M.A. Powills was mentioned in last week’s E-Sylum where his ANA membership cards were illustrated. Mike was an exceptional numismatist and fine gentleman but demanded condition in his books as well as his coins. When I visited his home in South Chicago once He showed me his extensive numismatic library.

He had special shelves made which were beveled on the front edge. This allowed the bottom spine never to touch the shelf. No matter how wide or deep a book was they all extended a fraction of an inch beyond this bevel. Obviously all his books were mint condition. Occasionally he sold duplicates from his library by fixed list price (some of which ended up in my library). After his death this library was sold in four Kolbe sales, 1966-69.

Michael Sullivan says that the list of 127 issues in Bourne is complete. See The Asylum 11(3):11. I have a bound volume containing 110 of them.

The one and only issue I have in my collection is the first trial issue. I have scanned and submitted the copy to the Newman Portal Lib. Here is a copy of the first page.

I love reading a book or an article that contains a word I have never seen, yet know instantly what it means. This was the case while reading "The Harlan J. Berk Ltd. Numismatic Library" by Shanna Berk Schmidt in the most recent number of The Asylum. "Papyrologist" - the word just rolls off the tongue with linguistic class and grace!

One of my main collecting goals when I was in high school was to get all the different zinc coins from around the world. I eventually produced a pamphlet (and sent a couple to the American Numismatic Association library - call number CC68.O2).

I agree pure zinc leaves much to be desired as a coinage metal, but it is great in alloys. But I do wonder why the U.S. Mint doesn't use bronze blanks for the one cent proof coins - I think the extra expense would have been worth it to continue the copper/bronze cent tradition.

You said, "We're still looking for an example", echoing John Mutch's query in the previous newsletter.

Well, if you follow back the thread, you'll see that the whole idea is from "5th Pillar". So go to http://www.5thpillar.org/programs/zero-rupee-note and select a language from TAMIL, MALAYALAM, TELUGU KANNADA or HINDI. Of course, these might not be exactly the same as the 3,000,000+ handed out by 5th Pillar and its supporters, but ... Or go to http://zerocurrency.org/ where it is suggested that you select from a long list the country appropriate for your needs, in order to print your own! (one side only, unfortunately).

Just a quick note to let you know that indeed there was one reader very much interested in this book. Thanks for bringing it up and thanks for "allowing" it into the newsletter. If I look back at the number of books - numismatic and non-numismatic - that I have read over the last years thanks to them having been been mentioned here!

In the mid-1990s when I was in Washington for the first time, my travel companion was very much into Shakespeare, and so she took me to the Folger Library with her. I still remember one thought I had at that time: how crazy it sounded that somebody collected over 80 copies of one and the same edition of the same book.

Not that I couldn't understand it, having been infected with the collector's bug already. In exchange she accompanied me to the Smithsonian's numismatic collection. As an American from the East Coast, she had been to the museum before, with school, on family vacations, but she didn't even know (or remember) that there were coins on permanent exposition. Needless to say, being with somebody who knew a thing or two about coins made it more interesting for her (at least for the first half hour or so..)

My wife and I are on a road trip to Nantucket. We're in Chicago for the weekend and found this wine. Not bad!