"I wanted to mention how important Tom Caldwell's work as a mentor has been to many apprentice and advanced numismatists-- I started working for Tom at 13 and continued for several decades. He is a generous and kind teacher but not without a sharp quip when he observes foolishness or confusion; Tom doesn't drink coffee but I suggest you have some before debating him!

Other numismatists who have worked with Tom include: Tom Culhane of The Elusive Spondulix (very sadly deceased); Jeff Kierstead (Jeff Kierstead Rare Coins); Tom's brother-in-law Barry McCarthy; Lano Balolescu; probably many more I have forgotten."

"The piece on Peter Mitchell evoked many memories - all of them of the happy variety. Back in the day, Baldwin's 'Basement' contained a cornucopia of unloved Americana. John Ford had carried off the best of it, but there was still plenty left when I arrived on the scene, including perhaps 100 filthy dirty Admiral Vernon medals. I struck a deal with Peter - I would clean and attribute the Vernons in return for getting my pick. This arrangement worked out well for both of us, putting a large chunk of medals back into numismatic circulation, saved from a slow death of rotting away. Peter was a gentleman's gentleman with manners to match - at the same time, he knew his stuff."

"Rex was known to virtually every major dealer/collector of Americana, especially political Americana. A profoundly knowledgeable man with a booming deep masculine voice, Rex was a main-stay in the Americana business. Rex was always present at the major shows, particularly in the late 1970s and 1980s when I first met him. As I recall, hopefully correctly, he had attended Stanford, then had a major change of heart on what he wanted to do in life. Rex was one of many who would always be available for questions involving his expertise, and we often spoke in this regard, particularly because I was in the center of the Americana business in the West, and he in the East, which offered a completely different insight and experience. His depth of knowledge was fantastic, and I'm afraid is unduplicated today. His catalogs always carried something of interest to everyone. The trick was calling the second you spotted it in the catalog, or it would be sold. RIP Rex."

"I saw a story by Justin Hinh and his Dansco album project. I looked at his walkthrough and did not see any specialty albums like the one I have and I was curious if he had this album. I do not know when or why this album was made. I was offered it several years ago because of my interest in the Missouri Numismatic Society."

"Nice find! I was not aware of this album. The front font is different than Dansco's typical font. The only other time I've seen an album with a similar font was a custom-made Canada small cents album with the owner's name printed on it."

Interesting item. Are readers aware of any other such customized albums? -Editor

"I hope some real numismatist familiar with this series writes an article about this coin. The elemental analysis is critical and conclusive that the coin is fake. But I'd also like to see the stats on diameter and weight, plus a side by side comparison of the physical features.

"I found a photo of a high-grade 1898 dinero in a PCGS slab to use as a comparison piece with the fake 1899.

"To my eye, there are several inconsistencies:

"1. The lettering is of poor quality on the fake, and the words FIRME Y FELIZ all seem to run together.

"2. The figure of Liberty seems to have a hair bun on the fake piece.

"3. The area in exergue appears distinctly different on the two pieces.

"I'm sure we'll hear more about this."

"Differences — also in wear: how can the lettering of Libertad in the column be so worn away, when the other lettering is relatively sharp? The wear patterns look wrong.

"In the DINo at the bottom, the fake's o seems wrong, too.

"One would have to make a lot of these for them to be worth it, right? I wonder how many were recognized as fakes?"

"I agree on wear and DINo. An expert might opine that the apparent wear on the fake is actually just the result of an incomplete impression from a cast. I'm not smart enough to know.

"My guess is that many of these were produced, but it's only a guess. I do remember from my time living in the UK, something like 2.5% - 3% of the one-pound coins in circulation were fakes. An astounding number."

Thanks! See the article elsewhere in this issue about the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation. -Editor

"I was going through my transportation token collection and found a bunch of San Francisco municipal railroad tokens. I took them to San Francisco and used them on the buses and streetcars. I am wondering if this is the only place in the world where a streetcar token can still be used on a streetcar. The fare machines accept them for the full fare of $3."

Wow - that's great to hear. Are readers aware of any other transportation systems that still accept their old tokens? How many even still issue and sell tokens? -Editor

"Our latest PCNS presentation could be of interest to some readers. It is long however at 1 hour 47 minutes."

"Last Friday, 1/19/24, I received from the U.S. Mint the 2024 W Proof American Silver Eagle I had ordered. The box had my name/address on it. Upon inspection found the coin was beautiful, however, the packing slip was for a person residing in Mechanicville, NY. I live in Missouri.

"Immediately sent an email to the mint complaining someone likely received their coin with a packing slip with my name and address on it. Not a happy thought!

"Mint's response was my complaint has been referred to upper management. The rest of the response gave me an update on my order (obviously I got it), instructions on how to check the order status, and the rest of the standard verbiage.

"Just wanted to share my unpleasant experience in case others don't look at the packing slip."