In the cash-is-back-in department, more and more businesses are tacking on percentage-based fees for accepting credit cards. My wife and I both are finding that our doctors are now charging these fees for copays paid with credit cards. This practice was once pretty rare. I refused to go back to one restaurant once they surprised me with a fee. We're a little more understanding of a favorite local Mom-and-Pop restaurant and I try to have cash ready when we go there. But it gets ugly when the car dealership springs this fee on you for a four-figure repair, which happened to my wife a couple weeks ago. They'll happily tell you that "for convenience" they'll accept debit cards or cash, and neither option is the least bit convenient. Quick - do you know exactly how much of your current checking account balance is unaccounted for? Luckily I had time to go home and check and move some funds to ensure a debit transaction wouldn't lead to multiple other failed transactions. And where is an open branch of your bank when you need one? ATMs have daily withdrawal limits, so even if you have enough funds in your account, getting a larger amount of cash in a hurry is problematic.

This week one of my doctors' offices sprung this fee on me, and said they could alternately take an debit card or cash. I giddily opened my wallet and took out the $100 bill I keep handy for that restaurant. So then they tell me they can't make change. Now I count up the rest of the bills and fall short. I was pissed and paid with a debit card under protest.

As it happened, I had to go back to the same office for a different appointment later in the afternoon. At lunch I was delighted that (a different) restaurant was willing to take my hundred and give me change. On my way out of the appointment I learned that my charge was more than I'd expected - $100. I madly counted up the bills in my wallet and again came up short. One more debit card transaction to deal with.

Now I was actually quite happy with my experience otherwise - I'd gotten a fresh hearing test and had my hearing aids adjusted to a much better level. I was delighted, actually. But that nuisance credit card fee left a bad taste in my mouth.

Speaking of my mouth, I've gotten a new one since retiring. The overall process took many months, but I replaced two missing molars with dental implants. With my new bionic teeth, I can chew through prison bars.

I've had the opportunity to see more films since retiring. I always look for numismatic scenes and connections, but don't always find one. Saturday I attended a screening of a new documentary - Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, about the early members of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. I'm no Parrot Head, but went with neighbors to a Buffet concert in August 2022, just a year before Buffett died. We had a great time, and as a history buff I was curious to see the film. It was interesting, with archival footage and interviews with band members, managers and friends who were there when it all happened. Not a single numismatic connection, but plenty of fun nonetheless. See https://occupationalhazardfilm.com/ .

Finally, here are a few interesting non-numismatic articles I came across this week.

8 Things Invented by People You Never Would've Guessed (https://interestingfacts.com/things-invented-by-famous-people-you-wouldnt-expect/)

He reached the Americas centuries before Columbus. Why doesn't he get more credit? (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/10/12/leif-erikson-reached-americas-before-columbus-why-doesnt-he-get-more-credit/)

Boomers Didn't Always Have It So Easy (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/10/opinion/millennial-boomer-young-adult.html)

-Editor