BOOK REVIEW: THE GOLD INDIANS OF BELA LYON PRATT

How often do you read a numismatic book outside of the fields you actively collect?

Some hobbyists stick to their favorite subjects—if they collect Morgan dollars, they read books about Morgan dollars, and don’t stray very far into Buffalo nickels, commemoratives, world coins, or medals and tokens.

Many other hobbyists are like numismatic sponges, happy to absorb as much knowledge as they can from all directions. We see this at Whitman Publishing all the time. Some collectors have favorite authors and would buy a Ken Bressett book whether it’s about U.S. paper currency, English coins, or money used in Biblical times. Some are completists—for example, once they start collecting the volumes in the Bowers Series (two dozen and counting) or the “100 Greatest” lineup, they have to fill the holes in their bookshelf just as they would in a Whitman blue folder of Wheat cents. Many others simply love the history, the artistry, the drama, and all the other factors that make coins so interesting. A book on counterstamped large cents or on Mexican silver pesos fires their imagination even if they’ve never bought one or even seen one in person.

Speaking from my own experience as an author, I’m pleased that collectors of modern coins and medals enjoy my book American Gold and Silver: U.S. Mint Collector and Investor Coins and Medals, Bicentennial to Date. But it’s especially gratifying to hear people say they’d never had any interest in such-and-such a series—or maybe hadn’t even heard of it—but now, thanks to my book, they’re starting a new collection. (One of the pleasant “dangers” of the coin bug is that it mutates into new forms if you give it half a chance!)

There’s a book about Indian Head gold coins that deserves a place on your shelf even if you don’t actively collect early-1900s quarter eagles and half eagles. (And if you do, or you’re thinking about it, then you definitely need this book.) Allan Schein’s The Gold Indians of Bela Lyon Pratt is a volume for everyone who loves American history and art.

In this 416-page book, numismatist Schein has crafted a compelling narrative and wrapped it in a blanket of rich historical imagery and excellent coin photography. The Gold Indians of Bela Lyon Pratt can be read as a history book or as a coin-collecting guide, or as both. It breaks new ground in each presentation.

Since reading this book I’ve used the life story of Bela Lyon Pratt as an encouraging lesson for young artist friends who have moments of self-doubt. In the early 1890s, Pratt was striving to build his reputation as a sculptor and to earn the praise of his teachers, including the legendary Augustus Saint-Gaudens. He was working so hard in December 1892 that he forgot his own 25th birthday until he was writing letters home. He shared his worries with his mother: “At least a third of my life is gone.” He admitted to feeling old and tired. We can hear his disappointment in his current state and his anxiety about the future: “I hope to be able to give a better account of the next 25 years if they should be granted me.” In reality, at age 25 Pratt’s life was not just a third gone—it was more than half over. He would die of heart disease in 1917, a few months before his 50th birthday. The moral is twofold: “Don’t lose faith in your own abilities” (Pratt emerged from his self-doubt to build a remarkably successful career) and also “Get to work!” (he succeeded not only through his artistic gifts but also through dogged perseverance and constant labor). In another angle to his historical narrative, Schein tackles the ever-popular question, “Where do coin designers get their portrait models?” This is a topic of perennial interest to collectors. Was the Indian on the Buffalo nickel a composite, or an individual? Was the “buffalo” modeled after Black Diamond, an American bison from the Central Park Zoo? Did James Longacre put his daughter on the Indian Head cent, and Anthony de Francisci his wife on the Peace dollar? Is a schoolteacher on the Morgan dollar and an actress on the Mercury dime?

Opinions often take the place of facts in cases where the designers didn’t specifically name their models, or if their own accounts changed or were confused over the years. Factual errors, once put into print, have a habit of being picked up and repeated by later researchers and writers. For the identity of the Native American on the Indian Head gold coins, Schein pored through Pratt family photographs, read the artist’s hundreds of letters, and examined receipts and other primary sources to piece together the identity. This allowed him to dispel generations of erroneous information repeated from one numismatic article or book to another.

As a publisher, I always like to see books that successfully bridge the gap between “mainstream” American history and numismatics. Allan Schein has artfully made that connection with The Gold Indians of Bela Lyon Pratt. His book deserves a place on your shelf whether you actively collect these fascinating coins or are simply interested in the wondrous world that’s wrapped up in American numismatics.

To order on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-2-50-5-Gold-Indians-of-Bela-Lyon-Pratt-by-Allan-Schein-Gold-Indian-Book-/192255611122?hash=item2cc353d0f2:g:JPQAAOSwH3NXnOoG

To order from the author: http://www.taekwondograndmaster.com/The-2-50-5-Gold-Indians-of-Bela-Lyon-Pratt-p/isbn-978-0-692-71313-6.htm

To read the complete article, see:
Book review: The Gold Indians of Bela Lyon Pratt satisfies coin collectors and American history buffs alike (http://news.coinupdate.com/book-review-the-gold-indians-of-bela-lyon-pratt-satisfies-coin-collectors-and-american-history-buffs-alike/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
NEW BOOK: THE GOLD INDIANS OF BELA LYON PRATT (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n31a07.html)
BOOK REVIEW: THE GOLD INDIANS OF BELA LYON PRATT (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n32a09.html)
BOOK REVIEW: THE GOLD INDIANS OF BELA LYON PRATT (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n39a10.html)

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