The Young Victoria Collection Wins NGC Best in Category Award for 2012

Posted on January 13, 2013 by John M

NGC Registry Best in CategoryOn January 11, 2013, Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association and the Professional Numismatists’s Guild, announced the NGC Collector’s Society 2012 NGC Registry Award Winners. The Young Victoria Collection was awarded the Best in Category in World Coin Competitive Sets, Sovereign (Victoria) 1838-1901, Circulation Issue. Although The Young Victoria Collection is limited to shield sovereigns from 1838 to 1874, which is only just over half of the years in NGC’s set category, the NGC Competitive Set category was probably the closest fit.

There were two limitations to the Competitive Set category that prevented listing some of the finest coins in The Young Victoria Collection:

  • The Competitive Sets are limited to NGC graded coins only. Coins graded by other professional grading services are not eligible. This prevented inclusion of perhaps the finest coin in the collection, in terms of condition, a lovely 1861 Sovereign graded Mint State 64 by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). Here it is, as described by the Heritage Auctions cataloger in 2011:

Victoria, Gold Sovereign, 1861, S3852D, KM736.1, Young Head, MS64 PCGS, another beautiful and very choice coin from this consignor, a specialist in high-grade sovereigns, this piece boldly struck and having superb color, indicating it is original. Very scarce indeed in this state of preservation. Normal date, although the first digit is sharply recut.
ex Hillgrove Collection
From the 2011 September Long Beach Signature World & Ancient Coins Auction #3015, 8 September 2011, Lot 25001.
  • The Competitive Sets exclude any coins that are not professionally graded (i.e., “raw”), regardless of their condition. This prevented inclusion of two of the rarest coins in The Young Victoria Collection, each possibly the finest example of its type known, acquired during the first two auctions of the Bentley Collection in 2012. Here are the listings for these two coins, as described by Stephen Hill, the Director of British Coins at A.H. Baldwin & Sons and the author of the Bentley Collection catalogue:

Victoria, Gold Sovereign, 1859, “Ansell” second larger young head left, with extra line depicted on lower fillet of hair, indicating struck from Australian “brittle” gold, WW incuse on truncation without stops, date below, complete 5, small bulb type 9, die flaw from neck to field to left of date, another long flaw from top rim over head vertical to cheek, unbarred last A in legend, rev crowned quartered shield of arms within laurel wreath, emblems below, 7.99g (Marsh 42A R4; MCE 520; S 3852E). Good extremely fine and the finest Ansell Sovereign known to the Cataloguer.
ex Dr. David Aboav collection of Sovereigns and Half-Sovereigns, Spink Auction 147, 5 October 2000, lot 376
ex “A Collection of Sovereigns”, Mark Rasmussen, List No.3 supplement, Autumn 2002, 7 November 2002
In 1859, [a] quantity of coin from the regular mintage was found to be of inferior “brittle” quality and, on melting, was found to have been annealed with quantities of antimony, arsenic and lead. Mr. George Frederick Ansell, who was employed in the Rolling Room at the mint and had a scientific background, was given permission to experiment with this inferior batch of sovereigns. He was successful in adjusting the alloy mix to reproduce them in a much stronger form which resulted in the whole quantity being re-coined and denoted with the extra line in the hair fillet. Today they are very rare indeed, especially in the high grade offered here.
From Baldwin’s Auction #76, The Bentley Collection, 27 September 2012, Lot 427.

Victoria, Gold Sovereign, 1863, numbers 827 in relief on truncation meets field, second larger young head left, date below, sharper more hooked incomplete 6, rev crowned quartered shield of arms within laurel wreath tied with bow below shield, die number 22 in relief below, the second 2 weaker than first, emblems below, 7.99g (Marsh 48A R5; MCE 524; S 3853A). Light surface marks and hairlines, extremely fine, reverse better, extremely rare.
ex Spink and Son Ltd, May 2001
This intriguing variety first came to light in 1954 when an 827 numbered truncation with die number 22 reverse turned up in the Hatton Hoard of gold found in Derbyshire. This initial coin ended up in the British Museum Collection.
This variety is termed the “second” variety of the “827” Sovereign coupled with the die number 22 reverse. The “first” non-die number variety will be offered for sale in part three next year. These are called the second variety as it is thought that this die numbered “827” Sovereign was produced and struck from a second batch of re-melted “scissel” and scrap emanating from the Rothschild brittle ingots delivered to the Mint around November to December 1863. Of the very few specimens known, the Bentley specimen is one of the finest extant.
For further reading about the 827 Sovereigns see Spink Numismatic Circular, October 1977, p.421, article by G P Dyer.
From Baldwin’s Auction #73, The Bentley Collection, 8 May 2012, Lot 106.

Despite these significant omissions, the Extremely Fine or better examples of all years in the collection’s scope, with only a few variants unrepresented, led to 2012’s award.

The Young Victoria Collection in its entirety can be seen here.

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Four Mile Run: Barcroft to Glencarlyn

Posted on January 9, 2013 by John M

Last Sunday wewent for a walk along Virginia’s Four Mile Run. The stream, which takes its name from a misreading of the label “Flour Mill” on an old map, runs parallel to the trace of the old Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) railroad, and the trails that follow the stream and the railroad trace enable a nice walk through Arlington County.

Starting from Barcroft Park, we followed the W&OD Trail upstream past Arlington Mill, the site of the first skirmish of the American Civil War. Ater a brief stop at Carlin Springs in Glencarlyn Park, we explored the historic sites to the west, once the property of the Ball and Carlin families. Walk back south and east, we returned to Four Mile Run along the banks of Long Branch, one of its tributaries, through Washington’s forest. While we took a break to examine the old stone column from George Washington’s 1785 survey of the property, those who brought their dogs let them run free for a bit in nearby Glencarlyn Dog Park. Regrouping, we walked back to Barcroft Park along Four Mile Run Trail.


Altogether, a walk of about 5 and a half miles and exactly two hours, through an enjoyable mix of historic landmarks and wooded streambeds. A Google map of the route we followed and points of interest along the way is posted here.

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Rock Creek Park Trail: Dumbarton Oaks & Montrose Parks

Posted on January 1, 2013 by John M

This past Sunday afternoon a group of us went on an urban walk in Washington, D.C. Although it was a sunny day with a high temperature of around 40 degress, a gusty wind made things seem a little chilly until it subsided a bit towards the end of the day.

Starting from the Woodley Park-Zoo Metro Station, the first half of our walk took us through the Kalorama District, past landmarks dating back to the early 1900s. We crossed Rock Creek along Connecticut Avenue Northwest over Taft Bridge, with its guardian Perry Lions and Bairstow Eagles, walked past the Beaux Arts architecture of Brighton Apartments and the Churchill Hotel, and enjoyed interesting sights like the Woodrow Wilson House, the Dumbarton Buffaloes, and statues of Civil War Generals McClellan and Sheridan.


The middle section of our walk took us past the Federal-style Dumbarton House, Oak Hill Cemetery and its charming gothic chapel, to our halfway point for a 30-minute free-ranging visit to Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Gardens. Not much time for a visit to the gardens, but during the winter months nothing is in bloom and the entry is free. (You get what you pay for!) The museum is always free, and well worth the visit any time.


For the last leg of our walk, we took Lover’s Lane northeast between Dumbarton Oaks and Montrose Parks. Picking up the Rock Creek Park Trail, we followed the creek upstream through the woods to our starting point, passing Taft Bridge from below. A few of us satisfied the appetite (and/or thirst) whetted by the walk in a visit to Murphy’s Irish Pub on 24th Street Northwest.

Four miles of proof that you don’t have to drive miles out of town to find a nice afternoon hike, full of interesting sights! A Google map of our route and the points of interest is located here.

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News They Can Use

Posted on December 31, 2012 by John M

The other day a couple of friends and I were thinking about going to the National Gun Show held last weekend over near Dulles Airport. We eventually decided against it, due to a combination of bad weather, crowds, sickness, and other considerations. (In my case, the cost of driving out there and back and buying a ticket would have cost more than the gun magazine I was looking for, so if we weren’t going together to socialize, it didn’t make sense.)

Predictably, the mere suggestion that we were thinking about going provoked a barrage of outraged comments from the uninvolved, about the impropriety of gun shows or even gun ownership in light of the “national mood” (as though a unified mood somehow exists) in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut. I can’t remember so many derogatory terms tossed about since I said I was going to see “2016: Obama’s America” earlier this year.

Anyway, this prompts a little commentary, offered here, about the reaction to and political exploitation of gun violence in the news recently.

Plenty of people — especially among America’s political and journalistic classes . . . [would be] . . . more comfortable seeing ordinary Americans disarmed. And whenever there is a mass shooting, or other gun incident that snags the headlines, they do their best to exploit the tragedy and push for laws that would, well, take the guns away from the people who didn’t do it.

There are a lot of problems with this approach, but one of the most significant is this one: It doesn’t work. One of the interesting characteristics of mass shootings is that they generally occur in places where firearms are banned: malls, schools, etc. . . .

Given that gun-free zones seem to be a magnet for mass shooters, maybe we should be working to shrink or eliminate them, rather than expand them. As they say, if it saves just one life, it’s worth it.”

“Gun-free zones provide false sense of security,” Glenn Reynolds, USA Today, 12/12/2012 | http://tinyurl.com/d8xlnao

A posted gun-free zone is pretty much equivalent to posting a sign on your house stating that there are no guns, burglar alarms, or vicious dogs inside: No one with any common sense would do this. Most people post no sign at all, which leaves the prospective burglars fearfully in doubt.

Getting back to the news, most of what we’re seeing is the usual statists doing what then President-Elect Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel advocated during a televised CEO Council hosted by the Wall Street Journal in November 2008:

“You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that is doing something you think you could not do before.” (http://tinyurl.com/6ymmaq)

Never miss an opportunity to extend government control. In this instance, by having another go at seizing guns, even if that isn’t working so well for Rahm in Chicago at the moment. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D, CA) wasted no time introducing legislation to go get those “assault weapons,” whatever those are, in addition to banning sale of all handguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds and fingerprinting those who already own them. Chuck Connors would get a break – a rifle capable of holding over 10 rounds in a tube magazine is still ok for some reason…


Thank goodness! You have to wonder whether the government would allow Chuck to keep custody of his son these days, living alone with a houseful of loaded guns all the time.

Speaking of actors, there’s today’s celebrities, who profit from glamorizing gun violence and go about protected by heavily armed bodyguards, yet have the brazen audacity to make a video entitled “Demand a Plan” to advocate more gun control laws. Brought to you by Mayor Bloomberg (I, NY), who can’t seem to keep his hands off your salt shaker or large-sized soft drink.

Personally, I thought this spoof to be more creative and entertaining: “Demand A Plan – Demand Celebrities Go ___!”


Oh, those celebrities!

Every time there is an incident of gun violence, there is an immediate flurry of demands from media, politicians, and celebrities for changes in gun control laws with no examination of the facts about gun violence and the enforcement and relative efficacy of existing measures. It is not an appeal to reason, but to emotion, which is something we typically would not prefer to have in our justice system, except in the form of the merciful tempering of punishment.*

The minute the headlines hit the news, the train leaves the station; destination: an already existing political agenda advanced by those who wish to disarm everyone but themselves. Those who suggest “Let’s put politics aside” are either kidding themselves, have been deceived, or are trying to deceive:

“From the 1990 election cycle through August 22, 2010, the following political contributions were made by gun rights and gun control interest groups to federal candidates:”

• 94% of political contributions advocating gun control were made to Democrats
• 85% of political contributions advocating gun rights were made to Republicans

“Gun Rights: Long-Term Contribution Trends.” Center for Responsive Politics, via JustFacts.com | http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp#politics

Jesse Wilson, writing for Reason Magazine, summed up my thoughts about the coverage of and reaction to the Connecticut incident rather well:

“. . . [The] feeling that the crime took place in our backyard isn’t a bad thing in itself. It represents empathy, and when the press amplifies our empathy, it’s doing good. But it’s also important for the press to give us a context for that empathy, lest those natural feelings for the victims and the people who loved them turn into an irrational fear that the next victims will be our own children or ourselves. Look at the ways so many schools locked down after Columbine: the increase in inflexible zero-tolerance policies, the speed-up in the school-to-prison pipeline. Those changes made a lot of students less secure, not more. And they were driven by contextless, free-floating fear.”

“Are Mass Shootings Becoming More Common in the United States?,” Jesse Wilson, Reason Magazine, 12/17/2012 | http://tinyurl.com/a2zpont

Unfortunately, the press, politicians and celebrities seek to use the news to stoke the very irrational fear that Mr. Wilson cites, with the object of exerting ever more control over our lives. And the answer to the title question in Mr. Wilson’s article is, no, they are not.

* (This is not to say that Wayne La Pierre, speaking on behalf of the NRA, when not interrupted by the useful idiots of Code Pink, made much sense advocating full-time police guards in every school. Most schools already have armed guards, but that’s not really the point: Do we really want our learning institutions, which are supposed to be places for learning and the free exchange of ideas, monitored by intimidating, fully armed government representatives? Sounds like the sort of police state everyone can approve of.)
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Christmas in the City – National Mall

Posted on December 25, 2012 by John M

What better way to spend the last beautiful Sunday before Christmas than a walk around the National Mall in Washington DC?!

About 70 locals gathered at the Smithsonian Metro exit on the Mall, where I took the opportunity to pass out some cream cheese pumpkin bites as a Christmas treat for the group. (Unfortunately, I was left with quite a few.) After everyone finished their snack, we departed west on our route, which took us past many of the sights on the west end of the National Mall.

Our first stop was the Washington Monument, which is still closed due to the earthquake in August 2011. That doesn’t stop people from posing for cameras, pretending to hold the monument in their hands. It’s fortunate it isn’t leaning like the Tower of Pisa, or there would be twice as many people out there pretending to hold it up.

The World War Two Memorial is particularly beautiful when there is a bright blue sky. In contrast, the District of Columbia World War One Memorial (there isn’t a National one on the Mall) sits forlorn and relatively unvisited in the woods just to the west. It would be nice to rededicate this as the National World War One Memorial, since it is appropriately near the other war memorials on the Mall, but it is being held hostage by DC political leaders, who are using it as a poster child for DC statehood.


We continued west past the Korean War Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial, where we paused for about 10 minutes so everyone could climb the steps and enjoy the view, both inside and out. There’s always a crowd there, so keeping the group together would have been impossible!


Reassembling, we turned back east to walk through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which strangely isn’t called a war memorial like the others, and past Constitution Garden to reach the National Christmas Tree in the White House Ellipse. Quite a crowd was gathered there also, checking out the model trains chuffing around at the base of the tree. Many of the trains were towing flatcars with baskets in them to collect visitors’ coins, leading one wag in our group to speculate whether they were the only White House effort to reduce the national debt.


After the stop for the National Christmas Tree, it was back across the Mall to our start point to finish the walk, about 3.5 miles. Maybe not a white Christmas, but certainly a beautiful day!

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Hiking Hawaii

Posted on December 14, 2012 by John M

Quite some time ago I met a visitor from Hawaii during a few walks around the DC area who invited me to visit Hawaii to do some hiking with a group on Oahu, the Hiking Oahu Trailblazers (H.O.T.). Last week I finally took the opportunity to visit and accompany them on two hikes. I had a very my compressed schedule, but between my host and the hiking group I managed over 20 miles of hiking in five days!

Getting Started

I selected Kaneohe Bay, on the windward side of Oahu, as my home base. The Marine Corps Air Station there has nice beach cabanas that are inexpensive and convenient, if you have a military ID card and don’t mind shared bathrooms and crossing an active runway to get to them. In fact, seeing the P-3 Orion antisubmarine/maritime surveillance aircraft taking off and landing serves as a reminder that Hawaii isn’t just about resorts and recreation. The windward side of Oahu tends to be quieter than the leeward side, with lush landscape and secluded beaches. Bed & Breakfast places, rather than highrise hotels, are the order of the day.

O’lomana Trail

Although short (2.5 miles), the O’lomana Trail is one of the top hikes on Oahu, so it was the first hike on the schedule. The hike features a challenging 1,000-foot ascent; narrow, “sketchy” trails with rope-assisted rock climbs; and breathtaking views from the top of the first peak. Two other peaks loom slightly below to the south, but the views are not quite as spectacular and the trails are even more narrow and difficult, so there was no reason to get carried away…

After the hike we drove inland along Highway 61 to nearby Nu’uanu Pali Lookout, which offers spectacular views of the windward side of the island. Returning to the windward coast, we stopped at the Kailua Beach Park before visiting the Farmer’s Market in Kailua Town Center to find some dinner. Every Thursday from 5 to 7 pm there’s an amazing assortment of locally grown and prepared foods, served up to eat along the street.

Manoa Falls

After some morning kayaking at Hickam Harbor Beach, Day 2’s hike was Manoa Falls, an easy hike through the jungle. The parking area was closed due to a TV show filming, so we started from the residential area downhill along Manoa Road, making for a 2.6-mile round trip hike. This is a popular trail, so even though it was a weekday we encountered several hikers. I imagine during a weekend the trail would be packed. Waihi Stream and the falls were very low due to a recent lack of rain, but this had the side effect of making the normally muddy trail fairly dry.

At this point, my gracious host said goodbye to attend to previous obligations and prepare for work over the next few days (ugh!). Rather than taking one of the highways back to the windward side of the island, I decided to drive home along the shore past Diamond Head to visit Maunalua Bay Beach Park and Lanai Lookout at sunset, continuing after nightfall to Kaneohe Bay.

Maunawili Falls

On Day 3, I joined H.O.T. for a 3.2-mile hike along the Maunawili Falls Trail. It’s a popular trail that follows the Maunawili Stream valley through lush jungle, crossing the stream several times. Our group got an early start to avoid the rush, and a few adventurous hikers took advantage of the pool at Maunawili Falls for a swim, jumping from rocks up to 30 feet over the water.

Honolulu Historic District

The historic district is a must-see, but daytime Honolulu traffic and the lack of parking can be perplexing. I chose to visit during the evening after the Maunawili Hike so that neither of these would be much of an issue, and the Christmas decorations and festivities (lights, kettle corn, kid’s rides, etc.) made for a nice holiday atmosphere. Starting from around Bethel Street, it’s about a 2.5-mile round trip to walk counter-clockwise around the historic district, passing Aloha Tower, the Falls of Clyde, Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha V – Judiciary History Center, Kawaiahao Church, Honolulu Hale, Washington Place, and St. Andrews Cathedral.

North Shore – Kealia Trail

On Day 4, I rejoined H.O.T. for a hike along the Kealia Trail. This trail offers an opportunity to sample the wilderness along the north shore of Oahu, almost an hour’s drive each way from Kaneohe Bay. Starting from Dillingham Airfield and going inland uphill along nineteen switchbacks, it’s 9.25 miles round trip; about 3 hours of thirsty work, with beautiful views of the north shore during the 1,000-foot ascent, and Makua Valley to the southwest at the turnaround point.

Finishing Up

The last day of my visit was spent visiting Ford Island and the Utah and Arizona Memorials before the long flight home. The Arizona Memorial is free and the 75-minute trip to the memorial includes an excellent film describing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The wreck of the USS Utah, resting silently on its side along the windswept shore of Ford Island, tells its story with no need for pictures or words. Once again, these are poignant reminders that Hawaii isn’t just about resorts and recreation.

Mahalo to my host and to Justin Stevens and H.O.T. for their wonderful hospitality!

(NB: Here is a Google map showing the locations discussed.)

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Cross County Trail: Wakefield to Accotink

Posted on November 19, 2012 by John M

After a couple of mountain hikes to Bull Run Mountain and Raven Rocks, it was nice to get back on relatively flat ground last Saturday, with a 5-mile walk along the Fairfax County Cross County Trail.

The Cross County Trail is a treasure trove for hikers in the Northern Virginia / Washington DC area, stretching 40 miles across the county from banks of the Potomac River in Great Falls to Occoquan Regional Park, at the mouth of the Occoquan River near Woodbridge. It is well marked throughout, and it’s easy to select a section for a walk, even if you have only a few hours to spare.

Saturday’s walk took us from Wakefield Park, near Braddock Road and I-495, to Lake Accotink Park, and back. Both parks have the facilities (parking, restrooms, drinking fountains) to make assembling a walking group a breeze. Walking south, once we crossed Braddock Road the traffic noise and bustle quickly faded away, leaving us in the woods on a quiet, sunny day.

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Raven Rocks

Posted on November 14, 2012 by John M

A challenging Sunday hike on Veteran’s Day at Raven Rocks, along the Appalachian Trail near Bluemont, Virginia. To maximize carpooling we assembled in Vienna, and the scenic 1-hour drive up VA-50 and along the Snickersville Turnpike just served to build anticipation for the trail! The trailhead sits in Snickers Gap, one of several gaps in the Shenandoah Mountains that provide access from the Shenandoah Valley into Piedmont Virginia.


The route takes you north from the trailhead along very rocky trails, across two peaks and mountain streams and into West Virginia before reaching the summit at Raven Rocks. The combination of a very rocky trails and multiple ascents made it a challenging workout, but the rewarding payoff at the summit made it all worthwhile!

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Kingstowne Lake

Posted on November 10, 2012 by John M

The end of autumn was heralded by a blaze of color during the past few weeks at Kingstowne Lake. The lake is really only the size of a large farm pond, formed to capture runoff water from nearby neighborhoods. But it’s home to waterfowl such as Canadian geese, ducks, gulls and a solitary blue heron, while the surrounding trees harbor squirrels, cardinals, sparrows, and the occasional pair of goldfinches during the spring and summer. During the coming winter, the sheltered 0.75-mile paved path around the water’s edge will be a welcome place for a walk without the burdens of miles of driving and muddy boots.

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Rock Creek Park

Posted on November 5, 2012 by John M

Cleveland Park to Rock Creek Station

A nice 5-mile Sunday walk through Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., from the Cleveland Park Metro to Rock Creek Station and back.

Boulder Bridge is a scenic spot along the route, and was built in 1902 at a cost of $17,636, which would be a project costing around $11.1 million in 2011 dollars, as calculated by Measuring Worth. There’s an interesting background article about Boulder Bridge at Ghosts of DC, with several photos from different time periods and a detail drawing of the bridge’s construction. Rock Creek appears to be running much higher in this photo than any of the others, perhaps because of the recent heavy storms.

Another interesting landmark is Peirce Mill, which stands on property that was part of English land patents dating from 1747 to 1772. Isaac Peirce, a Pennsylvania Quaker living in Georgetown, acquired the pertinent portions in 1794, at which time there was already an undershot mill on the property. Peirce built the current structure in the 1820s, and upgraded it to a more efficient overshot mill in the 1840s. The mill’s internal machinery was changed several times over the years, but the Historic Registry entry (pdf) indicates the external appearance is almost unchanged from the 1820s, except for undocumented changes made by the Public Works Administration during the 1930s. There is another restoration in progress today.

All told, a pleasant autumn stroll in an area of Washington most tourists don’t come to see!

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