LOOSE CHANGE: JANUARY 2, 2022

Conservation experts in Virginia's capital pulled books, money, ammunition, documents and other artifacts Tuesday from a long-sought-after time capsule found in the remnants of a pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Over the course of about two hours, the team sliced open the 36-pound copper box and meticulously pried apart and documented the damp contents. The box had been tucked in a foundation cornerstone of the massive — and now mostly deconstructed — Richmond monument since 1887.

Along with several waterlogged books, pamphlets and newspapers, the box contained an envelope of Confederate money, which conservators carefully separated, and two carved artifacts — a Masonic symbol and a Confederate flag said to have be made from the tree that grew over Gen. Stonewall Jackson's original grave.

Conservators also pulled buttons, coins and Minié balls, a type of bullet used in the Civil War, from the box. A bomb squad had checked the capsule Monday, partly to make sure there was no live ammunition inside.

To read the complete articles, see:
Experts pull documents, money from Lee statue time capsule (https://news.yahoo.com/apparent-time-capsule-found-lee-162833602.html)
Confederate pride and the Chamber of Commerce: Richmond's Lee statue finally gives up its time capsule secrets (https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/28/lee-statue-time-capsule-richmond/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
COIN FOUND IN LEE STATUE TIME CAPSULE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n52a12.html)

 

As a dealer who works with collectors who range in experience from total beginners to full-on experts, I have a fairly good idea of what separates the masters from the wannabes. Experience, obviously, is part of the equation; but some of the best collectors I have ever seen are fairly new to the game and their skill is largely intuitive. Here are some suggestions and observations I'd like to share with you that might just make you a better collector.

Become A Student Of Your Series
The coin collectors who impress me the most are the ones who have become specialized in a certain series and who have studied it to the point that they are as knowledgeable about it as possible. This study can take many forms. Some coin collectors are interested in the history of the coins they collect, while others are more interested in the rarity and availability of coins. A coin collector might select a series to specialize in where there is little written and become the author of a book or a web-based guide. My take on studying a series is that for every hour you put into this, your reward is many times the effort.

To read the complete article, see:
10 Ways to Become a Better Coin Collector (https://coinweek.com/editors-choice/10-ways-to-become-a-better-coin-collector/)

City vehicles in Chesapeake, Virginia, will soon be getting religion.

At a meeting on July 13, 2021, city councilors unanimously voted in favor of a proposal that would see the official motto of the U.S., In God We Trust, emblazoned on every city-owned car and truck, at an estimated cost to taxpayers of US$87,000.

Christian nationalists played a key role in getting In God We Trust put on coins during the Civil War and ever since have attempted to use the motto as proof that the United States is a Christian nation.

To read the complete article, see:
How ‘In God We Trust' bills are helping advance a Christian nationalist agenda (https://theconversation.com/how-in-god-we-trust-bills-are-helping-advance-a-christian-nationalist-agenda-164143)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web