LOOSE CHANGE: FEBRUARY 28, 2021

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V24 2021 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 24, Number 9, February 28, 2021, Article 37

Here are some additional items in the media this week that may be of interest. -Editor

In his CoinWeek article February 23, 2021 Mike Markowitz showcases a million-dollar selection of rare Byzantine gold coins. Check it out. "... numismatists can dream, can't they?" -Editor

I collect Late Roman (c. 300-491 CE) and Byzantine (c. 491-1350 CE) gold coins. The tangled histories of these long-dead empires, and the often tragic stories of their rulers, are deeply meaningful to me because I was fortunate to have an inspirational Latin teacher in high school, and some outstanding history professors in college. When I began to collect these coins more than 20 years ago, they were considerably more affordable. Still, the best advice I ever got was, Buy fewer, better coins. Every serious collector has a wish list that evolves over time, so I was delighted when CoinWeek asked me to share my Top Ten.

Liz Hahn Benge at Art Institute Chicago published a nice article on February 26, 2021 about ancient coinage. -Editor

The portability of coins make them perfect for sharing ideas and transporting images across time and place.

Whether ancient or modern, coins reflect the culture that produced them, including aspects of politics, economics, religion, and even fashion and style. And it's even more of a wonder that such exceptional detail can be communicated on such a small scale. The museum's permanent collection includes more than 1,200 coins, most of which come from ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods and span the early 6th century BCE through the 11th century CE. Thanks to the amazing craftsmanship of ancient engravers, these coins contain clues about the stories behind their creation and the cities that they represent.

To read the complete article, see:
Portraits of Change: Ancient Coins (https://www.artic.edu/articles/904/portraits-of-change-ancient-coins)

World Coin News has published the preliminary round of nominations for the next Coin of the Year awards -Editor

The international panel of Coin of the Year judges have spoken. The first round of balloting was completed Feb. 5 for the 38th annual awards program honoring 2019-dated coins. Presented by World Coin News and sponsored by The Journal of East Asian Numismatics, COTY is an internationally conducted awards program recognizing excellence and ingenuity in coin design.

A pool of 100 coins from around the world, put forth by the COTY Nominating Committee, were considered: 10 coins each in 10 categories of competition. The winner in each category will go on to the final round in the competition and vie for the prestigious title of Coin of the Year.

Following is a list of these category winners with commentary from Tom Michael, COTY coordinator, World Coin News contributor and market analyst.

To read the complete article, see:
10 Coins Rise to Top in COTY Awards (https://www.numismaticnews.net/coin-of-the-year/10-coins-rise-to-top-in-coty-awards)

In the other-hobbies-department, here's a nice Washington Post story on the Las Vagas Pinball Hall of Fame and how it's managing to get by during coronavirus lockdowns. The ...self-contained, fully operational machine gun that uses BBs that ricochet, spark and make a lot of noise sounds like fun. -Editor

For more than a decade, the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas has welcomed anyone with a spare quarter — or four — to play hundreds of old bleeping, flashing, flipping, clicking games dating to the late 1940s. Located three miles from the Las Vegas Strip, the quirky arcade/museum has long been worth the cab fare for visiting pinheads. Then the pandemic hit. A government mandate forced it to close for 12 weeks, and then placed limits on capacity. Tourism traffic took a wallop. All told, the Pinball Hall of Fame's revenue is down nearly $500,000 compared with recent years.

It's a story that's become all too familiar. Across the country, museums and attractions (along with restaurants, businesses and nonprofits) are struggling. No museum has been able to fully escape the impacts of the pandemic, and it has impacted museums of every type, size and location, says Laura Lott, president and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), which represents museums, science centers, arboretums, gardens, zoos and other cultural institutions.

We're heading for the rocks here, he says. We need some help. What I need is dead presidents, now.

That's the reality that Arnold is facing right now. If he's not able to pay his mounting bills, then for the Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame, it'll be game over.