Cohen on half cents is the older classic reference with Breen doing a more modern uptake along with Manly for the half cent die states.
Large cents have a plethora of titles to choose from including the classics by Sheldon and Newcomb (almost unusable) to more modern references by Noyes covering the complete series in 4 volumes and Wright for Matron heads only.
Other posters have covered the half dimes, dimes, and quarters well.
My immediate predecessor mentioned the Overton book on halves and there is a newer reference on the Draped Busts by Tompkins. You may also like the Ultimate Guide to Attributing Bust Half Dollars by Peterson. Also, although not an attribution guide you will find Bust Half Fever by Souders a wonderful addition to your library.
The Bolender on dollars has been replaced by the work of Bowers/Borckardt for the bust dollars.
On some more “modern” issues Snow for the Indian Cents.
Seated Liberty half dimes by Blythe, somewhat outdated but not replaced but those interested in this series should access the Newman portal and see the images of the Crain colllection.
Seated dimes by Greer.
Seated Quarters by Briggs.
Seated Halves by Bugert in multiple volumes.
Gold die marriages by JD Dannreuther and another by Garrett and Guth.
Beyond these titles everyone who collects classic Coinage should belong to a specialty group dedicated to that series. You should look into membership in any or all the following organizations.
Early American Coppers, EAC for early coppers see EACS.org
John Reich Collectors Society, JRCS for early silver and gold see JRCS.org
Liberty Seated Collectors Club, LSCC for seated see lsccweb.org
You will NOT be disappointed in membership in any of these organizations.
Q: When does a collector become a numismatist?
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
For Liberty Seated Half Dimes, I use Valentine's original 1931 book more than Blythe's 1992 book, because it has more details on a large number of die varieties. It is not easy to use, though.
I consider this to be the most important book written on the early US Mint:
Boudinot, Elias. Orders and Directions for Conducting the Mint of the United States, Established by Elias Boudinot, Director of Said Mint. November 2, 1795. Philadelphia. Printed by John Fenno, 1796.
There is a reproduction of the Library of Congress copy available on Amazon. This was a handbook of rules, policies, and procedures of the US Mint in 1795. There are portions of this in RG104 at the NARA archives, but is missing some pages. Ignore the cover design of the repro, it has nothing to do with the US Mint.
edit - image of a copy of the original cover. There are sections written by Director Boudinot on the Account of the Mint, Director's Clerk, Chief Coiner and Melter's Clerk, Treasurer, Assayer, Chief Coiner, Engraver, and Workmen and Labourers.
Robert Scot: Engraving Liberty - biography of US Mint's first chief engraver
Roger is being too modest. He has also written several articles on the early commemorative series. I won't list them here though.
In the early commemorative series I recommend, in no particular order:
Every Historical Society associated with early commemoratives.
Back issues of The Numismatist.
Back issues of The Commemorative Trail, The Journal of the Society for U.S. Commemorative Coins.
An Inside View of the Coin Hobby in the 1930s: The Walter P. Nichols File, Edited by Q. David Bowers, Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., Copyright 1984 by Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc.
The Authoritative Reference on Commemorative Coins 1892-1954, by Kevin Flynn, Published by Kyle Vick, 2008.
The Coin Collectors Journal
Old newspapers.
Archives in Philadelphia (mainly).
An Illustrated History of U.S. Commemorative Coinage, Don Taxay, ARCO Publishing Co, Inc., New York, 1967.
Commemorative Coins of the United States; A Complete Encyclopedia, Q. David Bowers. Published by Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc. Box 1224, Wolfeboro, NH 03894, 1991.
@BG said:
Roger is being too modest. He has also written several articles on the early commemorative series. I won't list them here though.
These are the only commemorative articles I published:
“Designer of 1920 Maine Centennial Half Dollar Identified” 2002.
“New Research Explains Alabama Centennial Half Dollar Mintage,” Special for PCGS CoinFacts 2010.
Note: Lee Gast has researched and prepared comprehensive material on all the “classic” commemoratives. His work is vastly superior to ALL previous publications, so I decided to defer to him in future.
This maybe a dumb question and maybe I havnt looked hard enough but has anyone written a book on gold liberty head half eagles 1839-1908? I have doug winters books on branch mint gold but curious if I'm SOL when it comes to finding a book that covers the entire series ( what other series can claim to be minted at all 7)?
Thanks
BennyW - There are some good older articles, but nothing comprehensive - as on the order of my DE book "Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles" published by Heritage Auctions.
The series is the longest continuous design series in US coins and has many common and many extremely rare dates/mintmarks.
@BennyW said:
This maybe a dumb question and maybe I havnt looked hard enough but has anyone written a book on gold liberty head half eagles 1839-1908? I have doug winters books on branch mint gold but curious if I'm SOL when it comes to finding a book that covers the entire series ( what other series can claim to be minted at all 7)?
Thanks
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
This book isn't date by date specific like Aker's but is a good read...
Then, since you mentioned Winter, Do any of you have this one? it gives advice on how to form your gold collection but has more of a higher level / general feel to it across all series.
Tim
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
I recently published a new book on half cents. It is lavishly illustrated in color and features new research that has been published in the past 25 years. If you want to know who made them, when and why, as well as how many exist of each variety, this book has the information.
@Tibor said:
A couple of years ago @Sonorandesertrat shared with me his
numismatic library list. It is VERY extensive. Maybe we can ask
him to share it with us.
“Buy the book before the coin.” Sage advice if there is a book to buy. Every coin series in U.S. history has a book dedicated to it except one, Classic Gold. Minted from 1834 to 1839 and falling between the series of the old standard preceding it and the newer series that followed, Classic Gold quarter eagles and half eagles are betwixt and between. No comprehensive and authoritative reference guide has been written about these beautifully designed coins. Their story has never been told, until now.
United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839, a book written by Daryl J. Haynor, presents information about every aspect of the Classic Gold quarter eagle and half eagle series that a collector needs to knowledgeably and confidently collect them. The work assembles for the first time a complete die marriage listing for every date in each series, emission sequencing, and a detailed system for identifying marriages with high quality color photographs. Rarity ratings of each die marriage are given, backed by an exhaustive search of thousands of records of gold coin sales.
The book includes an analysis of the characteristics of Classic Gold coins by date, including luster, color, strike, and other die characteristics. It provides estimates of the survivors of each date broken down by grade ranges based on statistical analysis of third- party population reports and auctions. It also documents reasons why several official mintage figures of the U.S. Mint need to be adjusted.
Mr. Haynor has conducted an exhaustive study of the finest examples of each date, and a condition census list with detailed provenance records is included. In many cases this information will be published for the first time. Most listings include high quality color photos.
But Classic Gold is much more than a reference book. The 1830’s was perhaps the most dynamic decade in the history of the U.S. Mint, and economically one the most traumatic for the country. The book explores the economic and political context of the 1830's by "following the money" through these turbulent times, including President Jackson's push for a bimetallic monetary system, the Second Bank Wars and its ultimate demise, and changing the gold standard. It chronicles the role of the gold in French indemnity payments, the relocation of Native Americans, and the Panic of 1837. And it explores U.S. Mint operations which went through big changes during that decade, including the introduction of the steam toggle press, the opening of the new Philadelphia Mint, Christian Gobrecht’s arrival as Engraver, and the construction of branch mints in Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans.
Classic Gold coinage was the tool Jackson used to implement his financial policy based on specie. It was the first coinage under a new gold standard, the first to create a public uproar over the omission of E PLURIBUS UNUM on U.S. coinage, the first coinage struck at the Branch Mints, and the first U.S coinage with a mintmark on the obverse.
The historic section of the book is based on hundreds of hours of research involving documents probably never read by anyone with a numismatic interest for two hundred years. The book includes facsimiles of many exciting and never before published archival documents such as a new allegorical drawing by Engraver William Kneass of Miss Liberty, a letter from President Andrew Jackson accepting the first Classic Head gold coin minted, and Gold Bullion Mint Certificate No. 1 issued by the Charlotte Mint on the first day of operations.
Classic Gold includes many other documents for the first time, including those surrounding the striking of rare Proof Classic Gold coins. The book includes an analysis of these coins, detailing their provenance and telling stories of some of their most famous collectors, featuring the King of Siam Presentation Set which is perhaps the most famous and most valuable set of U.S. coinage ever assembled.
The book will debunk some widely accepted tales of numismatic history that are not accurate, but are “numislore”, that: old tenor gold was melted in masses by the U.S. Mint as a result of changing the gold standard in 1834; E PLURIBUS UNUM was removed, as well as the cap from Miss Liberty, in order to distinguish the change in weight of U.S. gold coins; in 1835 Christian Gobrecht took over all activities as engraver after the debilitating illness of William Kneass.
This work contains valuable materials gathered by John McCloskey, respected author of works on other coin series, whose ground-breaking articles about Classic Gold aroused Mr. Haynor’s interest. Mr. McCloskey researched Classic Gold for over twenty years. He discovered and reported new die marriages, and many had been eagerly awaiting his book. Unfortunately, Mr. McCloskey passed away in 2018, but his family has generously turned his materials over to Mr. Haynor. His seminal research will be acknowledged and memorialized through the naming regime of die marriages detailed in the book.
Professional Coin Grading Services (PCGS) and the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) have adopted the HM (Haynor-McCloskey) attribution system and will attribute Classic Gold coins submitted through their services. Stack’s Bowers and Heritage Auctions now attribute their auction listings using the HM system.
Mr. Haynor has been an avid collector for decades. He has compiled a collection of Classic Gold that is the finest ever known, and is near completion of the first ever collection to include every die marriage in both series. He would have found a book like this one invaluable, but none existed. Instead he was compelled to undertake a rewarding but at times arduous research over twelve years into all aspects of Classic Gold. He is now prepared to pass on this knowledge in one comprehensive work so that collectors finally will be able to “buy the book before the coin.”
The hardbound book is 368 pages in length, printed in full color with over 700 full color high-resolution illustrations. United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839 by Daryl J. Haynor, with John W. McCloskey, is available from Wizard Coin Supply at Wizardcoinsupply.com. The book is priced at $95, but is now available for a limited time at a discounted pre-release price.
A limited-edition leatherette version of only 75 copies is priced at $195 but also available at a pre-release price.
For more information, or to order, see: United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839 (https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/united-states-classic-gold-coins-of-1834-1839)
Deluxe Edition
Some refer to overgraded slabs as Coffins. I like to think of them as Happy Coins.
A book I recommend is Fascinating Facts, Mysteries, and Myths about US Coins by Robert VanRyzin. He takes apart some of the long-standing assumptions the collectorverse has regarding things like who really posed for the buffalo nickel, etc. Some nice factoids as well. It’s a fairly light read but fun to see how some of the accepted facts about numismatics may not be all that accurate...
I recommend this 352 page new book for the catalog numbers. It is mostly a collection of outdated articles, a lot of history of Bernard von NotHaus, and Norfed "dollars" or tokens, confiscation and law issues, and some Hawaiian dala medals. There are small pictures and numbers for about 250 Norfed medals in the back (500 pictures obv/rev). This book is available direct from Bernard. Regardless of opinions about medals, tokens, coins, counterfeits, copies, etc. the quality of most all that were ever struck that I have owned is exceptional.
Many of the tokens/medals in the back of this book now have an actual documented numbering system from Bernard himself, and so I hope PCGS will allow these to be graded using this book, and making it official in the PCGS Medal and Token Registry section. I would actively submit some really exceptionally rare pieces, to preserve in secure slabs with TrueView photos, if they would be allowed.
I have at least 100 different versions of these and if PCGS won't grade them with this book, it will be a terrible loss of revenue and history, as I will send in a bunch and will bet there will be other registry participants in these deserving Norfed collectables exonumia.
Not a book but a great website, very informative with high quality photos.
If you are interested in Lincoln Cent varieties, this is a website you will want to check out.
I visit it often...if you go once you will go back.
Winter made auction help guides available in the 1990's... goes beyond the description of what you might find in the auction house's catalog. Doug did a fabulous job of this in a Heritage 1999 sale of the Acadiana New Orleans collection (both silver and gold). This specific work is #18 of 50 copies made, signed by the author.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
The Buffalo Nickel (Hardcover – March 25, 2002)
by Taylor Morrison
ISBN - 9780618108558
blurb:
Taylor Morrison reveals the history and making of the buffalo nickel through the story of its creator, American sculptor James Fraser. As a boy growing up in the Dakota Territory, Fraser witnessed the virtual extinction of the buffalo and the effect their loss had on the Plains Indians. As an adult, he honored both in his sculptures and his design for the buffalo nickel. Morrison’s striking illustrations capture the broad sweep of the landscape and demonstrate the intricate process by which coins are designed and minted.
by Whitman publishing company, 1959, 1965. 191 pages-excellent book about the history of the trade dollar.
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Ebenezer Gilbert - Half Cents - Very Descriptive half cent die analysis. Not entirely sure, but I believe this is the first die variety book on half cents
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Jim Osbon's Silver Dollar Encyclopedia. Includes a break-down of Morgan and peace dollars by date and mm with the estimated number of survivors. Excellent book.
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U. S. Patterns by Judd
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So-Called Dollars by Harold E. Hibbler and Charles V. Kappen
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Treasure Hunting Mercury Dimes by John A. Wexler and Kevin Flynn
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Counterfeit, Mis-struck and and Un-official U. S. Coins by Don Taxay
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Detecting counterfeit gold coins-Lonesome John (Devine)
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The comprehensive encyclopedia of United States Liberty Seated Quarters by Larry Briggs
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The complete guide to buffalo nickels by David W. Lange
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Early American Coppers by Sanford J. Durst (1977)
For United States Half Cents, this will be a MUST HAVE book when it comes out in a couple of weeks. It is the first of four books on the Half Cent series which my friend and longtime Ed Fuhrman will be releasing.
@Vincentbulgarino said:
AGREED EVERYONE READ BOOKS.
BUT ALSO DON'T GIVE BAD ADVICE. IF YOU DON'T KNOW SAY NOTHING. CAUSE YOU PEOPLE NEVER SEEN I HAD 2 MINT ERRORS WAS TOLD BY MANY JUNK.
OFF PHONE WITH PCGS BOTH MINT ERRORS. SO WHY ANSWER IF YOU DON'T KNOW???? YOU CAN COST PEOPLE A LOT OF MONEY. IF YOU FEEL GIVING OUT JUNK ADVICE THEN YA ALL COINS BUT YOURS JUNK. RIGHT??
Maybe you can provide a link to your post and also tell us what PCGS designated them as instead of insulting people!!
For Mercury Dimes I use, as mentioned a number of times, Variety Vista and Cherrypickers, but also "The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes" by David W. Lange and "The Authoritative Reference on Mercury Dimes" by John A. Wexler and Kevin Flynn
@JDunsh said:
Any recommendations for an introductory book to capped bust half dollars?? Thanks!
Not really introduction books as most just immerse you to a full degree. But, that being said....
Bust Half Fever by Edgar Souders comes closest to the “introductory “ label. Get the second edition.
The die marriage manual by Al Overton edited by Don Parsley. I prefer the third edition but there are die marriages known not illustrated in that edition.
Ultimate Guide to Attributing Capped Bust Half Dollars by Dr Glenn Peterson
Draped bust halves only there is a book by Steve Thompkins
Of course, you should ABSOLUTELY become a member of The John Reich Collectors Society. If you, or anyone, wants a complimentary copy of a journal please PM me.
That should get you “started”!
Happy hunting
Q: When does a collector become a numismatist?
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
@JDunsh said:
Any recommendations for an introductory book to capped bust half dollars?? Thanks!
Not really introduction books as most just immerse you to a full degree. But, that being said....
Bust Half Fever by Edgar Souders comes closest to the “introductory “ label. Get the second edition.
The die marriage manual by Al Overton edited by Don Parsley. I prefer the third edition but there are die marriages known not illustrated in that edition.
Ultimate Guide to Attributing Capped Bust Half Dollars by Dr Glenn Peterson
Draped bust halves only there is a book by Steve Thompkins
Of course, you should ABSOLUTELY become a member of The John Reich Collectors Society. If you, or anyone, wants a complimentary copy of a journal please PM me.
That should get you “started”!
Happy hunting
Incredible advice! So much more than I was hoping for, thank you!!!
Comments
Cohen on half cents is the older classic reference with Breen doing a more modern uptake along with Manly for the half cent die states.
Large cents have a plethora of titles to choose from including the classics by Sheldon and Newcomb (almost unusable) to more modern references by Noyes covering the complete series in 4 volumes and Wright for Matron heads only.
Other posters have covered the half dimes, dimes, and quarters well.
My immediate predecessor mentioned the Overton book on halves and there is a newer reference on the Draped Busts by Tompkins. You may also like the Ultimate Guide to Attributing Bust Half Dollars by Peterson. Also, although not an attribution guide you will find Bust Half Fever by Souders a wonderful addition to your library.
The Bolender on dollars has been replaced by the work of Bowers/Borckardt for the bust dollars.
On some more “modern” issues Snow for the Indian Cents.
Seated Liberty half dimes by Blythe, somewhat outdated but not replaced but those interested in this series should access the Newman portal and see the images of the Crain colllection.
Seated dimes by Greer.
Seated Quarters by Briggs.
Seated Halves by Bugert in multiple volumes.
Gold die marriages by JD Dannreuther and another by Garrett and Guth.
Beyond these titles everyone who collects classic Coinage should belong to a specialty group dedicated to that series. You should look into membership in any or all the following organizations.
Early American Coppers, EAC for early coppers see EACS.org
John Reich Collectors Society, JRCS for early silver and gold see JRCS.org
Liberty Seated Collectors Club, LSCC for seated see lsccweb.org
You will NOT be disappointed in membership in any of these organizations.
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Mint Errors
The Error Coin Encyclopedia By Arnold Margolis @FredWeinberg 4 versions last in 2005.
Comprehensive book on all error types.
To bad this one is not upadated or similar type book on subject printed.
Excellent list except for this one, which is vastly updated by Gerry Fortin's online reference:
http://www.seateddimevarieties.com/index.htm
For Liberty Seated Half Dimes, I use Valentine's original 1931 book more than Blythe's 1992 book, because it has more details on a large number of die varieties. It is not easy to use, though.
John Albanese handed this to me himself about 5 years ago
RAD#306
I consider this to be the most important book written on the early US Mint:
Boudinot, Elias. Orders and Directions for Conducting the Mint of the United States, Established by Elias Boudinot, Director of Said Mint. November 2, 1795. Philadelphia. Printed by John Fenno, 1796.
There is a reproduction of the Library of Congress copy available on Amazon. This was a handbook of rules, policies, and procedures of the US Mint in 1795. There are portions of this in RG104 at the NARA archives, but is missing some pages. Ignore the cover design of the repro, it has nothing to do with the US Mint.
https://www.amazon.com/directions-conducting-established-Boudinot-director/dp/1170883931
edit - image of a copy of the original cover. There are sections written by Director Boudinot on the Account of the Mint, Director's Clerk, Chief Coiner and Melter's Clerk, Treasurer, Assayer, Chief Coiner, Engraver, and Workmen and Labourers.
The most recent Red Book I have is 2017, and I am okay with that.
But would it be worthwhile to add one of the newer jumbo MEGA RED books to my numismatic library?
I'm particularly interested in learning more about the obsolete denominations, as well as Bust and Seated coinage.
I would highly suggest joining The John Reich Collectors Society and The Liberty Seated Collectors Club.
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Roger is being too modest. He has also written several articles on the early commemorative series. I won't list them here though.
In the early commemorative series I recommend, in no particular order:
Every Historical Society associated with early commemoratives.
Back issues of The Numismatist.
Back issues of The Commemorative Trail, The Journal of the Society for U.S. Commemorative Coins.
An Inside View of the Coin Hobby in the 1930s: The Walter P. Nichols File, Edited by Q. David Bowers, Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., Copyright 1984 by Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc.
The Authoritative Reference on Commemorative Coins 1892-1954, by Kevin Flynn, Published by Kyle Vick, 2008.
The Coin Collectors Journal
Old newspapers.
Archives in Philadelphia (mainly).
An Illustrated History of U.S. Commemorative Coinage, Don Taxay, ARCO Publishing Co, Inc., New York, 1967.
Commemorative Coins of the United States; A Complete Encyclopedia, Q. David Bowers. Published by Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc. Box 1224, Wolfeboro, NH 03894, 1991.
and tha's just a start.
These are the only commemorative articles I published:
“Designer of 1920 Maine Centennial Half Dollar Identified” 2002.
“New Research Explains Alabama Centennial Half Dollar Mintage,” Special for PCGS CoinFacts 2010.
Note: Lee Gast has researched and prepared comprehensive material on all the “classic” commemoratives. His work is vastly superior to ALL previous publications, so I decided to defer to him in future.
Thank you kind sir.
Along with owning a few of those listed above, these are the ones I recommend in my area of interest (1950-70 Cameo Proofs):
Rick Tomaska; "Cameo and Brillian Proof Coinage of the 1950-1970 Era"
Val J. Webb; "Cameo Proofs 1950-1964" (My autographed copy below.)
David W. Lange; The Official Red Book "A Guide Book of Modern United States Proof Coin Sets"
"Coin collecting for dummies" is one of the best books for people new to Numismatics
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
To be gradually superseded by John Dannreuther's magnum opus, United States Proof Coins, starting with the currently available multi-volume Volume IV.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Some free digital books in this link. https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1021539/free-collection-of-digital-numismatic-books-us#latest
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/publishedset.aspx?s=142753
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
My US Mint Commemorative Medal Set
This maybe a dumb question and maybe I havnt looked hard enough but has anyone written a book on gold liberty head half eagles 1839-1908? I have doug winters books on branch mint gold but curious if I'm SOL when it comes to finding a book that covers the entire series ( what other series can claim to be minted at all 7)?
Thanks
BennyW - There are some good older articles, but nothing comprehensive - as on the order of my DE book "Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles" published by Heritage Auctions.
The series is the longest continuous design series in US coins and has many common and many extremely rare dates/mintmarks.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
This book isn't date by date specific like Aker's but is a good read...
Then, since you mentioned Winter, Do any of you have this one? it gives advice on how to form your gold collection but has more of a higher level / general feel to it across all series.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
HOW COINS ARE MADE AND MISMADE
BY WALTER BREEN
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
@Aspie_Rocco …….When you get a chance PM me.
DD vs MD
PDF has four pages, this is a snapshot of page one by J.T. Stanton:
http://conecaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/StrikeDoublingFlyer-1.pdf
—————
Another resource, diagram by Charles Daughtrey:
Thanks @messydesk for the diagram.
I recently published a new book on half cents. It is lavishly illustrated in color and features new research that has been published in the past 25 years. If you want to know who made them, when and why, as well as how many exist of each variety, this book has the information.
I have illustrated the front cover. Much more information is available at http://www.halfcentbook.com.
Sold out
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
Let’s see them ambro. TYIA
Great one if you think you may have some interest in pattern coins...
Another super reference for early and modern commemorative coins is this one:
The Commemorative Trail; The Journal of the Society for U.S. Commemorative Coins
They can be found on the NNP.
Here it is:
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
While not a book, here is a 106 page pdf from the ANA on counterfeit detection
https://www.money.org/uploads/Counterfeit Detection Vol.2.pdf
Collector, occasional seller
Big hits with my son.
"Today the crumbs, tomorrow the
loaf. Perhaps someday the whole damn boulangerie." - fictional Jack Rackham
United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839
Standard Edition
“Buy the book before the coin.” Sage advice if there is a book to buy. Every coin series in U.S. history has a book dedicated to it except one, Classic Gold. Minted from 1834 to 1839 and falling between the series of the old standard preceding it and the newer series that followed, Classic Gold quarter eagles and half eagles are betwixt and between. No comprehensive and authoritative reference guide has been written about these beautifully designed coins. Their story has never been told, until now.
United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839, a book written by Daryl J. Haynor, presents information about every aspect of the Classic Gold quarter eagle and half eagle series that a collector needs to knowledgeably and confidently collect them. The work assembles for the first time a complete die marriage listing for every date in each series, emission sequencing, and a detailed system for identifying marriages with high quality color photographs. Rarity ratings of each die marriage are given, backed by an exhaustive search of thousands of records of gold coin sales.
The book includes an analysis of the characteristics of Classic Gold coins by date, including luster, color, strike, and other die characteristics. It provides estimates of the survivors of each date broken down by grade ranges based on statistical analysis of third- party population reports and auctions. It also documents reasons why several official mintage figures of the U.S. Mint need to be adjusted.
Mr. Haynor has conducted an exhaustive study of the finest examples of each date, and a condition census list with detailed provenance records is included. In many cases this information will be published for the first time. Most listings include high quality color photos.
But Classic Gold is much more than a reference book. The 1830’s was perhaps the most dynamic decade in the history of the U.S. Mint, and economically one the most traumatic for the country. The book explores the economic and political context of the 1830's by "following the money" through these turbulent times, including President Jackson's push for a bimetallic monetary system, the Second Bank Wars and its ultimate demise, and changing the gold standard. It chronicles the role of the gold in French indemnity payments, the relocation of Native Americans, and the Panic of 1837. And it explores U.S. Mint operations which went through big changes during that decade, including the introduction of the steam toggle press, the opening of the new Philadelphia Mint, Christian Gobrecht’s arrival as Engraver, and the construction of branch mints in Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans.
Classic Gold coinage was the tool Jackson used to implement his financial policy based on specie. It was the first coinage under a new gold standard, the first to create a public uproar over the omission of E PLURIBUS UNUM on U.S. coinage, the first coinage struck at the Branch Mints, and the first U.S coinage with a mintmark on the obverse.
The historic section of the book is based on hundreds of hours of research involving documents probably never read by anyone with a numismatic interest for two hundred years. The book includes facsimiles of many exciting and never before published archival documents such as a new allegorical drawing by Engraver William Kneass of Miss Liberty, a letter from President Andrew Jackson accepting the first Classic Head gold coin minted, and Gold Bullion Mint Certificate No. 1 issued by the Charlotte Mint on the first day of operations.
Classic Gold includes many other documents for the first time, including those surrounding the striking of rare Proof Classic Gold coins. The book includes an analysis of these coins, detailing their provenance and telling stories of some of their most famous collectors, featuring the King of Siam Presentation Set which is perhaps the most famous and most valuable set of U.S. coinage ever assembled.
The book will debunk some widely accepted tales of numismatic history that are not accurate, but are “numislore”, that: old tenor gold was melted in masses by the U.S. Mint as a result of changing the gold standard in 1834; E PLURIBUS UNUM was removed, as well as the cap from Miss Liberty, in order to distinguish the change in weight of U.S. gold coins; in 1835 Christian Gobrecht took over all activities as engraver after the debilitating illness of William Kneass.
This work contains valuable materials gathered by John McCloskey, respected author of works on other coin series, whose ground-breaking articles about Classic Gold aroused Mr. Haynor’s interest. Mr. McCloskey researched Classic Gold for over twenty years. He discovered and reported new die marriages, and many had been eagerly awaiting his book. Unfortunately, Mr. McCloskey passed away in 2018, but his family has generously turned his materials over to Mr. Haynor. His seminal research will be acknowledged and memorialized through the naming regime of die marriages detailed in the book.
Professional Coin Grading Services (PCGS) and the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) have adopted the HM (Haynor-McCloskey) attribution system and will attribute Classic Gold coins submitted through their services. Stack’s Bowers and Heritage Auctions now attribute their auction listings using the HM system.
Mr. Haynor has been an avid collector for decades. He has compiled a collection of Classic Gold that is the finest ever known, and is near completion of the first ever collection to include every die marriage in both series. He would have found a book like this one invaluable, but none existed. Instead he was compelled to undertake a rewarding but at times arduous research over twelve years into all aspects of Classic Gold. He is now prepared to pass on this knowledge in one comprehensive work so that collectors finally will be able to “buy the book before the coin.”
The hardbound book is 368 pages in length, printed in full color with over 700 full color high-resolution illustrations. United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839 by Daryl J. Haynor, with John W. McCloskey, is available from Wizard Coin Supply at Wizardcoinsupply.com. The book is priced at $95, but is now available for a limited time at a discounted pre-release price.
A limited-edition leatherette version of only 75 copies is priced at $195 but also available at a pre-release price.
For more information, or to order, see: United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839 (https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/united-states-classic-gold-coins-of-1834-1839)
Deluxe Edition
I was going through some old magazines and found on the back... Crystal Coin Investment numismatic reference books listed:
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
A book I recommend is Fascinating Facts, Mysteries, and Myths about US Coins by Robert VanRyzin. He takes apart some of the long-standing assumptions the collectorverse has regarding things like who really posed for the buffalo nickel, etc. Some nice factoids as well. It’s a fairly light read but fun to see how some of the accepted facts about numismatics may not be all that accurate...
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
I recommend this 352 page new book for the catalog numbers. It is mostly a collection of outdated articles, a lot of history of Bernard von NotHaus, and Norfed "dollars" or tokens, confiscation and law issues, and some Hawaiian dala medals. There are small pictures and numbers for about 250 Norfed medals in the back (500 pictures obv/rev). This book is available direct from Bernard. Regardless of opinions about medals, tokens, coins, counterfeits, copies, etc. the quality of most all that were ever struck that I have owned is exceptional.
Many of the tokens/medals in the back of this book now have an actual documented numbering system from Bernard himself, and so I hope PCGS will allow these to be graded using this book, and making it official in the PCGS Medal and Token Registry section. I would actively submit some really exceptionally rare pieces, to preserve in secure slabs with TrueView photos, if they would be allowed.
I have at least 100 different versions of these and if PCGS won't grade them with this book, it will be a terrible loss of revenue and history, as I will send in a bunch and will bet there will be other registry participants in these deserving Norfed collectables exonumia.
My US Mint Commemorative Medal Set
sold out by me
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
Not a book but a great website, very informative with high quality photos.
If you are interested in Lincoln Cent varieties, this is a website you will want to check out.
I visit it often...if you go once you will go back.
www.coppercoins.com
The John J Ford auction catalogs are a must for any numismatic library
Hours and hours of great reading
They call me "Pack the Ripper"
Winter made auction help guides available in the 1990's... goes beyond the description of what you might find in the auction house's catalog. Doug did a fabulous job of this in a Heritage 1999 sale of the Acadiana New Orleans collection (both silver and gold). This specific work is #18 of 50 copies made, signed by the author.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Children's Book
The Buffalo Nickel (Hardcover – March 25, 2002)
by Taylor Morrison
ISBN - 9780618108558
blurb:
Taylor Morrison reveals the history and making of the buffalo nickel through the story of its creator, American sculptor James Fraser. As a boy growing up in the Dakota Territory, Fraser witnessed the virtual extinction of the buffalo and the effect their loss had on the Plains Indians. As an adult, he honored both in his sculptures and his design for the buffalo nickel. Morrison’s striking illustrations capture the broad sweep of the landscape and demonstrate the intricate process by which coins are designed and minted.
https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Nickel-Taylor-Morrison/dp/0618108556/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=9780618108558&qid=1607050742&s=books&sr=1-1
by Whitman publishing company, 1959, 1965. 191 pages-excellent book about the history of the trade dollar.
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Ebenezer Gilbert - Half Cents - Very Descriptive half cent die analysis. Not entirely sure, but I believe this is the first die variety book on half cents
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Jim Osbon's Silver Dollar Encyclopedia. Includes a break-down of Morgan and peace dollars by date and mm with the estimated number of survivors. Excellent book.
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U. S. Patterns by Judd
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So-Called Dollars by Harold E. Hibbler and Charles V. Kappen
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Treasure Hunting Mercury Dimes by John A. Wexler and Kevin Flynn
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Counterfeit, Mis-struck and and Un-official U. S. Coins by Don Taxay
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Detecting counterfeit gold coins-Lonesome John (Devine)
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The comprehensive encyclopedia of United States Liberty Seated Quarters by Larry Briggs
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The complete guide to buffalo nickels by David W. Lange
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Early American Coppers by Sanford J. Durst (1977)
For United States Half Cents, this will be a MUST HAVE book when it comes out in a couple of weeks. It is the first of four books on the Half Cent series which my friend and longtime Ed Fuhrman will be releasing.
Maybe you can provide a link to your post and also tell us what PCGS designated them as instead of insulting people!!
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8A11CC8CC6093D80
https://n1m.com/bobbysmith1
For Mercury Dimes I use, as mentioned a number of times, Variety Vista and Cherrypickers, but also "The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes" by David W. Lange and "The Authoritative Reference on Mercury Dimes" by John A. Wexler and Kevin Flynn
I mainly collect raw Ancients, PCGS Mercury Dimes, and raw CSA'S... but have misc other sets...Jeffhttps://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/mysetregistry/set/215647https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/mysetregistry/showcase/8378
Any recommendations for an introductory book to capped bust half dollars?? Thanks!
Not really introduction books as most just immerse you to a full degree. But, that being said....
Bust Half Fever by Edgar Souders comes closest to the “introductory “ label. Get the second edition.
The die marriage manual by Al Overton edited by Don Parsley. I prefer the third edition but there are die marriages known not illustrated in that edition.
Ultimate Guide to Attributing Capped Bust Half Dollars by Dr Glenn Peterson
Draped bust halves only there is a book by Steve Thompkins
Of course, you should ABSOLUTELY become a member of The John Reich Collectors Society. If you, or anyone, wants a complimentary copy of a journal please PM me.
That should get you “started”!
Happy hunting
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Incredible advice! So much more than I was hoping for, thank you!!!