I doubt that I am the first to point out that the so-called “Mark Antony” coins are actually denarii of Marcus Aurelius and worth a modest amount in the condition shown.

Week after week you keep posting the most interesting numismatic items. I would like to comment on some of them from last week's post.

Dollar Sign
About the dollar sign, I have a question. As a young boy I learned to make it with two vertical strokes. Now it is only made with one. When did this change?

A.C. Gies
Connected to the post on the Western Pennsylvnia Numismatic Society, I am happy to say that I recently acquired a hard bound copy of the half dollar collection of A. C. Gies, one of the WPNS members, sold by Stacks in 1940. Over the years I had bid on this sale several times, but was never successful until now.

J. F. Bell
On the Col. Green 1845 proof set, and the three gold proof coins sold to J. F. Bell. His real name was Jacob Shapiro. Over the years he assembled, and then sold several collections of gold coins. The 1845 proof coins were sold in a set consigned to Numismatic Gallery sale of 3/1/ &3/2/1948. The proof coins were sold individually as part of date sets. Bell took quite a loss on these coins, as the coins he paid $1100. for only realized a total $545. Interestingly, I believe that this was the first really major numismatic sale held on the west coast.

The two-dollar bill has a shady past. The bills, affectionately called "Toms" (nicknamed for Thomas Jefferson's image) were once associated with gambling, bribes and prostitution. While rare, they are still passed around today, and kept in the wallets of uncles everywhere.

Regarding Don Taxay, I know nothing about him personally, but there is something called the Social Security Death Index. The SSDI was created because so many people tried to steal the identities of the deceased, so the Social Security Administration actually publishes the name and social security number of everyone who dies in order to prevent their being given loans, credit cards, etc. Death records go back to at least the early 1960s, possibly earlier. It is used frequently by genealogists too.

I searched for a Don or Donald Taxay (an unusual name), and none was found. Anyone who worked in almost any job in the US after 1935 has a social security number, so therefore Don Taxay is either still alive or died overseas in such a way that his death was never reported to the Social Security Administration (perhaps as an overseas permanent resident who never collected social security).