I just wanted to call our readers' attention to an important contribution by Professor Gaspar. He, together with G. P. Dyer, wrote the thorough and highly readable chapter on "Reform, the New Technology and Tower Hill, 1700-1966" in A New History of the Royal Mint edited by C. E. Challis and published by Cambridge University Press in 1992.

For most of us, numismatics is a hobby. For Dr. Gaspar it was a discipline.

I do think that some of it was quite new to many, and the result was frequently most interesting: one could sometimes see "the lightbulbs flashing".

On the other hand, I collected a few choice vignettes from browsers, which I include largely to prove connoisseurship of the follies and foibles of casual observers: "This is all very interesting, but I have so little time for knowledge." "Thank you for letting us see your collection" (at which point the bookseller realizes that his function is purely as a fashion accessory-LOL!). "This is really rather more than I would like to spend for decoration." "This should all be in a museum" (To which the snarky bookseller responded-- "You sir are uniquely positioned to make that happen."). Or, my favorite: "These things are priceless" ("Trust me, madam, they are all priced...")

For several years we were one of the featured booksellers at the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show. The show was (but alas no longer is) one of the very best shows in the world; dealers brought the finest items from their specialties, sometimes with seven figure price tags; some dealers (ourselves occasionally included) built sets for their booths. As you have noticed, especially from our Anniversary Catalogue, we tend to describe items extensively; punters deserve a bit of learned chat if they are contemplating such purchases, not to mention that doing such descriptions is actually FUN!

But yet, some books are so well known that one need not say much at all. Something like:" Newton's Principia, contemporary binding, $400,000". One such book is Matisse's Jazz, one of the very greatest modern illustrated books, endlessly reproduced and known to virtually everybody, if not in its entirety then from prints of individual images. We had a lovely example one year. Amidst other books with page long descriptions, our write-up for Jazz read, in its entirety: "Matisse, Henri. Jazz Paris, Teruel, 1947. In a designer binding Nice Copy. $285,000".

Two women stared intently at the book. One said "This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen." The other: "You know, $285,000 doesn't seem at all unreasonable for Jazz". The first: "Yes, but it says it is a copy." So, even at the top end of things, we are not spared such displays...

There was another moment when two folks stared at the Callot Siege of La Rochelle (which is in the catalogue...) arguing with one another about which part of San Francisco Bay was represented--no I'm not kidding!!! And on it goes...

I obtained ISIS coins matching the 5/2/1 Dirham coins … from someone who was embedded with the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) over the past year. I also have a copper "25" which is almost, but not quite identical to the one pictured. What's the denomination of the copper, do you know? Not dirhams..

Recently, ISIS minted coins for the Caliphate. Is there a legitimate source for a collector to acquire a set of these coins?

I am wondering if anything will come out of Don Bailey's Encyclopedia of Mexican Money series, since his passing? I have Volume 1 and 2, and am wondering if the series will be continued or was volume 2, the end of the 'project'?

Don's passing was a blow to Mexican numismatics. The amount of knowledge he held was amazing. We do plan on continuing the Whitman Encyclopedia of Mexican Money . . . . but I can't give a firm publication date at the moment.

I enjoyed a series of articles written by John S. Queen and published in Numismatic News during 2011-2012. He wrote his recollection of starting a business in 1974 and dealing primarily in high grade Canadian coins. He conducted one auction in 1978 under the name of Royal Enterprises. In 1979 he quit the business and joined the Peace Corps. Later he went into the Ministry.

I learned from The Numismatist that he died on July 16, 2019. He had been born on October 28, 1922 and was 96 years old. I recall that he worked for Paramount. At one time I was interested in all the Paramount crew and how they were dispersed across many other coin companies.