Customer Reviews

United States Copper Cents 1816-1857

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This book is a "must have" for the serious collector of large cents. A surprising aspect of the book is the hand written style of the content. It makes you feel like you are reading the author's notes on the subject. The charts and descriptions are exacting and indispensable when trying to determine the variations and rarity of these coins.

This is an important book for collectors with a particular interest in large cents. It is very likely that such collectors will have the book before they find it on Amazon. If you have only a casual interest in these coins, this book is probably not for you. Having said that I can report that I do not have a special interest in these particular coins, but I have a copy of the book and enjoy it. Of course I have had it for more than 30 years and, frankly, I often like the books as well (or better) than the coins. I guess that defines another category of person who might like this book! After writing the above, I picked up my copy of the classic Penny Whimsy and learned that the Newcomb book was first published in 1944. That is very interesting to me. There cannot have been very many numismatic books published in the heart of World War II! This also brings up the point that if you want to have an historic reference on large cents, start with Penny Whimsy. Not only is it a classic, it can be found at much lower prices than Newcomb (get Newcomb too if you like of course, but start with Sheldon (Penny Whimsey).