I read the following interesting notice about the "2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set".

Regarding Borders creditors, I am one, at least of Borders UK! They keep sending me paperwork although I don't remember ever making a claim. This must be in my role of publishing local history books (East London History Society). I think we sold ONE book, years ago, to a London bookstore that was part of the Border's organisation although I didn't know it at the time. Anyway, we never got paid but I didn't get too upset over a debt of less than ten dollars! Now they have told me that as an unsecured creditor I won't get paid - I don't think I will lose any sleep over it.

My significant other has worked as a Borders Bookstore manager for ten years and has worked at other bookstores since the mid-1980s. It is absurd to claim (especially without a shred of evidence to back it up) that Borders Books managers would prevent the sale of books. The job of a bookstore manager is to sell books, not to prevent them from being sold, for that's what pays their salaries.

Occasionally, paranoid customers come into my significant other's store and falsely claim that so-called conservative books are being banned at that store, yet there are gigantic displays of such books right as they walk in the door. Not only that, but many so-called conservative authors, such as Sarah Palin, have held book signings at Borders Books, as I've witnessed myself.

Other than the "butterfly" shoulders on the woman's dress, I see nothing to indicate that the two individuals on President Clinton's Challenge Coin are Filipinos. The man's shirt is definitely not a standard Barong Tagalog (the national formal dress for men). There is a Barong Tagalog with a Mandarin collar (which it seems to resemble), however I have never met a Filipino wearing such a barong. Even my barongs are of the standard type. (Perhaps the Mandarin collar style is more common among the Chinese mestizos.) Also, you will note that the man's collar appears to have a button on it. A barong with a Mandarin collar does not have such a button.

It is possible that the hats worn by the two individuals belong to one of the many different tribal groups. However, if this is the case, then the woman would not be wearing a butterfly dress. The tribal groups would wear their appropriate headgear with the appropriate tribal costume, not with a butterfly dress which is a more modern form of attire.

Thus, I disagree with Howard A. Daniel III and I am far from convinced that the individuals depicted on the challenge coin are Filipinos. At the very best, the individuals represent a composite of different Southeast Asian peoples.

Thank you, Wayne, for forwarding the info from Dr. Howard Berlin about the Numismatic Museum of Athens, and thanks to him for the info.

I sent an email to Ms. Efterpi Ralli at nma@otenet.gr on February 27. Unfortunately there has been no response to that email nor to my question sent via the response feature on the Numismatic Museum of Athens website nor to an email to a different museum address. Thus I am suspicious that the museum may be closed because of Greece's economic problems. Also possible that the museum staff has been reduced so they cannot answer inquiries - or have a long response time.

Oh well, the modern Greek pattern and off-metal coins are probably too expensive for me anyway and undoubtedly hard to find. I hoped to look at pictures to determine which include the Wildman figure in which I specialize.