Happy Birthday Kaeya! Everyone is always going Kaeya's dad this, Kaeya's dad that. What about his mom, I'm asking the real questions here.

12 days of Luka Day 3: Lukagami

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The days started to blur together, and Kagami really just wanted one day to herself, but she her mother insisted on taking her to fencing practice every day. She liked fencing, but she wasn’t as invested in it as her mother was, and she wished she was allowed to explore interests that weren’t just to further her future. 

On her way home from practice, she saw a poster about a local band playing, and it looked like fun. But she knew there was no way her mother would let her go. She imagined being in the audience of something like that, just listening and dancing, and not caring what people thought. 

“Kagami? Are you listening to me? You haven’t improved at all. In fact, you may have gotten worse since your last practice. Kagami, if you want a scholarship to college, you need to improve. You need to be the best." 

Kagami ignored her. She didn’t care about getting into the best college, or being the best. She just wants to be herself. She to do that, she needed to figure out who she was first. All she knew was what her mom wanted her to be. She didn’t speak the entire way home.

"You don't want to go to that concert I keep hearing about do you, Kagami? I noticed you've been acting strangely."

Kagami gave in to her mother, like usual. Her mother gave her everything she ever wanted, the least she could do in return was listen. “No, Mother.” She was lying, though. She just wished she could have a day to herself, one day where her mother wasn’t controlling her every move. 

She had given up, so when they got home, she planned to simply have a quiet dinner with her mother and then go to bed. But as she stepped out of their car, a bug landed on her arm. She almost flicked it off like usual, but the color caught her eye. It was a bright red ladybug. That was good luck, right? Seeing that gave her a little boost of courage and she imagined what it would be like to rebel just once. She wondered if her mother would even catch her; she had never misbehaved, so she wouldn’t suspect a thing. 

So, she had a usual silent dinner with her mother promptly at 5:00, went up to her room like usual, where she was supposed to work on her schoolwork, but instead she looked up the bus routes and address of the venue. Her mother never made it a habit to check up on Kagami after dinner, she instead just trusted she was doing what was expected of her, so Kagami knew it was unlikely she would notice if she snuck out. She hoped there would still be some tickets for sale, but she had monidea if there would be. She had never been to a concert like this, so she didn’t know what to expect. 

She made it to the venue quickly as she could, taking the bus  and pulled out her wallet. She didn’t care if this took all of her allowance money, she just needed this one day, and then she would go back to being a perfect daughter. “Ticket?” The guy asked. 

“I don’t have one. Can’t I buy one?” She clutched her wallet tight, nervous that she did all of this for nothing. 

“I’m sorry, but we’re sold out.” 

She wasn’t surprised, but she was disappointed. Still, she was glad a local artist was popular enough to sell out. With that information, she was fine going home 

This is what she thought might happen. But she couldn’t do anything about it now. Her plan was foiled in a couple seconds, and she didn’t even have a backup plan. She  regretted not  listening to her mom. If she had, she wouldn’t be this disappointed, after all. But as she started to walk away, As she started to leave, something flew into her face . and landed on her nose. She flicked it off, but it just landed on her finger. A ladybug? It flew around the room, and she followed it with her eyes. Soon, it landed once again on the ground, where just inches away laid a ticket. Maybe this really was her lucky day. She ran back to the ticket guy and handed it to him. 

"Wow, that was quick. Where did you– no, not my problem.” He scanned it and let her through. 

—-

Luka had expected this day to go a lot better than it was. Today was his first big gig, which was something he had been looking forward to for a long time. So he hoped it would go just as he dreamed, but it seemed this just wasn’t his day.

He woke up early, too excited for the day to start, and rode his bike over to Ivan’s, where they were all going to meet that morning. He even sang their songs to himself, to calm himself down from the worry that he would forget the lyrics in the middle of a song, even though he knew them all by heart. But it may have distracted him a little too much– as he started to turn the corner just a few blocks away from Ivan’s, a black cat crossed his path. In an attempt to not run into it, he veered off the bike path and fell off his bike, scraping up his arm pretty badly. He walked the rest of the way to Ivan’s.

By the time he was ready to perform, he felt extremely unlucky. He was scraped up and bruised, he had broken a guitar string earlier, and he was thinking of ways to make sure the actual performance would go smoother than the rest of his day. 

He took deep breaths, knowing that if he was calm, everyone else would be, which would ultimately be better for all of their performances. “Okay, guys, I know this is the biggest audience we’ve ever played in front of, but don’t let that make you nervous. These are the same songs we’ve been playing forever, so there shouldn’t be anything to make you more nervous than usual.”

They knew all this, of course, so it wasn’t really them it was worried about; it was himself. Nonetheless, he walked out on stage, guitar on hand, to the sound of cheers, and positioned himself in front of the microphone. “Good evening, everyone. We are Kitty Section.”

The beginning of the concert went well, and they played their songs as good as usual, wirh maybe even more feeling than usual from the adrenaline. It wasn’t until Luka caught sight of a certain girl in the audience that things started to go wrong. The lights were always too bright to see the audience very well, but for a split second he saw her clearly, and it made his heart race. He suddenly remembered the black cat from that morning and felt his feet fall from under him. 

—

Kagami heard gasps from the audience and a the voices started to blur together as they all rushed to help up the lead singer who had just fallen off the stage. It was a relief when she heard he was okay, but she could’ve sworn he was staring straight at her when it happened. She quickly rushed outside, feeling like this was all suddenly too much for her. 

But outside, she saw the ladybug yet again. It was flying carelessly around the room, as if taunting her.

What. She couldn’t believe that all of this was happening to her. It seemed as if the world was trying to tell her something. And maybe it was. So, she stayed, and she loved it. The songs were actually amazing, especially since all her mother let her listen to were the same old boring songs from the 1700s. 

Fortunately, the lead singer seemed to be uninjured, and he seemed to play just as well. Once the concert was over, the band all looked completely exhausted, and she supposed it was warranted; they had been playing for hours now, and it was almost midnight. Kagami was getting tired as well, and she knew she should get home soon so she could get some sleep. Her mother always woke her up early to get a head start on her studies, so if she woke up more tired than usual, she would probably know something was wrong. 

The only obstacle now was getting through the crowd, and doing so wasn’t a small feat; there were hundreds of people pushing through a handful of doors. There was no way she was leaving quickly. She had just about given up when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see the singer and guitarist for the band. Maybe she hadn’t imagined it, maybe he had looked right at her before he fell.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you.”

Kagami frowned. “You have been?”

“You’re beautiful. And I almost broke a leg during the concert because of you. So I had to meet you, to see what you’re like. To see if you’re worth breaking a leg for.”

She almost rolled her eyes, but held back. His guy might be cheesy, but she decided she should give him a chance, since fate wanted them to meet so badly. “I’m Kagami.”

“Nice  to meet you, Kagami. I’m Luka.” He shook her hand. “So, do you have any plans tonight?”

She was surprised that he thought she had plans. On a normal day, she would have been asleep for hours by this time. “Well, I do actually need a ride home.” That certainly would be more convenient than walking to the bus, and at this rate she would only get 5 hours of sleep. 

“That I can do.”

He walked her to his car, with little more than banter exchanged between them. Kagami wasn’t exactly used to talking to guys like Luka, especially ones who were interested in her. 

“So, how did you get here?” It was a fair question, but Kagami didn’t exactly want to get into her personal life.

“The bus,” was all she answered.

“Can you not drive?”

“My mother drives me everywhere.” She didn’t want to mention that they had a self-driving car, and she especially didn’t want to talk about her mother.

He didn’t push the subject farther. Instead, he spent a good minute trying to think of something else to bring up. “So, why are you in such a rush to get home? Afraid to miss a midnight curfew?” He knew the feeling, although his mom usually didn’t care if he was only a few minutes late.

“My curfew is 7 PM.”

He was starting to understand. By the address she told him, he could tell her family was rich, and her mother seemed pretty overbearing from the little he heard about her. 

He heard her gasp, and looked over. “What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you see it? A black cat. Aren’t they bad luck?”

He thought over the rest of the night. Even though it seemed to cause his bad luck, after meeting Kagami, he wasn’t convinced. “No, I don’t think so.”

Soon, he made it to her neighborhood, and wished he had more time with her.

“Oh no,” she said, and sounded worried. “The light’s on.” It wasn’t on when she left– that meant her mother was up, and probably knew that Kagami wasn’t home. 

Luka could only guess why she was so worried, but he knew the last place she wanted to be at the moment was home. He passed her house without even slowing down. “You’re grounded anyway, so what difference would a few more hours make?”

She genuinely smiled, something she hadn’t done for years, as they further away from her house. “Thank you,” she told him right as the clock showed midnight.

MCU Phases 4 and 5 Wishlist

Last night at San Diego Comic Con, Marvel dropped their pants and coated the audience in a thick, rich layer of big-and-small screen announcements. Briefly recapped: across Phases 4 or 5 (not that that means anything), we’re getting Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, the Fantastic Four and Blade. On the streaming front, the previously announced series were all confirmed, and in a move most probably didn’t see coming, Marvel added a series based on their often bizarre What if? Series, which speculates on what might have happened had some element of continuity gone a different way (and which has become a bit moot in the comics in an era where continuity is gleefully mixed and nixed whenever an editor wants a sales boost).

As folks might be aware, I’m not a huge fan of Disney, skipping almost all their movies, but I have a severe weakness for the MCU. There’s a lot of wish lists going around as to what we want to happen in these movies and series, but as you know if you’ve read my blog before, the correct answers are mine. Since you can rest assured these answers are the best, I graciously share them with you now. Remember, I’m never wrong.

Mjolnir Gets Retired

I am totally down with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster as the God of Thunder. There will be those who call to give her the same powers and weapons Thor had, but why would we want to do that? In the comics, she’s still Jane Foster while Thor is still Thor, and with Chris Hemsworth also in the film, there’s no reason to think that won’t be the case here. Instead of simply “Female Thor”, she needs her own set of traits and skills. Start with giving her a new weapon; a magical spear would be just right. Mjolnir got its greatest moment of glory in Endgame, and from a sheer story perspective, it is time to retire the venerated hammer.

Rebellion in Wakanda

I’m going to be in the minority on this, but: the Dora Milaje have gotten shafted in the MCU thus far. In the best of the comics, they are the king’s guard, but they are also a group of women with independent minds and goals who don’t always agree with the king. In fact, members have rebelled several times. In the movies to date, they exist to devote total fealty to T’Challa, never once seriously questioning anything he does. This is a terrible fate to befall an actor with Danai Gurira’s fire. Instead of existing merely to poke holes in things on behalf of a (male) ruler, it’s time these ass-kicking ladies got to play a more important, and complex, role.

Christoph Waltz as Doom

This idea isn’t mine, but was passed on by a friend who is clearly brilliant. There’s not much to say about this one: the actor who made his reputation playing two very different roles in Quenton Tarantino films is the perfect choice for the literally tin-plated dictator. As for the rest of the cast, Keanu Reeves is the favorite for Reed, but I have another idea in mind for him...

The Master of Time

That said: it’s about time to get Kang involved in this universe. When it became obvious that Endgame was going to involve time travel, I slapped together what I thought was a pretty good post-credits tease that would introduce both him and the Fantastic Four side of the universe. Obviously, nothing like that happened, and there were no Avengers movies or mass team-ups of any kind announced at SDCC. Yet with time travel established, the potential to bring in this reality-warping mega-baddie is always there.

Don’t Undo Iron Man 3

Yes, fans are shooting their shorts over the fact that the real Mandarin will be the villain of the Shang-Chi movie. But those of us who don’t rub the comics on ourselves regularly recognize the truth: Iron Man 3 had a great twist that was one of the few truly creative decisions in a modern blockbuster, and it would be a shame to overturn on the whim of a handful of hardliners. Have a “real” Mandarin, but keep Ben Kingsley’s washed-up, hedonistic actor on the books. Maybe even give him a cameo.

Unrelenting Nightmare

Director Scott Derickson has already said he wants to use Nightmare, a being who feeds off his namesake, in the Doctor Strange sequel, and given that it is apparently multiverse-focused (and that Strange has few interesting villains), this is probably a given. Marvel has been after Keanu Reeves for a long time; most people seem to want him for Reed Richards, but may I humbly suggest we go against the hype and cast him as a dimension-devouring trickster deity instead? As a side note, please, please follow up on Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo. He was the best part of the first film, and it’d be a shame to let him trail off into the ether.

Take Some Risks in Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel was fun. It was not the kind of movie that took risks, however, or blew anyone away, despite amazing box office numbers. CM will be an idol for little girls; it’s time to think outside the box, utilize the oddness of Marvel’s galactic properties, and make her next movie one that can rival the time-hopping chances DC has taken with Wonder Woman. Brie Larson needs more to do than pose heroically and hit things.

Where’s Spider-Man?

More of a question answered than a wish: a lot of people are freaking out because Spider-Man was not mentioned last night, despite a post-credits tease that’s impossible to ignore. Relax: the deal between Marvel and Sony likely just means Sony has to finalize plans and sign off on the next film before Marvel can announce it. Far From Home cracked 800 million at the box office, and the refurbishing of Spidey’s tarnished reputation by Marvel is one big reason Sony’s own dull, uninspired Venom series is now a viable money-maker. It would be the height of stupidity for Sony to pull out of the deal now; expect Spider-Man: Homeboy or whatever it is called to be announced for 2021 before much time passes.

Make What If? Truly Bizarre

As a series, What If? wasn’t always great, but it was always interesting. There are some obvious concepts they could include in the series, and probably on the top of most people’s lists is “What If Iron Man had survived Endgame?” Old Man Tony would be absolutely delicious, but we can get stranger than that. This series should be a chance to explore concepts that would never fly in a massive, internationally-marketed blockbuster movie. Think stuff like “What If Loki had been Thor?” or “What If Peggy Carter had been Captain America?” Get wild up in this.

Make Loki a Reverse Doctor Who

Loki became a far less evil, far more complex character by the time he was dispatched in Infinity War. The Loki that will star in the series, however, is the one from Avengers, before all that character development. Audiences didn’t truly and completely fall in love with him until he went from evil god of chaos to a more ambivalent trickster figure, so pulling off sympathy for this older Loki across an entire series will be difficult. The obvious answer is to make him a sort of reverse Doctor: instead of an eternally-helpful alien who influences everyone he meets for the better, he’s an alien out for himself who is gradually influenced by those he meets to be (a little) better.

Legendary 1888 Cocobola Surfaces at Sedwick Auction 27

By Tom Michael

With Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC Treasure auctions, you can always expect to find a wonderful selection of silver cobs; those irregular, chunky silver coins produced so quickly and in such quantity through the Spanish mints in the New World. While many date, assayer, and mint denomination combinations are common, there are many others that are extremely scarce and still more being discovered as the years go by. I always take a look at the DFS Treasure Auctions to see what’s new in the cob market and to peruse the odd shipwreck finds, hoping to expand my knowledge. 

With DFS Treasure Auction 27, it was not until the last week in May that I was reminded, by a fun CoinWeek podcast interview with Dan Sedwick, conducted by Charles Morgan, that the sale would be closing at the end of the week as I write this. As I worked on a project I had the podcast running in the background and was moving right along until I heard Dan say “Cocobola.” Being a fan of Colombian numismatics, this caught my attention. 

The “Cocobola” Cincuenta centavos struck at Bogota in 1888 is one of the great rarities in the Colombian half dollar series. Only five are known and only two of them have surfaced at auction to the best of my knowledge. (All images courtesy Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC.)

The Cincuenta centavos known as the “Cocobola” was struck for circulation in 1887. The recorded mintage is quite high, but the coin was extremely unpopular due to the continued reduction in fineness to 50 percent or .500 fine, which had been instituted by Colombian President Rafael Nunez in 1885. To top that off, a new bust of Liberty had been designed for this 50 centavos piece, which was modeled on the likeness of Nunez’s wife, First Lady Soledad Roman. Soledad was as politically active and influential as her husband and the two of them had been moving Colombia in the direction of a very authoritarian nation as a response to a near chaotic, yet freedom enhancing liberal period.

Colombia has a rich and confusing political history, which is truly a marvel for historians to study. For purposes of present explanation, suffice it to say that in 1863 following a two year Civil War, the liberal winners renamed the country Estados Unidos de Colombia (United States of Colombia) and created the Constitution of Rionegro, which brought the citizens of the country a great deal of freedom and the states plenty of autonomy. 

By 1876 these freedoms and independent rule had begun to create problems at the federal level and more conservative politicians repealed the Constitution of Rionegro. They renamed the government the Republic of Colombia since separate state rule had been a big part of the problem for the federal government, and wrote a new constitution in 1886 to back up this federal control. The President became a Congressionally elected position and his term expanded from two years to six years. State Presidents became Department Governors and once their terms were served, the Federal President appointed new people. Those appointed Governors, in turn, appointed mayors throughout their departments, except for Bogota’s Mayor, who was appointed by the Federal president. Elections by the public were basically limited to department assemblies and municipal councils. In effect, the countries’ direction fell under the control of a limited group of people and stayed that way for a very long time.

So back to our coin, the Cincuenta centavos of 1887; why was it referred to as “Cocobola”? 

During the long conservative period following those 23 years of expanded freedoms there were folks who fought to regain what they had lost. In 1885 Colombia found itself in Civil War, with rebels led by Pedro Prestan clashing with Colombian federal troops in the department of Panama within the city of Colon. An American delivery of arms was held up in port, Prestan got mad and arrested some Americans, negotiations ensued, Colombian troops took the opportunity to move in and in the end Colon burned and the American garrison pulled back as there was no hope in saving much of any foreign-owned property that they were there to protect. Afterwards, United States troops returned and occupied both Colon and Panama cities and Prestan was hanged for having given the orders to burn Colon.

It’s rather difficult to determine exactly who was responsible for the Burning of Colon and Prestan was eventually absolved of having given the order, though his life had already been forfeited. At the time however, it was believed that, as the DFS Auction 27 lot description explains, “Prestán’s revolt, ostensibly opposing the involvement of the United States of America in the conflict (the US’s interest, of course, being the construction of a canal connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea), employed two Caribbean liberals, the Haitian Antoine Pautricelli and the Jamaican George Davis, to burn down the city of Colon. George Davis, later hanged for this crime, was better known as “Cocobolo.’”

The French had begun work on a canal through Panama in 1881 and all countries, particularly the United States, were watching closely. George Davis was in Panama to work on the Canal, having been hired by the Kingston, Jamaica, agent of the Canal Company, a Mr. Gadpaille. Davis came in on the Royal Mail Company’s steamship, the Dee. He was a big guy, and a big drinker, as many of the Canal workers were. 

At some point Davis and Pautricelli had left canal work and  joined Prestan’s rebels as they were there in Colon with him. However, after Prestan’s retreat, Davis and Pautricelli were captured in the city by Lieutenant Robert Doyle of the U.S. Navy, arrested, court-martialed, and hung. While Pautricelli denied guilt in a letter to Prestan and in a gallows platform speech, Davis simply said “adios” before being hung.

Afterwards, Davis’s nickname of “Cocobolo” was used in Colombia as a derogatory term, meaning “no good.” So when the public realized that the 1887 Cincuenta centavos, a coin already known to be of limited silver content, had a debased piece of currency, and featured their disliked First Lady, they gave it the feminine gender nickname “Cocobola.”

But knowing the history of this intriguing coin’s nickname does not complete the story. As I tuned back into the podcast with Daniel Sedwick, I realized he and Charles Morgan were talking about an 1888 Cincuenta centavos of the Cocobola style. While the 1887 date of this type has always been a difficult coin to find, presumably because of its unpopularity at the time of circulation, the 1888 issue is almost unobtainable. Production for the 1888 dates began, but was halted due to public distaste for the type. A few of the 1888 dates were released and remained in circulation, while the rest were recalled.

The standard reference for Colombian half dollars, written by Jorge Emilio Restrepo and published in volumes over time until it was combined into a single edition in 2006, indicates that only five examples of the 1888 Cocobola are known to exist. This particular example is the plate coin from Restrepo’s book.  

I had never seen any of the 1888 Cocobola types on the market, but while researching for this article I did find an AU Detail, but cleaned example, had sold at the Stack’s Bowers Galleries ANA Auction in August of 2018. That example sold for $22,000 and it was the first auction appearance I could locate. 

The Restrepo plate coin auctioned in this Daniel Frank Sedwick Auction 27 in May 2020 was graded VF-30 and realized $10,000. I will be shocked if another example surfaces over the next 10 years, but who knows. 

Overall, the DFS Auction 27 was a very successful sale, with many rarities to offer. Connor Falk let me know that they had many more bidders than ever before and achieved total sales over $2.4 million. That’s fantastic news and a great sign for the Latin American area of the numismatic market. 

So now, in addition to cobs and treasure coins, I will need to be closely watching Daniel Frank Sedwick sales for a new specialty; rare Colombian coins. In fact, while looking through Auction 27 I noticed a few other Colombian coins that should be mentioned here.

The finest known example of the extremely rare Medio peso of 1868 struck at Medellin went to a new home and will probably remain there for a very long time.

There were several extremely tough coins from the Restrepo half dollar series in the sale. One standout was the Medellin Medio peso of 1868, which is a very rare single date type of the Estados Unidos de Colombia period. You don’t see this coin often and the auction catalog description reminds us that only six are known. Most known examples are well worn, but this piece is PCGS graded MS-62. It’s the only mint state example and was the Restrepo plate coin. The final hammer price was $32,500, so $38,675 with the juice. Similar to the Cocobola coin, you have to go back to the Stack’s Bowers Galleries ANA sale in 2018 to find a comparable piece, the second best example, a PCGS graded AU-50 that sold for $17,000. I could find no other examples at auction.

Many of the other Colombian highlights from this sale are also Restrepo plate coins and of the highest quality. I’ll rattle them off here for reference. The Popayan 5 decimos KM-153.6 is a very rare type with two extremely rare dates in its run. The 1880 strike, of two believed to exist, sold for $3,250. The 1886 dated varieties of Colombian 5 decimos are extensive and one of the rarest has a curl of hair on top of the Liberty bust and lacks stars or dots at the sides of the Medellin mint name. It catalogs as a Restrepo 304.1 and KM-164.2. The Restrepo plate coin sold in DFS Auction 27 for $1,700, which is a fine bargain for its astute new owner. Not a rare type, but a real grade rarity, a little Medellin half decimo of 1868, recognized as the finest known example at PCGS MS-64, sold for a stunning $950 to a collector of high-quality coins. Another connoisseur grabbed the Bogota half decimo of 1871, also finest known of its type grading PCGS MS-63 for $475 at closing hammer. Restrepo’s plate coin for his 401.1 and KM-167, the unique Medellin 1888 5 decimos with elongated head and slightly shorter hair, sold for $2,600 or just over $3,000 with the juice. That is a great bargain for a coin that will be the centerpiece of any Colombian half dollar collection. Finally, the plate coin for Restrepo 404.1 or KM-168, a Medellin 5 decimos with large bust and stars and leaves in the legend sold for $5,500, also a great bargain, as I have never noticed this coin selling at auction or even been able to get an image for the Standard Catalog of many years of looking. One final note regarding all the varieties cataloged by Restrepo for the half dollar series is offered in the DFS lot description, “Restrepo’s theory as to why there was so much variation in design in the Medellin 5 decimos of 1887-9 is that “the engraver was sent to jail and nobody else had a good understanding of die production procedures.”

A stunning MS-65 example of one of the three issued dates of colonial Pillar 8-reales struck at the Nuevo Reino Mint in what is now Bogota, Colombia. This is the final date, assayer and mint combination of pillar dollars from this mint – 1770 NR VJ.

Not to neglect the colonial period of Colombian numismatics, I really also have to include the fabulous Nuevo Reino 1770 VJ 8-reales of Charles III that featured in the DFS Auction 27. This coin is gorgeous, graded by PCGS as MS-65, and displays bright fields and proof like qualities. It is crazy to find a coin like this, as all milled colonial pillar dollars of Colombia are quite rare and very desirable in any state of preservation. They were only struck in three years; 1759, 1762 and 1770 and you hardly ever come across examples let alone mint state strikes preserved like this. I just can’t emphasize this strongly enough. So the hammer price of $85,000 or $101,150 with the juice is not at all surprising. This coin is worth every penny of that and will only go up in value as time goes on. 

The lot description gives a little background. This is “the only MS-65 over a handful of choice MS-62 – MS-64 pieces at NGC (and a single MS-64 at PCGS), all from the same group discovered in Bogota in the area of the foundation of the forgotten former location of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar convent, for whose dedication in 1770 these pillar dollars were supposedly specially struck.” This is the second one from this group sold through Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC and was also the plate coin for Jorge Emilio Restrepo’s seminal Coins of Colombia published in 2012. 

For more information on this and other auctions, visit auction.sedwickcoins.com.

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The post Legendary 1888 Cocobola Surfaces at Sedwick Auction 27 appeared first on Numismatic News.

The Weekender: Conqueror Edition

It’s been a very meaty week for new releases and updates, and I’d like to think the content this week has been pretty diverse too. We gave one last look at our 2019 mobile guide before the year ends, whilst also writing up some interesting news bits as well as dropping a new guide.

Next week we should have a few more reviews and features for you as well.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away...

New iPhone & Android Releases

Queen’s Wish: The Conqueror (iOS)

The studio that brought you the Avadon and Avernum RPG series are back with another hardcore, open-ended top-down RPG adventure. This game was successfully kickstarted to celebrate the studio’s 25 year run as a developer. We haven’t had a chance to test it out yet, but we know the developer’s games in general are thought well of, so we figured it was worth highlighting. We’ll try and get someone on the review for this as soon as we can.

In Queen’s Wish you play the exiled daughter of a Queen who banishes you to the furthest reaches of the empire to test your worth. Haven is a back-water, surrounded by unruly vassals, and it’s your drop to bring them all to heel. It boats 50+ hours of gameplay with an open-ended story and tactical combat.

Eve Echoes CBT (iOS & Android)

CCP Games has finally released a mobile version of EVE Online in the form of EVE Echoes (developed by NetEase). Previously we had our eyes on something called EVE: War of Ascension but that project looks to have disappeared. Echoes looks like a more literal translation of the game onto mobile devices in terms of features, functionality and presentation. The Open Beta Test launched on iOS via Testflight and on Android via Google Play at the start of the week - we’ve got a tips guide for anyone who’s looking to get started.

I’d tell you what I think of it, but I can't actually play the game due to some weird Android bug that seems to be connected to the Play Game services. I get stuck on a loading screen. If that ever gets fixed I’ll relay some top-line impressions. Fun Fact: I was infamous EVE Online guild GoonSwarm for about a year back when I attempted to play the game seriously.

Space Grunts 2 (iOS Universal)

As we mentioned earlier in the week, Space Grunts 2 is finally out on iOS to coincide with the PC version’s release from Early Access. We’ve got Jarrett on the review, and you can read more in our news report.

We’ve spoken to Orangepixel, and an Android version is provisionally due sometime in January.

Terraforming Mars (iOS and Android)

Honestly was a bit worried that this one wasn’t going to turn up, but Asmodee Digital have finally released their digital port of this hit board game onto Mobile. To recap - the development team working on this did release a mobile beta earlier in the year, but then they went bust. This project could have easily been cancelled so I’m glad it still saw the light of day.

Worth noting however that early impressions are a little mixed - some find the presentation divisive, and there are reports of issues with online multiplayer functionality. We’ve got Matt on the case, so will bring you more information as soon as we can in a full review.

Other recent Asmodee Digital board game releases we should highlight, since we’re here:

Gang of Four: The Card Game (iOS & Android)

Takenoko (iOS & Android)

Dream Home: The Board Game (iOS and Android)

Updates & News

DicTater Kickstarter

So the pitch for this is a '4X Strategy Game except you are a Potato'. I mean… sure?

We don’t normally cover Kickstarter projects due to the inherent risks with the platform, but something that claims to be Civilization-with-Spuds almost demands further investigation. Luckily you don’t have to go by the Kickstarter page alone (which at the time of writing is three-quarters of the way to being fully funded); if you’re on android you can join this google group to test out an alpha version.

Can’t guarantee everyone will be allowed to become a tester, but you can at least talk to the developer to find out more about the game if you’re as interested in this as I am. We hope it gets the funding it needs, and more importantly, we hope it actually gets finished!

Roll for the Galaxy Beta (iOS & Android)

Temple Gates Games have announced they’re launching a beta for their digital adaptation of Roll for the Galaxy. You can go here to sign up, and it’s available on both Android and iOS.

Roll for the Galaxy app beta signup is open! https://t.co/3vEpjwW5JL pic.twitter.com/ozEzLBTNWU

— Temple Gates (@Temple_Gates) December 4, 2019

Plague Inc

Plague Inc. just got a free new scenario which deals with ‘Fake News’. Instead of being a virus, you’re a fictional news story that you’re trying to get into the hearts of minds of everyone on the planet. Instead of upgrading your viral traits or upping your kill rate, you’re deploying psychological tricks and modern technology to make sure your ‘news’ is believed by everyone. This was created in conjunction with FullFact.org.

The new Plague Inc. update joins the fight against Fake News! https://t.co/Bf2qhVNc6b pic.twitter.com/GOw5eXpT9j

— Plague Inc. / Rebel Inc. (@NdemicCreations) December 5, 2019

Sales

I mean after the veritable feast that was Black Friday, the sales this week seem weak by comparison. Darkest Dungeon: Tablet Edition is currently $4.99, which is the lowest price since October 2018 when it was $0.99.

This is a weird one, the game seems to have launched at the $4.99 price, and then spent the rest of the time flitting between that and $0.99, with the price only rising to $9.99 in September this year. This seems less of a price reduction and more of a price correction?

Seen anything else you like? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!

The Weekender: Conqueror Edition published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

WORK ETHIC AND MECHANICS

The university you could create a first-rate universities—or at least something like a natural science. I have a hunch that it won't be if things change as much in the next round they sell 10% of the company away from all the existing shareholders just as you did. Since the Internet was the big new thing, investors supposed that the more Internettish the company, its revenues go away, and with them your income. I found myself talking recently to someone from Hollywood who was planning a show about nerds. In fact, Shockley Semiconductor and Fairchild Semiconductor were not startups at all in our sense.1 And yet whatever argument you use to prove that startups don't need to move from London to Silicon Valley in 1974 to work for a company they have qualms about. That is certainly true; in fact it was the salt. It was easy to tell how smart you are. Especially since programmers are being trained in other countries too. YC partners warn founders about mistakes they're about to make, and the weather is still fabulous.2 If he had technologists working for him, they were treated like a racing stable: prized, but not powerful.

Silicon Valley seemed like a nationalistic remark: an obnoxious American telling them that if they wanted to do things that will make something people want. Empirically it seems to consume all your attention. If you want to create a special visa for startup founders. For example, a politician announcing the cancellation of a government program will not merely be an inborn one. But increasingly the founders of the company are the real powers, and the partner responsible for the deal was already gone. Server-based software you can use any language you want, but not so wrong about the underlying principle. If you go and see all the different kinds of prosperity. And curiously enough, taking rejection less personally may help you to get rejected less often.3 The problem is the receptor it binds to: dressing up is inevitably a substitute for good ideas.

I was still trying to convince myself I could start a company. Surely this is a bad way to put it, to live in Pittsburgh or Ithaca. Can you pass the salt?4 And more importantly, they were the Rebel Alliance. Even now, when traders could be anywhere, they cluster in a few cities. Once they invest in a startup hub a place is, the better startups will do there. It gives us an excuse for being lazy. Oxford not till 1885. Why bother?

It could be shaped by admissions officers. And I agree you shouldn't underestimate your potential. During the railroad boom, but the curiosity I mean has a different shape from kid curiosity. It doesn't add; it multiplies. They don't have to know in high school? They all have intact centers.5 Did they want French Vanilla or Lemon?6 Silicon Valley's biggest advantages is its venture capital firms for the last round of funding, you go to work for a big company. Nerds got computers because they liked them.7 The most striking example I know of schlep blindness is probably ignorance. Two-Shoes type good. In fact, I worry it's not merely unnecessary to learn in great detail about the mechanics of venture funding but knows what a successful startup founder is not some sort of padding to protect their misconceptions from bumping against reality.8

Notes

There are two very different types of startups have exits at all.

They have the balls to ask prospective employees if they seem to have fun in this evolution. Russell also wrote the first digital computer game, you usually have to do some research online.

It might also be argued that kids who went to Europe. If early abstract paintings seem more powerful version written in C, the government. 99,—.

I don't know. We Getting a Divorce?

If you're expected to do sales yourself initially. To make that their prices stabilize. It would be to say how justified this worry is.

Which is probably part of a country richer; if they pay so well is that you end up with an investor is more efficient.

Unfortunately the payload can consist of bad idea, period. 7 reports that in the same superior education but had instead evolved from different types of people who had made Lotus into the star it was more expensive, a day job, or Seattle, 4 in DC, 6 in Chicago, 8 in London, 13 in New York the center of gravity of the world will sooner or later. But when you had small corpora. To do this would do fairly well as specific versions, and both times I bailed because I think the top schools are the only function of revenues, and all those people show up and you start it with the VC knows you well, but I'm not saying that's all prep schools, because there was nothing to grab onto.

This gets harder as you can skip the first phase. There were several other reasons.

The British invasion (the Beatles)

By Nathan, Lucy, Harry, Jacob Conor and Breaaaaa What was the British invasion? A musical movement of the mid-1960s composed of British rock-and-roll groups whose popularity spread rapidly to the United States. An overview of the Beatles and the origins of the British Invasion. How did this happen? In the 1950’s the transatlantic merchant seamen brought blues and rock and roll records back from America to Liverpool. The teens such as Paul McCartney and john Lennon (2 members of the Beatles), became obsessed with blues and rock and lived listening to this music. Since all of the rock/blues artists over in America had left to either join the army or engage in other activities such as Elvis, Buddy Holiday and Chuck berry. The American citizens didn’t have much to listen to. However over in Liverpool, musicians were evolving and taking over Britain. The kinks     dusty springfeild   the rolling tones    logo   the hollies   the yard birds    the animals

Social and political impact of the British invasion starring the Beatles: The British invasion kicked off in the mid-1960s. when the president John F (1963). He was assassinated John F. causing the Americans youths to rebel against authorities.  The British Invasion took their minds off the tragedy and had young teens focus on something more cheerful. The Beatles upbeat and catchy songs helped heal American citizens and soon they were a big hit over there. The message that the Beatles gave in their music affected people's thoughts, becoming more influential than “political control”. It opened millions of minds to ideas of peace and freedom and equality.  They were the most influential band at the time. The Beatles were also close to some members of the royal family.  The Beatles, influenced their fans to “think, act, and even dress differently”. John Lennon (a member from the Beatles), made a famous remark telling people in their seats to “clap while the rich rattle their jewellery” showing that “non-wealthy”, people sacrificed a lot just to see the Beatles perform. It was said in newspaper articles that “many people couldn't hear the Beatles because of all the screaming at their concerts”.  At times, fans got so crazy that police were called. The fans were also very protective of their idols, sending hate mail to Edward Heath, a minister who announced that "he didn't believe that the Beatles spoke the Queen's English".  Many of the successful bands from the British invasion still have large fan bases today. You can see shirts being sold with the Rolling Stones’ logo. There is still merchandise from the Beatles and other groups.

Economics perspective The Beatles music hit the top of the U.S and U.K charts many times. By the end of 1964 the Beatles had sold $50 million records in the U.S and over 30 million records worldwide. In September of 1962 "Love Me Do" became their first number one hit on the U.S singles chart. At one point, the Beatles had the top 5 positions on the national singles chart. Their perfect blend of many styles and sounds created their own mix of music appealing to anyone, bringing them many fans, which combines to a huge number of sales. The Rolling Stones have sold over 200 million albums all over the world. In 1966, the Stones became number two artist in the U.S. and have made huge record deals with recording companies and made a film. The Rolling Stones have had the highest grossing tour during 2005-2007. $559 million was earned from their “A Bigger Band” tour. Fashion in the British invasion 1960s Fashion prior to the British invasion in 1964 was a continuation of the late 1950s. But with the Beatles came a new and very different fashion called “swinging” London. Mary Quant who had a small boutique in London hit upon the winning combinations and created a fashion feeding frenzy starting with the mini skirt and crowning with major fashion houses the likes of Chanel and Dior following suit. Styles which were previously driven by the necessities of the middle class were now being designed for young people. Everyone dressed in what they wanted to keep the style bold and fresh. Featuring bright colors, leg revealing lengths, geometric patterns and hyper tailored designs Mod Fashions were a must for the “in crowd”. Designers like Cardin, Emilio Pucci and Paco Rabanne jumped on this fashion trend to showcase their talents. Another fashion trend that was going around created by social anarchists was: The Hippie movement favored relaxed, comfortable and natural clothing styles. The norm for most college age kids was blue jeans and a tee shirt (tie-dyed or not). Rebelling against mainstream styles.             the dave clark five  

When was the British invasion announced? 7 Feb 1964 the CBS News played a story about the Beatles’ United States arrival that afternoon in which the correspondent said, “The British Invasion this time goes by the code name Beatlemania.” Two days later (Sunday, February 9) they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. What bands/artists were involved? The Beatles • the Dave Clark Five, • the Rolling Stones • the Searchers, the Hollies • the Animals • dusty Springfield • the Kinks • the Yard birds • Petula Clark Facts? The British Invasion. For two years after “I Want to Hold Your Hand” topped the U.S. charts in February 1964, the only sound that mattered had a British accent. Roots rock emerged in the 1960s as a combination of several genres and subgenres of rock that was popular at the time. Roots rock combined elements of folk, blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll. And, the genre was exemplified by its back to basics sound. Technology in the 1950s-60s In the 1960s Television and tv sets became much more popular during the 1960s, with BBC2 broadcasting its first colour pictures in 1967. Famous programmes from the 1960s included: • Coronation Street (which first aired as a twice-weekly drama in 1960 on Granada television); • Doctor Who (first broadcast in 1963 about a time-travelling adventurer, initially devised as a fun way of teaching children about science and history); • Magic Roundabout • thuderbirds   In 1966, the first Intercity train was used, which could travel much quicker than old steam and diesel trains. Many trains now run using electricity, which is much quieter and cleaner.   In 1963, the first touch-tone telephones were introduced.   Spacewar! was devised in 1961 and is one of the earliest known digital computer games.   in the 1950's, passenger jets entered the service. American airlines ordered the pioneering Comet, but Canadian, British and European airlines could not ignore the better operating economics of the Boeing 707. Boeing became the most successful of the early manufacturers.   Frank McNamara came up with the idea of the credit card when he went out to supper with a dinner partner. His partner forgot his wallet, and that gave McNamara the idea for the credit card. His idea was that you would have a card that would be accessible always with money on it.   The first generation was introduced in the late 1953 model year and ended in 1962. Polo white convertibles were introduced in the 1953 model. It was often referred to as the "solid-axle".   Digital modems developed from the need to transmit data for North American air defense during the 1950s. Modems were used to communicate data over the public switched telephone network. A modem sends and receives data between two computers.   Dances in the 1960s The swing The watusi The hitchhiker The loco motion The stroll The hully gully The pony The swim The mashed patato The jerk The dances weren’t set and they were all about feeling the music that was being played.