  We critically discuss recent articles by S. Hoffmann and N. Vogt on
historical novae and supernovae (SNe) as well as their list of `24 most
promising events' `with rather high probability to be a nova' (Hoffmann et al.
2020). Their alleged positional accuracy of previously suggested historical
nova/SN records is based on inhomogeneous datasets (Vogt et al. 2019), but then
used for the nova search in Hoffmann et al. (2020). Their claim that previously
only `point coordinates' for nova/SN candidates were published, is fabricated.
Their estimate of expected nova detection rates is off by a factor of 10 due to
miscalculation. They accept counterparts down to 4 to 7 mag at peak, which is
against the consensus for the typical limit of naked-eye discovery. When they
discuss previously suggested identifications of historical novae, which they
all doubt, they do not present new facts (Hoffmann 2019). Their catalog of `24
most promising events' for novae (Hoffmann et al. 2020) neglects important
recent literature (e.g. Pankenier et al. 2008 and Stephenson and Green 2009),
the claimed methods are not followed, etc. At least half of their short-list
candidates were and are to be considered comets. For many of the others,
duration of more than one night and/or a precise position is missing and/or the
sources were treated mistakenly. Two highlights, a fabricated SN AD 667/668 and
a presumable recurrent nova in AD 891, are already rejected in detail in
Neuhaeuser et al. (2021); in both cases, all evidence speaks in favor of
comets. There remains only one reliable case, where close to one (possible)
historically reported position, a nova shell was already found (AD 1437, Shara
et al. 2017). Follow-up observations cannot be recommended.
