NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JANUARY 26, 2014

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 4, January 26, 2014, Article 9

After Walter Breen abandoned William Sheldon’s NC designations in his posthumous Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of United States Large Cents, reintroducing them would seem to be a step in the wrong direction. The term hasn’t caught on anywhere else. If looking at an unfilled hole in a coin album is too annoying, one could always insert little blue “RARE” plugs the way Whitman did for the 1913 date in its Liberty Head nickel holders.

It's actually worse than that. The Hungarians used the old British nomenclature for large numbers, known as the long scale. In that system, a "billion" is a million million (not a thousand million), a 1 with twelve zeros after it, what we call a trillion in the US. (It appears that the UK uses our "short scale" now.) The long scale uses the word "milliard" for a thousand million (what the short scale calls a billion). Apparently it is actually the case that a "thousand billion" (i.e., 1 with fifteen zeros after it, a thousand million million, what we call a quadrillion) is known as a "billiard," which is pretty amusing when you think about it.

So this "hundred million billion pengo" note, was, in short scale a hundred quintillion (1 with twenty zeros after it) pengos. If I recall correctly there was a "Milliard B-Pengo" note as well (21 zeros) that was printed but not issued. Eventually the Hungarians lopped twenty nine zeros off their money and issued the forint at 1 forint = 400,000 quadrillion (long scale; 400 octillion on the short scale) pengos. All of the pengos in circulation, at that point, were worth less one thousandth of one of the new forints.

Visitors to the Buckatree Hall Hotel, at the foot of The Wrekin in Telford, will be handing out notes from the Bank of Buckatree to spend in the hotel from this month.

The Monopoly-style cash feature a horse in place of the Queen in recognition of the owner Grant Moon, who is six times holder of the World Champion Blacksmith title.

The novel idea which accompanies a loyalty card scheme follows a £1 million refurbishment project at the 62-bedroom hotel.

General manager Wayne Jenson said: “The Bank of Buckatree is a bit of fun to say we have our own currency, but it sets us apart from chain hotels across the county. It’s the personal touch that counts.”

A Camp Douglas Prisoner
Regarding the Camp Douglas sutler appointment document discussed last week, Harold Levi writes:

My ancestor, Jasper Newton Levi, Company H, 2nd (Ashby's) Tennessee Cavalry, was captured at the Battle of Murfreesboro [Tenn.] on 31 December 1862 after being wounded. He was taken to Camp Douglas, Illinois and paroled 30 March 1863. He was received at City Point, Virginia 4 April 1863. It seems Newt did not meet Mr. Burr since his appointment did not take effect until 30 March 1864.

This is an interesting document. I have never seen a sutler appointment order before. I assume this is a rare document. It sold on eBay for $202.50.