"I was surprised and pleased to read the article in the June 28, 2026, issue regarding Esperanto Coins. I have the 1, 5, and 10 steloj coins from 1959 and the 25 steloj coin from 1965. I also have a Croatia 25 kuna coin celebrating the 1997 Croatian Esperanto Conference.

"I have an article (in English) with more information on Esperanto in Numismatics and photos of the 10 and 25 steloj coins. The 1 stelo coin is brass and does not photograph well.

"I also have a photocopy of a Jan. 17, 1994 article in WORLD COIN NEWS titled: "Pardon me, How much is that in spesmiloj?" The author of that article was Christopher Batio.

"My wife and I have been to at least 5 world Esperanto Conferences and over 30 local and regional conferences. It is a great second language for traveling and to meet people using a common language!"

Thanks - great topic. On a related note, see the Washington Post article about the fake gibberish language Minionese spoken by the yellow Minions movie characters. -Editor

In his article last week about Donald Miller of Indiana, PA, Pete Smith asked, "Who was the previous owner of the house and why is that important?" -Editor

"Could the previous owner of Miller's house have been JIMMY STEWART ?"

Very close, but technically incorrect. A precious OCCUPANT of the house was the famed Hollywood actor James "Jimmy" Stewart who grew up there, but the owner was Stewart's father. The family moved there when Jimmy was five. It was a short walk to the family hardware store which proudly displayed his Academy Award statue in the front window. His father remained in the home until his death in 1961. The Millers told me they once hosted a 1990s reunion of cast members from Stewart's classic film "It's a Wonderful Life." -Editor

"A video featuring a discussion by two of China's leading experts on China's ancient coinage. Professor Alex Fang Chengyu (Hong Kong City University) and Dr Tong Yu (Ningbo Economics and Finance University) introduce many aspects of Chinese traditional coinage, focussing on the Qing Period. It's in Chinese, but with good easily followed subtitles."

Thank you! -Editor

In this episode, Spink China's Head of Numismatics (Asia) Elaine Fung along with Dr. Yu Tong and Professor Alex Fang take a deep dive into the rigorous and exquisite world of Qing Dynasty Cash Coins. We discussed the thousand years old ancient philosophy behind its design to the meticulous start from hand engraved models all the way to mass production as well as other lesser known uses of cash coins in the palace and with the common people at the time.

We also focused on a numismatic titan – Dr. Werner Burger, who spent over 40 years honing on a single craft and thus managed to build a comprehensive collection of Qing Cash that contains thousands of varieties and pieces. With a unique insight, he used his expertise on western taxonomy to dissect every part of the official Qing Dynasty palace documents, which in turn created an unprecedented comprehensive study on Qing Dynasty cash coins. Dr. Tong and Professor Fang told us their first hand insight from working with this collection, and their astonishment when seeing rarities come to life in their hands.

We not only tried to introduce Qing cash to a wider audience. The conversation more importantly was a candid discussion on the purpose of collecting, whether it is just to compile and complete, to reach for the stars to get a better return in the future or truly to preserve each piece's tangible history.

The late David J. Ginsburg (1958-2016) suggested several times that I read Roger Burdette's comprehensive magnum opus From Mine to Mint. Regrettably, I never got around to it until now, having neglected the chance to talk with Dave in person about his contributions to this volume.

Dave had an endless curiosity about fiscal documents, early paper money, southern gold and economic operations in the nineteenth century. He often shared his early documents, coins and paper money with us during the show-and-tell segments of our monthly New Jersey Numismatic Society (NJNS) meetings.

As for From Mine to Mint, Burdette notes in his acknowledgments, "Dave Ginsburg opened his incredible store of financial, legal and gold movement information in the United States." (From Mine to Mint, p. 9). It is heartening to remember Dave by reading this book.

Dave and I shared a passion for numismatic writing, serving as club officers in the NJNS and promoting the importance of public libraries. Ginsburg served as a trustee of the Glen Ridge Library Board. He was the person who suggested that I publish an article in The E-Sylum, which I did in 2014. At the time of his unexpected passing on February 3, 2016, Dave was getting ready to submit several numismatic manuscripts for publication. A fine thinker and friend gone too soon.

Thank you. I miss Dave's regular The E-Sylum contributions. -Editor

John Sallay passed along this cartoon by John O'Brien from this week's New Yorker. Thanks! -Editor