The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 53, December 30, 2007, Article 2

BOOK REVIEW BY MIKE MAROTTA: WHITMAN GUIDE BOOK OF LINCOLN CENTS

Mike Marotta writes: "I just received 'A Guide Book of
Lincoln Cents' by Q. David Bowers (Whitman, 2008, 300
pages, $19.95) and this latest addition to the Whitman
product line continues to meet high standards for production,
presentation, research and writing.

"The first 125 pages deliver historical background, starting
with the pennies of the colonial era.  (What was the first
American coin to use 'cent' as a denomination?)  Both the
Wheat Reverse and the Memorial Reverse have separate histories.
Grading, markets and being a smart buyer also merit their own
chapters.  Continuing the education there is a chapter on the
minting process and another on different themes for collecting
the Lincoln cent.  The price guide includes data for the usual
circulated grades, but also uncirculated grades 63 through 70
inclusive in Red, Red Brown and Brown.  For coins of the
highest state, certified populations are listed as well.

"Hard as it is to write a book for 'everyone' I was pleasantly
surprised to read the words of Charles D. Daughtery, author
of the Foreword.  Regarding the 1922-D/No D error, Daughtrey
asserts that these are all due to a grease-filled die, not
some complicated restoration of a damaged die and declares,
further, that the coin is not worth collecting.  The market
disagrees, of course. The book closes with a bibliography,
perhaps of greater interest to readers here.  While Whitman
now publishes Vermuele's 'Numismatic Art in America,' the
bibliography of this book cites the original edition from
Belknap Press."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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