-armed androse up against the Japanese . . .
when the U.S., under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur,began the operation which lead tothe eventual liberation of the Philippines.
This article was written by
Gerald Tebben. "Money Talks" isproduced and underwritten by theAmerican Numismatic Association,in Colorado Springs, America's
coin club for over a century. For
information about educationalseminars on coin collecting andgrading, call 1-800-367-9723 andrequest a brochure.

Did these bills help win the war?

The new Maine Quarter,
released this month.
These two are the final quarters that will be
released this year.

This month’s educational program will be presented by Vinton Dove. He will speak
about the condition of the hobby.
Don’t miss it!

Upcoming Coin Shows:Collecting U.S. Coins Since 1952

July 13th - “71st Street Coin Show” Indianapolis, IN
2100 East 71st Street off of Keystone Ave. 9am3:45pm.
July 27th - “Central Illinois Numismatic Association
Summer Coin Show”
Springfield, IL
Northfield Center I
32100 Northfield Dr. At Northfield Dr. and Dirksen
Parkway(next to Xochimilo Mexican Restaurant). 9am-4pm

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