Does Eckberg have definitive proof that Continental dollars were not made in the US ?

With all respect to my friend Tony, the burden of proof is on those who want to claim the Continental Currency coins were made in 1776 under the authority of Congress. Extraordinary claims like that require extraordinary evidence. I am only pointing out that I have never seen any evidence that these things have any connection to Congress or that they were made in 1776. Records DO say that a 1783 piece, likely the plain obverse quint, is "the first that has been made as an American coin."

I am very familiar with the International Spy Museum in Washington. In 2005 they generously hosted a seminar in honor of the induction of baseball player and American spy Moe Berg into the Jewish-American Hall of Fame. I gave them a Moe Berg medal, which is on display there, and which was used in an episode of Mysteries at the Museum.

The only missing issue is March-April 1973, vol. 8, no. 2

Regarding the comment last week about museums having children strike their own coins as an educational exercise, there is a bigger issue out there. A medieval re-enactment society has a number of adult members striking imitation medieval "coins" that would not fool a present day expert, but could still cause issues. The designs are frequently based on actual coins, real silver is sometimes used, and a beginner could easily be deceived.

The future is also a problem. The Good Samaritan Shilling listed in old Red Books was likely an obvious fantasy piece when struck (now thought to be the mid 1800s), but by the 1950s was often accepted as a genuine colonial. To this day there is not 100% agreement whether it was a genuine colonial or a whim from 200 years later. Other examples of debate about fantasy pieces vs. genuine also exist. The same thing could happen 200 years from now with coins like those pictured here.

In the August 27, 2017, & September 3, 2017, issues of The E-Sylum there was mention of JFK/Papal satirical items. You asked "...Would anyone have an image of the papal Washington quarter?" I bought this one last Saturday. This item has been around the Atlanta area for sometime. I know four of the previous owners. I have no idea who carved and painted the obverse. I am adding it to my hobo nickels.

My guess is that this refers to Franklin D. Roosevelt's signed Executive Order 6102 of April 5, 1933. See e.g. https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2013/04/05/governments-still-heavy-handed-80-years-after-fdrs-gold-confiscation/

The thing is, one would need to PROVE that the numismatic value was SUBSTANTIALLY more than the gold value, not merely double. And this would take time and effort (which some people maybe could ill afford) - and services of a lawyer!

It later became clear that they wanted to immediately devalue the dollar which they used to pay for the items, but of course there WASN'T even the option of paying a levy equivalent to (say) 50% of the pre-devaluation metal value.

And, let's face it, a charge under the 1917 Trading with the Enemy Act, with a fine of up to $10000 and/or up to 10 years inside, would seem a bit harsh for somebody who might have (say) one "double eagle" of each of the 3 mints and both dates 1906 and 1908 ((different types).

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_6102 .

You will see that things didn't get properly relaxed until 1974, and the die mentions the E.O. as just ONE of several things, including "inconsistent enforcement" and "obsolete coinage laws". As for enforcement, I wonder if anybody was prosecuted for the fact that the first Saint-Gaudens double eagles and the first Indian Head eagles were in breach of the 1864 Coinage Act, in not bearing the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST"?