The Montgomery County Coin Club will meet on the second Tuesday of the month, October 11, 2005, at the Silver Spring Senior Citizens Center (1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring, Maryland). Doors open around 7:00 p.m., and the meeting begins with the Pledge of Allegiance at about 7:15 p.m.
This month's speaker will be Sherry Salomon with the Easter Seals Foundation in Calverton. She is trying to get the community (and especially hobby clubs) to show interest in their Family Friends program so some might be interested in volunteering to help a few disabled young folks become interested in coins.
The Montgomery County Coin Club met on September 13, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. with about 23 members present.
No visitors attended the meeting. (Please bring a friend to the next MCCC meeting!)
Simcha Kuritzky was elected the President of the Maryland State Numismatic Association. For those interested in attending, the MSNA Convention will be held in Hall C of the Ocean City Convention Center, located at 4001 Coastal Highway in Ocean City, Maryland on October 8-9, 2005. The Maryland Token and Medal Society will also meet at the convention.
Snacks at the October meeting will be provided by Don Stepita and Bob Eisemann. We also need a couple of volunteers to provide snacks for the November meeting. If you are willing, please let President Don McKee know.
Please remember to gather a few donated items for the Boys and Girls club auction that we will hold in November. Jack Shadegg will be collecting the items that you donate at the October meeting. As always, your donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Ken Glickman displayed an article that appeared in the May/June issue of Errorscope, the publication of CONECA on his "wowzer" of an error coin that he found while searching a roll of half dollars. The coin is a 1981 Kennedy half dollar with the reverse of a Washington quarter impressed on the obverse. Fortunately, the impression did not cover the date of the half, making the coin all the more remarkable.
Jerry Grzenda displayed a number of items. Recalling Hurricane Katrina, he displayed a $50 note issued by the Canal Bank of New Orleans. Following on the Louisiana theme, he displayed a 2003 50-euro coin issued by France in commemoration of the Louisiana Purchase (the Louisiana Sale from the French perspective), with the busts of Jefferson and Napoleon. Finally, Jerry displayed one-cent Japanese porcelain coins issued at the very end of WWII, when Japan could no longer use any metal for coinage. The coin displayed Mount Fuji and the chrysanthemum.
Simcha Kuritzky, a long time member of MCCC, spoke about the Revolutions of 1848 and their numismatic manifestations, which he illustrated with pieces from his own collection.
The Europe of the 1700s was largely an agricultural society of farms and small towns. Noblemen ruled small estates to vast empires, most issuing their own coins. The idea that government should represent the people led to representative government and the nation-state, manifested by the American and French revolutions. When Napoleon conquered most of Europe, he created Italian, German, Spanish kingdoms within his empire.
Following the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna in 1814 - 1815 re-established the old despotisms, but reduced the number of German states and increased the power of Prussia.
Industrialization created larger cities, with farmers fleeing there during famines. Businesses enlarged the middle classes who wanted to a share of power, but business practices and failures often led to sudden large unemployed populations. Technology brought its own changes, with railroads, the telegraph and steamships enhancing transportation and profitability.
The nobility, in an effort to retain its grip on power, restricted the press and spied on universities to prevent revolts. Nevertheless, there were several small uprisings 1816-1840, and several rulers, especially among the southern German states granted constitutions.
Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto.
Simcha showed a Dutch bread token and German commemorative medal illustrating the food shortages of these years. The shortages led to overcrowding in the cities, which decreased wages and increased rents that caused a recession and credit crunch. Food riots in northern Italy pitted Italians against Austrian troops.
In January and February insurrections in southern Italy lead to constitutions in the Papal States, Tuscany, and Sicily.
On February 22 a "banquet" (political meetings were illegal) in Paris of social reformers was canceled by the government, but would-be attendees protested, which led to bloodshed. The riots only got worse. The conservative Prime Minister resigned, and the King abdicated two days later. A new republic was formed with heavy socialist representation which tried unsuccessfully to create workshops for the unemployed. Coins were issued that were the same as the First Republic of 40 years earlier.
In Hungary on March 3 Lagos Kossuth calls for reforms in Hungarian Parliament. The Emperor establishes a Hungarian republic under the Empire, with Count Batthyany as President. Kossuth becomes Finance Minister and prints new currency. Magyar becomes the official language, replacing Latin on coins.
On March 13 riots in Vienna led to Emperor Ferdinand's fleeing the capital and the creation of a national assembly.
On March 20 Ludwig of Bavaria abdicated after students riot (the clergy had called for his ouster when his affair with a Scottish dancer became public). On March 31 Liberals establish a national parliament in Frankfurt to define the new Germany.
In March, the February French revolt encouraged Charles Albert of Sardinia-Piedmont to grant a new constitution as part of his bid for Italian unity. Fighting in Lombardy and Venice caused Austrian troops to withdraw to fortresses. Daniel Manin was elected president of independent Venice. Riots in Berlin caused King Frederich Wilhelm IV to grant a constitution.
Over the next two months, Charles Albert attacked the Austrians in Lombardy. But the Pope declared the neutrality of the Papal States, causing Papal troops to desert from Charles Albert's army.
In May the Austrian assembly publishes a proposed constitution which leads to street fighting. The revolutionary government issued 2- and 6-kreuzer coins.
Back in Italy during the period from May to July a plebiscite was held which voted to make Charles Albert King of Northern Italy. Venice, Parma, and Modena join the new country. But Austrian troops got reinforcements and put the Italians on the defensive.
In the Balkans, on June 5 Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia declared their independence of Hungary as well as Austria.
Between June 21 and 23 French socialists rebel because the government refused to employ destitute workers, an event that figured in Victor Hugo's 1862 book. Les Miserables. Louis Napoleon elected President. On the numismatic front, competitions for new designs were held and the patterns are available to collectors. A large number of private French medals were also issued.
On June 29 the Frankfurt parliament elected Austrian Archduke John ruler of Germany. The Archduke presides over the Austrian parliament and debate on a new constitution continued.
On August 9 Charles Albert signed an armistice with Austria. Venice alone continues fight, and started to issue its own coins and notes. Simcha displayed patriotic money of Venice including copper and silver coins. The coins, as well as Venetian paper currency was issued depicting the lion of San Marco.
In September, Romanians attacked Hungary from the south, and the Hungarian cabinet resigned. A Committee of National Defense was set up as the new executive branch, with Lajos Kossuth at its head. New coins were issued.
In October, the Berlin legislature was established. It could not agree on a constitution so Frederich Wilhelm IV dissolved the parliament in December and wrote his own constitution.
Unrest in Vienna over the constitution in October led to its military re-conquest. In December, Emperor Ferdinand abdicated in favor of his son, Franz Josef, who granted his own constitution.
In November the Pope fled and Mazzini and Garibaldi took over. Elections were held for an Italian National Assembly.
In February the Second Roman Republic was declared. The referenced first Republic was not the ancient Roman republic, but the one founded by Napoleon earlier in the nineteenth century. Church lands were distributed to the peasants. Coins and notes were issued by the Roman Republic and National Assembly.
In March Charles Albert renewed fighting against Austria but was badly beaten and abdicated in favor of his son, Victor Emanuel II.
On April 3, the Frankfurt parliament adopted a new constitution and asked Frederich Wilhelm IV to become the Emperor. He declined because it did not have the approval of the German princes. Several commemorative coins were issued by Frankfurt, and the 125th anniversary of the Parliament was commemorated by Germany in 1973.
On April 14 Hungary declared independence with Kossuth as president. In response, Austria invited the Russians to join in an invasion of Hungary. Hungary issued notes similar to those of the Austrian Empire, but without the imperial crown.
Between May and July France invaded and conquered Rome to protect the Catholic Church and to restore the Pope as head of the Papal States.
During July and August the Austrians besieged Venice. The city fell to them on August 27, and its leaders went into exile.
Also in August Hungary capitulated to Austria and Kossuth fled to Turkey.
The Austrian emperor repealed the constitution.
President Louis Napoleon of France declared himself Emperor.
In September, Kossuth issued receipts in Turkey to raise funds for another revolt
Following an 1851 visit to the United States, which met with wide acclaim, Kossuth issued receipts in the U.S. to raise funds for another revolt. Simcha displayed the notes issued in New York with English inscriptions, and in Philadelphia with Magyar inscriptions. In 1990 a bust of Kossuth was placed in the United States Capitol.
Kossuth issues receipts in England to raise funds for another revolt.
Ken Swab won his second leg of the bison chip (sic) drawing; he now has two legs (it takes 3 to win the prize). You must be present to win. Rudy Saenger won the gold raffle (a 1/20 ounce kangaroo and tiny gold nugget in a display folder). The door prizes of a 1942 five-cent piece, a 1964 Mexico peso and a 2 sous Canadian bank token were won by Bob Truman, Rudy Saenger and Jerry Grzenda, respectively.
This page last updated on October 6, 2005.