I received the most recent copy of The E-Sylum at my two email addresses. Although I got the complete E-Sylum at my college email, at my Juno email The E-Sylum was truncated at the end of the Daniel K E Ching's Rice Bowl Collection paragraph. I can only assume that Juno has a limit on the size of attachments. Was the most recent E-Sylum larger than other previous ones? I wonder if other subscribers have encountered a similar problem.

Regarding Joe Boling comment on greaseproof paper: I think "greaseproof" was right rather than "greased". The term is used here for a heavy paper with low porosity used in baking or confectionery. It is still available and would have been found in most 1930s/40s homes.

In response to Bruce Smith's question, I use a an iPhone with a "Camera Plus" application to enhance the picture quality. It works pretty well for my day to day needs. But for my primary set of coin photographs, I rely on Neil Rothschild who has a fairly sophisticated copy stand, high end digital camera(s) and a ring flash. Then he runs the photos through a set of algorithmic processes with Photoshop to get true color. Coins are a hard thing to photograph well.

About the ANA's use of the NBS gift, it's great to place 19th century auction catalogs in acid-free envelopes, but is anything being done to neutralize the catalogs themselves, to prevent self-destruction within their now-buffered environments?

Looking at the six-medal lineup associated with the story about Graco Awards joining Northwest Territorial Mint, I was struck by the third medal, inscribed "Vietnam Service." It does not match any medal known to me for the US uniformed services. For whom was that medal created? The other five are the Purple Heart, the Silver Star, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Soldiers Medal, and the Defense Superior Service Medal. That VN Service Medal had to have been created for some non-military agency. For whom?

On to Dick Johnson's treatise on phaleristics: be careful of using terms like "never." Many US decorations are round - some of the several distinguished service medals at the top, going down to some of the commendation and achievement medals, and the good conduct medals. All of these are above the class called "service medals." And we do have one decoration that comes in degrees, such as orders do - the Legion of Merit. As it happens, US citizens may receive only the lowest degree (Legionnaire), but there are three above it, progressing in complexity and gaudiness - Officer, Commander, and Chief Commander. These are awarded to foreign dignitaries (which can include heads of state, so not necessarily only military recipients).

Thanks to fellow terminology enthusiast Dick Johnson, I've discovered a new term. In his paper, Dick says that decorations are never round. Well, I'm sad to say that is false. In the Canadian Honours System there are decoration that are round, such as the Medal of Bravery, which, by the way, was the subject of a circulation 25-cent piece and a collector 1-dollar piece in 2006.

For more information on the Canadian Honours System visit the Governor General's website at: http://gg.ca/document.aspx?id=67