Status: U Return-Path: Received: from web12707.mail.yahoo.com ([216.136.173.244]) by walker.mail.mindspring.net (Earthlink Mail Service) with SMTP id tpemml.fkn0.37kbi73 for ; Thu, 6 Sep 2001 07:15:32 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <20010906111529.88434.qmail@web12707.mail.yahoo.com> Received: from [208.191.148.16] by web12707.mail.yahoo.com via HTTP; Thu, 06 Sep 2001 04:15:29 PDT Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 04:15:29 -0700 (PDT) From: MPCgram Subject: MPCGram 428/3 To: MPCGram@yahoo.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii ============================================== MPC Gram ============================================== Covering the Entire World of Military Numismatics ----------------------------------------------- Series 002-Number 428 Wednesday September 5, 2001 May Talso Contribute No, this is not an inquiry about allowing Warner Talso to donate to the Seminar Scholarship fund. Instead it is notice that Leo May and Warner Talso have again made significant contributions for the 2002 ANA military money scholarship fund. Details on making contributions may be found below and donations are definitely needed to make the 2002 seminar as successful as 2001. More on Challenge "coins" by Herb Friedman There is a current article in the Army Times that tells of how the Army drafted a policy that only colonels and above could produce and distribute those souvenir "challenge" coins that Howard has written about in the Gram. The Army seems to feel that some centralized authority is needed to oversee the purchase and distribution of the coins. They feel that Congress might complain about the money spent on them. The problem is that most battalion commanders are lieutenant colonels and they would not be allowed to issue coins under the new guidelines. Apparently the Secretary of the Army has quietly sat on the recommendation because the coins are a cheap and easy way to build morale and motivation. There are good soldiers that can't be promoted or given a pay raise, and the coin is a very inexpensive way to honor those troops. Thomas White, current Army secretary says that the coins are not a "front burner issue." Active Duty Shipping of a Numismatic Collection/Library by Howard A. Daniel III In the past year or so, Alan Herbert had a question in his "Coin Clinic" column about sending military numismatic collections overseas and returning them to the United States. I sent him the following (but edited for you) about what I did while on active duty and think it might be useful to some of you reading this MPCGram. I enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 10, 1959 at the Armed Forces Processing Station in Miami, Florida. The next day I boarded the "Army" car in a regular train headed out of my hometown of Fort Lauderdale. Before departing, I had stacked up my numismatic and philatelic collections in Richard's (my oldest brother) closet, gave all of my savings to my mother, and left home with a twenty dollar note, a toilet kit, three changes of underwear and socks, and a flat top haircut. The train stopped in Columbia, South Carolina and we were "encouraged" to board several Army buses by drill instructors. Just outside of Columbia was Fort Jackson. Most of you know the rest of the story I encountered at that location. Within five years, I was a junior NCO with a private room, and I decided to keep my collections with me, instead of storing them back home. While home on leave, Richard and I decided to trade our collections. I ended up with all of his numismatic stuff and he got all of my philatelic stuff. I went to a local Sears department store and bought a well-built steel tool box with a hasp. It was about 24 inches long, 6 inches wide and 10 inches deep. Then I bought a good combination lock to lock it. I bought enough 2x2x6 inches numismatic storage boxes to place my coins and a couple of flat boxes for the little paper money I had at that time. I packed them into the tool box and stuffed the empty area with newspaper. On the outside I had plastic pockets firmly glued on top on each side of the handle. One was for the customs form with a description of the contents and value, and the other was for the address. Then I mailed it via registered insured mail, not just insured mail, and it always beat me to my new unit's APO! The mail clerks in the U.S. and at the APO were all surprised to see a "heavy" locked tool box coming through the mail, but it was perfectly within the rules and regulations. When I sent it back into the U.S., I placed a completed copy of the customs form in the left pocket, and saved the original in my wallet. Then I placed my next address on a piece of paper and placed it in the right pocket. The postal clerks put the postage on the address paper and glued the registration somewhere on the top of the box. I was never asked about customs or duty when a box arrived overseas. A couple of times in the U.S., a form was given to me to submit to U.S. Customs. To show the increase in value over what I sent out of the U.S., I attached copies of the customs forms. I guess that U.S. Customs was always satisfied with the registered insured value of my collection as proof of the actual value because I was never bothered to provide more information. I also identified on the form, the percentage of the value that was "antique" (100 years old), and duty free, to delete from the "modern." A significant percentage of my collection has always been "antique" so I think this was one major reason why I did not ever pay customs duties. No military person should ever send their numismatic or philatelic pieces with their hold baggage and/or household goods. I have heard and know of many, many, many collectors losing their collections via those means of transporting them. Do not ever try to save money by sending it (them) in insured mail or less than full value. Registered insured (for full value) is the ONLY way to send them. The post office loses about one insured package in one thousand, and only one in one hundred thousand in registered insured. No matter the odds, there is a chance it will disappear, so fully insure it! I also joined Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) and fully insured my possessions, to include my numismatic collection. They covered everything wherever I was in the world. But I have luckily had to only make one claim to them in about forty years, and that was for some household stuff that was stored in my quarter's basement storage room. This was in Heidelberg, Germany in the late 1970s and there was a once-in-a-century rainstorm that flooded almost every basement with twenty or thirty kilometers. By the end of my military career, my collection was tightly squeezed into two tool boxes. By that time, my library, binders, pages, etc. had grown to fill a footlocker (or a large trunk) and they went via hold baggage or household goods. While I was in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia for six years, I sent everything back to be stored in my mother's house as I acquired it. Viet Nam was not a place to keep my collection for many reasons. I hope the above is useful to all of the Gramsters who are still on active duty. It is unfortunate, but you must think the worst when shipping and/or storing a numismatic collection. Fully insure with your possessions and always use registered mail at full insured value. If you want to see your stuff again or have the money to buy more in the future because it was stolen, insure and register it. ============================================== Editorial ----------------------------------------------- Wow, a Gram two days in a row! It has been too long since we could make that claim. Hopefully, this is the start of a nice long string! Of course we are pleased about the generous donations made by Leo May and Warner Talso to the seminar scholarship fund. This is certainly a great way to share our hobby. However, there is an even more important reason to emphasize these donations. Because of the previous donations of Harold Kroll and and Guido Crapanzano, donations made now will be tripled! Yes, tripled! Now is the time to maximize the good that you can do with a donation! ============================================== Mail Call ----------------------------------------------- Dear Gram, Currency Auctions of America has three lots of MPC's (40 notes) in their upcoming Cincinnati Signature Sale, Sept. 21-22. Lot # 5376 is a series 481 $1 in CU. Lot # 5377 is a set of series 681 (5c-$5) in GCU. Lot # 5378 is 33 pieces of misc. US and world military notes. SJ Dear Gram, I had not noticed but I didn't receive #425 either. Would appreciate your re-sending. Thanks, Ron Ron, It is on the way, but I am still worried about the distribution on this one. We can send it out again to everyone if there was a major problem. Editor ================================================ Departments --------------------------------------------------- Calendar of events for Gramsters maintained by Howard Daniel, John Wilson and Gram staff, last updated August 17, 2001 ---------------------------------------------------- Calendar of events for Gramsters maintained by Howard Daniel, John Wilson and Gram staff, last updated August 17, 2001 ---------------------------------------------------- Calendar of events for Gramsters maintained by Howard Daniel lll, John & Nancy Wilson and Gram staff ---------------------------------------------------- August 23-26, 2001 - CSNS Fall Convention hosted by the MSNS in Dearborn, MI, Auction by NTL/Scotsman Coins, Hyatt Regency Dearborn August 23-25, 2001 - New England Coin Expo, Holiday Inn, Mansfield, MA, 130 tables August 25-26, 2001 - Golden State Coin Show, CSNS 109th Convention & NASC Masonic Temple Arcadia, CA August 31-Sept 1-2, 2001 - Ohio State Coin Show, Columbus Ohio Host CNS/COINS, Marriott North September 13 - 16, 2001 - Strasburg Currency and Stock & Bond Show, Lancaster Host Hotel, Lancaster, PA.,100 Booths, Exhibits and Educational Programs, Auction by: R. M. Smythe & Co., Inc., Contact Kevin Foley (414) 421-3498 September 15 - 16, 2001 - Red Rose Coin Club 43rd Annual Fall Show, Lancaster, PA., Exhibits CPMX, Chicago Feb 28- Mar 3, 2002 - Contact Kevin Foley, Chairman, Lyn Knight auction of Leo May collection March 2002 8-10 - MPCFest III [reservations in order received: Guido Crapanzano, Harold Kroll, Larry Smulczenski, Gary "Got any fours" Hicks, Tom Warburton, David Seelye, Jack Lippincot, Phil Goldstein, Warner Talso, Nich Schrier, Tom Koch, Mark Watson, Bill Yanchick, Fred Schwan {running total 14}] W.W.II numismatics seminar at ANA Summer Seminar, July 2002 -Session I (Sunday, June 30 through Thursday, July 4, 2002) -Session II (Sunday, July 7 through Thursday, July 11)--------------------------------------------------- Donations are now being accepted for scholarships to the 2002 "Military Money" course at the 2002 ANA Summer Seminar. Inquiries and donations should be sent to: Military Numismatists c/o Marcus Turner 8103 East US Highway 36 Suite 163 Avon, IN 46123 Donors to 2002 Scholarship Fund Steve Feller Harold Kroll R. A. Medina Guido Crapanzano David Seelye Leo May Warner Talso ==================================================== Post/Base Exchange (PX/BX/NEX) Dump your dupes! Your classified advertisement for items for sale will be run here for free. Send your ads to the gram. This service is for everyone, most humble dealer or most advanced collector. The point is to make the gram more interesting. Send in a list of items for sale and we will list them here in the gram. In all cases confirm your order via email first. FOR SALE Series 661 $5.00 GEM Crisp Unc $25.00 insured postpaid. Series 481 $0.25 1st printing Crisp UNC $60.00 insured postpaid. Series 681 $0.50 Gem Crisp UNC, fresh from pack $20.00 insured postpaid. coinman@rochester.rr.com WANTED Collectors may submit lists of items wanted for their collections for listing here. Dealers and collectors who have these items are then encouraged to list them or sale in the above section. This is a trial, if you like it, send your list. =================================================== Staff: publisher and editor: Fred Schwan - MPCGram@Yahoo.com; assistant editor - Phil Goldstein IWANTMYMPC@aol.com Tuesday columnist Joe Boling – JoeBoling@aol.com Thurski columnist Larry “Ski” Smulczenski –skifla@prodigy.net critic: Harold Kroll - MPCKid@AOL.com; index manager: Ed Beaman webmaster & technical advisor: Doug Bell - (Wiz): doug@papermoneyworld.net; The Boss: Judy Schwan ===== MPC Gram is published by BNR Press and papermoneyworld.com as a free service to the community of military money collectors. Your suggestions, criticisms, complaints, editorial contributions, letters, and even praise are very welcome. The entire contents including linked illustrations are copyright protected by the publishers. In the case of contributors, the copyright is protected on behalf of the creators. Please send all correspondence regarding the gram to MPCgram@yahoo.com. Thank you very much for your participation. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com