"It does not surprise me that "devil coins" is not a numismatic topic. That would be something that is written by a blogger or AI as opposed to a numismatist. There is plenty of information about the coins in question online. Looking at the coins they say "Madelinus" and "Dorestat" which have plenty of references in numismatic circles about Frisian coins of 630-650. A google search of "Madelinus Numisforum" yields informative links.

"While Frisia of the 7th and 8th century was pagan and not Christian, calling them devil coins seems stupid, as the crosses on them seem to be borrowed from Frankish Christian coins, though other features seem more derived from Saxon coins. Dorestad was an important trading port (crossroads) for France, Germany, England, and Scandinavia. I also take exception to the speculation that these coins were used for some pagan ceremony in the 8th century. I think it is more likely that the coins were buried a century earlier in the same location as later pagan items.

"Madelinus is generally referred to as a moneyer of Dorestad, but I think it likely that he was a local ruler of great importance and possibly king because of the crowned portrait on the coins and their prevalence in various areas."

"The Münzenmesse (Zurich International Coin Fair / Zurich Coin Show) is a long-standing very successful annual event in the heart of Zurich, held every October since its inception in 1973 (and still going strong, 2025 dates are already advertised). If you go to this link, and scroll down you will find a black'n'white photo of six people and the paragraph below identifies who they are in the photo. I believe at least two of these (one with beard and other with glasses) are in the photo shown in last week's E-Sylum."

I checked with Jeff Zarit, but none of the people matched his dinner companions. He did offer some additional memories of those shows. -Editor

"What I remember most about the show was that Swiss Customs officials came to the show and if you did not declare what you were bringing in, and did not pay the tax, you could have all your coins confiscated. Coming into Zurich by air one had to go to the red zone and declare the value and pay the tax in Swiss Francs cash. That was the easy part. On leaving Switzerland you were supposed to get a refund on unsold coins, but customs agents were never around.

"One time I entered the country by train from Germany and did not declare the value, all the coins I had with me were confiscated and only from the help of a German colleague (Dieter RAAB (May he rest in peace)), was I able to get the coins returned to me. After that incident, I never carried coins into any European country and insisted that any coins I purchased be shipped to me. If I was at a show (I remember one in Bremen), I would try to give the coins to a colleague to ship to me.

"Also, when I was first in Zurich, I learned about some of the customs about the city. How can one not remember ROSTI, or in a bar, putting small tabs into a shot glass, so that all drinks could be paid for at once. Or when ordering dinner, I would only receive half of the main course, the other half being saved. I also developed a taste for FONDUE (cheese only) Memories, some good some bad."

I was introduced to Rosti (or Rösti) after a hike with family and friends in Switzerland last summer. It's a potato pancake dish similar to what we'd call hash browns in the U.S. Often topped with a fried egg, bacon and/or cheese for breakfast, it can serve as a base for almost anything, and my dinner that evening was a chicken curry rosti. I would never have thought of such a combination, but I liked it. How international can one get? Maybe add a fondue appetizer and glass of Italian wine. -Editor

"I've been looking into the idea of the US owning or expanding business within Greenland. I worked up some possible coin designs they could have if Denmark made them special coins. One of the coins I just put together has a Polar bear looking into water. The heart is the mintmark from Copenhagen.

"Additionally, I noticed some NorthWest Territory license plates shaped like the Polar bears I thought were interesting."

Thanks - nice design. -Editor