Steve--Gone
by Larry (Ski) Smulczenski
This week we got the tragic news that dear friend Steve Feller had passed away. Apparently, he was on a trip with students to Denver. While waiting for a flight home in Cedar Rapids, he experienced difficulties. He was rushed to a hospital where they operated on him which he survived, but an infection resulted that took his life.
I have known Steve for a long time. No, we didn't live in the same town, nor did we go to the same college or work together. But we did collect banknotes and the hobby put us in the same place several times each year. I remember the first time we met, I believe it was at a Memphis Paper Money Show. Steve was walking the bourse floor with a young girl and would tell her about the various items of his interest. I thought to myself that a young child as this would not remember anything he spoke about. I was wrong as this young lady was Steve's daughter, Ray and she has continued going to paper money shows with her father for all these years and she still listens to him. Together they have made presentations about the money used by civilian internees in camps around the world during World War Two. Their studies resulted in numerous discoveries and were documented in a book entitled Silent Witnesses: Civilian Camp Money of World War I|. And that young lady has grown up to be a good wife, a fine mother and an outstanding, knowledgeable numismatist in the field her father cherished.
Steve was a college professor and became the Director of the Physics Department at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, lowa. As such, he usually traveled to conferences around the world during the summers. Somehow. he was always able to find an internment camp in the immediate vicinity of the meeting that he could visit. One such visit was to the Isle of Mann located equidistant between England and Ireland in the Irish Sea. This island was used as an internment camp for Axis civilians during World War Two.
Steve explored the island and some of the hotels where the internees were lodged and gathered what information anyone he met could provide. One hotel allowed him access to the attic where he found war-dated newspapers that he liberated. On his return to the states several of us received long phone reports of his travels. This trips also resulted in a magazine article that described the train system on the island and how the internees were able to work at various farms and facilities located there.
About seven or eight years ago, I received a call from Steve asking if I knew of an internment camp in Texas known as Crystal City. I replied that I did, and that it was about 200 miles from me southwest of San Antonio. Also, that I had a few tokens from there. Steve asked if he and Ray flew into Austin, could we make a trip? Sure, I replied, I can pick you up at the airport, provide room and board and the four of us can go but can Ray handle that? I was worried as I had heard that Ray, who had married over a year ago was now pregnant and expecting in month or so. Steve said that Ray was fine and she wanted to go. Everything was normal on their trip to Texas and our trip to Crystal City which we discovered was the Spinach capital of the world with a statue of Popeye in front the municipal building. The camp was very interesting and in better condition than most of the POW camps I have visited but still suffered from the hot south Texas weather for over fifty years. We saw the swimming pool that was built by the internees with two sets of dressing rooms because the Germans would not use the same facilities as the Japanese. The deep end of the pool was now filled with dirt so no one visiting would accidentally fall in and get hurt The school was still standing as were a number of other buildings. Signs posted indicated that parts of the facility were to be renovated for historical reference. The trip back to Georgetown was uneventful but Ray hurt badly that night. She ended up on the couch in a fetal position as lying on the bed was painful. They made their flights home that afternoon and she had that baby in a couple of days. I often think about how close I came to being a midwife in my family room.
These are just a few of my memories of Steve Feller. He was a great friend, and I will cherish those couple of days each year that we met at a show and usually had dinner together. He was a dedicated father and family man but there is no doubt that Ray was his Tonto or Robin. He was an adventurer and didn't mind getting his hands dirty, chasing information he was interested in. He was always ready to go when the opportunity presented itself. There is no doubt in my mind that we lost a great one too early.
Recollections
by Bill Myers
I first met Steve at the MPC Fest when he brought his young daughter with him. I learned that the Steve and Ray were pursuing concentration and internment camp items. Thatt piqued my interest and I had to have some of those numismatic items.
Along with their book Silent Witness I become more knowledgeable about concentration and internment camp numismatic items. I exchanged information with Steve as well as getting clarification on items I had found. We also had conversations about many other topics. It was always a pleasure to see Steve and have discussions with him. Steve was also a member of my company B and took on his duty assignments enthusiastically. Company B grew larger with the addition of two other festers thanks Ray, that kid I saw with at the Fest. Steve will be greatly missed and there will be a void in Company B without him. My prayers are with Steve and his family and wish him great enjoyment at the Great Bourse in the sky.
(all above images of Steve by Bill Myers.
Editorial
Steve and I met via a phone call. He and Barbara had written an article for The Numismatist on Operation Bernhard. I was excited about it and called Steve to discuss it (Operation Bernhard). We bonded immediately. I believe that the article appeared in the December 1981 The Numismatist.
I invited Steve and family to visit as soon as possible for a WWII numismatic meeting (the first MPCFest or at least mini Fest?).
We had a great time. Fortunately, Judy, Barbara and Steve's two daughters also got along great because Steve and I ignored them.
At that meeting, I learned the answer to a mystery. In 1979 I had received an order for fifteen copies of Schwan-Boling I--World War II Military Currency--from a small college book store. It was the only such order that I ever received. I learned at that meeting that the books had been from the Coe College book store. Coe was where Steve taught physics. In addition, Steve taught a class on World War II numismatics during a mini term between the major college terms. If our meeting above was the first Fest, then Steve's class must have been the first military numismatics seminar/class.
Since that first meeting, Steven and I have had many meetings, meals, and poker games. Beyond these we have had many phone calls. Naturally, Steve was my goto source on science and especially physics. (I called him many times to settle a dispute with my brother). Beyond those topics Steve was my main man for baseball and poker discussions. Of course out major bond was our special branch of collecting which for lack of a better term we call military numismatics.
Of course within military numismatics, Steve was the ultimate source of information on civilian camp money. The breath of this subject is quite amazing and the depth of our understanding of the subject is largely because of the vigor of Steve's research.
Ray hurried to be at Steve's side when he was first hospitalized in Denver. She called me to suggest that I might want to call Steve on a daily basis to help with his morale during his hospital stay which was anticipated to be a few more days. She offered the following observation to help put matters into what we assumed might be a serious but certainly would be temporary situation.
Ray reported "Steve had been observed describing to a random hospital worker the breath and importance of camp money during World War II.
I took Ray's suggestion and began calling Steve. I got him on the phone the first two or three days and had nice chats with Steve. I suppose that it is better that we did not know or appreciate the gravity of the situation because that ignorance allowed us to have simple chats like the hundreds of others.
Not only is it trite to say that Steve will be missed, it is also wrong. He is missed. Fortunately, his completed work will be available for decades. Furthermore, Steve's personal research will inspire others for additional decades.
---o---
As you know, it has been a struggle getting the Gram out over the past several months. I have described the problems as being multifaceted and they have been. Hopefully, I have solved part of the problem. I spent yesterday at the Toledo Apple Store and came home with a new laptop. I am not certain that it was necessary, but I am confident that it will work! Still, there are some problems. Some of these are software based. Others are operator based! We will continue to work on all of these. In the meantime, you can continue to help. If you received this Gram in good order quiz your corresponds if they received a copy and forward a copy too them. I think that this is the last time that I will need to ask for this help--but we will see.
Mail Call
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Dear Editor, As if by miracle, I received a Gram shortly after writing to you!
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Training Schedule (calendar)
2025
In this section, the MPGram lists events that are likely to be of special interest to collectors who are interested in MPC and other type of military numismatic items. We do not list "routine" coin shows where a collector might find a few items by chance. However, if we know that some Festers or Gramsters will be there we will list that same show in the hope of promoting fellowship. Send us your reports.
2026 shows
ANA National Money Show® 26-28 Feb, Savannah, GA MSNS – 17-19 Apr, Oakland Expo Center, Waterford MI Georgia Numismatic Assn Show 17-19 Apr, Dalton – Festers attending MPCFest 2026 10-12 April Central States - 22-25 April [you are showing this extending across 8 days a week later] Netherlands world paper money show 1-3 May ANA Summer Seminar (Boling counterfeit paper course): 20-25 Jun ANA Summer Seminar (WWII course): 27 Jun-2 July ANA World's Fair of Money® - 25-29 Aug, Pittsburgh
Please help us fill in the dates for events listed and give us any additional events that might conflict. Thank you very much.
MPCFest sponsors
Joe and Louise Boling, Mike Buckley, Steve Fahrlander, Steve and Ray Feller, Dave Frank, Loretta Freyser, Al Glaser, Jennifer and Eric Kibbey (dba Camelot Coins), Harold Kroll, Bill Myers and Warner Talso.
MPCFest is possible because of the generous support of its sponsors:
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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)