NNP Blog
544 records found.
Greg Bennick Interviews Mark Auerbach
Mark Auerbach recounts a lifelong journey in numismatics that began in childhood through stamp and coin collecting, nurtured by family circumstances and the excitement of finding treasures in circulation. His early curiosity evolved into professional involvement beginning in the early 1970s, when he joined Paramount International Coin Corp. There he absorbed knowledge from major figures such as David Akers, Ron Howard, and Mark Thornton, and learned both the technical and human sides of the rare-coin market. Auerbach emphasizes the camaraderie, mentorship, and good-natured humor of the period, along with growing expertise in marketing, cataloging, and handling exceptional coins—from pattern sets to legendary U.S. gold issues. His career also connected him to giants of numismatic research, including Walter Breen, with whom he shared close scholarly ties and personal friendship.
Over the decades, Auerbach became known not only as a dealer but as a researcher. He uncovered the first known photograph of Dr. Edward Maris, investigated colonial coin pedigrees, contributed to scholarship on the Clapp collections, and documented the important Byron Reed holdings in Omaha. His work placed him in contact with institutions such as the ANS, NGC, and major auction houses, and with influential collectors like John Ford and Kevin Lipton. Throughout the interview, he stresses that numismatics is fundamentally about knowledge—its pursuit, preservation, and sharing. He views collectors as temporary custodians whose responsibility is to deepen understanding of the material they handle. Reflecting on a lifetime of learning, mentorship, and friendships, Auerbach frames his participation in this interview as both an honor and a way to give back to the hobby that shaped his life.
Link to Mark Auerbach interview video: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/652886
Link to Mark Auerbach interview transcript: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/652885
1933 Double Eagle Litigation Archives on Newman Portal
Link to United States of America vs. A $20 Gold Coin on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/557482
Link to “King Farouk and the Fenton 1933 Double Eagle,” featuring Alison Frankel: https://archive.org/details/ANA06019KingFarouk
Link to “Strange Case of the 1933 Double Eagles,” featuring Greg Weinman, U.S. Mint Counsel: https://archive.org/details/PAN18005Strange
Tokens of Plenty and Prosperity
Many agricultural-themed coins and medals naturally lend themselves to Thanksgiving imagery, including Hard Times Tokens (cornucopias), So-Called Dollars (celebrating expositions of agriculture and industry), and Civil War Tokens (liberty caps, wheat, and farming implements). These pieces remind us that prosperity has always been expressed through the symbols of food, harvest, and industriousness. This South Caolina Agricultural Society award medal from the Alan Weinberg collection is typical, with imagery evoking agricultural production. This is a rare item, and one can be “thankful” simply for owning an example of the medal itself!
Link to South Carolina Agricultural Society medal on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagedetail/510822?col=510056
Link to Alan Weinberg Agricultural and Mechanical Society Medals on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagecollection/510056
Occasional Numismatic Papers on NNP
Link to Occasional Numismatic Papers on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/545751
John Kraljevich Uncovers Rare Error in The Fantastic 1804 Dollar
Ironically, it was a mistaken citation that launched Newman’s investigation into the 1804 dollar. As Joel Orosz wrote in the Newman biography Truthseeker: The Life of Eric P. Newman: “The index for The Numismatist [which at that time covered 1888-1938] revealed no pertinent articles for 1804 and 1805 dollars, just two on the subject of 1904 and 1905 dollars. Newman therefore delved into original sources in order to piece together the true history of these coins. Only later did he learn that the index was in error; that The Numismatist had published two articles on the topic of these 1804 and 1805 dollars…and that his old mentor, Burdette Johnson, had already denounced both dollars [the Zerbe / Ostheimer examples] as frauds.” Had Newman been aware of Johnson’s previous condemnation of these two coins, his own investigation might have been short-lived.
Link to Eric P. Newman research files on the 1804 dollar: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/536418
Newman Portal Adds FUN Videos
Link to FUN videos on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/multimediadetail/549321
Link to FUN website: http://www.funtopics.com/
Kelly & Oliver Publish on the Charlotte Mint
The Charlotte Mint 1837–1861, by Richard G. Kelly and Nancy Y. Oliver, presents a detailed chronological history of the Charlotte Branch Mint based largely on the original correspondence of Superintendent John H. Wheeler and other officials preserved in the U.S. National Archives. Established by the Act of March 3, 1835, the Charlotte Mint was one of three southern branch mints created to process locally mined gold. The volume traces the Mint’s formation, its first bullion deposits in 1837, and the long-delayed start of coinage in March 1838. The authors compile the surviving letters between the Superintendent, Mint Director Robert M. Patterson, and key officers like Coiner John R. Bolton and Assayer Dr. John H. Gibbon, revealing the logistical, mechanical, and administrative struggles that marked its early operations—broken rollers, leaking zinc roofs, acid shortages, and personal disputes.
The treatise proceeds year by year through the Mint’s turbulent history—covering fires (notably the devastating 1844 blaze), personnel controversies, coinage production issues, and the final Confederate takeover in 1861, after which Charlotte ceased striking coins and later functioned only as an Assay Office until 1913. The editors highlight significant documents on coinage, die shipments, and production discrepancies to correct or clarify historical mintage figures. Intended as a research donation to the Newman Numismatic Portal, the work acknowledges earlier archival efforts by scholars Roger Burdette and Robert Julian and aims to preserve the first-hand administrative record of one of the most historically significant southern U.S. mints, documenting its challenges, personalities, and eventual decline amid the Civil War.
Link to The Charlotte Mint 1837–1861 on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/651780
Numismatic Trick-or-Treat for Halloween
David Gladfelter noted in the October 22, 2017 E-Sylum “A trick-or-treat idea that has worked well for us for a number of years is to put fright stickers on half dollars and hand them out. Many of the kids have never seen a half dollar before, and ask what they are. The kids are always happy, and so are we. No thrown-out fruit or candy littering our lawn, no parents disapproving of what the kids bring home, and best of all, no left over bags of candy growing stale for us to use up and gag on.”
Steve Roach wrote in the October 27, 2008 issue of Coin World “My friend and world coin aficionado Bob Skye used to give out modern, shiny world coins in 2-inch by 2-inch holders, labeled with descriptive information as to their country, date and denomination.”
The Chicago Coin Club Chatter, January 1983, included a satirical piece on the chocolate coin market, which noted market peaks coinciding with Halloween. The article described a 1968 debacle known as Brown Friday: “Texas billionaire Nelson Bunker Hunt had been stockpiling chocolate coins since early 1963 and the value of chocolate coins grew steadily until it hit an all-time high of $55 per ounce on November 2, 1968. But the very next day, Bunker Hunt, in a fit of depression, walked into his vault and ate two-thirds of his chocolate coin portfolio. The effects were catastrophic and sent shock waves across the country.” In a similar vein, David Pickup reported in the April 1, 2014 E-Sylum on a fictitious reference work, A Guide to Chocolate Coins, said to be built on earlier studies such as the German work Ein Yarbuch die Chockiekoiningmitderwrappenon.
Link to the Chicago Coin Club Chatter on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/525556
Buy the Plastic, Not the Coin
“In 2025…two PCGS type 1.0 holders from the first few days of PCGS shattered records. The first PCGS serial was about 1080001. Great Collections sold serial 1080094 (about the 94th coin certified by PCGS) holding an MS63 1904 double eagle on May 25, 2025 for a never-before-seen $45,374. An August 10 sale the same year, for serial 1080017 (about the 17th coin certified by PCGS) holding an MS63 1881-S Morgan yielded a staggering $119,062….As set registries have proven, collectors will pay many multiples of the price of typical material to get the very best. About 1,000 coins were put in type 1.0 holders and a census shows about 50 known to exist today. No PCGS 1.0 will sell for less than $10,000 again.” One can quibble with the valuations, but the market impact of these plastic containers is undeniable.
These early PCGS holders represent only a part of the slab collecting field, which includes hundreds of types from both current and long-forgotten certification services, in addition to special issues created to commemorate a wide variety of personalities, collections, and events. Collectors are served by Schwager’s Sample Slab Newsletter in addition to a reference volume authored by Schwager and Burton Strauss.
Link to the Sample Slab Newsletter on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/514437
Link to order David Schwager and Burton Strauss’s reference work on sample slabs: https://sampleslabs.info/ordering2025.html
World Food Day, October 16
The FAO launched what would become the FAO Money and Medals Programme (MMP) in 1968. FAO issued collector art medals in various series to bring attention to FAO's goals and missions. This program was responsible for over a hundred medal designs issued to the collecting public. Eric P. Newman collected these pieces and over time accumulated a thick file of related materials.
Link to Newman papers on the United Nations Food & Agricultural Organization Money and Medal Programme: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/543559
