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From today's featured article

B. Max Mehl (1884–1957) was a prominent coin dealer in the U.S. for more than 50 years. He was born in Congress Poland, which was then part of Imperial Russia, but his family moved to present-day Lithuania, and then to the U.S.; Mehl lived in Fort Worth for most of his life. He started selling coins as a teenager, and joined the American Numismatic Association aged 18. By 1910 he was one of the most prominent dealers in the U.S. His customers included Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. He auctioned coins from the collections of prominent numismatists, and he was the first dealer to advertise in non-specialist publications, helping to broaden the hobby's appeal. To generate interest and sell his books, he offered to buy a 1913 Liberty Head nickel for $50, knowing there were none in circulation. His great auction sales were in the 1940s, but he later became less active and he died in 1957. He was elected to the Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1974, and the CoinFacts Dealer Hall of Fame in 2010. (Full article...)

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In the news

Artist's impression of the DART mission approaching Dimorphos

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is launched to attempt to deflect the course of the asteroid Dimorphos (illustrated).
Magdalena Andersson resigns shortly after being elected as the first female prime minister of Sweden.
At least 46 people are killed in a bus crash and fire near Bosnek, Bulgaria.
Abdalla Hamdok is reinstated as Prime Minister of Sudan in an agreement following the October coup.

On this day

November 25: Evacuation Day in New York City (1783); Thanksgiving in the United States (2021)

Johan Ferrier in 1975

1510 – Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of Portuguese India, led an armada to conquer Goa.
1678 – Trunajaya rebellion: After a series of difficult marches, allied Mataram and Dutch troops successfully assaulted the rebel stronghold of Kediri in eastern Java.
1936 – Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, agreeing that, if the Soviet Union attacked one of them, they would consult each other on what measures to take to "safeguard their common interests".
1975 – Upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands, Johan Ferrier (pictured) became its first president.

Johann Georg Pisendel (d. 1755)
Maurice Denis (b. 1870)
John F. Kennedy Jr. (b. 1960)

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Today's featured picture

Early American currency went through several stages of development during the colonial and post-Revolutionary history of the United States. During the American Revolution, the Colonies became independent states. No longer subject to arbitrarily imposed monetary regulations by the British Parliament, the States began to issue paper money, to pay for military expenses. This three pounds banknote was issued by the Province of North Carolina, dated 27 November 1729; it is part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

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Banknote design credit: Province of North Carolina; photographed by Andrew Shiva

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