STEVE ROACH INTERVIEWS RUSS DOUGHTY

Steve Roach of Coin World writes:

Q: How did you start coin collecting?
A: Some of my earliest memories involve digging through my great-grandfather’s coin collection. He was a banker in Talihina, Oklahoma, in the 1940s and 1950s and had many of those blue Whitman folders which he was trying to fill for his grandchildren. My great-aunt remembers him bringing home bags of cents from the bank and searching them. No one ever knew exactly what he was looking for, but undoubtedly, he was trying to fill as many holes as he could in the albums. Mercury dimes were my favorite coins at that time, and my mother loved them, too.

Q: How did you discover your passion for Indian Head cents?
A: I became interested in Flying Eagle and Indian Head cents (IHCs) after completing my Lincoln cent set. IHCs were always one of my favorite coins and as a kid, my favorite belt buckle had several on prominent display. There is something about the color of the bronze planchet and the Indian Head design that I love. Before I started collecting IHCs, I dabbled a little bit in Lincoln cent die varieties, so when I started collecting IHCs, I knew a little bit about die varieties already. Soon, I was swept away into the wonderful world of die varieties on IHCs and searching for them added a new, challenging dynamic to my collecting. I’m always excited to find an IHC with a known die variety, or even better, to discover a new one. There are more varieties out there waiting to be discovered in the IHC series, so keep your eyes peeled. Who knows, you may even discover a new overdate!

Q: What made you write The Top Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cent Die Varieties and what makes your book different?
A: My motivation for writing my book stems from my desire to help bring people into the hobby and make it more enjoyable for collectors. The goal of the book is to introduce what die varieties are and how they are made in a simple way that is suitable and affordable for all ages. My book fills a niche in that it is the only Top Variety guide for the Flying Eagle or IHC series. It works in conjunction with www.indianvarieties.com, where I’ve listed all known varieties and posted over 4,000 images. As we know, younger generations are increasingly consumed by their computers and mobile phones so I’ve worked very hard to bring these two series into that digital world through my website.

Q: What’s the toughest thing about writing a book, and what advice would you give to new authors?
A: Organizing the text and graphics so they are informative and easy to read was a real challenge. My goal was to minimize the white space on the page by making the pictures and text as large as possible. I’d tell new authors to make sure you understand copyright laws and use publishing software where you can create templates so a design change can be applied to all pages. Invite others into your project to help and seek funding sources like the Central States Numismatic Society author grant program. Finally, make a final decision on the format and size of your book before you start laying it out. And have fun!

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: FLYING EAGLE AND INDIAN CENT VARIETIES (http://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n10a03.html)

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