The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 11, March 18, 2007, Article 4

BOOK REVIEW: J.H. CLINE, STANDING LIBERTY QUARTERS, 4TH EDITION

This week I had the opportunity to read the fourth edition of J.H. 
Cline's "Standing Liberty Quarters", published this year by Zyrus 
Press. The 240-page 8 1/2 x 11 paperback is available from the 
publisher at $21.95.

To gain some perspective I first turned to my library shelf, which 
illustrates the evolution of Standing Liberty Quarter literature over 
the years. First comes the 1976 softbound book of the same title by 
Keith N. Kelman. Kelman's 98-page monograph was the first detailed 
presentation of the series. It opens with a 15-page history of the 
coin, illustrated with a photo of Dora Doscher, one of the models used 
by designer Hermon MacNeil. The Grading section consisted of just four 
pages. The bulk of the book is comprised of a date-by-date analysis, 
illustrated with an image of each coin. The only pricing information 
in the book is a one-page list of prices for "full head" examples.

The first edition of Cline's book was published approximately 1984 - 
I don't know for sure since it doesn't seem to have a publication date. 
My copy was inscribed to me by the author at the Detroit ANA convention 
that summer. The 135-page softcover cites Kelman's book in the 
bibliography, but does appear to be a fully original work. Cline's 
history section stretches for 66 pages in three chapters. Well 
illustrated, the book pictures an array of original correspondence 
between MacNeil and the Treasury Department, and also has portrait 
photos of MacNeil at ages 36 and 60. The book also pictures Mrs. 
Irene MacDowell, who also posed for MacNeil. The Grading section 
consists of just three pages and like Kelman's book, the largest 
section is devoted to a coin-by-coin analysis.

I don't have Cline's 2nd edition, but the 3rd edition grew to 175 pages 
in a large 8 1/2 by 11 format, available in both hardbound and softbound 
(mine's a hardbound). New to this edition were more photos of MacNeil, 
photos of his studio and photos of some of his best-known sculptural 
works, which include the east pediment of the Supreme Court building 
(I didn't know that!). The reprinted correspondence is displayed two 
sheets per page, but in a smaller format that's harder to read than in 
the earlier edition. Another new section highlights errors on Standing 
Liberty Quarters. The price section is now 15 pages. 

Which brings us finally to the 2007 4th edition. It's available only 
in softbound (which I don't like), but the $21.95 price is a bargain. 
The layout and graphics are much improved. The correspondence is now 
pictured one item per page, full size and much easier to read. Since 
some of these are fuzzy photocopies or carbon copies, the full size is 
almost a necessity for readability. The historical information and 
photos are basically the same as in the earlier edition. There indeed 
have been updates throughout the text, although I haven't tried to locate 
them all. One feature present in the 4rd edition but now missing in the 
4th is a reprint of a delightful 1972 newspaper article interviewing 
Irene MacDowell at age 92. 

The book is not the last word on the Standing Liberty Quarter series, 
however. While it's an excellent source of information on varieties 
and coining characteristics and has several excellent photos of MacNeil 
and his studio that are available nowhere else, it is missing some of 
the major revelations published a year earlier in Roger Burdette's 
"Renaissance of American Coinage 1916-1921". Perhaps another edition 
or another author will come along and pull the details together, but 
for now the true student of the series must have BOTH Burdette and the 
4th edition of Cline on their shelf.

To order the book online at Zyrus Press, see:  Zyrus Press

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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