It is cool, and it's rare with the gold sample. Mine does not have that. With books as with coins, condition is everything but I don't think it's worth nearly that amount. The rebacking is subjective, some collectors would kill it for that alone. I had a Crosby rebacked with cloth from the 1870's so I don't count it as "repaired", although I would disclose it if I ever sold it. I had a $1500 book with a coffee cup ring on it, ouch!
J R Eckfeldt & W E DuBois published several early coin books begining in 1842 with the "Mint Manual" (shortened name).
In 1849, with the huge influx of California gold arriving at the Philadelphia Mint, they produced an updated version of the 1842 work with a 20 page supplement. This was the first book to contain actual '49er gold in a small packet on p. 235. There are approximately 6-7 of these extant, with the last one bringing $8K at the Ford Library auction in 2004.
The book in this thread was a much smaller version with a different title "New Varieties", and sold at the Mint, with various colored cardboard covers that did not hold up well. Some, such as the one in this thread contained left over packets from the earlier 1849 E & D work. The one in the thread has been available for years, and is overpriced according to its condition. They usually sell for less than half the asking price.
In 1851, E & D made another updated version of the "New Varieties" book. This included 5 plates of the recent coinage from Utah and California, along with the reprint of Dubois' 1846 work titled "Pledges of History" about the US Mint collection. It did not have any gold samples included.
The authors also created another 3rd and final version of the "Mint Manual" with an additional 2 pages. Some had leftover plates, while other copies had none. Originally, this edition did not have the gold sample packet, however in order to market these with a higher asking price, somebody would take out a packet from the more common 1850 "New Varieties" book, and inserted then into the 1851 "Manual" on p. 235.
In 1852, another revised edition of the "New Varieties" book appeared, along with the reprint of DuBois' 1846 "Pledges of History". This was the final edition for this title.
For the "New Varieties" book, there were two different covers produced in 1851. The one with the Baldwin "Horseman" being the scarcer of the two.
All of the E&D books are important items of American numismatic literature. Please contact me if you any of these for sale.
PM me if you are looking for U.S. auction catalogs
Comments
In 1849, with the huge influx of California gold arriving at the Philadelphia Mint, they produced an updated version of the 1842 work with a 20 page supplement. This was the first book to contain actual '49er gold in a small packet on p. 235. There are approximately 6-7 of these extant, with the last one bringing $8K at the Ford Library auction in 2004.
The book in this thread was a much smaller version with a different title "New Varieties", and sold at the Mint, with various colored cardboard covers that did not hold up well. Some, such as the one in this thread contained left over packets from the earlier 1849 E & D work. The one in the thread has been available for years, and is overpriced according to its condition. They usually sell for less than half the asking price.
In 1851, E & D made another updated version of the "New Varieties" book. This included 5 plates of the recent coinage from Utah and California, along with the reprint of Dubois' 1846 work titled "Pledges of History" about the US Mint collection. It did not have any gold samples included.
The authors also created another 3rd and final version of the "Mint Manual" with an additional 2 pages. Some had leftover plates, while other copies had none. Originally, this edition did not have the gold sample packet, however in order to market these with a higher asking price, somebody would take out a packet from the more common 1850 "New Varieties" book, and inserted then into the 1851 "Manual" on p. 235.
In 1852, another revised edition of the "New Varieties" book appeared, along with the reprint of DuBois' 1846 "Pledges of History". This was the final edition for this title.
For the "New Varieties" book, there were two different covers produced in 1851. The one with the Baldwin "Horseman" being the scarcer of the two.
All of the E&D books are important items of American numismatic literature. Please contact me if you any of these for sale.
1852 Edition
Check out the Southern Gold Society