There were five speakers on the agenda. The meeting began (after refreshments) with Harry Bone's presentation of a shorter version of his 1996 Graduate Seminar paper, "The Copper Coinage of Umayyad Syria," in which he put in order the post-Arab-Byzantine Arabic issues of Bilad al-Sham (the Arabic name for the region between Egypt and the Euphrates and Taurus), especially those of the metropolitan mint, Damascus.

Clive Foss, in "The Circulation of Coinage in Seventh-Century Syria," tabulated the numbers of coins from successive seventh-century periods excavated at archaeological sites in Bilad al-Sham (Antioch, Dehes, Apamea, Epiphania/Hamah, Pella, and Gerasa/Jerash), in an attempt to quantify circulation patterns. Although his results were suggestive, the principal conclusion of the paper was the need for archaeologists to identify both seventh-century copper coins and their find spots more precisely.

Peter Lampinen reported again this year on "New Discoveries at Caesarea" where excavations in a new area, the southeast corner of the temple platform, turned up Arab-Byzantine coins of the main series for the first time.

Charles Karukstis described his computer assisted system for inventorying "The Underlying Die Types of Countermarked Arab-Byzantine Coins," and distributed several pages of results in the form of computer stored images.

Professor Michael Cook of Princeton spoke on "Coins and History in Seventh-Century Syria," presenting new materials from legal and religious texts on the question of the legitimacy of Qur'anic inscriptions on early Islamic coins.

In addition to those mentioned, Edward Janis, Martin Jacobowitz, Robert Schonwalter, Henry Chitwood, Lawrence Cutler, Murray Gell-Mann, Parvaneh Pourshariati, William Leitold, and H. K. Malhotra participated. Discussion was long and lively, but fruitful. Some participants had interesting coins from their collections to display as conversation pieces. Next fall, on a Saturday to be selected, there will be a third Arab-Byzantine Forum.

Coinage of the American Confederation Period, the Proceedings volume of the eleventh annual Coinage of the Americas Conference, held at the ANS on October 28, 1995, was released in October. Edited by the Chairman of the conference, Dr. Philip L. Mossman, this latest Society publication has been distributed to holders of the 1996 ANS Publications Subscription and is now available for purchase.

Largest of the COAC Proceedings volumes issued to date, this book is dedicated to James C. Spilman, in recognition of his devoted professionalism to the field of early American numismatics and his guidance of the Colonial Newsletter from 1963 until its donation to the ANS as of 1997.

Included in this profusely illustrated volume are nine articles reporting recent research on the conference theme. In his overview article, "The American Confederation: The Times and Its Money," Philip L. Mossman reviews and updates his work on the small change copper medium which was analyzed in depth in his major work, Money of the American Colonies and Confederation, published by the ANS in 1993.

Charles W. Smith, in "The English George III Contemporary Counterfeit Halfpenny: A Statistical Study of Production and Distribution," addresses three issues: distribution by date, production techniques, and eighteenth century metallurgical practices. This is followed by John M. Kleeberg's "The Shipwreck of the Faithful Steward: A 'Missing Link' in the Export of British and Irish Halfpence." Identifying British counterfeit halfpence dated 1775, washed up on shore near Rehoboth, Delaware, as being from this wreck, he discusses the breakdown of the British/Irish exchange differential for halfpence and the possibility that counterfeit halfpence were made in Ireland.

In "New Thoughts on the Nova Constellatio Private Copper Coinage," Eric P. Newman demonstrates that this coinage was first minted in mid-1785 in Birmingham, England, and was shipped in great quantities in late 1785 for circulation in America, apparently imported by firm of Constable, Rucker & Co. Pete Smith contends that the coinage of Vermont deserves a separate classification apart from "colonial" or "state" coinage, in his "Vermont Coppers: Coinage of an Independent Republic."

"The So-Called Atlee Broken 'A' Letter Punch," contributed by John Lorenzo, presents evidence in support of the author's contention that punch linking is only of secondary value in attributing the state copper coinages to a specific mint or craftsmen and other factors are of more importance in making that determination. Richard G. Doty returns to his Boulton research in "Coinage During the Confederation: Two Near Misses for Matthew Boulton," examining unsuccessful attempts by Charles Borel and John H. Mitchell to secure coining contracts using Boulton in England as the coiner.

In "Coinage Featuring George Washington," George Fuld brings together ca. 157 Washington coinage issues divided into two major groups: contemporary coinage with dates from 1792 to 1796; and non-contemporary coinage with fictitious dates from 1783 to 1793. Finally, Alan M. Stahl presents"Medals of the Comitia Americana Series in the Collections of the American Numismatic Society and Other Public Institutions," a catalogue of 113 specimens of the 14 medals authorized by Congress between 1776 and 1787 to reward prominent figures in the Revolutionary War.

Coinage of the American Confederation Period, xii, 346 pages, illustrated (ISBN 0-89722-263-6), issued by the ANS as COAC Proceedings No. 11, is available at $25 plus postage ($1.50 U.S.; $2.00 foreign).

Even if the study of large cents is an old tradition, new discoveries are made almost daily in this series. No coin has such a fascinating and involved history of research and collecting as the large cent. James Neiswinter discussed one of the very first researchers of the large cent, Joseph N. T. Levick, who assembled the cents and had the photograph made which Crosby used for his die study. Curiously, Levick knew as early as 1868 that variety Crosby 3-B was a fake, a chain AMERICA cent retooled to create a fake AMERI. reverse, yet he was unable to convince Crosby of this fact. George Clapp had already noted this oddity when he read through the Levick book of rubbings in the 1940s, but this is the first time that this has been told to the public at large. Levick appears to have been a better researcher than Crosby was.

R. W. Julian discussed aspects of the copper coinage of the early U.S. Mint, discussing die engravers and machinery. One notable discovery is that the Mint had too many presses. Julian has discovered the delivery of no fewer than eleven presses, yet he can find evidence for the use of only three.

ANS curator John Kleeberg re-examined the strawberry leaf cents of 1793. The term "strawberry leaf" was coined by David Proskey, when he wrote a series of articles on large cents for the Coin Collector's Journal. The unique strawberry leaf cent, with ONE CENT low, was first found in circulation by Mr. Meader of Providence, RI, in 1845. He sold it to Richard Winsor, and Winsor lent it to be photographed for the Levick plate. At the Winsor sale in 1895, Crosby bought it, and he sold it to Dr. Thomas Hall a few months later. A particular thrill for the audience was that the present owner of this piece brought it to the conference and displayed it. Kleeberg reviewed the evidence, and pointed out that there are so many differences in the lettering of the strawberry leaf cent that it is clear that its letters are hand-cut, not made with punches. It is not a product of the United States Mint. Kleeberg argued that it was a counterfeit made circa 1793-95. A lively discussion ensued, when some members of the audience, including R. W. Julian, suggested that the cent might not be a counterfeit, but a private pattern by a coiner who did not have access to punches.

John Wright discussed "The Hiatus," namely 1815, the only year for which there are no cents bearing a date. He pointed out that R. W. Julian has discovered that cents were made in 1815, but they all bore the date of 1816. Wright discussed the other episodes which might have distracted people from producing cents, such as the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of New Orleans.

After the lunch break, conference attendees heard Craig Sholley discuss "Early U.S. Coining Dies in the ANS Collection." The ANS has a number of early dies, all obverses, which were formerly used in the U.S. Mint. Most of the dies are extremely rusted. The dies include a die for an 1818 cent, an 1805 half dollar, an 180x quarter, and an 1803 eagle. These four dies were given to the Society in 1923 by the art dealers M. Knoedler. They almost certainly come from the estate of James Ellsworth, a noted art and coin collector, whose collection was sold in that year by Knoedler to Garrett and Wayte Raymond. Another die, a beautifully preserved obverse die for an 1806 half dollar, was donated in 1948 by Wayte Raymond. Two more dies, the obverse and reverse of an 1883-CC Morgan dollar, were donated in 1956 by T. James Clarke and were published by John Kleeberg in the COAC volume America's Silver Dollars. Sholley also showed slides of the 1823 cent dies, which still exist today.

Denis Loring gave a talk on proof large cents. He discussed the various criteria for defining a proof, and advocated the adoption of what he called "the Hodder criteria," based on Michael Hodder's paper which was published in part in Coin World. The technology for making a proof coin changes over time, Loring emphasized, and a proof coin is the best that the mint can do at that particular period. Criteria of a proof include mirror-like surfaces (but not always) and multiple striking.

Colonel Steven K. Ellsworth and Christopher B. Schwerdt gave a very lively paper about the Butternut hoard of 4,500 large cents. Their study of the Butternut hoard shows that many commonly held beliefs about relative rarity for early and middle dates are not correct. For example, 1809 large cents are rarer than many people think. This confirms the evidence of die studies, where there is only one marriage known for 1809. It is extremely generous of Ellsworth and Schwerdt to share this information about relative rarity, and this hoard information is a a very good development for large cent research and collecting, particularly for the middle dates.

Mark Borckardt concluded the conference with a discussion of the cent restrikes of 1804, 1810, and 1823. Borckardt has a remarkable record to uphold: every time he has walked into the upstairs coin room, he has brought in a coin which completely changes one's view of large cent research. Two years ago he walked in with a partial strike of a 1796 large cent, struck with the dies of a 1797 half cent. That the 1796 large cent proved to be only the second striking ever discovered of the variety Clapp-Newcomb 34, which has been unique since its first discovery in 1928. Clapp considered the variety authentic. Sheldon listed it in his first book, but condemned it as a retooled 1797 cent in 1958. Breen looked at the cent again and rehabilitated it in his large cent manuscript. Confirmation of Breen's hunch came when Borckardt discovered the 1796 large cent/1797 half cent overstrike. This time Borckardt walked into our upstairs coin room with a uniface striking of the 1820 cent reverse in tin, strikings of the 1823 cent in silver, copper, and tin, strikings of the 1804 cent in tin, and strikings of the 1810 cent in tin. These pieces were totally new to us. We have no idea how Borckardt will be able to keep this up, but we look forward greatly to his next visit.

The quality of the exhibits at this year's COAC was extremely high. The ANS exhibited unusual cents from the ANS collection, such as Clapp-Newcomb 34 and the Saltus-ANS strawberry leaf. The Clapp-ANS Jefferson head cent, the finest known example, was also on display. Alan Stahl put together a superb exhibit of medals from the early United States mint. Many of the pieces shown are rarer than many large cents, although nowhere near as beautiful. Conference speakers James Neiswinter and Mark Borckardt put on exhibits in connection with their talks. Neiswinter showed the two varieties of Levick plates (discovered by Charlie Davis) and Borckardt showed the large cent restrikes. Curatorial assistant Elena Stolyarik performed yeoman service in putting together the exhibit and correcting the labels.

We cannot end this article without mentioning the outstanding work done by Anthony Terranova. He is the member of the COAC committee in charge of encouraging people to exhibit. In 1944, James G. Macallister said that he thought the strawberry leaf cent was a counterfeit, but thought it would be a good idea to get all examples together at the same time to compare them. Fifty years later, Anthony Terranova made it possible to get three of the four known in the same room, since the current owner of two varieties (including the unique Meader-Winsor-Crosby-Hall piece) brought them both to the conference.

The theme for next year's Coinage of the Americas Conference will be "The Medal in America. " Although the conference will not be until next November 8, the topic has been announced early so that potential speakers will have time to plan their presentations. Proposals for papers will be welcomed on any aspect of the medals and decorations of the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere from the beginning through the present day. Facilities for projection of slides and transparencies will be available, and slides of objects in the Society's collection will be provided for the use of speakers. The proceedings will be published in the COAC series.

The 1997 COAC will be a reprise of the theme of that held a decade ago, in 1987. That conference accompanied the opening of the landmark exhibit "The Beaux-Arts Medal in America," with its award-winning catalogue by Barbara A. Baxter. The 1997 Congress will also be accompanied by important exhibitions, featuring historic and contemporary pieces.

Further information on the Conference is available from the Society's Curator of Medals, Alan Stahl.

In conjunction with: the November 9 COAC conference on large cents, an exhibit went on display in the Society's East Hall entitled "American Medals, 1792 to 1857." Assembled by ANS Curator of Medals Alan Stahl, the exhibit features important pieces from The Society's unrivaled collection of medals from this important era.

The exhibit begins with medals of the United States Mint, ranging from the Indian Peace Medals for the Jefferson administration made from uniface silver shells, through the large and high relief medals for the heroes of the Mexican War. A selection of medals engraved by John Reich includes the set of pieces of Washington and Franklin commissioned by Joseph Sansom in 1805 and the silver badge of the George Washington Benevolent Society from 1808. Among the medals of Mortiz Furst on display are the rare portrait medal of Benjamin Rush and representative pieces from his series for the heroes of the War of 1812, including the gold medal presented to Andrew Jackson.

Among later examples of the Mint's production in the exhibit are the large medal voted by Congress to Duncan Ingraham engraved by James B. Longacre, a silver lifesaving medal by Francis Kohler, and the 1826 medal by Christian Gobrecht for the New England Society. Charles Cushing Wright was the most important American medalist of the first half of the nineteenth century, and the exhibit features both known gold examples of his medal for Col. William S. Bliss. Among Wright's private initiatives on display are a seal die he made in 1820 for Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, examples of his 1826 Erie Canal medal in wooden mounts, and the unique medal of George Washington he made in 1853 for Charles I. Bushnell.

Other medals from private mints include works of the Lovett family, represented by Robert Lovett, Sr., and his three sons, including George Hamden Lovett, who became the most important private medalist of the second half of the century. Also on view are the earliest known medals of the Tiffany Company, struck in 1857 for the Arctic exploits of Elisha Kent Kane, and the Indian Peace Medals for Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan, struck outside the Mint by Salathiel Ellis and Joseph Willson.

The exhibit will remain on display in the Society's East Exhibit Hall through January 11, 1997.

The ANS, in cooperation with the Harry Bass Research Foundation (HBRF), is in process of developing a major new outreach vehicle - a presence on the Internet. Enabled readers are invited to access the Society's web site at http://www.amnumsoc.org.

Comments are welcome and appreciated in our continuing efforts to capitalize on this extremely convenient and versatile communications medium. The entire ANS staff is currently Internet e-mail enabled - which is proving to be of great benefit to all. The new capabilities afforded by our own WWW site hold significant promise for use of the Society's resources by those unable to visit in person.

The site's contents page is hot-linked to a number of levels of information from historical data to descriptions of the work of the various departments to news of forthcoming events. For convenience, included are blank forms for membership application and photography orders. A complete listing of ANS Publications in Print is mounted with color illustrations of the cards and medals offered for sale by the Society. Current and prior Newsletters, as well as the most recent Annual Report, are also available "online."

Also linked from the ANS site is NIP, the Numismatic Indexes Project undertaken by the HBRF, which facilitates rapid keyword searches of the Society's journals as well as several other American periodicals. The pilot project to capture on-line the bibliography, Numismatic Literature, published by the ANS since 1947, is also available. Comments on this project are solicited by e-mail to: hwbass@hbrf.org.

The Society is in process of installing a museum-wide Internet capability to enable all staff members to access web sites throughout the world. Already in place at the ANS is an e-mail server, amnumsoc.org. Individuals accessing departmental pages on the ANS web site may communicate directly with the relevant staff member simply by clicking on the e-mail address highlighted in the text. ANS staff e-mail addresses comprise the last name of the individual plus @amnumsoc.org. Messages sent to info@amnumsoc.org will be routed to the appropriate person.

During the autumn quarter, two new part-time assistants will be employed in the library. Mayra Castillo and Lydia Hued, who attend Fordham University, will be helping with shelving, filing, photocopying, and processing library materials. Both assistants will arrange a work schedule to conform with their class schedules at Fordham.

Dr. Philip Mossman, the new Society editor of the Colonial Newsletter, has been in contact with the Librarian in recent weeks regarding resources required for his editorial work. Use of e-mail and the fax machine have greatly facilitated communication between Mossman and the library. On those occassions when he must actually visit the Society to carry out editorial research, an e-mail sent in advance of his visit enables the library staff to have ready and waiting the works he must consult upon his arrival from Maine.

The Harry Bass Foundation, Dallas, TX, has made a generous donation of $3,000.00 to the library's endowment fund. This grant and those made in the past by the Foundation have enabled the library to maintain an active acquisitions program and achieve a high standard of collection development.

Among the many volumes donated to the library are four works on seals, the gift of Frank Kovacs of San Mateo, CA. These are Giacomo C. Bascapé, Sigillografia: Il sigillo nella diplomatica, nel diritto, nella storia, nell'arte, vol. 1, Sigillografia generale i sigilli pubblici e quelli privati (1969); D. L. Galbreath, Inventaire des sceaux vaudois (1937); Marian Gumowski, Najstarsze pieczecie miast polskich XIII i XIV wieku (1960); and Mancel's Les anciennes abbayes de Normandie. Atlas de 30 planches (1834). From Richard Margolis we have received P. Mantellier, De l'exposition des monnaies étrangères en France de la contrefacon des especes françaises et du faux-monnayage du XIe au XVIIIe siècle (1867); and Livia Calian and Maria Magdalena Jude, Catalogul medaliilor napoleoniene din cabinetul numismatical Muzeului National de Istorie a Transilvaniei (1995). Jonathan Kagan of New York City has presented a copy of Frc. Wenc. de Adlersfeld, Periodus historica ab Octaviano Augusto usque ad Diocletianum et Maximianum, trium seculorum cursu conflata, atque inscriptionibus, Caesarum vitis, notis historicus, numismatis, & politicis in symbola reflexionibus illustrata... (1736); and a beautifully produced manuscript catalogue of Mughal coins (ca. 1809) attributed to Sir Gore Ouseley. George Fuld has donated a group of original photographs utilized in his research on Benjamin Franklin medals. These will complement an earlier gift received from Anthony Terranova of New York City consisting of correspondence, photographs, and photocopies pertaining to Franklin compiled by Mr. Fuld.

Of special significance, since it memorializes a true aficionado of the antiquarian works of numismatics, is the gift presented to the library by Mrs. Lilly Wronker in remembrance of her late husband Erich. The gift consisted of three very early and quite rare auction sales. These are A Catalogue of the Entire and Valuable Library of Martin Folkes, Esq.... (auction of February 2 and days following, 1756); Verzeichniss einer zahlreichen und auserlesenen Sammlung von 1750 durchgehends sehr wohl conservirten guldenen und silbernen neuen Münzen und Thalern.... (auction by Rademin, June 8, 1750); and Vollständiger catalogus eines raren Müntz-Cabinets worinnen so wohl von Gold als Silber allerhand Medaillen, Ducaten Thaler und kleinere Stücke ... . (auction of June 10 and days following, 1709). From Frank and Laurese Katen of Silver Spring, MD, we have received a bound presentation copy of The World-Wide Numismatic Library of Frank and Laurese Katen, parts 1-6.

Among the works donated by various authors and publishers are Ali Akyildiz, Osmanli finans sisteminde donum noktasi kagit para ve sosyo-ekonomik etkileri (Istanbul, EREN Yayincilik ve Kitapcilik Ltd, 1996); The Charlton standard catalogues of Canadian Bank Notes, Canadian Coins, and Canadian Government Paper Money (Toronto, W. K. Cross, Charlton Press); Maria Caccamo Caltabiano, La Sicilia tra l'Egitto e Roma: La monetazione siracusana dell'eta di Ierone II. (Universita di Messina, 1995); Guido Crapanzano, Soldi d'Italia: Un secolo di cartamoneta, 24 febbraio-5 maggio 1996 (Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Parma, 1995); Georges Depeyrot, Les monnaies d'or de Constantin II à Zenon (337-491) (Paris, CNRS, 1996); Medunarodni Numizmaticki Kongres u Hrvatskoj (1st International Numismatical Congress in Croatia, 12-15 X.1995) (Lovran, Numizmaticki Studio Dobrinic & Dobrinic, 1996); Edward L. Fletcher Jr., The Shield Five Cent Series: A Comprehensive Listing of Known Varieties (Ormond Beach FL., the author, 1994); Nina A. Frolova, Essays on the Northern Black Sea Region Numismatics (Odessa, Polis Press, 1995); Kenneth W. Harl, Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. (Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996); Brian Kritt, Seleucid Coins of Bactria (Lancaster, PA, Classical Numismatic Group, 1996); Ivo Lukanc, Les imitations des monnaies d'Alexandre Le Grand et de Thasos (Wetteren, Edit Cultura, 1996); Jens Pilegaard and Boerge R. Juul, eds. Sieg's montkatalog 1997 (San Antonio, Glascock, Inc., 1996); Bernard Remy, Grenoble, Bibliothèque Municipale d'Étude et d'Information: Catalogue des monnaies, 1: Monnaies grecques, Alexandrie (Egypte): Monnaies des Lagides et romaines imperiales. Avec la collaboration de Rodolfo Martini (Milan, Edizione ennerre, 1996); Fred Schwan, Collecting Coins (New York, Carol Fass, 1996); Novella Vismara, Monetazione arcaica della Lycia, 3: Le prime emissioni del Wedri. Le serie di a, delle città di ibanuwa (Simena), di Zagaba (Lagbe), di Zemuri (Limyra) e di Prl (Aperlai) e le emissioni federali di Ite e di Te (Glaux, 6) (Milan, Edizione ennerre, 1996); Richard S. Yeoman, 1997 Handbook of United States Coins with Premium List, 54th ed. (Racine, WI, Western Publishing Company, 1996). The Orders and Medals Society of America has generously donated the following titles in their monograph series: Arthur H. Houston, and Vicken Koundakjian, Wound Medals, Insignia and Next-of-kin Awards of the Great War; Jack Boddington, A Medallic History of the Royal Life Saving Society; Fred L. Borch, The Bronze Star Medal; David L. Cabral, Orders and Decorations of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea; R. J. Malloch, The Royal Victorian Chain and Other Honours of the Sovereign; James W. Peterson, Orders & Medals of Japan and Associated States. In addition, the Classical Numismatic Group has been most generous in donating a number of publications from the firm's book stock. The Librarian is also grateful for the gifts of auction catalogues received from Dr. Ralph R. Sonnenschein, Malibu, CA, Charles Hersh, Mineola, NY, and Gordon Frost, Forest Hills, NY.

On the evening of October 9, the Museums Council of New York paid a visit to Audubon Terrace and stopped by the ANS to view the exhibits and facilities. The Museums Council includes representatives from over a hundred museums and other cultural institutions within New York City. Each month, members visit a local institution to acquaint themselves with its resources and staff. There is little formal business, and these visits generally comprise large amounts of networking and socializing.

The evening at Audubon Terrace began with cocktails in the Sorolla Room of the Hispanic Society and an opportunity to visit the newly opened North Galleries of that institution as well as the overwhelming collection of important Spanish art works normally on view.

The group then proceeded to the ANS, where curator Alan Stahl introduced the exhibit "American Numismatic Design, 1892-1922," which is on view in the East Hall. Chief Curator William Metcalf was also on hand to welcome the group to the museum and answer questions about many aspects of the Society's program. While viewing the exhibits, the guests enjoyed a glass of wine.

The hospitality continued at the American Academy of Arts and Letters on our other side, where the visitors were treated to a buffet supper in the Academy's library, surrounded by works by the prestigious writers who have been members over the past century. The group then received a tour of the Academy's magnificent McKim, Mead, and White building, now undergoing extensive renovations. Of special interest were the Academy's meeting room, with the names of successive members attached to the back of each chair, and the large and ornate auditorium, renowned for its acoustics. At the end of the evening, each visitor received a bag with informational material on the three institutions visited.

The central issue of the Committee's discussion was ways and means to revive the study of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese coins at the ANS. The Society has one of the world's largest collections of these series, and one of the most easily accessible, but it has not been much used since the departure of Rose Chan Houston as curator in 1988. At the suggestion of Mr. Bressett, the Committee intends to sponsor an educational session at the 1997 American Numismatic Association meeting in New York City, with presentations directed toward providing interested collectors and historians with information on resources available for East Asian coins, especially at the Society. Subsequently, in the fall of 1997, the Committee will organize an informal, Saturday meeting at the Society to bring together East Asian specialists, exchange news and discoveries, and start a more active role for the ANS in a burgeoning field.

The fall meeting of the New York Classical Club was held at the ANS on November 1 and featured Chief Curator William E. Metcalf speaking on "Looking at Roman Coins." A group of about 30 Classical Club and ANS members heard a talk on how to teach using Roman coins. The Club has about 200 members in the New York area, and their dues support not only the Club's activities but scholarships to support study in the summer programs offered at the American Academy in Rome and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Information about membership can be obtained from the secretary, Dr. David J. Murphy, The Nightingale-Bamford School, 20 East 92nd Street, New York, NY, 10128.

The ninety-eighth annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and the one hundred twenty-eighth annual meeting of the American Philological Association will be held at the New York Hilton and Towers December 27-30. Both programs will have numismatic components. On Saturday December 28 at 9:00 A.M. the session on epigraphy and numismatics will be chaired by Chief Curator William E. Metcalf, who will also deliver a paper on "Rome and Alexandria in the Reign of Aurelian." Other papers included in this session are "The Coinage of the Archon Hugiaenon for the Bosporan Kingdom" by Elena Stolyarik, ANS Curatorial Assistant; "The Auguraculum, Suet. Tit. 5-9, and a New Denarius from Carthage" by John D. MacIsaac of Mary Washington College (Graduate Seminar 1967); "Coins and the Biography of the Usurper Laelianus" by Liane Houghtalin of Mary Washington College (Graduate Seminar 1980); and "Visual Tricks in Ancient Art" by David Smart of Brown University (Graduate Seminar 1991).

On Sunday December 29 at 11:00 the APA will sponsor a session called "Money and History." Among the six participants are ANS Councillor John H. Kroll of the University of Texas (Graduate Seminar 1963), who will speak on "Billon, Profitability, and the Spread of Silver Coinage in Sixth Century B.C. Greece," and J. Rufus Fears (Seminar 1969) of the University of Oklahoma, who will address "Roman Coins and Roman History."

The ANS will sponsor a reception for friends and alumni on Saturday December 28 from 7:00-9:00 P.M. in the Rendezvous Trianon Room of the Hilton and Towers.

On October 9, 1996, Carmen Arnold-Biucchi gave a lecture on "Archaic Selinus through the Coins" at the Princeton local chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), invited by its present president Anna Benjamin, Emeritus Professor of Classics at Rutgers University. These lectures always take place at the Institute for Advanced Study and the audience is a mixture of scholars, students from Princeton University, interested collectors, and laymen. Arnold was the guest of ANS Fellow Brooks E. Levy and enjoyed the opportunity to see many old friends again.

The Bullowa Memorial Conference is supported by a generous grant from Mrs. Catherine Bullowa-Moore in memory of David Bullowa.