Here's a query for our E-Sylum readers. Reading about the fantasy ancient coin found in Kentucky jogged my memory. A while back you ran a discussion about the strange story of Frank Lapa, who concocted fantasy coins for a number of obscure countries. Has anyone ever prepared a list of Lapa fantasies?

With regard to the 1836 gold dollar pattern, there is an earlier sale the 1855 one noted. The earliest auction appearance I am aware of was actually the February 1851 Lewis Roper sale lot 11 sold to Ammi Brown for $2 and 3 bits.

It's on French Southeast Asia Coins & Currency. It covers the French issues in Southeast Asia from the early 1800s in the East Indies to the end of their control of the Indochina area at the end of 1954.

I’m life member 1886 of the ANA, past president of the Reno Coin Club, a lifelong coin collector and didn’t know we stopped making half dollars. Here in Reno Nevada we use half dollars in the low limit hold’em and Omaha games and the dealers set them aside for me and I pay them full silver value. Just yesterday a dealer sold me one 90% and eight 40% clads. He said, “I guess this is the last time” and I said “Why do you say that?” He said, I haven’t seen any silver ones in about a year. But I am shocked we haven’t made any in years. Just to let you know we still use them in Reno.

If someone has not pointed it out, you can squint and see the special message appearing around the design on these notes. It reads WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE HERE. It is an understandable lament at the presence of these mostly Jewish people of their unchosen residence in the camp.

Other hidden messages appear on the note designs, as detailed further in our October 11, 2011 story at CoinWorld.com.

These are fascinating bits of numismatic – and, dare I say it -- world history. If only I could afford one!