I was disheartened that the New York Times reviewer spoke about coin collectors in the manner in which she did. I prefer articles that educate folks about the importance of coin collectors and the role they play in preserving our national history.

I bestirred myself to add Kabir Sehgal's Coined to my library, and one of the first things I checked was the identity of the "oddball" numismatists (to use reviewer Jessica Pressler's term), interviewed by the author in Chapter 8, Gilt Complex.

A number are interviewed, and more are quoted. Two of the interviewees stand out as NBS and E-Sylum stalwarts, namely Howard Daniel and Harvey Stack.

Howard is identified by Sehgal as "the Satan of numismatics" for his brutal honesty, and Harvey is identified as the Dean of coin dealers for his seniority in the field.

Among those quoted is another E-Sylum standby, D. Wayne (Dick) Johnson.

If these are the kind of people Ms. Pressler considers "oddballs," I'm happy to be counted among them!