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Excerpt from Chats on Old Coins Recognizing not only that the blood-relationship of the freeborn sons of American soil makes the coinage of the Old World which their forefathers handled interesting to them, but that the coins used by dwellers in the United States and in Canada are valued by English collectors, I have given prominence to American currencies. The British regal coinage has so frequently been supplemented by token issues, which have for a time become a part of the national currency, that l have included in Chats on Old Coins a few chapters on tokens. As an old collector of many years' standing, I have at different times specialized on nearly all the branches of numismatic research referred to; and I believe there are many others, too, who are interested in the study of coins and tokens from the broader standpoint of the coinage of Greece, Rome, and all English-speaking nations, to whom such a book as I have aimed at providing will be welcome. The illustrations, which are very representative, should be helpful to many. They are numerous, and cover a wide field. Many of them are illustrative of pieces in my own collections, and others have been secured by the courtesy of collectors to whom my thanks are due. I wish to acknowledge the kindness of the Keeper of Coins at the British Museum for giving me facilities in illustrating some of the coins in the national collection. I would also place on record my indebtedness to Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson Hodge, who have allowed me to reproduce illustra tions of many fine coins which have passed through their hands. The illustrations of tokens are from a fine collection formed nearly one hundred years ago, and were their carefully engraved. If my efforts to convey useful and chatty information on the several branches of collecting outlined encourage any of my readers to go deeper into the fascinating hobby of collecting coins which teach history, I shal