Partly due to the discussion about digital numismatic works in The E-Sylum, I have written up an essay discussing digital preservation issues for The Asylum. However, since the deadline for the next issue is a couple months off, I have decided to post my draft online. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions, comments or questions.

Not all medals are cast to celebrate glory and heroism. There is a darker tradition of creating medals for moments of dishonour.

The British Museum is hosting an exhibition that looks at how this less well-known tradition has developed over the past 400 years - and also features special commissions from current artists.

Evan Davis was shown around by the co-curators, Philip Attwood and Felicity Powell.

I am an amateur numismatist with an interest in ultra modern numismatics. This is a branch which deals with coins before they are issued to the moment they get cataloged (or assigned KM# by the Krause Standard Catalog of World Coins).

Since I collect this information, I find it little more work to help my friends with similar interests, so I give this information to the COINS list and some others too, like www.worldcoinnews.blogspot.com etc.

I am approved contributor to SCWC 2001- till date. And despite my .uk email address, I do not live in the UK - I live in India.

I, for one, would love to learn more about Foskett. I've been compiling biographical files for the ANS on all of its former officers and while I've had a good bit of success, Foskett has eluded me.

His contributions to the ANS Library are actually a good bit less than one might guess. Although he technically was Librarian from 1858 through 1864, after 1860 the ANS did not meet again until 1864. And when they did regroup early in 1864, Foskett was a no-show. The first person to make substantial contributions to the ANS Library really was Isaac Wood, who served as Librarian from 1869-1880. I've been able to collect some biographical information on him, but what I'm really dying for is a photo, if anyone has one.

That's a very good idea. I seem to recall that he was still alive post-Civil War but just not interested in continued participation - I'd need to double-check the correspondence files, of course, to confirm my recollection. Even if he wasn't killed, if he did serve there would be pension records, which are a terrific source of information.

1 : to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false or erroneous
2 : to deny the truth or accuracy of refuted the allegations

So, I guess the reporter was technically correct, although I'm still on the side of George and Arthur in preferring the more narrow primary definition of the word. -Editor

Of course, the United States' earliest “real coins” (silver and gold) did not carry a denomination either. The first half dime to do so was in 1829, first dime was in 1809, first quarter in 1815, first half dollar in 1807 (unless you count the 1/2 on the 1796 – half what?), first silver dollar in 1836, first quarter eagle in 1808, first half eagle in 1813 and first eagle in 1838. But our copper coins did carry denominations, in words and in fractions, from day one.

The companion medal restrike takes a Teutenberg die from an 1897 Jubilee medal originally issued to winners of a military athletic tournament. Using the master die held by NSA, the commemorative restrike produced 45 silver, 45 copper and 7 gold medals each bearing the reverse legend: Numismatic Society of Auckland (Inc.) 1959-2009.

While these are the published mintage figures for the anniversary medals, I understand an extra 10 copper were made at the last moment, making the final mintage 7 gold, 45 silver and 55 copper, just to keep the record straight.

Chappe created a language of 9,999 words, each represented by a different position of the swinging arms. When operated by well-trained optical telegraphers, the system was extraordinarily quick. Messages could be transmitted up to 150 miles in two minutes.

The "bonds" being smuggled into Switzerland are fantasies. They have been coming out of the Philippines, India, and China for several years. No such real bonds exist.

The website on distinguishing counterfeit money fails to note that $5 bills no longer have a portrait in the watermark - they have a large numeral 5 in the watermark window and the words FIVE FIVE FIVE on the other end of the note. This is to force note bleachers to spend more money (at least $10 now) to obtain substrate for their ink-jet $100s.

The linked article on the How Things Work website fails to note that modern image-processing software recognizes security patterns in the designs and shuts down rather than print pictures of notes.

This blog post is not about coins, but eBay & archaeology are both ancillary concerns, so this may have some bearing.

The Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum is a British Academy Research Project, the purpose of which is to publish illustrated catalogues of Greek coins in public and private collections in the British Isles. SNG has retained the traditional, very broad, definition of 'Greek' to include the coins produced by all ancient civilisations of the Mediterranean and neighbouring regions except Rome, though it does include the Roman Provincial series often known as 'Greek Imperials'.

The project was inaugurated in 1931 with the publication of the collection of Capt. E.G. Spencer-Churchill. A new and distinctive format was used, with text and illustrations on facing pages. This meant that only limited text was included, with the illustrations having greater prominence than in earlier types of catalogues, and to some extent replacing textual descriptions. This is because the primary purpose of SNG was to make much more material available for study. This format has been retained ever since and has been adopted, along with the title Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, for similar projects in many other countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.