ABOUT THIS ISSUE: SEPTEMBER 27, 2026

I've been enjoying my twice-weekly runs of about 3.3 miles to prep for a local 5K race. I started the tradition a few years ago, running in the 2024 and 2025 "5K on the Runway" race at Dulles Airport. At 68 my run is no faster than a lot of people's walks, but I don't mind, even when I'm forced to compare myself against younger people like the woman running the other way on Tuesday, effortlessly bouncing along like a gazelle.

The Dulles race conflicted with the ANA convention this year, so I registered for a race for the local volunteer fire department. It was much smaller event, only 127 runners vs. the thousands at Dulles. There were no age divisions, but I counted 13 of us 60 or older. I came in 10th of that group. As small consolation, I finished ahead of 9 others, 6 who were younger than me, but they were probably walking. Still, it was a nice day and I've got another medal for my collection.

I had a pocketful of change when I stopped for lunch. As I was counting out 76 cents the cashier said I could just pay with the 20 dollar bill in my hand. Before I could roll my eyes, give up and put my change away, a more experienced cashier explained how the cash register would still determine the right change if they entered $20.76. So I did manage to unload my change and get some new bills for my wallet.

Here are some interesting non-numismatic articles I came across this week. In the turnabout-is-fair-play department, the first one is about how customer service desks are now receiving calls from AI.

Your customer service representative would like to speak to a human (https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/customer-representative-speak-human-084701076.html)

10 Once-Common Household Items You Don't See Anymore (https://interestingfacts.com/nostalgic-household-items/)

I Got Older. When Exactly Did I Become a Blasted Idiot? (https://nutmegphantasy.substack.com/p/i-got-older-when-exactly-did-i-become)

Your 12 Good Years (https://danhaylett.substack.com/p/your-12-good-years)

Mathematician reveals the truth behind the Parthenon's optical illusion (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mathematician-reveals-the-truth-behind-the-parthenons-optical-illusion/)

The Mail as the Practice of Public Reason (https://hedgehogreview.com/issues/the-fading-promise-of-higher-education/articles/the-revolutionary-post)

Washington's men drank more than 150 bottles of alcohol days before the Constitution was signed. (https://historyfacts.com/famous-figures/fact/george-washington-alcohol-constitution-signing/)

Off the Beaten Path: Unassuming Pittsburgh chapel holds world's second-largest collection of Catholic relics (https://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2026/09/22/st-anthony-chapel-troy-hill-vatican/stories/202609190041)

Ari Emanuel Is Finally Getting Around to Watching Entourage (https://archive.ph/kRqYa)

WTF Happened in 1973? (https://substack.com/@stephenmcbride1/note/c-328640808)

-Editor

Wayne Homren
Wayne Homren is the founding editor of The E-Sylum and a consultant for the Newman Numismatic Portal. His collecting interests at various times included U.S. Encased Postage Stamps, merchant counterstamps, Pittsburgh Obsolete paper money, Civil War tokens and scrip, Carnegie Hero Medals, charge coins and numismatic literature. He also collects and has given presentations on the work of Money Artist J.S.G. Boggs. In the non-numismatic world he's worked in artificial intelligence, data science, and as a Program Manager for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Garrett Ziss
Garrett Ziss is a numismatic collector and researcher, with a focus on American paper money and early U.S. silver and copper coins. He is also a part-time U.S. coin cataloger for Heritage Auctions. Garrett assists Editor Wayne Homren by editing and formatting a selection of articles and images each week. When he's not engaged in numismatics, Garrett is pursuing a Master's Degree in Quantitative Economics at the University of Pittsburgh.

Pete Smith
Numismatic researcher and author Pete Smith of Minnesota has written about early American coppers, Vermont coinage, numismatic literature, tokens and medals, the history of the U.S. Mint and much more. Author of American Numismatic Biographies, he contributes original articles to The E-Sylum often highlighting interesting figures in American numismatic history.

Greg Bennick
Greg Bennick (www.gregbennick.com) is a keynote speaker and long time coin collector with a focus on major mint error coins and US counterstamps. He is on the board of both CONECA and TAMS and enjoys having in-depth conversations with prominent numismatists from all areas of the hobby. Have ideas for other interviewees? Contact him anytime via instagram @minterrors. He can also be reached by email at minterrors@gmail.com.

John Nebel
Numismatist, photographer, and ANS Board member and Fellow John Nebel of Boulder, CO helped the ANA and other clubs like NBS get online in the early days of the internet, hosting websites gratis through his Computer Systems Design Co. To this day he hosts some 50 ANA member club sites along with our coinbooks.org site, making the club and our E-Sylum archive available to collectors and researchers worldwide.

Bruce Perdue
Encased coinage collector (encasedcoins.info) Bruce Perdue of Aurora, Illinois has been the volunteer NBS webmaster from its early days and works each week to add the latest E-Sylum issue to our archive and send out the email announcement.