A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars
The Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey Medal
“…the abode of bohemian bachelors.”
– The Adventure of The Three Garridebs (3GAR)
The Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey had their charter meeting on February 28, 1969 with eight members in attendance.¹ They would later have a irregular newsletter, The Scandal Sheet.
The above medal appears to have been made in 1971. This would make this the oldest item of Sherlockian Numismatica, with the next item coming in 1978 (that’s for another post).
OBVERSE: (Bust of Sherlock Holmes, with deerstalker cap and pipe, facing right) / • 1895 •
REVERSE: (violin and bow) / “The Best and the Wisest / Man Whom I Have Ever Known” / JOHN H. WATSON, M.D. / © THE OSTLERS • SBNJ • 1971 / LOMBARDO
32mm, 1 troy oz. .999 fine silver, Round
In reviewing back issues of The Baker Street Journal, we have gleaned the following nuggets:
At the November 19, 1971 meeting of the Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey, it’s newly appointed Gasogene, Norman Nolan, updated the membership on the status of the Sherlockian coin project.²
From the Wants and Offers section of the December, 1971 issue of The Baker Street Journal (Vol. 21, No.4, page 252):
A solid silver (.999 fine) Sherlockian medal, 1 1/4″ in diameter, is offered by The Scandalous Bohemians. The obverse bears a profile of the Master and the reverse a suitable quotation by Watson. It will sell for $12., postpaid in U.S. Foreign orders please add 50¢. A limited number of identical coins numbered serially to 100 are also available at $15. Orders for expected delivery in late December are being taken. Cheques should be made out to The Ostlers – SBNJ and sent to Martin J. King, 1113 Sylvan Lane, Mountainside, N.J. 07092.
In the next issue of issue of The Baker Street Journal (January 1972, Vol. 22, No. 1, page 63) there is this update in the Wants and Offers column:
All orders and inquiries regarding The Scandalous Bohemians’ Sherlockian medal project (see page 252 of the December BSJ) should be send to Norman S. Nolan, 68 Crest Road, Middleton, N.J. 07748.
At the March 24, 1972 meeting of the Scandalous Bohemians³, there is a report that “Our newly minted Sherlock Holmes medal were available for the first time at a group gathering, and great interest was shown.”
During the January 5, 1973 William Gillette Memorial Luncheon at Keen’s Chop House, Rev. Henry Folsom presented BSI Commissionaire Julian Wolff with one of the Scandalous Bohemians’ silver Sherlock Holmes medal.4
If anyone has any additional information they could share about this medal, please comment below.
¹ Baker Street Journal, Vol. 19 No. 2, June 1969, page 117
² Baker Street Journal, Vol. 22 No. 1, March 1972, page 57
³ Baker Street Journal, Vol. 22 No. 3, September 1972, page 194
4 Baker Street Journal, Vol. 23 No. 1, March 1973, page 55
UPDATE 7/27/20105 – See our post An Update On July’s HolmeWork Assignment: A Nicaraguan Stamp and the Sherlock Holmes Medal
This story was highlighted in the January 18, 2015 issue of The E-Sylum and can be viewed at http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n03a25.html
[…] Our theory is that the silver Sherlock Holmes medal that was presented to Mr. Sevilla-Sacasa was the recently issued medal by the Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey that we discussed in an earlier post. […]