Garrett Ziss wrote:
I
was thrilled to be able to attend the World’s Fair of Money (WFOM) last week in
Denver. One highlight of the convention was seeing so many JRCS members that I
have not seen since the 2015 WFOM in Chicago, as well as meeting several JRCS
members for the first time. No offense to any of you, but the JRCS member I was
the most excited to meet is the gentleman pictured below, Mr. John McCloskey.
It was an honor to meet a founding member of our club (and the LSCC) and one of
the authors of the Early U.S half dime and dime books.
Other
convention highlights for me, in no special order, were: spending time with Dr.
Peterson to view images and discuss the die states of the 1820 O-106 Capped
Bust half dollar, participating in the 1830 die state study at the BHNC
meeting, as well as hearing Dr. Link’s excellent presentation earlier in the
meeting. He reminded us that our collections represent special personal
connections and are not just inanimate objects. Another talk I enjoyed at the
WFOM, was hearing Wayne Homren discuss the process of how he manages to put
together a beefy issue of the E-Sylum every single week (I’ve wondered about
that for a while).
Of
course, I was also happy to pick up a few items at the convention. I hadn’t bought a Bust half in 8 months, so I
was excited to end this drought in Denver by purchasing 4 nice Capped Bust half
dollars. At the NBS auction, I also
added to my numismatic literature collection, and obtained a Chapman catalog
from the 1895 Richard Winsor auction and a Green reprint of Early Coins of America, by Crosby. The
last item I purchased before leaving Denver on Friday, was a collection of B.
Max Mehl promotional items in their original envelope. After doing a bit of
research, I concluded that the envelope was mailed in 1926. I also discovered
that one of the items in the envelope, the Star Coin Book (second edition), was
probably not sent to the customer at that time. The book is not dated, but
according to info I found on the Newman Numismatic Portal, the book was likely
published in 1908. None of the items from Mr. Mehl’s envelope are in pristine
condition, but it is definitely interesting to see how coin dealers marketed
their numismatic items before the existence of the internet. In fact, in a
previous Penny-Wise article, it
mentioned that at one time, half of the mail entering Fort Worth, TX was for B.
Max Mehl!
To
conclude, I have two general comments. First, I would like to congratulate
Winston Zack, Louis Scuderi and Mike Sherrill, for winning (in a tie) the Best
Specialized Book award in the 2017 Numismatic Literary Guild Writers
Competition for their book, Bust Dime
Variety Identification Guide.
Secondly, I would like to thank the JRCS members who took time out of
their busy schedules to attend my ANA Money Talks presentation on Thursday
morning at the WFOM. The audience was
larger than I expected, although it certainly didn’t hurt to have expert
numismatic researcher, David Finkelstein, speak before me!
I hope to see many JRCS members next August, when
the WFOM travels to my home state of Pennsylvania!!
Garrett
Ziss
JRCS
#1465
Mark Borckardt and Mark Van Winkle submitted the following:
Jon P. Amato, Ph.D. (1940-2017)
Jon P. Amato was born in
New York in 1940 and studied in the United States and Canada, earning his
bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, his master’s degree from the
State University of New York at Buffalo, and his doctorate degree in economic
geography from the University of Toronto.
He
served for 20 years as a professor in the departments of Geography and Planning
at Buffalo State College and the State University of New York at Albany. His
professional publications included works on environmental analysis,
agricultural location theory, and regional land use planning. He worked for 12
years as a professional economic developer for the states of Arizona and New
York. He provided technical assistance to rural Arizona communities, and
assisted several New York communities in their efforts toward economic
revitalization.
A long-time coin collector who joined the American
Numismatic Association in 1981, Amato joined the numismatic cataloging staff of
Heritage Auctions after he retired from his position with the State of New
York. He returned to his long-time home in Albany, New York in 2010, and
continued as a part-time Heritage cataloger, working on nearly every catalog
for the past seven years. He recently began researching 1796 quarters with
plans to publish a background and census of that issue. The Heritage cataloging
staff plans to continue that research project in his memory.
His
numismatic works include:
“An
Analysis of 1796-97 Draped Bust Half Dollars,” The Numismatist, September 2001.
“Surviving
1796-97 Draped Bust Half Dollars and Their Grade Distribution,” John Reich Journal, February 2005.
The Coinage of Augustus Saint-Gaudens as
Illustrated by the Philip H. Morse Collection, with James L. Halperin, Mark Van Winkle, and
Gregory Rohan (Numismatic Literary Guild Extraordinary Merit Award, August
2007).
“Jules
Reiver’s 1796-97 Draped Bust Half Dollar Varieties,” John Reich Journal, April 2007.
“The
Bayside New York Collection of 1796-1797 Half Dollar Varieties,” John Reich Journal, November 2008.
“Breakup
of the 1796-97 Half Dollar Reverse A,” John
Reich Journal, May 2012.
“American
Indian Treaty Payments,” The Numismatist,
November 2010 (Numismatic Literary Guild Large Club Publications Best Article
Award, August 2011).
The Draped Bust Half Dollars of 1796-1797:
Numismatic Background and Census,
James L. Halperin and Mark Van Winkle, editors, 2012 (Numismatic Literary Guild
Extraordinary Merit Award, August 2013).
Numismatic
Background and Census of 1802 Half Dimes: A Classic American Rarity, 2017 (Numismatic Literary Guild Extraordinary Merit
Award, August 2017).
In
addition to the ANA, Amato held memberships in the American Numismatic Society,
the Central States Numismatic Society, the John Reich Collectors Society, the
Liberty Seated Collectors Club, and the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
