BOOK REVIEW: NEW JERSEY STATE COPPERS

I recently called home to be told that a package had been delivered. “A package?” I queried.

“Yes, a large box of books,” my wife replied.

She was mistaken in that there was only one book, New Jersey State Coppers by Roger S. Siboni, John L. Howes, and A. Buell Ish. Her error was understandable. This is a large tome, 572 pages worth. Completeness will do that to a book. But the new NJ book is not bulk for its own sake, it belongs to a category of “sublime bulk” (to steal a phrase from John Simon).

I’m not a NJ collector, or I didn’t know I was, but I have a few pieces, so I dove right in to the die varieties section (433 pages). First up 6-D. The commentary told me why it fell where it does in the emission sequence. The perceptive authors knew I was puzzled by that. Neil Rothchild’s outstanding photographs allowed me to easily assess the die state. For this variety three states were described and illustrated, but other varieties have more. The authors state that they limited most varieties to five.

Having had my fun and checked out my coins (and I regretted not having more to study), it was time to examine the first 102 pages. Here are wealths of information. Material by which any colonial enthusiast will be enriched. The authors describe the contemporary economic and social conditions in which these coins were struck and circulated. There is also a full discussion of the coiners and the mints.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the early collectors of the field. The story of the dispersal of Virgil Brand’s collection is amusing and might serve as a cautionary tale. Make sure your non-numismatic heirs are prepared. Although it's not likely anyone could have been prepared to deal with Brand’s collection. As with the rest of the book, this section is detailed, carefully annotated, yet thoroughly readable.

Several pages are devoted to the terminology used to describe striking and planchet anomalies and post-strike alterations. I finally understand how planchet cutter marks are left.

Eight pages are devoted to numbers of coins struck and the relative rarity of survivors. The author’s methodology is carefully explained with a table giving data for each variety.

Perhaps the most important part of the book for a newcomer is the four pages that are given to suggestions for collecting. Four possible type collections are described before tackling Maris varieties. Let’s see, I have a basic date set (one each 1786 – 1788) and an advanced date set isn’t too far off. Am I a NJ collector after all?

A book like this deserves a review with much more depth, but Wayne asked if I’d simply write a few paragraphs from a non-NJ specialist point of view. The book is, in a word, sumptuous. Skip James, the bluesman, said of his recording, “I’m so glad,” “Man, that piece is gonna stand.” So will this book.

For price and ordering information, see the earlier E-Sylum article: NEW BOOK: NEW JERSEY STATE COPPERS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n34a03.html)

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