I read Dan's comment in your last issue (August 25, 2013) and would like to help him by noting that the book we were looking at that day was a Massachusetts Bay Colony book of conversion tables published in 1750. It showed the value in lawful money of various Old Tenor amounts and helped to simplify money calculations caused by the inflation of the prior decade. I apologize for distracting Dan with the coins because the book is indeed a beautiful rarity. All best.

My dad and mom did indeed witness the scuttling of the Graf Spee from their honeymoon cruise ship in the harbor of Montevideo in 1939, but they were not active participants in the way Dan implies. There is also a numismatic twist to the story, since Eric met someone on that cruise who played a role in his acquisition of items from Colonel Green. My folks are looking forward to their 74th anniversary in a few months.

The ANA was awe sum! Spent 10 days in Chicago and saw so many cool things. I, too, visited Eric's vault about 10 years ago and was stunned at the Bust coinage (I saw the dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars). I offered Eric $250K for his 1799 (now graded 67 and the BEST Bust dollar on the planet, in my opinion).

Eric laughed (I knew he would not sell it, but I sure would have been glad to pay it). He turned it over and noted that he had paid $15. Hmmmm, guess coins were pretty cheap in the 1940s. I asked him why he did not buy the uncirculated 1794 dollar and he said, "I could have bought the nicest coin for $350, but I bought the AU for $175. Think of all the other coins I bought with the extra $175." Uh, good choice, my 102 year old friend! (Eric and B.G. Johnson bought all 11 examples that Col. Green owned.)

Many of the Newman coins are being used to illustrate the early dates in NGCs Explorer application. Examples include:

Quarters

• 1796
• 1806
• 1807
• 1815
• 1818

Half Dollars

• 1796 15 star
• 1796 16 star
• 1801

Dollars

• 1796
• 1797
• 1800 Americai
• 1801

Collectors can go to the NGC website beginning with 2037631-001 to see the grades on these pieces although they are not imaged there. The proof quarters from 1860 forward, for example, are all extremely high graded.