Category Archives: First Read

First Read: U.S. Treasury Notes, 1812-1865: An Illustrated History

By Charles Morgan for CoinWeek ….. Paper money, that graphically rich form of tender, sits at the periphery of the broader coin-collecting hobby. It’s a status that is undeserved but understandable. Paper lacks the aura of gold and the ring of silver. It cannot be collected by die state, and its many levels of complexity–not […]

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First Read: The Confident Carson City Coin Collector, Volumes 1-3

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature …   The Confident Carson City Coin Collector is the most significant numismatic magnum opus published on the topic of American coinage since the 1987 publication of Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U.S and Colonial Coins. It is a detail-rich, […]

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First Read: 100 Greatest Modern World Coins… Review by Louis Golino

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature … By Louis Golino for CoinWeek …..   If you are a collector of American coins, you probably have long considered those coins issued in copper-nickel since 1965 (as well as modern bullion and commemoratives) to be “modern” coins and […]

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CoinWeek First Read: 100 Greatest Ancient Coins, Second Edition

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Review by Charles Morgan for CoinWeek ….. Believe us, writing books like this is hard work… Harlan J. Berk’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins is the fifth title in Whitman Publishing’s groundbreaking 100 Greatest series and was the first to introduce readers […]

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From Crime to Punishment – Counterfeit and Debased Currencies In Colonial and Pre-Federal America

First Read, a CoinWeek continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature Essay by Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek…. From Crime to Punishment: Counterfeit & Debased Currencies In Colonial and Pre-Federal America, by Dr. Philip L. Mossman “The Spanish Milled Dollar The Coin of Our Nation’s Founders” These words […]

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First Read: A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Review by Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez for CoinWeek ….. A new era in United States coinage dawned in 1971 with the launch of the Eisenhower dollar. It was the first dollar coin issued since the Peace dollar series ended in 1935. Unfortunately […]

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First Read: Numismatic Archaeology of North America: A Field Guide

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Review by Charles Morgan for CoinWeek ….. Numismatic Archaeology of North America: A Field Guide is a book that sought us out. Almost Literally. In Army chow halls across the country there’s an expression: “Eat First – Taste Later”. That’s […]

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First Read: Numismatic Archaeology of North America: A Field Guide

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Review by Charles Morgan for CoinWeek ….. Numismatic Archaeology of North America: A Field Guide is a book that sought us out. Almost Literally. In Army chow halls across the country there’s an expression: “Eat First – Taste Later”. That’s […]

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First Read: The Gold Indians of Bela Lyon Pratt by Allan Schein

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Review by Charles Morgan for CoinWeek …. The Gold Indians of Bela Lyon Pratt by Allan Schein The period of our nation’s monetary history that began shortly after the turn of the century and ran until about 1932 or ’33 […]

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Coin Books – First Read: American Gold and Silver by Dennis Tucker

By Louis Golino for CoinWeek …. As modern U.S. coins grew in popularity and became an important segment of the coin market over the last several decades, there was no real concomitant emergence of a significant numismatic literature about this burgeoning field. There are a few key works, like Eric Jordan’s Modern Commemorative Coins (2010), […]

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First Read: Benjamin Franklin in Terra Cotta

First Read, a CoinWeek continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature…   Essay by David Thomason Alexander, Founder Medal Collectors of America for CoinWeek….   Benjamin Franklin in Terra Cotta: Portrait Medallions by Jean-Baptiste Nini at the Chateau of Chaumont; Medallions of Franklin and of American Interest by Jean Martin Renaud; […]

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First Read: A Guide Book of United States Coins: Deluxe Edition

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature…. Review by Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek…. First Read: A Guide Book of United States Coins: Deluxe Edition by R.S. Yeoman and Kenneth Bressett You can’t blame Whitman for trying to shake things up with its venerable Red […]

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First Read: The 1822 Gold Half Eagle: Story of a Rarity and Treasures from the D. Brent Pogue Rare Coin Cabinet: A National Legacy

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature…. Review by Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek…. First Read: The 1822 Gold Half Eagle: Story of a Rarity, and Treasures from the D. Brent Pogue Rare Coin Cabinet: A National Legacy by Q. David Bowers   Q. David […]

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First Read: Photographs of Thomas Jefferson Nickels Die Varieties and Minting Errors and Rick’s Legacy: Pedigree & Hoard / Coins & Currency

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek…. In this edition of First Read, we take a look at two self-published works in the field of modern numismatics. Photographs of Thomas Jefferson Nickels: Die Varieties and Minting Errors by Richard Bousquet […]

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First Read: Coinage in the Roman Economy

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Essay by Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek…. Coinage in the Roman Economy by Kenneth Harl, Ph.D. Buy the book before you buy the coin. -Numismatic proverb (attributed to Aaron Feldman) I’m always a little embarrassed when CoinWeek describes me as an […]

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First Read: Coins & Collectors: Golden Anniversary Edition

First Read, a continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Review by Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek… Coins & Collectors: Golden Anniversary Edition, by Q. David Bowers The pursuit of knowledge has many facets, not the least of which is the exploration of context. Throughout his 60-year career as […]

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First Read: Howland Wood’s The Commemorative Coinage of the United States

First Read, a CoinWeek continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Essay by David Provost for CoinWeek…. Numismatic Notes & Monographs, No. 16: The Commemorative Coinage of the United States, by Howland Wood Every coin series has its “first” – the first published volume that catalogues each of the coins […]

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First Read: 100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins, Third Edition

First Read, a CoinWeek continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Essay by Louis Golino for CoinWeek…. 100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins, Third Edition by Scott Schechter and Jeff Garrett For a number of years now Whitman Publishing has issued various books that identify and discuss the 100 greatest coins […]

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First Read: FAO Coins International Catalog (English Edition 2013)

First Read, a CoinWeek continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature… Review by Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker FAO Coins International Catalog. English Edition 2013. $69 (+$29 Shipping from Italy). 375 Pages. By Atilio Armiento   Italian collector Atilio Armiento has published a fantastic resource for collectors of F.A.O. coins […]

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First Read: Wayte Raymond’s Coins of the World

First Read, a CoinWeek continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature Essay by David T. Alexander for CoinWeek…. The brown cloth cover is worn and stained today, the binding stressed and foxing can be found on the title page, but my original copy of Coins of the World, Twentieth Century Issues 1901-1954 remains […]

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First Read: Morgan Dollar: America’s Love Affair with a Legendary Coin

First Read, a CoinWeek continuing series of essays about classic and contemporary works of numismatic literature Essay by Louis Golino for CoinWeek…. First Read: Morgan Dollar: America’s Love Affair with a Legendary Coin by Michael “Miles” Standish The mighty Morgan dollar, as Michael Standish notes in his important new reference book on the most widely collected classic American […]

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