I just received QDB's "US Half Cents: 1793-1857", and I was surprised by one of the articl

Longacre

I just received the QDB/Ruddy book entitled "US Half Cents: 1793-1857". The book is actually a combination of an original work by QDB and Ruddy, and also contains the complete text of the book by Gilbert entitled "US Half Cents". There is some other information in the book about proofs, patterns, and grading. It also has a nice bibliography.

When I opened the cover and looked at the table of contents, I was shocked to see the following article: "Introductory Survey of US Half Cents" by Doug Winter. Ever the pessimist, I figured that it had to be some other Doug Winter who wrote this article. In my mind, it was impossible that the Guru of Southern Gold would write an article about early copper. Then I quickly scanned the article and keyed in on the last sentence. It read, "Whether they are collected by type, date, or die variety, Half Cents provide the numismatist with yet another excellent excuse not to buy food, clothing, or shleter." After reading that sentence, I knew that it was the same Doug Winter, who probably wrote the article in a moment of weakness.

As I take a closer look at the book, I will provide additional thoughts.