Last week Ron Guth posed a brain-teaser regarding coin dealer B. Max Mehl's cost code. Greg Myer writes:
Max was Jewish and like many of the faith who went into their own business they did their inventory cost by applying the principle from Hebrew that each letter represented a number to English. And typically the ordering of the letters to the numbers spelled out a phrase. So for Max' case, It would be something like: YOUDESPATC i.e. 'You despatc' with the 'h' of despatch missing..... Yeah, it is a reach... usually the sayings are complete. I wrote an article on them for the Texas Jewish Historical Society a few years back.
But we still haven't unlocked the secret - I tried puzzling through Ron's cipher but gave up quickly. Does anyone else have a clue?
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE MYSTERY OF B. MAX MEHL'S COST CODE
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n39a19.html)
Wayne Homren, Editor
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