The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 12, March 25, 2007, Article 5

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COIN BOARD

Dave Lange writes: "Following last week's American Numismatic
Association convention I drove out from Charlotte into the Blue Ridge
foothills to visit J. K. Post, Jr., son of the man who invented coin
boards. Many readers know already that I've been writing a history and
catalog of these fascinating and colorful relics of the 1930s and '40s
for the past year and a half. The manuscript is now complete, the layout
process has begun, and I hope to have the book in print sometime this
summer.

"I was entertained by Joe for several hours at his home, and he provided
me with copies of priceless documents that his father kept during 1934-39
detailing the creation of the first coin boards, their marketing and his
dealings with Whitman Publishing, to whom he sold the rights to this
product in 1936. All of this material will be included in my book, along
with a complete catalog of every brand, title and variety, as well as
histories of the companies and biographies of the individuals who ran
them.

"The story of how the publication rights to the coin board concept were
transferred from Post's Kent Company to Whitman was sugar coated for
decades by the old Whitman management (the company now bearing that
name has no connection to the Racine operation that ended over a decade
ago). R. S. Yeoman and the former Whitman marketing people put out a lot
of myths that were presented as gospel, and there was no one to contradict
their version, Post Sr. having died in 1943. Though I was skeptical of
the feel-good story published again and again in Whitman literature,
and I've been told still other versions of the story by acquaintances
of Yeoman, I was equally uncertain of whether the resentment expressed
by Post's descendants was warranted. Having now seen the ledgers and
other fiscal papers, I believe that the real story is a juicy one indeed.

"Again, I can't emphasize enough that the Racine Whitman and the Atlanta
Whitman have no connection other than a name and product line. The
current management are fine people. When the book is published, readers
can decide for themselves exactly what went down 70 years ago.

"I've had an exhausting yet very satisfying experience researching the
people and places associated with coin boards, and almost all of the
material included in my book will be completely new to those intrigued
by the coin hobby's history. Since this book appears to have a limited
market, I will be self-publishing, and readers of the E-Sylum will be
kept fully informed as to pricing and availability as these are
determined."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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