What was the first US error coin publication?

savitale

A quick Google search didn’t turn up anything useful.

Byers

That is a great question!

Don’t know the answer, but here is a section from a coin auction catalog in 1879 featuring mint errors, that was published in Mint Error News!

https://minterrornews.com/discoveries-2-17-04-1879_catalogue.html

desslok

While I doubt it's the first publication ever, I do have a copy of the first edition of Alan Herbert's "Official Guide to Mint Errors", published in 1974

Zoins

@desslok said:
While I doubt it's the first publication ever, I do have a copy of the first edition of Alan Herbert's "Official Guide to Mint Errors", published in 1974

That's a nice off center, double clip.

Byers

My first mint error catalog was issued in 1975.

Obviously NOT the first one out there.

In it, I had my Indian Head Cent in gold, and my $20 Liberty struck on a Large Cent blank for sale!

savitale

Interesting. The 1879 auction catalogue is certainly earlier than I would have guessed. From the Byers catalog it seems errors were appreciated in Col. Green's time, ~ 1920's and 30's, though those two coins are exceptional of course. Strange that there wasn't a book, or some sort of non-catalog publication before 1974 in that case.

gumby1234

1956 to 1958

savitale

@gumby1234 said:
1956 to 1958

Thanks! I wonder if the 1955 Double Die cent helped kick this off. I realize we would call this a Variety today, but I could imagine it being included in the category of Mint Errors at the time.

cladking

I think we owe much of the interest in errors and varieties today to the first mass selling publication in 1962; Spadone's "Major Errors and Varieties Guide" first edition.

It looks somewhat quaint by today's standards but was actually a pretty good reference. It probably helped touch off the roll and bag boom and the huge changes in the hobby since.

Each edition improved a little. By the 6th it was much more comprehensive and some of the "dross" had been excised.

Sales of the book surprised almost everyone. There's little left of my first edition.

Zoins

It's really incredible to see these early publications.

Tibor

If I'm remembering correctly, Spadone had a book concerning varieties and errors. I've lost my copy, but I had it in the early 70's.

Treashunt

Spadone issued a number of issues, I remember one from the mid 1960's