Yet once these issues are sorted out -- and with so many billions at stake, they will be -- cash will find itself on the endangered-species list.

Wouldn't that be the "endangered specie" list?

During the Comnenan and Paleologan dynasties, "scyphate" coins were often struck from four dies, as has been convincingly demonstrated (can provide references, but do not have them at hand). Used were curved left and right obverses and curved left and right reverses, and the coins were struck at an angle to provide a better curve. There are occasional mixups (I have one with two left obverse impressions, one rotated 180 degrees--and it is not unique) and nonmatching left and right dies.

But earlier they seem to have been struck either from two fully-curved dies, or struck flat, then annealed and dished the way coin spoons are made. Personally, I think that all three techniques were used in the Middle Ages, if not by the Byzantines, then by the Hungarians and others who also issued "scyphate" coins.

Regarding the request for information about Neil S. Utberg, Coin World published an obituary in its May 11, 1983, issue. The obituary is short and focuses mostly on a list of publications. Our index lists about 20 articles related to Utberg, with most about the release of a new book or an updated edition of an existing work (though one story is about a fishing trip).

The unknown bearded numismatist in the Alones photo looks to me like Peter Lampinen, numismatist for the Caesarea excavations in Israel; compare: www.digcaesarea.org/webpages/2000Scrapbook.htm