~DENNIS ASKS: "How many different railroad encased are there that advertise ' Handling Freight Carefully'?"

REPLY: "Dennis, I don't think I know of any "Handling Freight Carefully" pieces. There are quite a few that say: 'Handle Cars Carefully,' or 'Handle Freight Carefully,' including prevent claim language. I think this was mostly, though not completely, for the Penna. RR. The pieces are all horseshoe shaped and to my knowledge all come with 1956D cent. Here are the pieces I have heard of:

1. Vic Nolan #18 reports a 1956D piece in the Penna. catalog that says, Prevent Damage - Handle Cars Carefully/ Penna. RR - Pittsburgh region.

2. I believe I saw a piece on eBay in August this year for the Penna. RR, with the same slogan for the NW Region.

3. The ECI Penna. list has a generic piece for the Penna. RR but their description only says "Prevent Freight Claims" and doesn't have the handle language (though I assume it was probably there).

4. My Ohio catalog lists the following piece: 1956D, H. Prevent Freight Claims Handle Cars Carefully/ Penna. RR// Buckeye/ Region\\ KMANGB.

5. I have a 1956D piece that says Prevent Claims Handle Cars Carefully/ N & W R Y/ Company.

This is obviously a series, like the many series I described in the last ECI newsletter. I would imagine there are more pieces, but these 5 are all I can find reference."
 

~KELLY ASKS: "What year was the first encased coin made?"

REPLY: "Hello, Kelly, good question. If you are speaking of encased coins as we know them, the coin pressed in the middle of aluminum, the answer is probably 1900. The first design patent for the squat horseshoe piece was issued on April 11, 1899 (that date is on the pieces and on the patent), but I don't think they got around to making any until late 1900, due to the very small number of pieces that have 1900 cents in them compared to 1901 cents.
I think some pieces were likely made in 1900, for example, the maverick piece for the Enquirer referring to the total vote of Ohio, which was probably for the 1900 election (although there the formula doesn't really work for guessing the total vote of Ohio based on what I know). However, it is possible that pieces were made in 1900, even though there are a few with 1900 cents in them because sometimes last year's cents were used in production near the beginning of a year (for example if I had an encased piece made in January 2007, I could only use 2006 cents as the 2007s weren't yet available). It can't be the other way around though -- I have a piece with a 1901 English farthing in it for Smith Typewriter that refers to a Grand Prix, Paris 1900, but unless my piece has a replaced cent in it (and it doesn't seem too), that piece couldn't have been made in 1900, as where would they have gotten the 1901 farthing in 1900? I suspect the typewriter won a prize at the Paris Grand Prix in 1900, but they didn't get around to bragging about it until 1901."