"I have greatly enjoyed Greg Bennick's interviews with Julian Leidman and Richard Lobel, both of whom I've known since we were young.

"Julian said some things that struck me that I've not seen addressed in print before. First, how slabbing took away a lot of fun in the numismatic hobby, in my opinion, saying there wasn't as much opinion involved anymore in the rarity and the condition. "This is a major reason why I no longer collect rare coins and have re-directed my numismatic tastes to exonumia and early politicals which, except for Civil War and Hard Times tokens, have largely escaped slabbing. Slabbing was initially created to eliminate forgeries and clarify grading standards. It's a whole different hobby world now, not requiring knowledge and creating absurd value differences grade point by grade point.

"Secondly, leaving someone in the car to watch your valuables while you stop to eat or use a restroom doesn't work. The follow home gangs smash a window, grab your bags and drive off in 15 seconds and, if confronted, use violence. I distinctly recall a major theft / robbery at a January FUN Orlando show perhaps a decade ago. Sal Napolitano, a prominent dealer, was parked at the entrance of a major nearby hotel loading up his van with his other employees at show's end. An organized gang of thieves confronted Sal's employees, exhibited weapons and grabbed Sal's packed inventory which included an early 1840's cased entire proof set. As I recall, there was even a violent struggle.

"Very recently, at the Long Beach coin show, a dealer stopped to eat at a nearby restaurant and brought his briefcase of coins in with him, placing them by his feet at the restaurant table. Several men followed him in, created a physical disturbance at the restaurant register distracting the guests, and one swiped the dealer's briefcase in a second and the group ran out of the restaurant to a waiting car, the dealer running out after them to no avail.

"I know of no 100% proof way of getting one's numismatic stock home safely other than FedEx shipping which is both expensive and still subject to theft on their routing. That's the world we live in."

"I should mention that Melvin Roland was my uncle (mother's brother) & godfather."

Thanks to both Melvin and Ken for saving and sharing the material. -Editor

"I recently came across an 1837 news clip which describes a satirical note in detail. Many of the expressions also appeared on Hard Times Tokens. I have searched the images of satirical notes included in Russell Rulau's Standard Catalog of Hard Times Tokens, Q. David Bowers A Guide Book of Hard Times Tokens, and those listed on the Library of Congress website without finding a match. Are there any E-Sylum readers who might know of the existence of this note?"

The clipping is from National Banner and Nashville Whig of Nashville, TN June 5, 1837. The elements of the note are familiar and common to the Hard Times era. Can anyone help? -Editor

"Here's an interesting article about a lawsuit involving mutilated counterfeit clad US coins being redeemed. Mentions China and over 400,000 lbs. in one deal. Page 4,5, & 8."

Thanks. All part of the ongoing drama over the Mint's program of buying back and melting coinage. -Editor

In a 2020 submission, Numismatourist Howard Berlin wrote, "For those of us who need assistance getting around, there is this motorized wheelchair which is a combination Segway and wheelchair that zips along about 20 miles/hour. It was like sitting in the first row of a rollercoaster." -Editor

"Perfect description of the wheelchair Segways myself and my wife found ourselves in trying to make a 1h 50m connection to Colombo which arrived in Istanbul from London 1 hour late."

What a thrill! -Editor

"When I bought a copy of Eduard Kann's Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Coins (1954 edition) many years ago, it came with a receipt from a prior owner's purchase of the book. I used that receipt as a bookmark, but then forgot about it for many years. However, it came back to light when I used the Kann book in conjunction with the writing of my recent book, The Twenty Cash Commentary, which catalogs the Republic of China's general issue twenty cash, two fen, two xian, and two cent coins from 1912 to 41. (My book is available on Amazon; the Kann book is a little harder to come by.)

"Anyway, I thought your readers might be interested in the receipt and maybe someone has heard of either the buyer or seller. The buyer was Captain Paul Hermann of Summerville, South Carolina; the seller was the Great Southern Coin Exchange of North Decatur, Georgia, owned by Thomas B. Hamilton. The receipt is dated February 5, 1966."

Interesting - does anyone know anything about the dealer or collector? -Editor