NEW BOOK: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OBSOLETE PAPER MONEY, VOL. 5

Whitman Publishing announces the upcoming release of volume 5 of the Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money, by Q. David Bowers. In 544 pages it covers the early bank currency of the states of Rhode Island and Vermont. The book will debut on the Fourth of July, 2015, and before then can be pre-ordered from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide and online (including at www.Whitman.com), for $69.95. It can also be borrowed for free as a benefit of membership in the American Numismatic Association, through the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.

The Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money is a multiple-volume study of currency issued from 1782 to 1866, before the modern era of National Banks and the Federal Reserve. Over the course of these decades more than 3,000 state-chartered banks issued their own paper money, which facilitated much of the nation’s day-to-day commerce.

In volume 5, Bowers, a well-known historian and past president of the American Numismatic Association, gives the history of 104 Rhode Island and Vermont towns and cities, as well as of every bank in those towns that issued this uniquely American currency. Each note is studied, and hundreds are pictured in full color, with information on grading, rarity, values, significant auction results, advice for collectors, and more.

“There are countless Rhode Island and Vermont bank notes sitting in collections, just waiting to be properly identified,” Bowers says. “Some of them are rare and worth thousands of dollars. Many others are very affordable, and a collector can build a significant set without spending a fortune.”

Active collectors, researchers, dealers, historians, and other experts have volunteered their time and knowledge to help create this new encyclopedia series. The state editor for Rhode Island and Vermont is noted New England specialist C. John Ferreri.

Michele Orzano, a paper-money expert and senior editor of Coin World, wrote the foreword to volume 5. “Bowers has clearly fallen head over heels for the allure of obsolete notes,” Orzano says. “Though the banks that issued them are long gone, the notes themselves help trace the roots of goods and services provided to Americans in the 1700s and 1800s. With the   Whitman Encyclopedia, collectors can enjoy the designs and history contained in these pieces of paper.”

Earlier volumes of the Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money include an overview of the field, and detailed coverage of the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Future volumes will cover the South Atlantic states, the Mid-Atlantic states, the American Midwest, the District of Columbia, and territories.

Collectors, dealers, historians, and hobbyists interested in assisting on future volumes may contact Whitman Publishing at Obsoletes@Whitman.com.

Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money
Volume 5: New England, Part 3—Rhode Island and Vermont
By Q. David Bowers; edited by C. John Ferreri; foreword by Michele Orzano
ISBN 0794843263 Hardcover, 8.5 x 11 inches, 544 pages
Full color
Retail $69.95 U.S.

For more information, or to order, see:
www.Whitman.com

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
NEW BOOK: WHITMAN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OBSOLETE PAPER MONEY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n21a03.html)
NEW BOOKS : ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OBSOLETE PAPER MONEY, VOLS 3 & 4 (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n44a03.html)

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