"I saw the bit on the counterstamped 1857 Flying Eagle in the most recent E-Sylum. Just so happens my collecting specialty is Flyers, including a number of counterstamped examples I've picked up over the past few years, they're fascinating and hard to find like you mentioned. Had never heard of the auction company, but signed up and bid on the coin and won it for $118, about mid-range for what I've paid for others.

It's definitely Sidey, not Lidey, but the stamp is not listed in either Brunk's Merchant and Privately Countermarked Coins (2003) or Rulau's U.S. Merchant Tokens 1845-1860 (1982), nor have I found any other information with internet searches.

Just another benefit of subscribing to The E-Sylum! "

Glad to help. It's not the first time someone has reported purchasing an item featured in The E-Sylum. I know many specialist chat boards have a taboo on mentioning for-sale items, so as not to spoil potential cherry-picks. Not here. Anything available for public sale is fair game for discussion, from major auction house lots to obscure eBay offerings. I find them the same way everyone can now, from free seller email newsletters to saved Internet searches. -Editor

David Hendin passed along an article he published for CoinWeek about a misunderstanding over a recently discovered weight used for trading in ancient Jerusalem. While we often discuss discoveries like this, we hadn't published this one. Below is a link to a Jerusalem Post article, one of the first to mention the "cheating" theory. -Editor

"The first image is "The Money Changer and His Wife" by Quentin Matsys (1514). The other one (and detail from it) are the version by Marinus van Reymerswaele (1538). I haven't yet seen anybody use Reymerswaele's "Two Tax Collectors""

That's a good one, too. Thanks, Ron. I was about to say "If anyone uses this for a numismatic book in the future, you saw it first here in The E-Sylum." But then Ron came across this exhibit catalog. -Editor

   

"I enjoyed reading the post on Edward Cogan. He was an interesting person. Reading about his controversy with dealers Colvin Randall and Ebenezer Mason made me think of a token about him. It was created by 19th century numismatist I F Wood. It starts with "Yours Faithfully". This was the way Cogan always closed his correspondence. Then a verse, with some words humorously spelled. "A FOINE OULD BROOKLYN GINTLEMAN OF A PEPPERY TURN OF MOIND. HE GETS HIS EBENEZUR UP AND THEN HE GOES IT BLOIND" This to me, describes the personality of Cogan. The token is Rulau ny-bk 7"

   

Pete Smith kindly provided an image of this rare medal from his collection. Thanks! -Editor

In our August 22, 2021 issue Carol Bastable described a new item in her collection. -Editor

"Many thanks to you and Carol for publishing this topic matter. This answers questions I have been pursuing for decades by whatever means I could imagine. Many tried and true methods including variations on themes from "to do dictionary for one's self" to dream journals, to aggressive coin and other collecting to, indeed, numismatic bibliomania.

"Again and again, I have found the issue that plagues has been something from the era one would call "sins of the father", and that knowing one's immigrant ancestors were far more likely involved in omission than much else, their English language skills found wanting. Further, the prime suspect for problems in the language is again and again: homophony.

"Transcending "the farmer who was out standing is his field" has to be easier than to sponsor the Coffee Break Awards.

"Even if the words are not strictly homophones, the issue is sufficiently addressed as being "of homophony." At multiple languages, this is potentially a huge issue reduced to one word, and yes, I spent the years enough on the Russian vocabulary to know it.

"But now, it's back to plain English and what word is likely not found in my 1500+ volumes? Why recurring dreams for decades of eating horrible things such as bird's nests or glass? What's wrong with the cat this time? Of course I still keep my mother's Smith-Corona typewriter, what of it?

"Fell behind and reading 13 issues of The E-Sylum in a row.

"Pica. P-I-C-A. Numismatic bibliomania pays off.

"Thank you for being "word lovers too." I'm reduced to tears of appreciation."

Glad to help a fellow word lover. -Editor

"It is hard to believe that my submission had such a profound impact on one person, with it ending a decades long search. I think I first heard the term 'Pica' on one of those medical show series. It may have been on Grey's Anatomy where a person swallowed plastic doll heads. There may have been another episode where a person swallowed metal objects but that was probably on a different series. I also liked the series House and learned a lot from that show. You never know when you file interesting tidbits of information away when and where you will draw on that information. For me, this postcard brought back some of the medical knowledge I had learned. I am glad I was able to share it."