The above picture shows a case in a Southeast Asian jewelry store selling replica numismatic pieces from several countries and colonies. This case does not have sycee from China but others will have them. There are several Vietnamese 10 Lang (Ounce) silver ingot in it. If you ask the owner if they have authentic pieces, most will tell you they are authentic, but there are also many who will go to their safe and pull a few out to offer you. The authentic pieces will not be cheap but very close to retail in the numismatic markets.

Many years ago, one or more dealers in Bangkok countermarked authentic Vietnamese 10 Lang silver ingots with emperor names and dates to enhance their values. The poor calligraphy can usually identify these countermarks. Many of them are often sold in major auctions and price lists because the sellers cannot tell if the calligraphy was done by a literate person.

I am often asked to authenticate the pieces shown in the case and told they were guaranteed to be authentic by the seller, or they came from an "old" collection. There are ingots of good silver in the case because some locals will buy them to store their wealth. But there are also white metal, silver wash and plated over copper (or other metals) ingots which are sold to the tourists. The tourists usually think the seller is uninformed of the ingots' values and greed takes over their judgement.

Could any of your readers identify where the cutting in this book comes from please? It is loose in an old collector's notebook. I think it might be Stephen Leake's An Historical Account of English Money. It might help date the book.

I recently acquired a U.S. Treasury Vignette Book with a damaged unhinged spine. In examining the pieces I found a paper bound in behind the spine that says: Published in Parts. Price, Fifty Cents Each Part. I have attached a scan; this is on the spine, facing the book. Has anyone ever seen or heard of this? It suggests that one could have bought the parts and assembled a Vignette book (assuming it is actually part of the original book). Thanks for any thoughts about this.

Your explanation is doubtless correct.

You forgot to mention that the U. S. Mint box was Green! That’s what makes it unusual. I have 40 - 50 of them, all with common Morgan or Peace silver dollars that Joe Gallo said came from the U.S. Mint store in Union Station in Washington, D.C.

My suggestions to reduce the musty smell in books:

1. Seal the book in a plastic bag with baking soda. Separate the book so it is not in direct contact with the powder.

2. Seal the book in a plastic bag with kitty litter. Apparently kitty litter has baking soda as an active ingredient. Keep this away from cats.

3. Put a laundry drier sheet in the pages of the book and seal it in a plastic bag. I don't know how much the drier sheet absorbs the smell and how much it leaves a different pleasant smell.

It might help if the book could be put on edge with the pages fanned open. There will not be much air circulation inside the bag.

I have never tried any of these techniques. I don't know how long they take to work. It probably relates to temperature and the extent of the damage. One week might work but a month would probably be better

John Davenport was an expert on world crown size coins, writing several books on the subject. He moved from Davenport, Illinois to Florida in his retirement. After he died his extensive library was located but it was found a moldy mess. Completely valueless.

I have found this true of several books I have acquired from Florida. The atmosphere is so moisture-laden there that mold readily grows on paper pages. Libraries everywhere must be kept in controlled atmospheric conditions, with low moisture content.

I’ve been following the Breen/Taxay and now ANACS pre-slab authentication certificates. Has anyone reported a Professional Numismatists Guild authentication certificate? I have one for a piece of Ming Dynasty paper money I bought years ago.