Joel Orosz writes:

Carl Honore writes: "I'll bet you didn't know that Walter Breen wrote an article entitled "Sherlock Holmes's Horoscope"

In Sybil Leek's Astrology Journal of January 1971 there appeared an interesting astrological chart for Sherlock Holmes written by Walter Breen. This item was subsequently reprinted in "A Sherlock Holmes Compendium" edited by Peter Haining.

Astrology was one of Walter's many varied hobbies and it was only natural to try to do a chart for one who was as mentally astute as Walter was. It's both interesting and fun to read"

Carl adds: "While we're on the subject, one peculiar Numismatic reference is to be found in "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual", wherein the story is told in the past tense by Holmes sitting in 221B Baker Street... "...some old rusty discs" which later turn out to be coins found in a box at the Musgrave estate in an underground vault next to Brunton the butler who had suffocated...

Other references to Numismatics include "the Red Headed League in which Jabez Wilson is paid in gold sovereigns. I just thought this was fun -- can any of you find others?"

[Well, it turns out someone has already gone to the effort of compiling numismatic references in Shakespeare. See "Coins in Shakespeare. A Numismatic Guide." 67pp, illus. by Engstrom, J.E., Dartmouth College Museum Publications, New Hampshire,1964. -Editor]

To read the complete original E-Sylum article, see:BREEN AND ASTROLOGY(coinbooks.org/esylum_v05n25a06.html)