Market seems in anticipation of FUN

By Bill Brandimore

There will be an interesting numismatic 10-day tour of Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic in September, followed by a seminar in Wroclaw (Breslau) Poland, Sept. 27-30, 2018, where a joint group of American and Polish numismatists will attend a coin grading class to learn NGC, PCGS and ANACS standards. It will be taught by past ANA president Bob Campbell, assisted by Polish American Numismatic Society president Les Rosik and the club’s treasurer, Bret Irek. For information on the trip, contact Les Rosik at lesrosik@aol.com.

On Nov. 15, Eric P. Newman passed away at the age of 106. It had been my pleasure to meet Mr. Newman on several occasions. He was a true gentleman and interested in numismatics, not for the value received, but for the fascinating history behind the notes. His book, The Early Paper Money of America, inspired me to collect Colonial and Continental currency. He wrote a number of other books and constantly gave to the hobby.

His office and museum at Washington University in St. Louis was amazing, the sale of his notes to benefit charities in St. Louis was amazing. This seems to be the only adjective to describe this man. A lasting memorial to him will be the Newman Portal on the Internet. Visit it at nnp.wustl.edu and see another facet of his contribution to numismatics. His was truly a life well lived.

A few days after I wrote this paragraph, I received a check in the mail from the Eric Newman Education Society for $5,000, with a letter from Andrew Newman urging us at the Paper Money Collectors of Michigan to continue carrying the torch of numismatic education. I assume this is in association with our recent connection with the Newman Numismatic Portal. I’m sure other groups will also be contacted. It is another facet of Eric P. Newman’s generosity and dedication to numismatic education.

An amazing $10 St. Louis Demand Note sold in the Dallas November Heritage/Newman auction for $168,000.

I just retuned from the Michigan state show, and it was a great show as usual. Sue Bauman, the real brains behind TNA Associates, said the first three hours on Friday were “crazy,” to quote her exactly. Most of the dealers I talked to had good sales to report, and Sunday, usually a slow day, had a fair crowd of buyers. That’s what makes the show so good for dealers, people come to buy. I didn’t find anything relevant to my collecting needs, but I did purchase a nice 1913 Mexican provincial cowboy on horseback, as it is so darn attractive. World notes offer that sort of value from many jurisdictions.

The market seems to be waiting for the January Florida United Numismatists show to give us an indication of its direction. Prices seem to be static, a little up here and a down there.

Recently I’ve seen some strength in early Federal Reserve Notes in high grade. The early notes are even tough in circulated grades. They make good cherrypicking at small shows. Also, mine stacks of early small-size Silver Certificates for tough blocks and mules.

The next show I’m pointing at is the FUN show. Email me at billbrandimore@charter.net, and have a happy New Year.

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