I have a 1938 Boy Scout Coin Collecting Merit Badge Book - Brown cover.
I also have two reprints:
"An Historical Account of American Coinage" by John H. Hickox -1858 ( reprint 1988)
"Mint Marks" by A.G. Heaton - 1893 (reprint 1987)
I have the one @Mr_Colombo displayed in the OP.... and many coin books in my library. One unique one I have is the 'Coin Preservation Handbook' by Charles Frank, 1964, Chief Engineer.
There is a wealth of information in that book of 135 pages (hardbound). Cheers, RickO
@Dave99B said:
Technically my older brothers. 1968.
Can I interest you in some MS 1901-S Barber Quarters for $2K?
Dave
I was in college back then and did buy an AG 1901-S for about that price with the money from a summer job. The cost of an Unc in 1968 was for me one year of college. Today the cost for one year at that same college is about $70,000.
Looks like the quarter kept up with today's cost of education.
I also have a Riddell but there is no need to revisit that so I have decided to illustrate the following.
Snowden’s book on the coins in the Mint collection. Jacob Eckfeldt’s personal copy! The illustrations are embossed metallic tinted images of the coins.
This book was the beginning of my interest in books of this genre.
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.
I have one of the editions of book by George Evans, but I can't lay my hands on it right now. I think that it was published before 1900. It was in an old family truck which indicates that I may have a coin collecting ancestor. If I did, I don't know who he or she might have been.
Beyond that I have a couple B. Max Melh "Red Star Encyclopedias" from the 1930s. Beyond that I have lots of books from the 1960s and a first edition of Sheldon's large cent book which was published in the late 1940s.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
Noel Henry Humphries on ancient coinage. He had the British museum make impressions of some of their ancients. He produced a positive clay (?) image then took metallic foil or leaf material and glued it over the clay blanks making it look like the coins were actually in the book! If you look closely at one of the plates you will see a page illustrating the process. Over the years many of the “coins” have either fallen out of the book or lost their foil coverings. I purchased two I complete books and combined them to make one complete volume. The odd plate illustrated here has an empty recession showing a glue spot, a couple clay “coins” without their foil coverings and a few “plates” as they are supposed to appear. These books are historically fragile as it was possibly the first example of “perfect” binding. Humphries merely stacked the pages and “plates” and liberally applied horse glue and wrapped the leather binding around them.
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.
@DNADave said:
Looks like the oldest one I see on the shelf is from 1936. A checklist. The*& **author planned a little too far ahead **on the peace dollars **
I have a 1932 edition of B. Max Mehl's Star Rare Coin Encyclopedia. Mehl became a full-time dealer in the very early 1900s, and issued his price list for many years, as well as advertising in non-numismatic publications of the day. That stimulated a lot of interest in coins.
I have included the page showing what he was paying for silver dollars. Mehl was paying up to $4.00 for 1795-1803 silver dollars. There wasn't much interest in non-proof Seated Dollars or Morgans, and even most proofs were worth little more than a dollar (this was during the depths of the Depression). He was paying 75 cents for most proof trade dollars, which had been demonetized and were considered little more than bullion.
Comments
I bought a paperback version of this book for $5 at a local coin show a couple of months ago. Totally worth it just for the cover photo.
I had this 1877 Book until a couple years ago when I sold it to a forum member:
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
** What's your oldest numismatic related book?**
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
The first one I bought new not counting the Guide
.
I have a 1938 Boy Scout Coin Collecting Merit Badge Book - Brown cover.
I also have two reprints:
"An Historical Account of American Coinage" by John H. Hickox -1858 ( reprint 1988)
"Mint Marks" by A.G. Heaton - 1893 (reprint 1987)
I have the one @Mr_Colombo displayed in the OP.... and many coin books in my library. One unique one I have is the 'Coin Preservation Handbook' by Charles Frank, 1964, Chief Engineer.
There is a wealth of information in that book of 135 pages (hardbound). Cheers, RickO
Looks like the oldest one I see on the shelf is from 1936. A checklist. The author planned a little too far ahead on the peace dollars
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Riddell’s 1845 work Monograph of the Silver Dollar.
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Latin American Collection
I purchased the 2010 red book at the Philadelphia Mint. The other one is from 1982, found in a junk box
The question of the 1815 and 1825 E and L quarters will probably be a mystery for all time.
Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM
I'm not sure if this is my oldest but I guess it is up there. I probably have a few older red books kicking around.
JIm
Report On Establishment of a Mint.
Got at a garage sale
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Type collector, mainly into Seated. -formerly Ownerofawheatiehorde. Good BST transactions with: mirabela, OKCC, MICHAELDIXON, Gerard
Type collector, mainly into Seated. -formerly Ownerofawheatiehorde. Good BST transactions with: mirabela, OKCC, MICHAELDIXON, Gerard
A 1959 Redbook.
An 1878-S half in Fine was only $300 in 1959. It's worth about 150 times that now.
Hall and Van. Who is the third person?
B.J. Searles?
End Systemic Elitism - It Takes All Of Us
ANA LM
LSCC
EAC
FUN
Technically my older brothers. 1968.
Can I interest you in some MS 1901-S Barber Quarters for $2K?
Dave
The thought of a Brasher Doubloon just laying on an 1804 Dollar stresses me out.
Numismatic Asset Management
"helping rare coin buyers avoid critical mistakes"
I've got 2 "Star" catalogs, 1931 & 1934 from Max Mehl around here somewhere.
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
@DisneyFan good question...
Definitely a mercenary of some sort!
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Based on the dedication, this would also be my guess.
Edited to add a source: https://archive.org/details/mercenarysguidet00davi/page/n7/mode/2up
No kidding, You are both right! What a fun picture.
I was in college back then and did buy an AG 1901-S for about that price with the money from a summer job. The cost of an Unc in 1968 was for me one year of college. Today the cost for one year at that same college is about $70,000.
Looks like the quarter kept up with today's cost of education.
See the miss print on 1964-D
Illustrated History of the U. S. Mint 1881 by A.M Smith. Original and it looks it.
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I also have a Riddell but there is no need to revisit that so I have decided to illustrate the following.
Snowden’s book on the coins in the Mint collection. Jacob Eckfeldt’s personal copy! The illustrations are embossed metallic tinted images of the coins.
This book was the beginning of my interest in books of this genre.
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.
My oldest is a PDF copy of:
Numismata Scotiae
or a series of the
Scottish Coinage
from the reign of
William the Lion to the Union
published in 1786 (and containing many illustrations!)
littleton coin company shopping catalog from the 80's.
From 1961 and 1962, The Coinage Of Siam, for info on Thai Bullet Money.
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I intend to scan this to PDF and then sell the original... someday, when I get one of those Round TUITs.
I have one of the editions of book by George Evans, but I can't lay my hands on it right now. I think that it was published before 1900. It was in an old family truck which indicates that I may have a coin collecting ancestor. If I did, I don't know who he or she might have been.
Beyond that I have a couple B. Max Melh "Red Star Encyclopedias" from the 1930s. Beyond that I have lots of books from the 1960s and a first edition of Sheldon's large cent book which was published in the late 1940s.
Here is a world book in my library.
Noel Henry Humphries on ancient coinage. He had the British museum make impressions of some of their ancients. He produced a positive clay (?) image then took metallic foil or leaf material and glued it over the clay blanks making it look like the coins were actually in the book! If you look closely at one of the plates you will see a page illustrating the process. Over the years many of the “coins” have either fallen out of the book or lost their foil coverings. I purchased two I complete books and combined them to make one complete volume. The odd plate illustrated here has an empty recession showing a glue spot, a couple clay “coins” without their foil coverings and a few “plates” as they are supposed to appear. These books are historically fragile as it was possibly the first example of “perfect” binding. Humphries merely stacked the pages and “plates” and liberally applied horse glue and wrapped the leather binding around them.
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.
.
.
Dunno about that. Seems he was a true visionary.
Z
.
.
Busy chasing Carr's . . . . . woof!
Successful BST transactions with: Bullsitter, Downtown1974, P0CKETCHANGE, Twobitcollector, AKbeez, DCW, Illini420, ProofCollection, DCarr, Cazkaboom, RichieURich, LukeMarshall, carew4me, BustDMs, coinsarefun, PreTurb, felinfoal, jwitten, GoldenEgg, pruebas, lazybones, COCollector, CuKevin, MWallace, USMC_6115, NamVet69, zippcity, . . . . who'd I forget?
Lafayette Grading Set
1985 ed. of this book is the oldest for me…
Very interesting!
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mehl-benjamin-maximillian
USAF (Ret.) 1985 - 2005. E-4B Aircraft Maintenance Crew Chief and Contracting Officer.
My current Registry sets:
✓ Everyman Mint State Carson City Morgan Dollars (1878 – 1893)
✓ Everyman Mint State Lincoln Cents (1909 – 1958)
✓ Morgan Dollar GSA Hoard (1878 – 1891)
I have a 1932 edition of B. Max Mehl's Star Rare Coin Encyclopedia. Mehl became a full-time dealer in the very early 1900s, and issued his price list for many years, as well as advertising in non-numismatic publications of the day. That stimulated a lot of interest in coins.
I have included the page showing what he was paying for silver dollars. Mehl was paying up to $4.00 for 1795-1803 silver dollars. There wasn't much interest in non-proof Seated Dollars or Morgans, and even most proofs were worth little more than a dollar (this was during the depths of the Depression). He was paying 75 cents for most proof trade dollars, which had been demonetized and were considered little more than bullion.
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Is the number in red on the back of Mehls book like a serial number ?
Lafayette Grading Set