LANGE: PRR LOCOMOTIVE, 1ST SHIELD NICKEL FOLDER

As so often happens, I found something of specific interest in the latest issue that warrants a few comments.

As a youngster my interest in coin collecting had to compete with an equal passion for railroading, both the real thing and in model form. The Pennsylvania Railroad medal for heroic service submitted by Kristen Reichardt depicts that line's celebrated K-4 locomotive, a passenger hauler so successful that 425 examples were built. It has a 4-6-2 wheel configuration, known generically as a Pacific Type. It became a symbol of fast and reliable passenger service starting in 1914 and lasting through the end of steam on the PRR in the late 1950s. Needless to say, there have been many models offered of this superstar in various scales over the years. I'm attaching a photo of No. 5385 that reveals its handsome profile.

The other item that caught my attention is the pattern Shield Nickel offered by Northeast Numismatics. The First Edition of Whitman's blue coin folder for this series includes two openings for the 1866 nickel, one for the variety having a large date and small motto and the other for the small date and large motto variety. Whoever designed this folder was clearly unaware that the former was solely a pattern coin and not a regular part of the series. This was corrected fairly quickly when someone more knowledgeable pointed out the error. A First Edition folder for Shield Nickels is extremely rare, and I've seen just three examples. These include the one in my own collection and another I sold to a fellow collector. An image from my new book is attached, showing the two varieties.

For more information on Dave's book, see:
NEW BOOK: COIN COLLECTING ALBUMS, VOLUME THREE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum
_v23n25a03.html)
MORE ON COIN COLLECTING ALBUMS, VOLUME THREE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_
v23n26a08.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD HEROIC SERVICE MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_
v21n39a11.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JULY 19, 2020 : On the Pennsylvania Railroad Heroic Service Medal (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n29a15.html)
NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: JULY 19, 2020 : 1866 Shield Nickel Pattern J-489 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n29a21.html)

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