"I found two Edward Schedlers in Trow's 1886 NY City directory, one being a clerk and another selling tobacco, Assuming this coin was stamped in the 19th century, Lord knows how many other "Ed" Schedlers may have settled between these two coastal cities?

"Given this counterstamp's use of nickname "ED", might the subject have been an Edwin, an Eduardo or? Also, might he have resided outside the USA, say Canada or Mexico?

"Counterstamps that were produced by individual letter punches such as this, those lacking additional info like an address or city, are virtually impossible to positively attribute. Prepared name punches, those impressed by a single stamping, offer potential of being matched with stampings on products, like silverware, gun barrels, photo frames, etc,

"My suspicion is that this unique subject coin was likely stamped to be carried as a pocket piece, a conversation starter, for someone in a fraternal order, a masonic or oddfellow member. Note the heavy wear on this 1867 coin; this, often indicative of pocket pieces that were frequently handled.

"Granted that counterstamped coins like this are "rare" by virtue of so few survivors of say any given name, their numismatic worth in dollars is gauged by whatever proven history can be attached via attribution."

"A rather one-sided article, as one has come to expect from that part of the world. Some of those coins illustrated appear to be silver tetra drachmas minted in Antioch under Nero, which were probably destined for Corbulo's Armenian campaign. Lots more were to follow under Vespasian to suppress the Jewish revolt."

"Just a comment on your note about the vignette on the uniface Rogers Coal Co. note:

"Ad astra per aspera" means "to the stars through hardships" and is the state motto of Kansas, which explains its use on the Kansas note.

Translating Latin can be difficult because the words are often metaphorical rather than strictly literal. Astra is the accusative plural of astrum and can mean "the stars," but also "the heavens" or "great heights." Traditionally, however, it is rendered simply as "the stars."

Aspera is a neuter plural accusative noun meaning "rough things," "hardships," or "difficulties." As a result, one must choose the most appropriate wording for the intended sense. A more figurative translation would be "overcoming obstacles to reach success."

My father served in the Royal Signals in the UK, and we often saw "Ad astra per aspera" used as the motto of Britain's Royal Air Force."

Thanks so much - that makes sense. I always prefer human insights to whatever a machine spits out, although I probably would have had a better experience using an AI chatbot for help rather than going straight to Google Translate, which has been my habit. The bot would likely have that larger context. Anyway, thanks for setting this straight. -Editor

"Here's a picture of my melted nickels from the San Francisco earthquake. I got this at a Holabird auction last year."

Neat - thanks! These once were hot, but now they're just super cool. -Editor

"I was a member of Numismatics International, for many years after its take-over of Dick Upton's Emergency Money Society - is it still active? I ask because the "current" bulletin issue on its web site seems to be dated 2023."

Can anyone help? -Editor

"I found a 1995 Lincoln cent on the floor of Dollar General, and two days ago a 2024 Lincoln cent in street. The 2024 is very shiny but is already looking like the copper is wearing through with little pitted areas. The 1995 is looking a lot better.

"My question is-if we are (as of 2012) using only 8 microns of copper over the zinc were we using more microns of copper in earlier years after 1982?"

Good question. Can anyone help? Has the thickness changed over the years? -Editor

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