STANLEY APFELBAUM AND FIRST COINVESTORS

 

Anthony Swiatek and Walter Breen's The Encyclopedia of United States Silver & Gold Commemorative Coins: 1892-1954 has always been one of my favorite books. Sure, the topic's been done better, most recently by Swiatek himself. And yes, the book is hopelessly optimistic about what was then the future value of the series. But it felt like it was written by authors who really knew the series, and understood what collectors want to know.

Taking a different approach than Don Taxay and his earlier work, the Encyclopedia made you feel like you had privileged access to the always fascinating, sometimes sketchy, inside scoop on some of America's most interesting novelty coins.

What stands out in the minds of many readers is the peculiar way in which the book is laid out. Starting from the premise that every commemorative was created by swindlers and frauds, the coins are listed beside the Latin phrase Corpus Delicti, which means the body of the crime and refers to the facts necessary to the existence of a crime (as in the death of a victim in a murder case). The groups and individuals behind the pieces are identified as Suspects or Accessories, and Swiatek and Breen's description of each coin's design process comes under the header Modus Operandi. It gives the Encyclopedia a kind of True Crime atmosphere, and makes each story seem like an episode of Dragnet. While all along, the authoritative and collegial manner in which the authors write lulls you into a great sense of trust and camaraderie.

Little did I realize, in all the times I've read the book, that some of the fun and games had at the expense of the original purveyors of America's commemorative coin series was also being had on me as well. It seems that the publishers had more at stake than just selling books.

To read the complete article, see:
Booker T. on the Tarmac: A Story About First Coinvestors (https://coinweek.com/coins/commemoratives-coin-guide/booker-t-on-the-tarmac-a-story-about-first-coinvestors/)

 

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