2024 American Numismatic Association Military Numismatics Summer Seminar class
Mark Your Calendars
Date for the 2025 MPCFest have been finalized. The Fest will be held 4-6 April 2025. As usual it will be at Camp Leo May (aka Holiday Inn Express, Port Clinton, OH.) Plans are underway to make it the best Fest ever! Start your planning now! First and foremost, call Kim at 419 732 7322 to confirm your spot. Watch this space for more Fest news and plans.
Magazines Supporting War Bonds
by Bill Myers
The US Treasury Department solicited support for the war effort from magazine publishers. In the 1940s magazines were a popular form of entertainment and there were probably thousands of different magazines being published. The Treasury Department requested that the US flag be placed on the cover of the July issue and 500 magazines participated.
The Treasury Department then requested a War Bond be placed on the cover of the July 1944 issue of magazines to support the Fifth War Bond drive. 2500 magazines were contacted. Not all participated but a large number did. Many had an image of a war bond on the cover as a single image or the cover image interacting the bond. Other magazines had images of war savings stamps and the folders to hold the stamps. Still others would have a small box with "Buy War Savings Stamps and Bonds" with and without the Minuteman. Images supporting war bonds also appeared on the covers of magazines dated other than July 1944. Many magazines can be obtained at a reasonable cost but some magazines with small circulations can be expensive.
Editorial
Larry Gibbs and I outside my office in Scott Bluff, Nebraska where we had a meeting enroute home from the Summer Seminar. The Series 471 five cent piece was found over the last few weeks. Well, at least the image was found on my computer. I am not sure how I obtained it, but I knew that you would like to see it! If I owe someone a photo credit, please shout out.
The boss and I are finally back at Gram HQ after driving more than 3300 miles in conjunction with the ANA Summer Seminar. It was a great event as it always is. We had a fun and robust class with a wide range of interests and knowledge. We hope to hear from more students about the experience (Frank Clark has reported, see below). Believe it or not, it is time to start planning for the 2026 Seminar! Yes, we need to start immediately raising money for scholarships for the 2026 class and potential students should start planning to have the time on their calendars.
Mail Call
The MPCGram welcomes letters from readers. Letters should be relevant to military numismatics. Letters may be edited. Senders must be known to the Gram and names (actual or "Internet") will be used.
Dear Editor,
Here are the two MFC Series 231 stars I received. The serial A00000008* $50 was at my graduation banquet table.
The serial A00000005* $5 was given to me by my friend Jose, who attended the banquet. He is the Dallas Coin Club Secretary. Jose knew he had a star, but I told him it was a better star as the serial number matches the denomination.
I was shocked when I first saw it.
— Frank
Dear Esteemed MPCGram Editor,
Missing from your Calendar/Training Plan in the last MPCGram. This is true regardless of what the number is.
ANA National Money Show, Feb 27-1 March 2025
GNA Show, 11-13 April
Festers and Gramsters should plan to attend. In general, the natives are friendly, you can drink the water, no visa is needed when entering from Tennessee or South Carolina and finally, no shots are required.
— John Phipps
Dear Editor,
I have not received a Gram in a month or more. What gives?
— Several Gramsters
Dear Gramsters,
We are sorry about the interruption in the Gram schedule. Watch for great Grams over the next few weeks.
— Editor
Training Schedule (calendar)
2024 shows
- ANA World's Fair of Money -- 6-10 Aug, Rosemont
2025
- ANA National Money Show, Feb 27-1 March 2025
- GNA Show, 11-13 April
- MPC Fest 2025 dates--4-6 April
- Michigan State NS--April 10-12
- ANA World's Fair of Money -- 19-23 Aug, Oklahoma City
Please help us fill in the dates for events listed and give us any additional events that might conflict. Thank you very much.
Resources
MPC Boot Camp by Fred Schwan https://youtu.be/ReL-dBk2cPk
MPCFest Sponsors
Joe and Louise Boling, Steve and Ray Feller, Dave Frank, Al Glaser, Dave Hunsicker, Brett Irick, Harold Kroll, Mike Marcil, Bill Myers and Warner Talso.
MPCFest is possible because of the generous support of its sponsors.
Gram Exchange
Do you have something for sale (or trade)? Are you looking for something for your collection? You can offer items here in the Gram or list specific items that you need.
FOR SALE
Send your text and images (!) to the editor for inclusion in the Gram Exchange. Please send the images in jpeg format with each image in a separate file.
List your items for sale here for FREE
New, fifth edition of the standard MPC reference book the Comprehensive Catalog of Military Payment Certificates by Schwan and Smulczenski. Now full color and packed with great information. $75 postpaid. No waiting--the fastest service possible. Send your snail mail address via email and we will send your book with an invoice. The digital version of Comprehensive Catalog of Military Payment Certificates after some delay is now shipping at $40. Send to fredschwan@yahoo.com.
WANTED
Wanted to Buy [WTB] / In Search of [ISO] $10 Series 1934A North Africa silver certificate with the altered blue seal discussed in October 2022 MPCGram by Larry Smulczenski (Saturski #13) and covered in May/June 2008 SPMC article written by Peter Huntoon and Jim Downey. Please contact Andy Conroy (andyqconroy@gmail.com)
MPC Gram Staff & Info
Publisher and editor: Fred Schwan fredschwan@yahoo.com
Editor emeritus and columnist: Roger Urce stjasele@gmail.com
MPC Gram info: fredschwan@yahoo.com
Financing the war columnist: Warner Talso - wwtalso@gmail.com
Columnist at large: Bill Myers
Columnist at large: Jim Downey - mufelika@charter.net
Columnist: Fabrizio Raponi runfab@gmail.com
Columnist: Louise Boling copperboling@gmail.com
Fest auctioneer: Dave Frank - dave@frankcomputers.com
Fest yearbook editor and photographers: Kris and Cuneyd Tolek - ctolek@yahoo.com