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Major Variety & Oddity Guide of US Coins - Spadone#?

StrikeOutXXXStrikeOutXXX Posts: 3,350 ✭✭✭✭✭
My Lake Books mail order sale shipment arrived today, and one of the books I won was Frank G. Spadone's Major Variety and Oddity Guide of United States Coins (Mine is the 1967 version).

It looks like he published this book through the 60's & 70's. I'm somewhat amazed that this type of collecting didn't catch on like VAMs today. This book lists like 30 or so varieties for 1960 nickels alone for example. It looks like he has his own number system S####a - Spadone #'s.

I would imagine a lot of this info has since been incorporated into cherrypicker numbers, and CONECA numbers and other such reference material. How come I've never heard of a coin referred to by a Spadone #? Was he simply ahead of his time? Were they and I'm just too young to remember them? Be interesting to hear any info on this book series/author.

Thanks
------------------------------------------------------------

"You Suck Award" - February, 2015

Discoverer of 1919 Mercury Dime DDO - FS-101

Comments

  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,306 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1962 was the first edition if memory serves.

    He was ahead of his time but remember that a lot of people were
    interested in collecting FIDO's at that time. He was responding to
    a demand for more information.

    The first editions included a lot of errors that collectors today have
    very little interest in and omitted many of the most important vari-
    eties and errors. It still was a good first attempt.
    Tempus fugit.
  • PriestPriest Posts: 270 ✭✭
    I have several paper back booklets by Frank Spadone dating back to 1962. Interesting is the research that went into producing these, as far as the minor errows. I have one dated 1962 as I wrote above and one 1965-1966, I also have the one that you are referring to a larger more complete version. I belive Mr. Spadone died within the last 3 to 5 years. In the 1962 edition he has the 1955 DDO, listed as1955 Double Date Unc. $275.00.
    D.A. Priest
  • PriestPriest Posts: 270 ✭✭
    In his 1962 Major Variety & Oddity Guide it is noted he possesses the only known complete set of 1943 PDS Bronze Cents.
    D.A. Priest
  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,306 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I believe the Denver coin is the stopper.
    Tempus fugit.
  • StrikeOutXXXStrikeOutXXX Posts: 3,350 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I have several paper back booklets by Frank Spadone dating back to 1962. Interesting is the research that went into producing these, as far as the minor errows. I have one dated 1962 as I wrote above and one 1965-1966, I also have the one that you are referring to a larger more complete version. I belive Mr. Spadone died within the last 3 to 5 years. In the 1962 edition he has the 1955 DDO, listed as1955 Double Date Unc. $275.00. >>



    It is neat - a lot are varieties recognized today - doubling, clashes and overdates and such. What amazes me is someone took the time to catalog things like filled numbers, blobs, merged letters, clogged letters, etc. These are the things you see on the boards all the time like "Is this an error" that we all find roll searching, and to think someone, at some time cataloged all these things.

    In the '67 version, he calls the 55 DDO the "1955 Double Die Shift" unc is $400. The "Poor Man's" DD is called "last 5 shift" and is $3.00 in Unc.

    There are only 27 1964 Roosevelt dime varieties listed - sounds like a collecting challenge about everywhere you look. With today's interest in varieties and micro-varieties, you have to wonder how a modern book like this would do.
    ------------------------------------------------------------

    "You Suck Award" - February, 2015

    Discoverer of 1919 Mercury Dime DDO - FS-101
  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lots of the "varieties" listed were no more than machine doublings rather than true doubled dies. Of course, very few people at the time knew, or cared, about the difference. Still, it was a very commendable effort-I sure wish I'd paid a little more attention to the 1916 "doubled date" Buffalo back in the 'sixties.
  • errormavenerrormaven Posts: 1,168 ✭✭✭
    Spadone's book has led more collectors astray than any other. It is riddled with fakes, miscategorized errors and varieties, damaged and altered coins, and incomprehensible terms. It's worse than useless.
    Mike Diamond is an error coin writer and researcher. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those held by any organization I am a member of.
  • StrikeOutXXXStrikeOutXXX Posts: 3,350 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Spadone's book has led more collectors astray than any other. It is riddled with fakes, miscategorized errors and varieties, damaged and altered coins, and incomprehensible terms. It's worse than useless. >>



    I did wonder how he could assign numbers to things that wouldn't/shouldn't repeat itself like strike-throughs, grease filled dies, stuff that sounded like damage etc. The "Solid" varieties/repeatable coins like die chips, die cracks, different seriffs, etc seem to be pretty useful being identified though. I haven't taken his entries and fully compared to Cherrypicker, coppercoins.com, or the CONECA database yet to see what has survived the test of time, but surely there has to be some redeeming qualities to this book?

    The book looked like a bunch of people looked through truckloads of coins and documented every little thing they found... I still find it admirable. Looking back 40 years later, I'm sure it's riddled with errors, but at the time, was it considered a numismatic tabloid, or something like today's cherrypicker's guide?

    If nothing else, I learned there was once such a thing as a "Goiter" Lincoln cent image

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    "You Suck Award" - February, 2015

    Discoverer of 1919 Mercury Dime DDO - FS-101
  • BUFFNIXXBUFFNIXX Posts: 2,700 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It has been a while since anyone has posted to this thread, but my thoughts are although this book is riddled with some errors, it was most assuredly a noble effort on Spadone's part. I doubt this is going to throw too many experienced variety collectors off, it is of interest for its historical content. And again this is one of the first publications that listed the 1916 "double date" buffalo nickel. So, I would not be too hard on Frank Spadone for this effort. I rather enjoy reading it. For the buffalo collector it is of interest to note that Spadone incorrecly called the 1935 and 1936 "2 legged" buffaloes legit. They are considered by most as false pieces -- counterfeits; but still interesting in their own right. The 1936 appears to be rarer than the 1935 as I have seen only one 1935 "2 legger" over the past 30 years and know of 3 1936's. I am trying to get a set of all 8 editions of this work, published from 1962 to 1980. I lack volumes 6 and 7 and have the others. 6 and 7 appear to be quite scarce. BUFFNIXX
    Collector of Buffalo Nickels and other 20th century United States Coinage
    a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,499 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I used to buy his books, since it was the only thing out there at the time, but once I figured out he was using retouched pictures for some listings I lost interest and only read Collectors Clearinghouse.

    Later, I wrote Collectors Clearinghouse.

    image
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • FredWeinbergFredWeinberg Posts: 5,714 ✭✭✭✭✭
    As mentioned, the Spadone book is just about
    worthless, and provides lots of mis-information.

    The many, if not most, of the photos have been
    touched up, many fake double strikes are pictured,
    and, even more important to know - the majority
    of the 'die varieties' he listed are HIS coins that he
    was selling thru coin magazines, ads, etc.

    In other words, he was promoting his own material
    in the book, and I would assume that some of the
    fake double strikes, for example, were also his.

    As Tom says, when I was young (very young!) it
    was about the only thing around on Mint Errors.

    In the following years, I did discover other books
    on Errors, such as "It's Only Money - A comedy Of Errors",
    by Jess Bausher and Charles Dolan (1966) - a better
    book, but still litered with photos and descriptions of
    fake coins - along with some really nice ones !

    (it's a scarce book, I've found, but well worth the price
    if you can find it - anywhere from $10-$20 or so)
    Retired Collector & Dealer in Major Mint Error Coins & Currency since the 1960's.Co-Author of Whitman's "100 Greatest U.S. Mint Error Coins", and the Error Coin Encyclopedia, Vols., III & IV. Retired Authenticator for Major Mint Errors
    for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
  • <<The first editions included a lot of errors that collectors today have
    very little interest in and omitted many of the most important vari-
    eties and errors. It still was a good first attempt. >>

    And to think I thought you were going to say "The first edition included a lot of errors in facts ... "
    It was the only thing we had for a while though.
  • ernie11ernie11 Posts: 1,899 ✭✭✭✭✭
    As a kid at the time of reading his book, it caused me to take a much closer look at coins than just noting their date, mint mark and condition, so I owe him much, regardless of the inaccuracies in his books. And indeed I did find a few of the errors listed in his book. My memory may be faulty on this, but he listed a broken L, or recut L variety of an 1835 half cent which I was lucky enoguh to have inherited from my grandfather.

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