At an ANA Convention a couple of years ago, I started a conversation with the eBay representative at their table about the Southeast Asia replicas and fantasies being sold on their system. He gave me his card and told me to email him if they were not taken off after I reported them. Until a few months ago, it was about 50-50 on eBay taking them down and I used to email him about those not being taken down.

Then I received an email from a lady at eBay. She told me I was selected as one of their experts and I would be forwarded all reports for me to comment on them to her. Since that date, 100% of what I tell her are replicas and fantasies are being taken off of eBay!

I do not believe I received the email from the lady at eBay because of the eBay representative I met at an ANA Convention, but because I also complained to the sellers besides reporting them. With a couple of sellers, there were several messages between me and them, and they started threatening me! Then one or both of them reported me to eBay. Bad idea on his part! The eBay lady contacted me and I gave her my story and backed it up with images, data, etc. Within a month or two, I got a letter back from the same lady and she told me I was going to be one of her experts.

I receive about 20 emails a day from her! But the great majority are US replicas and fantasies and I just delete them. But then a Southeast Asian piece is forwarded to me about once every two or three days and I comment on them. Most are replicas or fantasies but there are authentic pieces too. And now when I make the original report about a replica or fantasy myself, it is taken off the system within a day or two and I do not receive an email about it. That is OK because I get enough emails from her.

If anyone is interested in being added to the eBay "expert" list for their specialty, please contact me and I will forward your email to the eBay lady. No promises but I might be able to help.

Many, many years ago, I was corresponding with an old advanced collector of Vietnamese cash-style coins. Somehow he found an old manuscript in the Vatican Library about those coins. It was a fantastic manuscript with coin rubbings and he had it photocopied for me and several other collectors.

I know there are many other manuscripts in the Vatican Library about numismatic related subjects! The monks, priests, bishops, etc. sent out by the Vatican around the world reported back to the Vatican about their activities and also about what they saw around them. What they saw around them included financial instruments and they sent many of them back with their reports. So the Vatican also has a large numismatic collection too!

If they digitize the Vatican Library and put it online, that will greatly assist numismatists, but they also need to scan all of the financial instruments too. Will they take volunteers to assist them? I do not think so but we can always hope.

I read with interest the article on the Kennedy Mint mass fish-murdering. The U.S. Attorney said that restitution will be used to restock the river with fish "SO THAT PEOPLE CAN AGAIN ENJOY THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE ROCKY RIVER.' Amazing!! How about "so the fish can have a healthy environment"? One more instance of human arrogance and self-centeredness. I am so disappointed in my species.