The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 45, November 4, 2007, Article 8

REVIEW: ROGER BURDETTE'S "RENAISSANCE OF AMERICAN COINAGE 1909-1915"

[Jeff Reichenberger submitted the following review of
Roger Burdette's 'Renaissance of American Coinage
1909-1915' -Editor]

Several times I've contemplated sitting down to write a
review of Roger Burdette's books, each time my ability to
communicate a worthy synopsis fell short. So I enjoyed
reading Wayne's fine review and hope he'll allow me to
piggyback on his thoughts.

What can you say about what will certainly be the definitive
works on this period of United States coinage? This third
published volume of the trilogy (second chronologically),
the ‘white book' as Wayne put it, covers the coins most
near and dear to the hearts of many an American collector,
the Lincoln cent and Buffalo nickel. These are the coins
that started so many of us off and running in the hobby.
These are the coins, along with all of the other coins in
‘renaissance', which are looked upon with such reverence
by so many collectors today.

Through the original sources we learn about the coins, the
artists, the designs, the process, the mint players and
government officials and their pecking order, and the
correspondence between them. We get the details of finances,
timelines, failures and successes. Even a few dealers get
into the act, as well as the infamous manipulations of
vending machine manufacturer Clarence Hobbs.

I was especially pleased that Wayne mentioned the ‘trove'
of wonderful footnotes found throughout the book. I find
myself reading them in full on every page. It takes longer
to read, but the rewards are well worth the time. I can
attest to this on a personal level. Following a footnote
from the 1916-1921 volume, I went off on a tangent resulting
in a self-published study of my own. In turn, Roger found
some information in my study that turned into a collaboration
for an article in Coin World. It was a fantastic experience
for me, and a testament to the power of shared information,
which is what this trilogy is all about. Roger is as generous
with information as he is tenacious in his quest for accuracy,
and he has laid it out for us to enjoy. Through these books,
the number of tangents that an inquisitive reader could
avail himself/herself is infinite.

The ‘white book' is a triumph, just as the other two are,
and destined to win another book of the year award from the
Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG), just as the other two did.
As a numismatic bibliophile you must add these books to your
library. If you are simply a collector and want to deepen your
understanding of the making of your favorites coins, these
books are the perfect companions to your collection, and the
price offered at $155 for the set is an absolute steal.

Roger Burdette has hit the numismatic literary TRIFECTA!
Thank you Roger!

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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