• WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM DECEMBER 13, 2009
• DEDICATED NUMISMATIC LITERATURE BUYER BRAVES ICY ROADS TO VIEW LOTS
• DAVID SKLOW SALE #9 CATALOGS ON THE WAY
• FANNING NUMISMATIC LITERATURE PUBLISHES THE BOOKSHELF, NOVEMBER 2009
• NEW BOOK: STANDARD CATALOG OF WORLD COINS 1801-1900 6TH EDITION
• NEW BOOK: U.S. POOL AND BILLIARD TOKENS
• BOOK REVIEW: CURRENCY AND BELIEF BY JOHN NEWLING
• ANS LIBRARY CATALOG NAMING CONTEST
• IS $2,500 FOR A HARDBOUND FORD SALE SET A BARGAIN?
• PRESENTATION: MEDALLIC HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS AND RACIAL INTOLERANCE
• MORE ON KOREIN'S COLLECTION GOBRECHT DOLLARS
• MORE ON COIN DEALER JAY PARRINO
• MORE ON WALTER BREEN'S EDUCATION
• QUERY: WHAT IS THIS MYSTERIOUS CHINA CREAM PITCHER CIPHER?
• QUERY: PITTSBURG AND MEXICAN TIN MINING COMPANY MEDAL
• DICK JOHNSON ON SAVING RARITIES FROM THE MELTING POT
• QUERY: THE MAINE PENNY
• WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTS U.S. MINT CREDIT CARD REWARD SCAM
• COIN DROP STUNT BACKLASH
• ARTICLE EXAMINES MAN'S "IMPOSSIBLE" DISPLAY OF MEDALS
• ROBERT BURNS FEATURED ON NEW CLYDESDALE BANK £10 NOTE
• STOLEN ECSTACY PILL COLLECTION STORED IN COIN FOLDERS
• WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: DECEMBER 13, 2009
• MONEYFACING - A NEW CRAZE SWEEPING THE WEB
• FEATURED WEB PAGE: THE NOBEL PRIZE MEDALS

WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM DECEMBER 13, 2009

Among our new subscribers this week are Macie Treash, Rob Vugteveen, Steve Costner, And Mike Gross. Welcome aboard! We now have 1,281 subscribers.

Thanks are due to John Salyer for helping with the images in this issue. This week we have updates from a number of numismatic literature dealers, and announcements of new books on diverse topics. To learn about the Bibliophile Who Braved the Storm , read on.

Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society

DEDICATED NUMISMATIC LITERATURE BUYER BRAVES ICY ROADS TO VIEW LOTS

DAVID SKLOW SALE #9 CATALOGS ON THE WAY

DAVID SKLOW - FINE NUMISMATIC BOOKS Sale #9 Closing Saturday February 13, 2010: Catalogs will be mailed after Christmas and posted on my website by December 13th; Partial list of highlights are posted now; included are –

• 1942 studio photo of Abe Kosoff and B. Max Mehl at the ANA Convention Banquet;
• Editor's copies of several of Q. David Bower's works;
• QDB's First Fixed Price List;
• QDB's unpublished manuscript on Colonials;
• The Horace L.P. Brand original correspondence;
• The original correspondence of Walter P. Nichols;
• The papers of Robert Morris six volume set;
• J. H. Jongkee's The Kimonian Dekadrachms;
• Complete bound set [108 volumes] 1892-2000 of the Spink Numismatic Circular;
• Research files and typescript for the Dr. George Wilkins work;
• numerous works on treasure hunting, pirates and ship wrecks;
• Columbiana by Eglit;
• Deluxe bound Bluestone set of Grinnell catalogs;
• Kagin's 1977 ANA catalog deluxe leather edition;
• numerous deluxe bound editions of Bowers, Federal Brand, Ivy, Kagin, Katen, Kosoff, Kelly, Kreisberg, Lepczyk, Merkin, NASCA,
• A long run of deluxe and plated deluxe Superior catalogs;
• U.S. Cents 1798-99 by Clapp;
• Newcomb 1944 deluxe leather both thin & thick paper editions;
• over 300 individually listed auction catalogs of the 19th Century;
• Howard Newcomb's copy of Ed Lee's California Gold book;
• Breen & Gillio deluxe morocco leather #24 of 100 California Pioneer Gold book;
• Kagin's Pioneer Gold work in a deluxe full leather boxed edition;
• Part one of the Rev. Clunan British Works library, and much, much more.

www.finenumismaticbooks.com PH: (719) 302-5686, FAX: (719) 302-4933. EMAIL: numismaticbooks@aol.com. USPS: Box 6321, Colorado Springs, CO. 80934.!

FANNING NUMISMATIC LITERATURE PUBLISHES THE BOOKSHELF, NOVEMBER 2009

The November edition of The Bookshelf, David F. Fanning Numismatic Literature's regular fixed-price list, has been posted on the firm's Web site at www.fanningbooks.com and is being sent to regular customers. A bit delayed by the company's recent auction, the list includes a number of rare and important items, as well as useful, inexpensive works. David Fanning can be contacted at (614) 256-8915 or at dfanning@columbus.rr.com. A direct link to the PDF version of the Bookshelf is: www.fanningbooks.com/Bookshelf6Web.pdf

NEW BOOK: STANDARD CATALOG OF WORLD COINS 1801-1900 6TH EDITION

Krause Publications has announced a new book, the 6th edition of the Standard Catalog of World Coins 1801-1900 by George S. Cuhaj and Thomas Michael. It's in the company's standard 8.25 x 10.25 softcover format, with 1,248 pages and 27,500 black & white photos. Here's what the publisher's web site says:

For more information, see: www.shopnumismaster.com/product/standard-catalog-world-coins
-1801-1900/world-coins/?r=NNWB449&p=NNWB449

NEW BOOK: U.S. POOL AND BILLIARD TOKENS

United States
Pool And Billiard
token book

Approximately 20,000 tokens listed by state.
includes a maverick section.
All tokens are valued.
A comprehensive owner – business index.
Hundreds of pictures. 1100 pages, 8½x11, hard bound.
6+ pounds of book, shipped insured, media mail.

$94.50 includes shipping & insurance.

Questions? Email me at:

mgross@onlinemac.com

MIKE GROSS
PO BOX 848
LAFAYETTE, OR.
97127

BOOK REVIEW: CURRENCY AND BELIEF BY JOHN NEWLING

Philip Mernick of London recently sent me a nice gift - a copy of Currency and Belief by John Newling. The conceptual artist recently spoke at the Royal Numismatic Society. His topic was "Between Sign and Symptom: the transformation of Value, Coin and Material in the works of John Newling".

Any book picturing Communion Tokens on the cover is all right by me. I enjoyed reading it at lunchtime last week. Numismatists won't find anything much new about their hobby, but might still find Newling's work of interest. Somewhat like money artist J.S.G. Boggs, Newling prompts viewers of his work to think about what we value, and ties together values and belief in secular life and religion through imagery and viewer interaction.

The short 96-page hardcover book illustrates and describes several of Newling's installations. Philip informs me that a second edition is on the way. I remember fondly my visits with Philip and his brother Harry in London - they really made this visitor feel at home, and it's nice to stay in touch. Many thanks for thinking of me!

ANS LIBRARY CATALOG NAMING CONTEST

In 2010, the ANS Library will launch a new and improved library catalog. This catalog needs a name. I would like to ask for the creative minds of the numismatic community to help with this, and so I am initiating a contest for the best name of our new catalog. The person who submits the name that is chosen will win a $100 ANS gift certificate, which can be used for a wide variety of ANS purchases, including publications, library services, membership, and more!

The contest deadline is February 15, 2010, so make sure to get your ideas in before then! To submit your entry, please email the contest address (contest at numismatics.org ) or mail your entry to "Attn: Library Contest" at the ANS headquarters in New York City. You can submit as many entries as you like. No phone calls please, as submissions must be made in writing.

For examples of other names and possible inspiration, you might look at what other libraries have done, such as BobCat (NYU library), Corsair (Morgan Library and Museum), Ambrosia (Blegen Library), etc. We are looking for something short and sweet but creative, with obvious relevance to the ANS collections.

IS $2,500 FOR A HARDBOUND FORD SALE SET A BARGAIN?

To read the complete thread, see: Is $2,500 for a complete, 21 volume hard-bound set of Stack's Ford catalogs the greatest bargain in numismatics? (forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=752303)

PRESENTATION: MEDALLIC HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS AND RACIAL INTOLERANCE

DU KORN JUDE (THE CORN JEW)
by Christian Wermuth, Germany, 1694, Silver, 36 mm

MORE ON KOREIN'S COLLECTION GOBRECHT DOLLARS

With regard to Dr. Korein's collection, it contained the following Gobrecht dollars and the one half dollar splasher the last time I visited him. I do not know if the collection grew beyond what is listed below but the new book is missing 30 pieces he purchased since then.

Splashers - 4

• Half Dollar J-A1837-2
• Dollar J-A1836-4, J-A1836-5, J-A1836-8

Gobrecht Dollars - 96

• J58 2 in alignment IV, 4 in alignment III
• J59 alignment III
• J60 60 examples, 26 in alignment I, 12 in alignment II, 5 in alignment III, 17 in alignment IV
• J61 alignment IV
• J62 alignment III
• J63 alignment III
• J64 alignment III
• J65 alignment III
• J84 1 in alignment IV, 6 in alignment III
• J85 2 in alignment III
• J87 1 in alignment III
• J88 1 in alignment III
• J89 1 in alignment III
• J104 3 in alignment III, 7 in alignment IV
• J105 1 in alignment III
• J108 1 in alignment III

From a completion standpoint, it is missing only the 2 1839 copper dollars J107 and J109 and a latest state restrike J60 in alignment III with die rust in front of Liberty's face from being complete.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: ON KOREIN'S COLLECTION GOBRECHT DOLLARS AT THE ANS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n49a09.html)

MORE ON COIN DEALER JAY PARRINO

Regarding dealer Jay Parrino, an E-Sylum reader writes:

Regarding the million-dollar display of banknotes Parrino purchased, Davd Lange writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: QUERY: COIN DEALER JAY PARRINO (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n49a11.html)

MORE ON WALTER BREEN'S EDUCATION

In The E-Sylum v12 n49 Leon Saryan suggested: "It should be possible to contact the registrar and make an inquiry about Breen's record." I do not know that that is true. My understanding of FERPA (Family Educational Reporting Privacy Act) plus attempts of my own, all point in the opposite direction.

Working on a master's myself in social science, I had a professor who was so inept that several of us attempted to validate that person's credentials. We failed. Though we had the dates of attendances and degrees from a curriculum vitae, the institutions refused to answer even that a degree was ever granted. You must have written permission from the subject to view the records ... and with dead people, that can be difficult.

Also, I noticed that nearly every citation about Breen repeats the same phrase, "... earning his Master's degree from University of California, Berkeley in 1966. ..."

However, I did find this: Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context by Vern L. Bullough, RN, PhD. Binghamton, New York: Hayworth Press, 2002. Page 313-314:

Was Breen's master's degree in music or in sociology or something else?

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: MORE ON WALTER BREEN AT JOHNS HOPKINS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n49a12.html)

QUERY: WHAT IS THIS MYSTERIOUS CHINA CREAM PITCHER CIPHER?

Anne E. Bentley of the Massachusetts Historical Society writes:

QUERY: PITTSBURG AND MEXICAN TIN MINING COMPANY MEDAL

Ed Krivoniak writes:

DICK JOHNSON ON SAVING RARITIES FROM THE MELTING POT

The final chapter has been written for the gold Tiffany Life Saving Medal tuned in for scrap at the Liverpool England jewelry firm W.J. Edwards but was saved from the melting pot. It was mentioned two weeks back in The E-Sylum (vol 12, no 47, art 17).

The medal sold November 30 for £2,400 ($3,902) at the Fellows & Son London auction firm. It received a hammer price of £2,883 plus a buyer's fee of 20.13%.

How it got from the Newark, New Jersey, factory of Tiffany & Co where it was struck in 1911 to Liverpool 98 years later is an itinerary we may never learn. But it does recall other instances of rare items saved from the melting pot once turned in for scrap.

In the early eighties during great silver melt, initiated by the Hunt Brothers attempt to corner the world's silver supply, a lot of the metal was sold to metal dealers in and around the Diamond District in Midtown Manhattan. The story has been told that the owners of these firms were kept busy examining what was redeemed each day. They would sort through the precious metal flotsam and retrieve any item with a potential value greater than the inflated metal content.

There is a concept here of human nature to strive for the greatest profit. But that situation has a term, firm hand. The seller did not have a firm hand, he preferred the immediate cash to holding it for any greater profit later on. The owner of precious metal firm had a firm hand in that he could retain the item for perhaps an undetermined time. The owner had to make quick decisions, "Would this ever be worth more than the inflated price he paid for the item today?" Too bad tons of precious metal items were destroyed forever.

While this Tiffany gold medal was saved, many gold medals have been melted over the years, those that were not in firm hands. The most sorrowful story is that of Phoebe Ann Mosey, "Annie Oakley," who as a sharpshooter received dozens of gold medals in shooting competitions. Instead of selling her medals outright -- wouldn't gun collectors covet owing just one of those! -- she had all her gold medals melted. She gave the money to the poor, but destroyed a heritage of her achievements.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: 1911 GOLD TIFFANY LIFE SAVING MEDAL OFFERED (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n47a17.html)

QUERY: THE MAINE PENNY

The Maine penny, also referred to as the Goddard coin, is a Norwegian silver penny dating to the reign of Olaf Kyrre (1067â€"1093 AD). The Maine State Museum describes it as "the only pre-Columbian Norse artifact generally regarded as genuine found within the United States." The American Numismatic Society has stated that "There is no reliable confirmation on the documentation of the Goddard coin, and much circumstantial evidence suggests that someone was deliberately trying to manipulate or obfuscate the situation. The Norse coin from Maine should probably be considered a hoax." However an extensive analysis by Edmund Carpenter published by the Rock Foundation concluded "Not proven."

A local resident, Guy Mellgren, said that he found this coin on August 18, 1957, at the Goddard site, the extensive archeological remains of an old Native American settlement at Naskeag Point, Brooklin, Maine on Penobscot Bay. . . Over a lengthy period, a collection of 30,000 items from the site were donated to the Maine State Museum. The coin was at first identified as a British penny from the 12th century and much of the circumstances of its finding were not preserved in the record (as was the case with the majority of the 30,000 finds). . . .

In 1978, experts from London considered that it might be Norse. Kolbjorn Skaare of the University of Oslo determined the coin had been minted between 1065 and 1080 AD and widely circulated in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The Goddard site has been dated to 1180-1235 (ie well within the circulation period of pennies of this type) and the people living there at the time are generally considered to be ancestors of the Penobscot. While the date is around two hundred years after the last of the Vinland voyages described by Norse sagas it is well within the period during which Vikings are believed to have visited North America.

By some accounts the penny was found with a perforation, hinting it was used as a pendant. This area of the coin is said to have since crumbled to dust from corrosion.

The penny's coastal origin has been offered as evidence either that the Vikings traveled further south than Newfoundland or that the coin might have been traded locally. However, the penny was the only Norse artifact found at the site, which according to substantial evidence was a hub in a large native trade network. For example, a single artifact generally identified as a Dorset Eskimo burin was also recovered there, and may support the idea that both the burrin and the penny could plausibly have come to Maine through native trade channels from Viking sources in Labrador or Newfoundland.

The identity of the Maine Penny as an Olaf Kyrre silver penny is not in doubt. While the Maine Museum and the Smithsonian website favor the view that it was found at the site and is therefore evidence of Viking presence on the North American continent the possibility that it may be a hoax has been raised. . . There is no solid evidence of a hoax, yet there are questionable aspects regarding the archaeologist that produced the coin to leave its provenance in doubt.

To read the complete article, see: RECOVERED HISTORY: THE MAINE PENNY (prorev.com/2009/12/recovered-history-maine-penny.html)

WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTS U.S. MINT CREDIT CARD REWARD SCAM

Enthusiasts of frequent-flier mileage have all kinds of crazy strategies for racking up credits, but few have been as quick and easy as turning coins into miles.

At least several hundred mile-junkies discovered that a free shipping offer on presidential and Native American $1 coins, sold at face value by the U.S. Mint, amounted to printing free frequent-flier miles. Mileage lovers ordered more than $1 million in coins until the Mint started identifying them and cutting them off.

Coin buyers charged the purchases, sold in boxes of 250 coins, to a credit card that offers frequent-flier mile awards, then took the shipments straight to the bank. They then used the coins they deposited to pay their credit-card bills. Their only cost: the car trip to make the deposit.

Richard Baum, a software-company consultant who lives in New Jersey, ordered 15,000 coins. "I never unrolled them," he says. "The UPS guy put them directly in my trunk."

Patricia Hansen, a San Diego retiree who loves to travel, ordered $10,000 in coins from the Mint. "My husband took them to the bank," Ms. Hansen says, and she earned 10,000 miles toward free or upgraded travel.

Even with all the offers that are available, the deal the Mint offers -- free miles without spending any dollars -- is unique. The Mint says the dollar-coin free-shipping offer began in June 2008. About $130 million in coins have been issued to 40,000 buyers, mostly coin collectors, community banks and small businesses such as vending-machine companies and car washes.

The Mint says it costs, on average, about $3 to ship each 250-coin box. So $10,000 in coins would be 40 boxes, or $120 in shipping. As for credit-card costs to the government, a Treasury Department agency handles all government credit-card transactions and negotiates costs. No particular credit-card expense is charged to the Mint, a spokesman says.

In late August and September, officials noticed a sharp uptick in "large repetitive orders" from a group of individuals, Mint spokesman Tom Jurkowsky says. At about the same time, the Mint received reports from banks around the country that coins were being deposited that were still in their U.S. Mint boxes, he says.

Officials found Internet chat rooms where the coins-for-miles scheme was detailed. Letters were sent to customers asking whether their intended use complied with the program's purpose. Customers who didn't respond were blocked from the program, Mr. Jurkowsky says. Fewer than 400 buyers were blocked, he says.

"Is this illegal? No. Is it the right thing to do? No, it's not what the program is intended to do," Mr. Jurkowsky says.

To read the complete article, see: Miles for Nothing: How the Government Helped Frequent Fliers Make a Mint (online.wsj.com/article/SB126014168569179245.html)

COIN DROP STUNT BACKLASH

I enjoyed reading the article in the December 6, 2009 edition (v12#49), "Ideal Coin Show Publicity: Houston Coin Club," about promoting the show with the exhibit of a 1943 bronze cent. After 30 years of helping to promote various coin shows (and 30 years of working in the print and broadcast news media prior to turning to The Dark Side of the Force -- PR), I've learned this: You have to give the non-collecting public a solid reason to get off the couch and come to the show.

I used to believe that a "coin drop" stunt -- deliberately placing a rare coin into circulation -- was a way to do that. But now I discourage that kind of promotion. At the 1992 ANA convention in Orlando, Florida, someone from (what was then) Krause Publications was handling the coin drop and arranged for a TV news crew to follow him as he made a purchase using a rare coin as part of the pocket change. However, the TV crew was never taken into the coin show! The coin dropper met them outside a nearby hotel. So, the TV coverage that night was only about a rare coin in change in the Orlando area with no video of the coin show!

It was then I realized that you need a compelling reason for the general public to come to the show. A rare coin in circulation may prompt them to closely look at their pocket change, but probably won't get them in the door unless they find it or are spurred to bring in Grandpa's old coins stored in a tin can. You need something that will attract larger numbers of people, and that's usually A) an eye-opening exhibit such as a six-figure 1943 bronze cent or the BEP's $100,000 bills or the SS Central America Ship of Gold display (which, by the way, is coming out of dry dock and will be at the February Long Beach Expo) and/or B) free appraisals of old coins and bank notes.

Even the best, widely-promoted come-and-see-it exhibit, though, can be thwarted by bad weather on the show days or an inconvenient location for the public to visit. And, despite my don't-do-a-coin-drop mantra for promoting shows, I happily used coin drops in April 2006 to simultaneously promote National Coin Week and a new edition of Scott Travers' book, "The Coin Collector's Survival Manual."

Photos used with permission of Donn Pearlman. All rights reserved.

Scott used rare coins to purchase some items from push cart vendors in midtown Manhattan. The New York Times ran a story that promoted National Coin Week and the book, and we had representatives of virtually every local TV station and news network cover one of the coin drops. Most of them, too, mentioned both National Coin Week and Scott's book in their subsequent coverage. Here's a photo of Scott showing the news media the 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln cent he was about to use with other loose change to buy a bottle of water from an unsuspecting vendor a block away.

Now you ask, "How could he be an unsuspecting vendor with all the TV cameras following him?" Remember, this was in Times Square. People who live and work there are used to seeing camera crews for television and movies. And when this particular vendor noticed the cameras as Scott was making his purchase, I simply told him, "I think he's some personality from Canada....."

Regarding the 1943 copper cent, Don Cleveland adds:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: IDEAL COIN SHOW PUBLICITY: HOUSTON COIN CLUB (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n49a20.html)

ARTICLE EXAMINES MAN'S "IMPOSSIBLE" DISPLAY OF MEDALS

A man who marched at a Remembrance Day parade with an impossible array of medals was named last night as carpenter Roger Day, 61. Neighbours said the keen amateur actor was once thrown out of his local pub in a row over an SAS badge he was wearing. Mr Day denied he was a conman and said the 17 medals - including top bravery awards - were 'pukka'.

But medals expert Martin Harrison said: 'He would be world-famous - and some sort of Rambo character - if he had been awarded them all.' A drive to identify the mystery medal man was launched after he was pictured marching alongside brave servicemen at the November 11 parade in Bedworth, Warwickshire.

Mr Day was tracked down to his home in Earl Shilton, near Hinckley, Leicestershire, where it emerged that he is a regular churchgoer who sings in the choir.

Mr Day, who wore a beige SAS beret at the parade, insisted his medals were genuine, but said the Official Secrets Act stopped him giving details. He said: 'They're all proper, pukka campaign medals. Medals I won in conflicts while I was serving with the British forces. All I can say is South Atlantic the Gulf, Kuwait and one or two other stations.'

The medals included the Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross - the highest bravery awards after the Victoria Cross - campaign awards from Korea and the Falklands, medals for both officers and other ranks and foreign decorations.

Mr Harrison, a squadron leader with the RAF Volunteer Reserve and liaison officer at the Bedworth Armistice Day Parade committee, said: 'It is a ridiculous, ludicrous combination of medals which is unheard of.'

Hinckley Ex-Servicemen's Club has launched an investigation. Secretary Paul Savage said: 'If he has been wearing medals he is not entitled to he will be facing a £1,000 fine and he will be thrown out of the club. 'Most members consider it disgusting for someone to wear medals that do not belong to them. It makes a mockery of everything.'

A carpenter who marched in a Remembrance Day parade wearing an 'impossible collection' of military medals has been arrested on suspicion of deception.

military experts said no single serviceman could have been awarded all the medals - some of which were from the Korean War, which ended when Mr Day was still in primary school.

Yesterday it emerged Mr Day had been arrested on suspicion of 'wearing military medals without authority as to be calculated to deceive'. A Warwickshire Police spokesman said Mr Day was arrested under section 197 of the Army Act 1955, which makes wearing decorations without authority a criminal offence, after attending a police station for a pre-arranged appointment.

To read the complete article, see: Medals are pukka...but I'm sworn to silence on how I won them, says the parade 'fraud' (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1233634/
Fake-war-veteran-Roger-Day-Medals-pukka--Im-sworn-silence-I-won-them.html)

ROBERT BURNS FEATURED ON NEW CLYDESDALE BANK £10 NOTE

Robert Burns, one of Scotland's most famous sons, is featured on Clydesdale Bank's new £10 note, which is now in circulation. This note is the fourth of Clydesdale Bank's new world heritage banknotes.

As well as featuring ‘The Bard' on the front, the £10 note will also depict an iconic image of Edinburgh's Old and New Towns on the reverse.

Clydesdale Bank's new note collection showcases the best of Scotland's heritage, people and culture and is the first time in more than 20 years the Bank has launched a completely new set of notes.

The front of each new note will honour a prominent and innovative Scot while the reverse will feature one of Scotland's five World Heritage Sites.

Clydesdale Bank is the largest issuer of banknotes in Scotland, with more than £1.1billion in circulation in any given week.

To read the complete article, see: Clydesdale Bank features Robert Burns on its new £10 note (www.pr-inside.com/clydesdale-bank-features-robert-burns-r1621190.htm)

STOLEN ECSTACY PILL COLLECTION STORED IN COIN FOLDERS

Don't keep a collection of anything but coins in coin albums. That advice was neglected by a 46-year old Dutchman who recently had a collection stolen from his home that was stored in "coin collecting folders."

First of all thieves are savvy. Anything kept in coin containers has got to be valuable, coins or not. But what kind of collection was stolen from this Dutchman recently? Ecstasy pills, 2,400 hundred of them!

It was his collection that took twenty years to acquire. "My passion," he said, "for collecting comes from the varied [selection] of colors, shapes and logos that are printed on the pills."

Despite the fact about 40 of the pills are poisonous and it is illegal to possess these pills, even in Holland, the police said they tended to believe the unnamed man. A police spokeswoman said "Why would you make something like this up?"

Likewise we don't make up these stories either. See: Dutch man reports theft of Ecstasy pill collection (www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jg2yveyEEREp-NR6MP3x8LcssyvQD9CGLPU00)

WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: DECEMBER 13, 2009

The dinner was held at an upscale Italian Restaurant. We had a private room, and the dinner and drinks were superb. I enjoyed speaking with everyone. Attendees included Roger Burdette, Tom Kays, Chris Neuzil, Joe Levine, Bill Eckberg, Mike Packard, Wayne Herndon, Jon Radel, and Julian Leidman. Regular Dave Schenkman was out due to a bad cold.

Conversation topics were all over the map and largely non-numismatic, but we did touch on the 1933 Double Eagle situation and the recent theft of Julian's numismatic stock. He and his wife were truly touched by the outpouring of support from the numismatic fraternity, and naturally quite relieved to have had most of the stolen items returned.

Before leaving I spoke with Jon Radel and Wayne and Karin Herndon to plan Saturday's event for kids at the Annandale Coin Show. I still had to complete the slides for my presentation, which I didn't complete until Friday night.

Saturday morning I arrived at the show around 10am. I walked to the back row to speak to numismatic literature dealer John Burns, who I hadn't seen in some time. He kindly pointed out the grey appearing on my temples. But I had no time for small talk or perusing inventory - I rushed to get our room set up.

E-Sylum subscriber Mike Hudson was there with his whole family, as was Jon and his son Joe. We got the room set up and I gave a presentation to 16 kids and their parents - we had about 30 people in the room. Mike took some pictures. I quizzed the kids on the Lincoln Cent and Jefferson Nickel. The kids were great, and when we digressed into a discussion of mint marks, one of them not only knew Dahlonega, he could pronounce it as well!

At the end I called an auction of 25 lots of donated material. The kids seemed to have a blast, and I enjoyed doing it. All in all, it was a great morning. While Jon and Mike helped, I packed up so I could leave at 12:30 to get to my 9-year-old son Tyler's basketball game. I'm glad I did. With his team down 4-6 as the end of the first half approached, "Cool Hand Tyler" got the ball and winged it toward the basket. Buzzer sounds. Ball slams backboard and swishes in for three points, putting his team ahead 7-6. The crowd roared and no one was more surprised than Tyler. But all his practice in our cul-de-sac paid off.

The other team must have been stunned into submission - they never scored another point. Final score, 27-6. His team won another game at 4pm 24-12 and a third on Sunday 41-8. His brother Christopher's team won as well Saturday night. All this left little time for The E-Sylum, so I was up past 12:30am finishing this issue. But it's all fun.

MONEYFACING - A NEW CRAZE SWEEPING THE WEB

Photographs of folded-over banknotes placed in front of a person's half-visible face are littering the web. A truly international pastime, the notes being used come from as far afield as Singapore and the US. Closer to home, many Britons are having fun with our own banknotes. The Queen is proving to be the most popular, followed by Sir Edward Elgar and Sir John Houblon.

Click here to view a slideshow of images: www.flickr.com/photos/coinbooks/sets/72157622989797646/show/ .

To read the complete article, see: Creasing up: Banking on a funny photo with the 'moneyfacing' craze sweeping the web (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1234050/Creasing-Banking-funny-photo-moneyfacing-craze-sweeping-web.html)

FEATURED WEB PAGE: THE NOBEL PRIZE MEDALS

This week's Featured Web page is suggested by Alan Luedeking, who writes:

Nobel Peace Medal

Nobel Medal in Medicine

nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medals/