"Last week, The E-Sylum had a story "When Coins are Inherited." The article was illustrated with a photo of a woman examining a coin collection. She was not identified. Can any E-Sylum reader identify the woman or the coin she is holding? Send your response to Wayne before reading further. Spoiler Alert! The answers may appear elsewhere in this issue."

I can be reached at whomren@gmail.com. I knew the woman's name, but had guilty knowledge as editor of the article excerpt. But I hadn't thought about the coin and had no idea of what it was until I read Pete's excellent article. Check it out! -Editor

"Dick Johnson's description of the riband or ribbon circlet, whilst correct in most cases, is not with the piece illustrated. The legend is within a Garter, as in The Garter of the Order of the Garter. I fear the Knights would not think much of wearing a riband or ribbon circlet!"

Thanks for setting this straight! It did look more to me like a belt than a ribbon, and the wording is the same as on the Order of the Garter. Can anyone supply a better example image of a coin or medal with a riband (or ribbon) ciclet? -Editor

"Back years ago I lost, then found, a gold ingot valued by its owner at $50,000. This was a thin rectangular poured ingot about the size of a pack of cigarettes weighing a few ounces. There were no logotype punches on the piece, just individual letter punches defining a maker along with the bar's weight and precious metal assay. The maker was unrecorded. The bar had been sent to John Ford for an opinion. He sent it to me for mine. When it arrived I got out my reference books, studied the piece, and told Ford by telephone I didn't have much confidence in it. Ford said I should return it to the owner as he knew I had it. When I hung up the phone I turned to get the ingot but couldn't find it on my desk. Over the next day I tore my office apart but still couldn't find it. As a last resort, and at my wife's suggestion, I checked inside every book I'd had open on my desk at the time I examined the ingot. Sure enough, it was inside a book listing western territorial gold assayers. It was thin enough not to have been noticed when I closed and re-shelved the book.

"I had a friend who once lost an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella. He found it days later in the cuff of his trousers. He'd commuted by train to and from the office twice on different days wearing the same suit. When he got to the office after the second trip he sat at his desk and the Stella rolled out of his cuff.

"One might think special angels are appointed to mind fools."

Wow, great story! Below is another great one I heard from my numismatic mentor Glenn Mooney, who was a volunteer curator of the coin collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. -Editor

Saint-Gaudens' son Homer was associated with the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. I recall a story told by Glenn Mooney, one of the local volunteer curators who worked alongside head curator W.W. Woodside. Glenn said that Homer had arranged to donate an extremely high relief double eagle to the Museum's collection. For a time to coin was misplaced and no one could locate it. Eventually it turned up in the reference library – someone (probably Woodside himself) had accidentally closed a reference book with the coin inside. It was an embarrassing lapse, but everyone got a chuckle out of it at Woodside's expense. I assume this coin was part of the holdings sold when the Museum dispersed the bulk of the collection in the late 70s/early 80s. With these coins selling now in the multi-millions, it would have made for an interesting find in the stacks of the library (the coin department's reference library was transferred to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in the early 80s).

David Pickup passed along a reference to a Telegraph opinion article noting that Henry V would not get a commemorative coin from the Royal Mint (but other topics would). -Editor

" ... the Royal Mint rejected a new coin celebrating the warrior-king Henry V, on the basis that he is not "sufficiently significant" in British history. Mr Men and George Michael coins both approved."

"To be fair I do not think the anniversary of Henry V's death is a hugely significant event. The anniversary of the battle of Agincourt was important but not marked on mainland British coins. A special coin was issued for one of the Channel Islands.

"The selection of what is a fit topic to feature on coin is not always straightforward and I think the Royal Mint do a good job generally. In 2022 the Royal Mint marked 25 years of the £2 Coin using the £2 coin from 1997, but with the number "25" in the central hologram. I am looking forward to 2047 when the mint can issue a coin to commemorate 25 years from the 25th anniversary of the two pound coin.

"What do readers think of missed important events or insignificant historical events that were commemorated?"

Great topic. Although one that may never have a definitive answer, it will always generate some interesting discussion. -Editor

Pablo Hoffman passed along this great 1923 photo of a banker counting packs of German inflation notes in a Berlin vault. Thanks! -Editor

"Wayne Pearson's photo of the drummer boy depicted on a 1973 stamp and Jack Ahr's Bicentennial quarter design sparked a memory: Ahr's design had received criticism as early as 1975 that he had plagiarized it. Eventually Mint Director Mary Brooks came to Ahr's defense and said that although his design and the stamp appeared similar, Ahr's design still displayed enough originality. Even Walter Breen got into the fray and said both designs were probably inspired by the "Spirit of '76" painting from 1876.

"I've also liked Ahr's design and believe it fit nicely on the quarter while Huntington's Independence Hall design on the half dollar appeared bland. Dennis Williams' Moon and Liberty Bell motif on the dollar remains the standout. Hard to believe the 1969 moon landing happened just seven years prior to 1976!

"But I really shouldn't complain because 50 years ago these coins were already in circulation, while today we still have nothing numismatic to show for the upcoming semiquincentennial. Makes you wonder if the Mint is too busy making Superman coins instead of celebrating 250 years of history."

I remember that, now that you mention it. I guess I'm of a mind with Breen - both designs likely had a similar inspiration. -Editor

Many thanks to everyone who wrote to congratulate me on my ANA Medal of Merit. -Editor

"If ever there was a numismatist who received the Medal of Merit based strictly upon the merits of the case, that numismatist is you! It's great to see your innumerable contributions duly recognized by the ANA."

"Congratulations on the honor to be bestowed by ANA, The Medal of Merit. It is so easy for an organization to lose sight of those who have championed the ideal of the organization or those involved in the efforts of the organization. As an editor of numismatics you have informed many numismatists of facets of the hobby and rekindled their interest or further developed their interest in the hobby!"

"This award is very well deserved. Thank you for all the tireless hours you put into making The E-Sylum one of the very best things about our hobby, and for bringing all of us numismatists together every Sunday evening."

"The presentations were quite good and they will be presented again at the British Numismatic Society meeting on 11 July. Both Kristin Bornholdt Collins and John Rainey among others will be presenting.

"The NSI-NB has commissioned a 40mm medal of Michael Dolley that will be produced at the Fattorini mint in both silver and bronze. The artist of the medal is Danuta Solowiej."

"Sometimes you stumble on something you never saw before. Signed by the fellow that finagled the contract for our Fugio cents."

Interesting - great find! -Editor

"I always knew Nelson Bunker Hunt caused the great 1979-80 silver meltdown, but was surprised to discover he was apparently also a numismatist. I'm pretty sure he didn't collect any Franklin Mint issues."

The man who could afford to buy almost anything bought a lot of everything. -Editor

"Were you aware that Canada modified their coat of arms on the reverse of their half dollar in 1997? You wouldn't notice it without a magnifying glass. You can see the red circle that was added around the shield in these pictures."

Interesting. There are multiple differences in the shields. No, I hadn't noticed that. Thanks. -Editor

I recently came upon a small volume titled "The History of a Hoax: Edmund Lester Pearson, John Cotton Dana, and The Old Librarian's Almanack." Published in 1979 by Wayne A. Weigand, who authored several books covering libraries, the book tells the story of a playful "hoax" perpetrated in 1909 by two bored librarians. Pearson and Dana believed librarians were no longer held in high regard and wanted to publish something that got their message across that librarians, like preachers, served a high calling.

To draw attention, they inserted their writings among pages of an old obscure almanac claimed to have been published in 1774. They claimed that a single copy existed and also went to great lengths to fake auction records. Once the reprint was published, Pearson and Dana enjoyed reading reviews from major academic journals hailing the Almanack as a "major discovery."

Once the hoax was revealed both men admitted the ruse. What makes the volume interesting is Pearson and Dana's opinion that books were sacred objects and libraries should be valued. They also go into great detail about the care and maintenance of books. They also discuss book thieves, and sprinkled limericks supposedly written from 1774. Among them is this one:

     On gallows fifty cubits high
     Hang the wretch and let him die,
     A dozen of my books he stole,
     May God have mercy on his soul.

I bet it would make a good bookplate !

Hear, hear! And screw the mercy! -Editor