"The medal is also missing the final "S" on his last name, correctly spelled "Douglass/""

Indeed. Thanks. A former slave, Douglass became a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century. -Editor

"In reference to the nicely-illustrated note on elephants on ancient coins in the latest E-Sylum, I recommend an important reference on the overall topic: Scullard, H. H. 1974. The Elephant in the Greek and Roman World. Thames and Hudson (Cornell University Press in the US).

"Though the book does not contain a separate chapter on numismatics, there are eight glossy black and white photo-pages of elephants on coins (see attached example). These and the accompanying text demonstrate that Carthaginian armies contained both African- and Asian Elephants. The latter species, of course, was used by the Seleucid kingdoms. Anatomical differences of the two species are evident on various coins, and once enlightened, it is usually easy to interpret most numismatic depictions."

Thanks. Also, my friend Gerry Porter of the Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society published a catalog in 1983 - Elephants in Numismatics and Exonumia from Ancient to Modern Times. -Editor

"I don't know if this matters at all but reading your articles got me thinking a bit, sadly now a dangerous activity. There were numerous references to Mr. Stack's care of both condition and provenance and yet for this most important piece of American numismatic history there seems to be no provenance. The dangerous thinking is, do you or readers think that AI and computer printing will ever reach the stage where taking all known striking marks, a "new" major numismatic piece can be created that will be good enough to fool all the experts?

"That is pretty terrifying but I wonder if it can be done and then what about more common yet still rare pieces?

"Seems like the kind of stuff that could cost me some sleep."

Well, the auction catalog description for the James A. Stack 1804 Dollar has yet to be written and published, so stay tuned on the provenance of this piece. Clues that may have been overlooked before will be reviewed in the new light of this discovery. But your question is valid - will counterfeiters eventually improve their craft to the point where their work is undetectable?

My thought on this is that the cat-and-mouse game between counterfeiters and counterfeit detectors is never ending. Both sides continue upping their game to outfox the other, but as soon as one side gains an advantage, the other finds a way to surmount it.

What do readers think? -Editor

"The September issue of The Numismatist included this notice: "A large percentage of the July 2025 cover story (‘Coins of the Indian Subcontinent,' p. 26) was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) software, a fact the author did not disclose at the time of submission in early 2024. We have since updated our submission guidelines to require full disclosure of any AI-assisted writing. Additionally, since late 2024, our review process includes the use of detection software to help identify AI-generated content. While the ANA recognizes that AI can be a useful research tool, The Numismatist remains committed to upholding the highest standards of original research, authorship, and scholarship. —Editor."

"Editors of all numismatic publications will do well to follow the example of the ANA in reviewing their submission and publication standards, as this will no doubt be an ongoing issue. AI is akin to modern medicine – magical when it works, otherwise not so much. The current web is bombarded with AI-generated content, and I tend to quickly "tune out" whenever I detect non-human generated text. This will get harder over time, but for now kudos to the ANA for owning up to the problem and taking corrective actions."

Hear, hear! AI is just another tool, not a substitute. -Editor