The Bowers Series is a popular Whitman Publishing library of numismatic books, each covering a different segment of the hobby. Volume #22, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, explores the full range of modern U.S. dollar coins: Eisenhower, Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea, Native American, and Presidential. Continue reading
Whitman Publishing announces the upcoming release of Counterfeiting and Technology: A History of the Long Struggle Between Paper-Money Counterfeiters and Security Printing, by Bob McCabe. In 480 pages this narrative covers the origins and development of paper and printing; the formation of engraving companies in America, particularly in the melting pot of Philadelphia; the measures taken by the Secret Service and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing against counterfeiting; and the scoundrels who regularly advanced their careers through forgery and inadvertently encouraged new technology. The book will debut September 20, 2016, and before then can be pre-ordered from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide and online (including at www.Whitman.com), for $39.95.
Since the “invention” of paper during China’s Tang dynasty, legitimate authorities and equally determined and imaginative rogues have fought in an attempt to improve (or copy) the technology and security of paper money. Historian McCabe captures their stories in vivid detail, from colonial times to the present day. Counterfeiters, mostly previously unknown or unrecognized for their dishonest cleverness, are finally brought to light, along with the stories of those who sought to capture them. McCabe follows the technology of American currency—from paper-making to fugitive inks to roller presses—from early colonial attempts to the modern era.
Larry Adams, Curator of Iowa’s Higgins Museum of National Bank Notes, wrote the foreword to Counterfeiting and Technology. “Bank notes have affected nearly every aspect of our lives and history, yet few people know anything about the art and science of this work, which, due to its nature, is shrouded in mystery,” Adams says. “McCabe has traveled to many of the largest cities in the eastern United States to ferret out original materials in libraries, museums, historical societies, and the National Archives to document this story, and from that material he has woven the fabric of a tale full of heroes and villains acting out their roles on the stage of American history.”
Whitman Senior Associate Editor Caitlyn Trautwein says, “Often the very men who attempted to counterfeit the currency of the time pushed innovators to greater refinements, always seeking designs and securities that fell in line with the highest form of the art. Comparisons between genuine and counterfeit bills and explanations as to what methods the counterfeiters used to do their work are recalled with such acumen that one could believe McCabe was actually there, interviewing the men himself.”
Counterfeiting and Technology presents the history of paper money in a way that’s never been seen before. It combines chemistry and artistry, inventions and escapades, tales of arrest and daring escapes. Collectors and historians of American money will love this engaging and informative narrative about our nation’s paper currency.
Because Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the American Numismatic Association, ANA members receive a 10% discount off all direct purchases. The book can also be borrowed for free as a benefit of membership in the American Numismatic Association, through the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.
Order Counterfeiting and Technology here.
What People Are Saying About Counterfeiting and Technology
“This author has gone to extreme lengths to try to present the most accurate account possible. Robert McCabe is an individual that will not settle for anything less than the truth in its best available form.”
— Daniel Stadtfeld, author and researcher
“I commend Mr. McCabe on his book. He covers an enormous amount of ground skillfully. I’ll use this book as a reference for sure.”
— Fred Reed, former editor, Paper Money Magazine
Caitlyn Trautwein, Senior Associate Editor at Whitman Publishing, writes about her recent trip to Baltimore, to scan beautiful Maryland obsolete bank notes at Coast to Coast Coins. Continue reading
Dennis Hengeveld writes:
For collectors attending coin shows on the national and international circuits, traveling can yield unique rewards and challenges. On the one hand, you are given chances to visit new locales, meet other collectors, and see lots of coins and bank notes in a single place. The travel can be fun, and as a dealer attending shows frequently I have been to cities and countries I probably would not have visited on my own. But there’s also risk involved with traveling large distances with valuables, and it’s important to consider your security in order to ensure these trips are as safe and enjoyable as possible.
Whitman Publishing announces the release of A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, by Q. David Bowers. The 320-page book (number 22 in the popular Bowers Series) debuts July 26 and will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, and online (including at www.Whitman.com), for $19.95.
The Bowers Series is a popular Whitman Publishing library of numismatic books, each covering a different segment of the hobby. Volume 22 explores the full range of modern U.S. dollar coins: Eisenhower, Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea, Native American, and Presidential. These coins, the successors to the silver Morgan and Peace dollars of yesteryear, have been minted from 1971 to the present day in various sizes, alloys, and themes.
“When I started writing this book, I thought it would be straightforward and simple,” says award-winning author Q. David Bowers, the most prolific numismatic writer in American history. “Instead I found these coinage series to be as complex and nuanced as any of the classics—a delight for collectors. All of them are fun to collect, with historic designs to engage the beginner and some interesting challenges for the specialist.”
Research assistance from longtime coin dealers and collectors, U.S. Mint officials, and hobby organizations such as the Ike Group rounds out Bowers’s own active study of these coins. His detailed coverage includes history, mintages, die varieties, grading standards, keys to assembling high-quality collections, and market analysis. More than 800 full-color images, including close-ups of Eisenhower dollar reverse design variations, illustrate the book. Historical photographs provide rare behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of the 200-plus coins cataloged.
“There are many highways and byways to explore in the world of modern U.S. dollar coins,” said Edmund Moy, 38th director of the United States Mint (2006–2011). “This book is the essential guide to the subject. It is comprehensive, written for the new and seasoned collector alike, and authoritative, as one would expect from numismatic legend Q. David Bowers.”
Appendices include a reflection on the Eisenhower dollar by Charles Morgan; a richly illustrated 11-page study of modern dollar error coins; and a “what might have been” gallery of proposed Native American dollar designs of 2009 to 2016.
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.
Each year the American Numismatic Association recognizes young writers through the Young Numismatist Literary Awards, funded by Whitman Publishing. Awards of up to $1,000 are given in three age groups named after Whitman authors and longtime hobby leaders Bill Fivaz (entrants aged 8–12), Q. David Bowers (ages 13–17), and Kenneth Bressett (ages 18–22). Continue reading
Whitman Publishing announces the release of A Guide Book of Liberty Seated Silver Coins, by Q. David Bowers. The 608-page book (number 21 in the popular Bowers Series) is available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, and online (including at www.Whitman.com), for $29.95.
Coins with the Liberty Seated design were minted from 1836 up 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. The mints at Philadelphia, New Orleans, Carson City, and San Francisco were used to produce tens of millions of these coins. They were minted 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.
Today Liberty Seated coins are growing in popularity among U.S. coinage series, with many enthusiastic collectors and students. The Liberty Seated Collectors Club is among the hobby’s fastest-growing specialty groups. Leonard Augsburger, vice president of the club, who wrote the Guide Book’s foreword, stated that “Q. David Bowers offers both beginning and experienced numismatists a fresh perspective on collecting these fascinating silver coins.”
Author Bowers provides colorful historical context for the coins, commenting on the American scene (and the state of numismatics) from 1836 to 1891. Then he covers all eight denominations that carried the Liberty Seated design, with a coin-by-coin catalog of more than 750 entries. Bowers discusses mintages, grading standards, auction records, keys to building a high-quality collection, and 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.
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.
At the next Whitman Expo, you just may come across the 2016 Standing Liberty Quarter Centennial Gold Coin, and the U.S. Mint will probably be providing a launch date for the issue at any time.
Six exhibitors brought eight exhibits, totaling 34 cases of material, for display at the spring 2016 Whitman Coin and Collectibles Exposition in Baltimore, Maryland. Continue reading
Coin Update News has a fascinating series of articles for the budget-conscious numismatist: interesting coins that can be found for less than $100. Do you have any in your collection?