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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JANUARY 4, 2026
On Bent British Medieval Coins "A question was raised in the 12/29 issue regarding the purpose of bent coins. Twice-bent hammered British coins are not infrequent, and are referred to as "love tokens". I am not supplying a reference, but one should be easy to find." 
Bent Byzantine 10th Century Coin
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
The Two-Week Chain Cent Production 
Bill Eckberg writes: It's always great to see special coins like the XF Chain Cent that Stacks Bowers is offering highlighted in E-Sylum. All of the coins ever produced by the United States Mint are linked (pun intended) back to the first Chain cents. Greg Cohen's writeup got most of the information right, but there is one very long-standing error that needs to be eliminated from the story of these important coins. The design was NOT changed because of bad press. The notion makes a cute story, and it sounds like it could be correct, but it isn't. The Chain cents went out of production because the Mint didn't have any more dies for it and couldn't make any more. We need to keep in mind that whatever the government does, one side or the other will find some reason to dislike it. Also, there is no evidence that the three men who mattered, President Washington, Secretary of State Jefferson or Mint Director Rittenhouse, were unhappy with the design. Finally, and most importantly, the criticisms in the press didn't appear until a week after the Chain cents had gone out of production. Twenty-first century numismatists have seen the same coinage designs in production for most or all of our lives, so it is difficult to grasp that our first coin design was produced for only two weeks. It's indeed difficult to grasp. While that coin's production stopped for the lack of dies, all coins back then were produced in numbers miniscule compared to today. I've been interested in history since a young age and still have a hard time comprehending just how small this country was in its early days. I remember reading a biography of Noah Webster, who had a hobby of walking every street and counting the number of houses in towns he visited during his travels. I was astounded that he could do this census single-handedly - for example, Baltimore had just 1,950 houses! For more on Noah Webster, see: https://www.historynet.com/websters-book-tour-the-making-of-the-first-american-dictionary/ -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Numismatic Libraries, and Coin Press No. 1 
The Finest Preserved Stamped NE Silver Coin "I thought collectors might enjoy seeing this. It's the finest preserved stamped NE silver coin. It was mistakenly called plugged by the grading companies. But blind forensic and metallurgical testing has proved otherwise. See JEAN 8:1 2025 pp.1-10." 
Nice! Thank you. -Editor Brian Reed writes: "I just read this week's edition of the E-Sylum. I absolutely loved the article you posted a link to about the value of numismatic libraries, even in today's day and age of electronics and the Internet. One of my favorite parts was the quote from Q David Bowers about how there is something comfy and cozy about having unread books that are there waiting for you to have idle time. That's so true! That's one of the many reasons I love books. There's something very satisfying too about just looking at and admiring your books, and organizing them to your own preference.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. It's always fun to put these issues together - such a wide range of topics in the numismatic realm! -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
Two Seated Liberty Designs "Has anyone noticed the Christian Gobrecht Seated Liberty design on the quarter vs the William Barber version on the 20 cent piece? The face is a little different and the word 'LIBERTY' is different." 
I hadn't compared these side-by-side before. Interesting, though not surprising. -Editor
George Washington, Drummer Boy "Is this for real???" 
No, it's AI clickbait slop. But nicely done, I have to admit. It almost looks real. The misspelled legends on the surrounding "coins" are one clue, as is the supposed "$4 Million" value. I'd seen this in my feeds as well earlier this week. Impressive. -Editor
To read the complete article, see:
Medieval Scottish Silver Hoard Arthur Shippee passed along this video about a medieval Scottish silver coin hoard. Thanks. -Editor I was out metal detecting and I found a medieval hoard of silver coins from the period of the Scottish wars of independence! This was a time when characters like William Wallace, Robert The Bruce and Edward Longshanks were battling it out for supremacy. After years of searching for even one hammered coin, it was so incredible to find a scattered hoard of medieval silver, a dream come true! Untouched for over 700 years! We would love to hear your theories about who might have buried the hoard and why!
To watch the complete video, see:
Update on the Wisconsin $100 Trump Bill A 75-year-old veteran, Fred Smith, is out of jail after spending Christmas behind bars, accused of using a novelty $100 bill at a Kwik Trip earlier. The incident happened Tuesday at the Kwik Trip on Springdale Street, where Smith used a novelty bill featuring Donald Trump's face. Later that day, police arrested Smith at his home and booked him into the Dane County Jail on a felony forgery charge. Mount Horeb Police say the arrest was valid and that a judge found probable cause. Kwik Trip is also requesting that criminal charges be pursued. Family and friends say Smith spent three days in jail without bail and are raising concerns about his medical care. His family claims he was sick, confused, and denied his medication. Justin Perrault writes: "He is out on a $500 bond, and his next hearing is set for February 16th. All seems a little excessive for what appears to be an honest mix-up."
To read the complete articles, see:
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Kind of a Smart People Hobby "Here's a shirt for you to wear to outside gatherings." 
Love it! Thanks. So true, amiright? -Editor
To order one, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: Subscribe All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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