Howdy Folks - Welcome Back to The Tarnished Truth !

     I say welcome back because as most of you know our previous Newsletter Editor Ray hung up his keyboard a few months ago and until now WINS has been without a Newsletter. Well this is my attempt at trying to pick up where Ray left off. Ray did a great job for several years and I for one would like to thank him for all the time and effort he put into "The Tarnished Truth". I can tell you from past experience - writing a regular newsletter is not an easy task. I only hope I can do half as good a job as Ray did. So with that said - let's get on with it !!

     First things first - WINS recently conducted its first election for club officers. I personally want to thank those who stepped up and agreed to volunteer their time to fill these offices. I also want to thank those who took the time to vote. This was a long time in coming but it has happened now and I am sure it will be but the first step in bringing about changes and enhancements that will only make the club better. For those of you who may not be aware of this because you have not visited the site recently or because you are not currently signed up for one the club email lists the following are those who have been elected and the office they hold. Contact information for each of the club officers has also been provided in the form of a link. So if you feel the need to contact any of us directly - please do so.

October 2003 Election Results - The following club members were elected by simple majority of the vote cast, as defined in the Bylaws.

						President: Ralph J. Huntzinger WINS#158		Vice President: Ray Larson WINS#20		Secretary: David Noble WINS#204
						Treasurer: Joe Garbarini WINS#9		Operations Admin: JD White WINS#7		Newsletter Editor: Doug Prather WINS#294
								Librarian: Josh Moran WINS#62

    I would also at this time like to make a few comments about what you, the members of WINS, can expect here in YOUR Newsletter. That's right - it's yours - it's not mine. I just work here ;-} The purpose of The Tarnished Truth is multifaceted. First and foremost it is to keep you, the membership, informed about what is going on within the club itself as well as in the numismatic world. It is also supposed to be fun - not only for me to write but for you to read. And it is supposed to be informative and educational. So many, if not all, of the regular features of the past Newsletter will be returning. There will also be some new features as well - among them one titled - "The President's Corner". This feature will be for our club President, Ralph Huntzinger to report to the membership what has been happening within the club and about certain decisions or changes that have been made by the club officers. It will also be for him to make any comments about issues or events that he feels are important to the club. These changes and decisions will affect you the membership so I encourage you to read this report on a regular basis.

    There will also be a regular report by our Operations Administrator, JD White titled - "From Behind the Green Curtain". ( Think back a bit to an old movie - The Wizard of Oz. I am alluding to JD as being like The Wizard when he was finally found out. There was this kind and gentle old guy behind a green curtain pulling on levers and pushing buttons. This sure sounds like JD to me and I find the title fitting. ) This report will cover, among other things, a variety of usefull IT items from auction data to membership, and the do's and don'ts that we as the membership need to be aware of during our interaction with the club as he feels necessary.

    In closing, I would like to remind you all that YOUR INPUT to this newsletter is not only desired - it is essential. Your contributions will only make this newsletter better and will enhance the experiences all of us share. There will be many ways for the membership to participate. You, as the author, can submit articles for publication. You can also submit your own biography so that all of us may learn more about you. There will be a page for Editorials and Letters To the Editor for those of you who wish to share your point of view on a given subject. There will be a page titled Happenings which can encompass your visit to a show, a recent find, a new variety discovered or even an addition to the family. And these do not need to be personal experiences. Feel free to report significant events in the numismatic world that you may have heard of from reliable sources. And in the case of sad news, such as our recent loss of a valued member Pete Danutt (see story below) - he will be missed as well as remembered - these things need reported as well. Please forward any items of interest that you may run across directly to me so that I might include them.

    That's about it for now - I hope you enjoy this as well as future issues of - The Tarnished Truth.

NEW CONTEST - Ray Larson has spearheaded another design contest for WINS members. Lots of prizes, read about it HERE.

THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER - Words of inspiration from the new WINS President. Read it HERE.

FROM BEHIND THE GREEN CURTAIN - Interesting IT tidbits helpful to all members and more. Read it HERE.

HAPPENINGS - Want to know what's going on? This is one of the places to find out. Read it HERE.

? ? ? Trivia Question ? ? ? - How many of the fabled 1974 aluminum cents struck by the US Mint were distributed and as of yet remain unaccounted for ? Answer at the bottom of this page.

EXCEPTIONAL EMAIL - An email from the WINS Talk List worth reading. Read it HERE.

TREASURER'S REPORT - The WINS paypal account is - joemel123@centurytel.net .

Paypal Balance as of 10-23-03 -- $397.90
($410.09 transfer from previous Treasurer less $12.19 Paypal fee) Hardin County Bank - $120.00 ($20.00 donation and $100.00 loan from current Treasurer).

Total - $517.90

It is anticipated that WINS will soon receive small bills for service related to our lists, and donations will be received re WINS Auction 17.

With regard to donations all donors will be named in future Treasurer's Reports unless you ask me for anonimity.

WINS MEMBERS PASSES AWAY - Pete "DaNutt" Bishal, WINS#210, passed away on the morning of October 12th, 2003. He had been attending the WESPNEX coin show in New York and died from an apparent heart attack just before leaving his hotel room to set up for the Sunday morning show.

Anybody that knew Pete could easily verify he was "DaNutt", even Pete’s business card listed his company name as "DaNutts". Often loud and boisterous, he was always quick with the jokes and loved a good time. Pete is credited with coining the name CONECA and was a distinguished researcher of Morgan Dollars. Sympathy cards can be sent to Pete’s long time girlfriend at: Jenneta Fain, PO Box 3273, Falls River, MA 02722

? ? ? Trivia Answer ? ? ? The answer is: 16 examples of the 1974 aluminum cent were distributed to certain members of the Congressional committees and their staff. Of these, seven were recovered and one was donated to the Smithsonian, eight remain unaccounted for and are considered illegal to own by the US Treasury.