I am going to write on the 1959 Hartford Numismatic Society publication "Auctori Connec and Other Emissions" for a future installment of my column in the Numismatic Bibliomania Society's journal The Asylum. This publication is rarely offered, despite a stated printing of 200 copies. I'd like to hear from anyone who owns a copy and in particular I'd like to know which number you own (all copies are hand-numbered on the Preface page). Reply privately to me at df@numislit.com if you wish. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you.

THANK YOU to "The Numismatourist", Howard Berlin, for taking us through the Heberden Coin Room of the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford University. I have recently had occasion to research and write about C.H.V. Sutherland for an article in the Asylum. Sutherland was "keeper of the coin room" from 1957 to 1975 and its most dedicated administrator, as the coin room thrived under his direction. My curiosity about the Ashmolean and its 400+ year history was piqued during my research and Howard's 'E-Sylum tour' was the next best thing to being there.

Would any of our readers know what the German word Bergrechnungsmarke means or have heard of a catalogue called Elbesh? This is the only web picture I could find of it. It is an interesting looking piece but I have no idea what it is!

Alas, The Rocky Mountain News WAS a newspaper from Denver, though they also distributed throughout most of the state. I subscribed to it when I lived in Colorado Springs in the early 1980's.

They were a Progressive paper in the days when their chief competitor, the Denver Post, was a bit more conservative. The token may have signified that they had beaten the Post in net circulation, perhaps.

I'm surprised that Greg Ruby is requesting images of five-pound notes!!! ... the story   The Adventure of The Three Garridebs deals NOT "with a printing press and counterfeit 5 pound notes" but with a printing press and counterfeit 100 pound notes!

My mention of fivers instead of the 100's was a pure brain freeze. I had just looked at pics of fivers before I emailed my note. I was hoping to be Dad's age before I had these issues... I still have not come across any photos of 100’s from the 1880’s or 1890’s.

I always thought that John had a much better grasp of the workings of the Gregorian Calendar. But then, maybe he is using the Marmaduke calendar.....but that would still leave us 43 days short.

I believe a chop or chopmark must be from East (or South?) Asia or it is a countermark? The countermark on the 1658 Cromwell Crown is the Cross of Malta and is in a very respectful location.

There are two coins known of Domitianus, and the first known (found in France) was doubted until this one surfaced. So Domitianus was not "formerly unknown" and where he actually ruled is unclear. The statement that he reigned for four days in 271 A.D. apparently conflates a reference to the well-known usurper Marius, recorded as ruling for only four days in 268, and Domitianus, who is tentatively dated to 271.

(You might well wonder how it was that a "formerly unknown usurper" was so well known that the length of his reign could be specified to the day. No, his coins are not dated by days. As for Marius, his coins are so common that --if his reign was as short as four days--"Marius and his entire army must have spent the whole time striking coins," as the late Robert Grossman once remarked. My own opinion is that his reign at some particular place was indeed only four days: news of the death of Laelianus was slow to arrive, but that of Marius came immediately.)

I distinctly recall that back in the 1970's renowned colonial coin dealer Richard ("Dick") Picker of Albertson L I , NY was able to obtain the finest known Date under Plowbeam New Jersey colonial cent from their collection, perhaps convincing them that one NJ copper was like any another. Dick's skills were also used rewardingly at John Hopkins Evergreen House on the Garrett colonials and large cents - then under the control of curator Carl Carlson - a few years before the collection was consigned to auction.

I am in search of a few back issues of The Asylum to complete my set, thought you might be able to guide me to someone that may have them.

I need only 9 issues to complete an entire set, which I'd like to have bound, I already have the first 10 volumes bound. Kolbe & Fanning, Charles Davis, and Bryce Brown already have my want list, and have not been able to help. Maybe you know some member willing to sell off some extras?

My Asylum Back Issues Want List; 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 11.3, 12.1, 21.1, 21.2, 24.3, 24.4, whereas first number is edition, the second number is volume.

There are approximately twenty-five known 1880 Morgan Dollars; the most for any one year in any series. Letters found in the National Archives showed the only time these overdates could have been created. Many of these 1880 Morgan overdates have diagnostics which are not seen on other overdates and were the key to unraveling the mystery on how these overdates were created.

I think that the words "overdate varieties of" somehow disappeared from the first sentence.

Bob is correct - there are about 25 known overdate varieties of 1880 Morgan dollars.