MEETING NOTICES 2003

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The next meeting of ACCLA will take place on Sunday January 12, 2003 at the usual place, Balboa Mission Town Hall, 16916 S. San Fernando Mission Blvd, Granada Hills. Time 1:00 P.M. It will not be the ordinary meeting, but the traditional good-time-pot-luck-cum-installation-of-officers, who, incidentally will all be re-installed, as they have all agreed to serve again for at least another year.

At our last meeting the undersigned gave a presentation on The Celts, at which he exposited on the people the great empires of Greece and Rome subjugated and gave their languages to. The emphasis was on archaeology, and primarily that of the Hallstatt and La Tene cultures of around the fifth to fourth centuries BCE A monograph consisting of maps and pictures was passed out and comment was made on each picture by the presenter. A moderate number of questions were asked by the listeners, who seemed to be quite interested in the talk. There is a scarcity of coinage from that time and place, but plenty of artifacts and art surviving.

Note Bene: This is a reminder that dues for the coming year should be paid at the next meeting. They are the usual amount of $8.00.

Hope to see you all at the party.

David R. Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of ACCLA will be held on Sunday February 9, 2003 at Balboa Mission Town Hall, 16916 San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Granada Hills at 1:00 P.M.

Our last meeting was the traditional good-time-potluck-cum-installation of officers and the Board.  For the record, the officers are as follows: President, Ken Friedman, Vice President, Richard Baker, Secretary, David Stepsay, Treasurer, Barry Rightman, Historian, Paul Ranc, Celator liaison, Roger Burry, and Webmaster, Michael Connor. The Board consists of the following persons: Ralph Marx, Michelle Sheldon, Mark Westerline, Hugh Kramer, and Paula Reynosa.

The next presentation will be by Ken Baumheckel on "Ancient Oil Lamps of Israel".  It should be quite illuminating. (Tell me I didn't say that!)

At the last meeting, we accomplished something we should do more often, to wit, we each stood up and introduced ourselves at some length to the group. We have a lot of new members who do not know the other members and this was a good opportunity for all and sundry to get to know each other. Welcome to new member Chris McKinney.

David R. Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of the ACCLA will take place on Sunday March 9, 2003 at Balboa Mission Town Hall, 16916 San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Granada Hills at 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting we beheld a presentation by Ken Baumheckel on oil lamps (from the Middle Bronze to the Byzantine Ages).  Ken demonstrated actual specimens and books as an adjunct to the slide show. At the end of the fourth millennium BCE the lamps were just in the form of a clay ball with a wick over them. At first the potters threw them and then the art evolved to where the potters put them on a mold. (You can still detect the potter's finger prints on some of the specimens). A faster form of the wheel was foot-powered: the potter's feet pushed against a wheel below the one he was working with his hands. Ken showed one to four-wicked (if I may use that term) lamps, all from the eastern Mediterranean seaboard. He showed how the early clays had detritus embedded in them in their natural state. During the Bronze Age the pottery had beveled edges and could have either round or flat bottoms. And he showed some Hellenistic lamps with closed spouts. The presentation was greatly appreciated and the questions elicited even further information on this interesting subject.

At our next meeting Ken Friedman will present a talk with hand-out on "Introductions in Roman Republican Coinage".

We have received an additional $1000 installment from now-defunct COIN. There may be more to come. Barry Rightman read a letter of thanks he had written to the ex-treasurer of COIN. It was moved, seconded and defeated that the $1.00 fee paid at each meeting by the attendees be eliminated for a year. It was thereupon moved, seconded, and passed that the fee be $1.00 per couple or accompanying family member(s).

David R. Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday April 13, 2003 (unless the Polemarch decrees otherwise) at 16916 San Fernando Mission Rd. Granada Hills, which is the Balboa Mission Town Hall. Time is 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting we were treated to a very professional presentation by Ken Friedman on Introductions in Roman Republican Coins. The subject matter had to do with the innovations which the Romans applied to their coinage. There was no evidence for usage of coins in Rome in the late 4th century BCE but in the Twelve Tablets in around 450 BCE are found the standardized weights of metal. The aes was the standardized metal weight which evolved into coinage. By 406 BCE there were weights of metal but as yet no money. However, the censors had to have standard weights for their purposes and the first coin minted was in 312-308 BCE to pay for the construction of the Via Appia. There were different needs to meet by striking coinage, i.e. cast and struck coins were trading in different areas. The introduction of coinage meant that Rome was becoming worldly. Drachms and didrachms were the first Roman coins. The aes was equal to 1 Roman pound (10 oz). As wealth dwindled, credit became more popular. After Rome defeated Syracuse, the plentitude of silver caused a revaluation of silver (downward). From earliest times, 10 aeres equalled 1 silver, but by 140 BCE it took 16 aeres to equal 1 silver. Also silver was used to facilitate the transport of booty. Time wise, up to 137 BCE, there were 3 moneyers, bigae, and the showing of Saturn and Jupiter on the coinage. But after that date, they were getting away from traditional images and putting more current ones on the coins (viz. the Numantian defeat) There was much more to Ken's presentation, but too much to recount here, including a monograph and key to plates.

At our next meeting Dr. Larry Adams will hold forth on "The Golden Electrum Coinage of Carthage".

At the show-and-tell portion of the meeting, a new wrinkle was disclosed, under the aegis of Harlan Berk: in connection with his bid-or-buy, you can call and ask what didn't sell at auction if you are interested in buying something. Also at the UCLA Math-Sciences bldg. you can see a model of Rome (virtual), which will soon be available to view on the Web.

David R. Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday May 11, 2003 at 16916 San Fernando Rd. Granada Hills, which is the Balboa Mission Town Hall. Time is 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting Michelle Sheldon kindly agreed to step in for Larry Adams, whose wife suffered injuries in a bad auto accident. The sympathies of all of us go out to Larry and his wife, I'm sure. Michelle's presentation as relayed to me by Roger Burry, to whom I'm very indebted for stepping in for me when I was traveling up north, is as follows: Beginning with the voyage of Aeneus in which the women burned his ships to end the voyage and settle down, Michelle traced the evolution of women in social and political roles. In the early Republic a woman's role was basically to stay at home. Women could not own property, were not well educated, and very much subject to the whim of the family patriarch. Marriages were usually political and only the man could initiate a divorce. Largely due to the anti-Etruscan reaction, affection was not displayed in public. The only public role played by women was as seen in the duty of the Vestal Virgins to guard the fires of Rome and keep the wills. In the late Republic the roles of women changed. The first "feminist" movement occurred before 100 BCE, when a group of Patrician women demonstrated in the streets and blocked the Forum. As a result Roman laws were changed and the image of women became stronger. Now women could initiate a divorce. They had considerably more freedom and could move about without a male escort. They became more educated. They could dine with the men and recline while eating. They had considerable political influence without actually holding political office. In the time of Augustus the government was concerned about the Roman birth rate and the 'loose' morals. Augustus passed numerous laws encouraging marriage and having children. He also passed laws punishing promiscuity which altered the role of both men and women. So throughout the years the role of the Roman woman changed. The net result was that women became more independent and self sufficient. There was a more equal marriage relationship and a better life for women. Michelle showed slides of Roman ruins, statues, and paintings, thus greatly enhancing her talk.

At our next meeting Barry Rightman will present a slide show entitled 'The Age of the Soldier Emperors: 244-284 A.D.' Also we will have a show-and-tell session concerning women on ancient coins, it being Mother's Day. So you are encouraged to bring any and all coins that fit into that category.

Respectfully submitted and with much gratitude to Roger Burry for his kind indulgence,

David R. Stepsay. Secretary

The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday June 8, 2003 at 16916 San Fernando Rd. Granada Hills, which is the Balboa Mission Town Hall. Time is 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting Barry Rightman presented a slide show entitled "The Age of the Soldier Emperors: 244-284 A.D." The first of these "anomalies" was Philip I who succeeded Gordian III and was his Praetorian Prefect. Philip ruled jointly with his son Philip II but was challenged by two usurpers who were unsuccessful in their effort to gain accession. Trajan Decius, a subordinate to Philip, was declared emperor by his troops after a successful expedition against some rebellious Roman troops and invading Goths but was met with force by his "boss" Philip who was defeated by the usurper and killed, along with his son. Trajan Decius ruled jointly with his eldest son Herennius and his younger son Hostilius. Trajan D. was still involved in quelling the Gothic intruders when he was killed in battle with them. This was the first time a Roman emperor was killed in battle with a foreign foe. Next Trebonianus Gallus was proclaimed emperor by his troops. He ruled jointly with Trajan D's younger son and raised his own son Volusian to Caesar. "However Aemilian was declared emperor by his troops after a successful attack on the Goths and he then proceeded to march to Rome in 253 CE Gallus' own troops then murdered him and his son and went over to Aemilian. Meanwhile the general Valerian, who had been summoned to assist Gallus, was declared emperor by his troops. As the two emperors moved toward each other, Aemilian was murdered by his troops, who were hoping to avoid another civil war." Valerian was being plagued by the Persian king Shapur, with whom he went to negotiate. Shapur made him prisoner and Valerian was never heard from again. Macrianus and his brother Quietus attempted the emperorship but were killed by troops friendly to Gallienus. He then became emperor along with Saloninus and Valerian II his sons. But only in the eastern portion of the empire. Postumus a general in the west took over the reigns there and established the Gallic Roman government independent of Rome. Laelianus, one of Postumus' officers, soon declared himself emperor, and not to be eclipsed by a subordinate, Postumus dispatched him, but refused to allow his soldiers to sack Laelianus' city. Whereupon they fell upon Postumus and killed him. In turn first Marius and then Victorinus seized power in 268 CE. They met untimely deaths in the manner of such upstarts and Tetricus I and his son Tetricus II acquired the Gallic throne and Gallienus (remember him?) who was still living by some miracle: his time had come and he was murdered. His successor was Claudius II who apparently died of plague. Then came his brother Quintillus, who committed suicide when his troops deserted him after Aurelian was proclaimed emperor by his troops. Aurelian was soon dispatched by his own officers and then came Tacitus who even though he had been proclaimed emperor by his troops, was nevertheless confirmed by the Senate. As he was elderly he shortly died while campaigning in Asia Minor. Florian then declared himself emperor in 276 CE but when faced with the prospect of another civil war, his own troops killed him. Probus was the next to be proclaimed emperor by his own troops. He lasted six years before he was dispatched by his troops in 282 CE Caius was the next but he was shortly to be found dead in his tent on a campaign in Mesopotamia. His two sons succeeded jointly to the throne in 283 CE Numerian met a mysterious death in 284 and after a struggle, Carinus the other son was finally assassinated by one of his own officers. The army went over to Diocletian in 285. This spells the end of the era of the Soldier Emperors when Diocletian organized the rule of the empire into a Tetrarchy.

The next presenter will be Robert Effler, who will talk on "The Cleaning and Preservation of Ancient Coins"

David R. Stepsay. Secretary

The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday July 13, 2003 at 16916 San Fernando Rd. Granada Hills, which is the Balboa Mission Town Hall. Time is 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting, inter alia, Ken Baumheckel passed out a Julius Caesar Trivia Quiz, as well as announced the inaugural meeting of the Orange Co. Ancient Coin Club which six people attended. Also Sally Marx presented the Archivist with the first constitution of the club together with other memorabilia concerning the club. She passed out some Gold Drawing tickets for sale also.

At the last meeting, Bob Effler presented his well researched talk on The Cleaning of Ancient Coins, ranging from mere preservation to the other extreme, i.e. electrolysis. He puts great store in just soaking the item in distilled water (emphasis on distilled), to wit, just letting it sit and the pure water will leach off the chemicals. His philosophy on electrolysis is "If it looks like trash, wottaya got to lose?" He passed out a two-page monograph on how to do electrolysis and the equipment and materials you will need. Bob introduced us to a somewhat unfamiliar theory: Reverse Patination. This is where you reverse the polarity and put the dirt back on the coin, only not so heavy. He passed around a book filled with cleaned coins showing the evolution (or stages) of cleaning. Some members, especially Kelly Ramage, added their favorite techniques to Bob's.

Bob has more detailed printed information on this arcane subject.

Next meeting will again feature Hugh Kramer, a member who definitely has more than one string to his bow, on "The Economic Collapse of the 3rd Century A.D. and its Effect on the Coinage".

Respectfully submitted
David R. Stepsay. Secretary

The next meeting of the ACCLA will take place on Sunday August 10, 2003 at l6916 San Fernando Mission Road, Granada Hills, which is the Balboa Mission Town Hall. Time is 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting, Barry Rightman offered for sale three "King Tut" coffee table books at $25. each, a very good price. It was brought up that HR 2009, before the House would make it illegal to ship antiquities, including coins, out of Iraq. To find out more about it, whistle up the Gold Coins of the World Website. Ken B. reported that there were 10 at the last meeting of the O.C. Ancient Coin Club. Sally Marx reported that the Long Beach Coin and Stamp Show will take place on Sept. 18/20 at the Convention Center. David Michaels, with Freeman & Sears, was in attendance with all their latest coins on offer for our inspection. Mike Connor reported that our Website, which opened July 16, 2002, has had different 5,000 visitors already.

Our presenter at the last meeting was Hugh Kramer, who held forth on "The Economic Collapse of the 3rd Century A.D. and its Effect on the Coinage". By the time of Gallienus, coinage had deteriorated (235-285). The Roman Empire, especially economically, was battered by outside invasions, epidemics, and high taxes.

There were definite cracks in the fabric of the Imperial System. The bureaucracy was eating them out of house and home. And there were no rules for who was to succeed as Emperor (the job was being purchased on a regular basis by the army leaders). And there was plenty of extortion, debasement of the coinage, and counterfeiting to go around. And it must be noted that there was a devastating inflation: inflation is always harder on an agricultural economy than an industrial one. Up to the time of Nero, the inflation was a mere 3%. But debasement had its ravages: it never stopped due to the chain of emergencies that required a cessation of the efforts to stem it. (The debasement was accomplished with copper, largely; the ratio of gold to silver was a constant 15:1).

Things reached rock bottom in Gallienus' reign. Gresham's Law was seen in great abundance. There was a prevalence of barter, and the flight of the peasants from the farm to the city went from a trickle to a flood. Also municipal politicians were responsible for making up the shortfalls in the budgets. The Empire limped along for several hundred years despite the bad economic conditions. The miracle is that it took so long to fall apart.

Hugh expounded on a number of the technical aspects of the Roman economy and conditions. He also passed out a copy of the very good tables in the slender volume he was using as his source.

At our next meeting, Raymond Sidrys will give a talk entitled "Imperial Roman Coinage: Along and Beyond the Northern Limes Frontier"

Respectfully submitted
David R. Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of the club will take place on Sept. 14, 2003 at 16916 San Fernando Mission Road, Granada Hills, which is the Balboa Mission Town Hall. Time is 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting Raymond Sidrys gave a talk entitled "Imperial Roman Coinage: Along and Beyond the Northern Limes Frontier". This was an extremely erudite talk accompanied by a comprehensive handout with the same general title as the talk. The Limes of the title is not a misprint, as I had thought, but a Latin word meaning track way, which came to mean a military road with a line of frontier forts and later a frontier zone. The purpose of the talk was, inter alia, to explain the inflow of denarii among "barbarian" tribes through the history and geography of limes ("leems"), related images on coin reverses, and certain problems. A map accompanying the talk showed the various hoards found with over 81,000 denarii across the area under discussion. Some of the interesting bits of information gleaned were that generally at this time a defaced coin was a sign of dissatisfaction with the emperor, there was a scarcity of pocket coins in distant Barbaricum territories, and that the market-based "buffer zone" was only out to 200 km. Raymond also dispensed a couple of interesting bar graphs that purported to show issues by emperor and the dating of the hoards by yearly clusters. Also a page of photos of the various coins found was passed out.

The import of the talk was to point out some of the anomalies connected with the coins of Barbaricum as demonstrated in the various hoards. Incidentally Barbaricum comprised the territory east of the Rhine and Danube rivers and as far east as Poland apparently. Raymond has a Ph.D. in archaeology from UCLA, so a lot of scholarship has gone into this talk.

Mike Connor reported that there were 20 new visitors per day to our Website. Mark Westerline is the keeper of the list of foreign dealers which we are keeping up to date for reference in doing business with them.

Our next presenter will be Dr. Robert Cleve, Professor of Ancient History at CSUN, who will present a slide show on the Roman port city of Ostia. Dr. Cleve has spoken to us on several occasions previously and you will find his talk very interesting.

Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday, October 12, 2003. The place is as usual the Balboa Mission Town Hall at 16916 San Fernando Mission Road, Granada Hills. Time is 1:00 P.M.

At our last meeting Prof. Robert Cleve held forth on Ostia, Port City of Ancient Rome. He presented a very interesting slide show which was done on a PowerPoint slide projector and his laptop computer. This, for the incognoscenti, is the system whereby the slides are downloaded to a computer and thence through the special projector to the screen.

Ostia and Pompeii are the two best preserved cities of antiquity. Ostia is on the Tyrrhenian Sea and was founded in the 4th century BCE Pliny lived there and commuted to Rome. All imports were via river boats and on two roads. It was abandoned in the 5th century CE In the 15th, the Tiber changed its course which had a significant effect on the city.

The city became a railroad stop, which today is called "Ostia Antica". From there it is a one-fourth mile walk to the Porta Romana and the Necropolis. Constant structural maintenance was and is a necessity. The Necropolis has a crematorium, and ancient buildings with arched alcoves are evident. The Neptune baths show the various stages of a Roman bath, i.e. caldarium (the hot water being brought in through pipes), tepidaria, and frigidarium (both of the latter being just the hot water cooling down). And there is evidence of a capacious ice storage space in the basement.

The audience was given a stroll down the main street of ancient Ostia, with the various trades and skills being in view. Also the theatre with the back-drop, orchestra in front, and four small temples with altars in front.

There were many other slides too numerous to mention, including some showing the Cleve family among the ruins, and a very endearing one showing some of the kids imitating the uses to which the public latrines may have been put. As always, this presentation was first-rate and extremely enlightening.

Ralph and Sally Marx who are leaving to live up north in California, were given a send-off with several very lovely going-away gifts and thank-you plaques. I'm sure we will always remember these founding members of this club, who have stated that they will occasionally be back to visit us. By acclamation they were made honorary life members of the club.

Our next presenter will be Dr. Lawrence Adams, who will present "Gold and Electrum Coinage of Carthage".

Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday, November 9, 2003. The place as usual (unless incinerated in the Big Fire) is the Balboa Mission Town Hall at 16916 San Fernando Mission Road, Granada Hills. Time is 1:00P.M.

At our last meeting Dr. Lawrence Adams talked on the numismatic history of Carthage (nee Kart-Hadshat). In 814 BCE it was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading center and then it became a great city. (See Virgil's Aeneid for the site of its founding). The founders were sailors not colonizers, and their lack of interest in raising and maintaining a militia led to their downfall. Being a peaceful people, they depended heavily on mercenaries. These men were kept in their servitude by Attic silver coinage and Punic gold. The silver kept to the Attic standard and began around 350 BCE The head of their city goddess, Tanit (sometimes called Astarte), was most always placed on the obverse, with varying reverses. She was equivalent to Demeter in Carthaginian lore.* During the sixth century, Carthage was hegemonious over the Mediterranean. Incessant warfare with the Greeks was the order of the day. Dr. Adams, who showed splendid slides of coins from his splendid collection, stated that a few gold shekels issued for war with Syracuse and a silver stater showed the influence of the Greeks, even though minted in Carthage. A horse was on most of the reverses shown, with a dot system denoting the identity of the moneyer. The gold was 94% fine and there were fractional denominations. He showed 4 fractional coins each appearing to be a smaller version of the previous. As is so often the case, the constancy of the wars caused debasement. The reduced content is shown by a dot in the headdress of the goddess. All the debased coins looked like the standard model, although the content dipped to 72 from 94%. Then there was the inevitable further debasement, and the debased coins were now readily obvious. They had a whitish caste and a curl in the headdress of one issue denoted the debasement. (The content ranged from 55 to 60% in 290 BCE) Then a further debasement brought it down to 45% gold, which was coincident with another war. On some of them there was found a palm tree together with the horse.

*The book by Jenkins and Lewis is stated to be the best source of this material by Dr. Adams

The first Punic War was financed by gold. But by then (264-241) it was only 30% gold, with a Punic inscription reading "in the land...". In 256 a pure gold issue of 12.5 gr. was brought out to celebrate the victory over the Romans whose invasion was repulsed. But then in 255-241 the gold content was reduced to 47%. On this there was a reverse winged solar disc flanked by cobras. The fractionals were 1,1/2, 1/4, 1/5, and 1/10. Bankruptcy caused a rump state to be brought about with similar but cruder coinage, though the gold content was 80%!

The second Punic War saw Hannibal's invasion of Italy and a content down to 30%. In 216 Hannibal was successful at Cannae and a Janiform head of Tanit with Jupiter on the reverse appeared, as an insult to the defeated Romans.

But in the LAST Punic War, in 146, Carthage, delenda (to be defeated)--was. And with the addition of one more coin a 1/3 stater 99% gold coin with a serrated edge ( issued maybe as an appeasement of the Romans?), that is the entirety of Dr. Adams' talk. He was presented with the first certificate of acknowledgment as a presenter by the club.

Our next presenter will be Paul Andre, who will have a slide show on "Architectural Reverses on Roman Coins". This should be germane to the great interest now being shown regarding the architecture of the new Roman Catholic cathedral and the Disney Hall.

In other news of the club and coin world, our Website is attracting 20-25 hits per day.  There is a link to Richard Baker's coin collection. Anyone else interested in furnishing a link to their collection should get in touch with Mike Connor. Ken Baumheckel reported that the Orange Co. Ancient Coin Club had 14 people in attendance at their last meeting in Irvine. Richard Baker reported that something will have to be done to make up for the shortfall caused by refreshments, rent, and not enough ticket sales to cover the cost of the books, which are very expensive nowadays. Should we try for cheaper books, free rent, or raising the dues? To be dealt with at a future date.

Respectfully submitted
David R. Stepsay, Secretary

The next meeting of the ACCLA will take place on Sunday December 14, 2003 at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, 16916 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Granada Hills. The time will be 1:00P. At our last meeting the presenter was Paul Andre, who gave a talk and slide show on The Architectural Reverses on Roman Coins. The architecture had the purpose of promoting the city generally. We were shown a selection of coins demonstrating the subject matter of the talk. Some examples were the Augustus commemorative showing the Ara Pacis (Alter of Peace); the Claudius sesterce showing Etruscan statues; the Temple of Janus with the doors closed, a Nero issue; an Antoninus Pius with the Temple of Venus at Rome; two Elagabalus showing a statue of Zeus at Berytus and the Temple of Astarte; a Tiberius Merida showing the city-gate and walls; two Caracallas: an Emesa showing a temple with six columns and the Zeus Hagios Temple in Tripoli; and a Severus Alexander showing an altar. There was generally a lack of perspective on these coins, with no vanishing point seen. The presentation was very interesting and bore out Paul's point that the coins were used for promotional or propaganda purposes.

Our next presenter will be our President, Ken Friedman, who will hold forth on "The Romanization of Samnium".

Lenore Donald was in attendance and we held a brief memorial for Harold, who died two days before. Lenore was given an honorary life membership by a unanimous vote of those present. Paul Ranc, in his capacity as representative of NASC said the next meeting of that body will be held the next week. He also suggested coin insurance as a topic for a presentation. Thereupon there ensued a discussion of security in general. The undersigned was authorized to compile a roster of members showing only name and e-mail address; (no street address or telephone number), to be passed out at the next meeting. There was also a general discussion of auctions and books.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 4:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
David R. Stepsay, Secretary

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