NEW BOOK: GUIDE BOOK OF LIBERTY SEATED, 2ND ED.

Whitman Publishing announces the upcoming release of the second edition of A Guide Book of Liberty Seated Silver Coins, by Q. David Bowers. The 608-page book will debut at the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in Pittsburgh, August 8, 2023. Before then it can be preordered online (including at www.Whitman.com) and after the show it will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, for $29.95.

The United States minted coins with the Liberty Seated design from 1836 to 1891. The motif was used on circulating half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and silver dollars, in addition to twenty-cent pieces, Gobrecht dollars, and, in modified form, U.S. trade dollars. Tens of millions of the coins were produced at the mints in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Carson City, and San Francisco. They were made from the Hard Times Era through the nation's gold and silver rushes, the Civil War and its aftermath, and well into America's Gilded Age.

As collectibles, Liberty Seated coins have been growing in popularity for years, with many enthusiastic collectors and students. The Liberty Seated Collectors Club (www.lsccweb.org) is among the hobby's fastest-growing specialty groups. Leonard Augsburger, president of the club, who wrote the foreword to the first edition, stated that Q. David Bowers offers both beginning and experienced numismatists a fresh perspective on collecting these fascinating silver coins.

Bowers gives colorful historical context for the coins, describing the American scene (and the state of the coin-collecting hobby) from 1836 to 1891. Then he covers all eight coins that carried the Liberty Seated design, with a coin-by-coin catalog of more than 750 entries. These entries include mintages, auction records, and grade-by-grade market values for every coin. Bowers discusses grading standards, offers advice for building high-quality collections, and explores other factors important to collectors and investors. He describes each coin's availability in Mint State and in circulated grades; characteristics of striking; pattern coins for each denomination; production, release, and distribution; branch-mint coinage; Proofs; die varieties; shipwreck finds; conservation; and more. The book is illustrated with more than 1,500 images.

Appendices include a chronology of coin designer Christian Gobrecht; an overview of the mints used to strike Liberty Seated coins; Mint directors and superintendents of the era; an account of a visit to the Philadelphia Mint in 1861; chief coiner Franklin Peale's description of die making in 1855; a study of master dies and hubs by professional numismatist John Dannreuther; a look at alternative U.S. currency formats of the 1800s (Postage Currency, Standard Silver, and goloid dollars); and a catalog of die and hub trials and splashers, based on the work of Saul Teichman.

Kenneth Bressett, editor emeritus of the Guide Book of United States Coins, has said, Reading a Q. David Bowers book will expand your knowledge and inspire you to broaden and deepen your own studies.

Numismatist Rich Hundertmark, in the E-Gobrecht newsletter, wrote: One of the challenges [of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club] is to attract and maintain its membership and pass down the learnings of experienced collectors to those new to Liberty Seated coinage. In this regard, I see great value in this book as a tool that can be used by collectors of all levels, both new and advanced. . . . The book's photography and images are generally outstanding, and a few renderings of Liberty Seated imagery that I had not previously viewed include a Liberty oil-on-cardboard design that I found quite compelling.

Because Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the American Numismatic Association, ANA members receive 10% off the book when purchasing directly from the publisher. It can also be borrowed for free as a benefit of ANA membership, through the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.

A Guide Book of Liberty Seated Silver Coins, second edition
By Q. David Bowers; foreword by Kenneth Bressett
ISBN 0794850510
6 x 9 inches, softcover, 608 pages, full color
Retail $29.95 U.S.

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