"I agree that the US mint silver dollar set was something that was done privately and had nothing to do with the US Mint."

"I'd offer: Pickle it, in an acid solution."

"I found Ron Guth's commentary on the correct orientation of coin photos to be very interesting. I load many of the photos that NGC's Imaging Department takes for Coin Explorer and VarietyPlus, and one coin type that is almost always delivered with an incorrect rotation is the common reverse design of Coronet Liberty quarter eagles through eagles. It seems that everyone wants the eagle to stand up straight, with the shield upright as well, but examination of the coin reveals that this was not the artist's intent. The legend stops flanking the denomination are clearly meant to align on a single horizontal plane, and doing this turns the eagle clockwise in the die, or counterclockwise to a viewer of the coin. The denomination and legends are thus balanced, while the eagle is leaning to one side.

"I'm attaching a couple of examples taken from Coin Explorer to illustrate this point."

"I'm quite horrified by this. Is the fact these coins and tokens have been "restored" included on the certifier's label so buyers know their history? I thought the certification companies rejected cleaned coins outright - and even if it's done delicately and professionally, cleaning is still cleaning."

"Unfortunately, the coin illustrated in the E-Sylum articles about the Golden Biscuit would not qualify as such. If that was the coin, it has darkened a lot.

"This coin was illustrated in the Grading Guide For Early American Copper Coins as a Golden Biscuit. It was included in a two-page spread illustrating 34 coins (plus a large nugget of native copper) in various natural colors from Red to Ebony. Those who think copper coins come only in Red, Red-Brown and Brown are missing out on a lot of beauty, variety and interest."

"I always enjoy your E-Sylum. I came across the attached holder recently and am wondering if any readers can identify the dealer, Chuck's Coin Corner. This sort of numismatic history, the people behind the hobby, I find interesting."

"The C.E. HORN counterstamp is an intriguing piece in that there's so much info conveyed. I suspect it's a one-of-a-kind item; this, given the individual letter punches used to create it. It was a labor of love, in effect, and perhaps Horn's personal pocket piece and calling card. Might the year of the coin have been Horn's birth year? Perhaps, the stamped coin was a jocular gift to him? Beyond speculation, I did manage to find a few facts.

Clarence E. Horn appears in Polk's 1879 Albany City Directory as a grocer at 101 Green (per the below attachment). The grocery store was his "milk depot." He was absent from directories, dated 1875 and earlier.

"The house pictured didn't look to have been built in 1830. A Zillow listing reports it was built in 1930"