I proposed an article for The Numismatist about “Viewing Coins Obliquely.” Editor Barbara Gregory is interested, but she wants me to include authoritative opposing opinions. Are there any people here who deny the thesis that some Celtic and other coins were intentionally created to be viewed obliquely in order to present a three-dimensional image?

With the start of the baseball season I came across an interesting baseball item. In the 1943 Higgy sale, lot 1302 is described as:

"Fine gold and silver medal presented by the Sporting Times to the best all around player in the National League in 1889. Four small diamonds at the bases. In original case.:"

I do not have the PRL of this sale. The estimate was $100. Does anyone know more about this medal, or its whereabouts?

Interesting discussion of the American Arts Gold Medallions program in the last issue. One overarching reality was not discussed, however, the total opposition of the U.S. Treasury and Mint to the program and their fundamental opposition to American citizens' interest in gold and gold ownership. For an in-depth examination, please see the "Coin World Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of U.S. Coins," published in the 1990's. Better yet see my thorough examination of this largely forgotten effort in my updating of Cornelius Vermeule's epic "Numismatic Art in America," Whitman, 2007, pp 212-215.

Treasury wanted the series to fail and did all it could to assure this from omitting statements of weight and fineness, avoiding reeded edges and other coin-like features. Ordering was made deliberately clumsy and packaging was simply abominable on the early releases. The American people had effectively forgotten gold and the Mint had no desire to re-awaken their interest.

Despite design overhauls later in the series, the program was not a success. The whole thing was a sorry mess and yes, it was a failure.

... the wife of a King is usually styled "Queen", the same as Queens who reign in their own right, but only the reigning ones are numbered. But husbands of reigning Queens aren't King unless it's a joint monarchy on theoretically equal terms (Philip & Mary, William & Mary being the only such pairings I can think of off-hand, the Marys being I and II accordingly).

The most famous joint monarchs (although not British) are Ferdinand and Isabella and, coincidentally, Isabella is Elizabeth in Spanish.

... the only U.S. coins with real women on them are those for the nation’s first ladies (who appeared on the 2006-2016 $10 gold First Spouse coins and the 1999 Dolly Madison silver dollar) and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics and appears on a 1995 commemorative silver dollar.

In his article Golino omitted the following U.S. coins which depict real women:

1937 Roanoke Island Half Dollar "depicts" Virginia Dare on the reverse
1893 Queen Isabella Commemorative Quarter
1979-81, 1999 Susan B. Anthony Dollar
2003 Alabama Quarter Dollar depicts Helen Keller on the reverse
2000-Present Sacagawea Dollar

We always have great interest in the medals, which is good, not only in Texas but throughout the country. We strike 100 silver medals and 400 bronze medals, The diameter is 39mm, with the silver 10-gauge .999 fine silver and the bronze 12-gauge. One silver and one bronze are sold together as a set. Fifty of the bronze are given to the volunteers who help at our convention, thus leaving 250 single bronze medals to be sold to the public each year. The silver medals are serially numbered on the edge, and some people have the complete set since the TNA medals began in 1969. Each year only a few sets become open, often that’s when a collector dies and the family is not interested in collecting them any longer.

There are a few bronze medals available for sale from some of the previous years. The subjects on most of the medals relate to a person or event in Texas history. This year I honored the Republic of Texas Rangers. Last year I honored the First Texas Navy, 1835-1837 and featured one of the four ships in the First Texas Navy, the Invincible, on the medal. During the ten years that Texas was a Republic, we had two Navies. When we became a state, the remaining ships became part of the U.S. Navy.