Newman Portal Adds Virginia Coinage Newsletters

Courtesy of Roger Moore, Newman Portal has added a group of newsletters related to Virginia colonial coinage. Editor William Veach produced The Generation newsletter in the early 1990s and provided an overview in an August 1, 1990 launch letter: "The 'Generation' is a select group of variety set oriented collectors of the 1773 - Colonial Virginia copper Halfpenny. Our legal structure is that of a 'phantom' group, unregistered, unincorporated, yes even unfinanced. We pay no dues. We pay no taxes and we really answer to no one, except to ourselves."

The second issue announced a circulation of 17, and content focused on the usual collector concerns: varieties, attribution, rarity, pricing, and the occasional oddball examples, such as counterstamped pieces. Most of the material for the newsletter was contributed by Veach himself, such as a census of I-A pattern pieces in the June 1993 issue. Veach produced eight issues from 1990 to 1993, and an attempted reboot in 2005 reveals an interesting tidbit: among the anonymous members of this group was Virginia governor Douglas Wilder, who was instrumental in promoting a 1992 resolution (House Joint Resolution No. 271) of the Virginia legislature honoring Eric P. Newman for his research in the field of Virginia numismatics.

Images: 1773 Virginia halfpenny, ex. Newman IV (Heritage Auctions, May 16, 2014), lot 30010, realized $4,112.50.

Link to The Generation on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/531574

Link to "Eric P. Newman Honored by Virginia" in the January 1993 Virginia Numismatist:
https://archive.org/details/VirginiaNumismatist1993to1994/page/n15/mode/2up?view=theater