Chop marked US Trade Dollars have always fascinated me. Chop marks are primarily Chinese characters stamped onto coins by merchants to attest to the authenticity and value of a coin, and show up on mostly large silver coins of several countries whose coins were accepted in Far East trade. Trade Dollars circulated readily in the Far East in the 18th century, and are often seen so heavily chopped that a coin's design is essentially obliterated. While some might consider them damaged, they represent to me a fascinating aspect of world trade and commerce during centuries gone by.

On a visit to the Huntington Library today to view the conservation work being done on Gainsborough's The Blue Boy, I discovered a small exhibit I don't remember seeing before. The silver cylinder is called a Counter Box, and normally held silver disks with the likenesses of the king and queen. It is thought the disks were used in games of chance. According to the exhibit, it is highly unusual to find one containing silver coins. The coins were minted in the 16th century during the reign of Edward VI (1537 - 1553) of England.

I was going to address my concern with a Forum post, but there were no subject categories available where it wouldn't just be lost (subject of another blog post perhaps) and I wanted to find someone who agreed with me. I almost wrote a letter to the editor, but decided against that as well. So here goes, on my blog: I find the cryptocurrency investment puff piece in the October Numismatist,�disguised as a discussion of "a new form of money" that collectors should ... I'm not sure, collect? to be inappropriate. Don't get me wrong, the article is very well written and researched, but I don't buy the author's attempt to weave the tale of this highly volatile digital currency into something a collector should become involved with - as a collector. If you think it's a good investment, definitely go for it, it's your money. That's where I have a problem with the article. It's clear from the beginning that the author is interested in cryptocurrency as a vehicle to "increase his investment returns." At the end, we're even encouraged not to invest more in cryptocurrency than we are prepared to lose. I don't think this approach fits within the mission of the ANA, �and has no place in the Numismatist.

I got my start collecting coins going through pocket change for the odd Buffalo Nickel, visiting the local coin shop to help along my circulated Lincoln Cent collection, and pouring over pictures and stories of coins I hoped to own someday (you know, the usual story).