One measure of a true numismatist is a serious research library, for by our very nature we collectors liketo gather, classify, and arrange our holdings. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, Americancollectors have relied on books. Nor did the internet replace books about coins; rather it made olderreference volumes easier to source. Even if we do not always pay strict attention to Aaron Feldman'sadmonition intuitively we know that we might get moreenjoyment out of the hobby if only we knew more about what we were collecting.

Consider the experience of early collectors of U.S. copper. Until the 1859 release of Montroville WilsonDickeson's The American Numismatical Manual, scant reference material existed. A second seminalwork, Sylvester Crosby's Early Coins of America, debuted in 1875. State-specific guides came a littlelater. Is there a specialist in New Jersey copper without a copy of Dr. Edward Maris's 1881 A HistoricSketch of the Coins of New Jersey on the bookshelf? How does one even speak withdealers or other collectors without Maris?

Flash forward to the present day. The reliance on printed reference material is as strong as ever.Searchers looking for recently announced Lincoln cent double-die obverses want and need to refer toBill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton's Cherrypicker's Guide on a recurring basis. Without this reference, how wouldcoin scouts know what to look for when flipping through a dealer's worn 2x2 box at a firehouse coinshow? Or how would one validate a coin?

Over time, as the collection grows, the library grows. New editions replace older ones. New scholarshipfloods the niche (see ). And then the inevitable occurs. A book goes missing from one'scoin library. Often this loss is discovered only after a new variety is publicized or a new bargain iscontemplated (but one which requires verification). One can the coin but not the book!Collectors lament

The example set by dealer Rick Tomaska is illustrative. As the godfather of FBL (full bell line) Franklinsand cameo proof coinage, he writes books about coins and also sells coins on television. Books areoften prominent background props in his broadcasts. His message is very clear:

As a collector, I have been influenced by many dealers, including Aaron Feldman and Dave Bowers, thepre-eminent dealer/author of the last 60 years. Both imparted the necessity of taking advantage of thebest information. Fellow collectors Randy Wiley and Bill Bugert released The Complete Guide to LibertySeated Half Dollars in 1993, the first serious reference on the series since Martin Luther Beistle's ARegister of Half Dollar Die Varieties and Sub-Varieties, published in 1929. The Beistle work might informcollectors; but Wiley-Bugert inspires collectors. Just as Bust half collectors speak in numbers(thanks, Al Overton), Seated half collectors speak in WB numbers. I was hooked.

For more than a decade, this thin hardbound book with gold flyleaf was always nearby as I built mySeated half collection. The book was a godsend. The authors had a great track record, having proveddefinitively that 1840 Medium Letter halves had been coined in New Orleans, not Philadelphia, therebycorrecting almost 150 years of misattribution. Their method of reed counting for establishing diemarriages and detecting counterfeits/alterations is the gold standard in the field.

Life events caused me to turn away from Seated halves for a while. And then when I got back into thehunt, I couldn't find the book. I looked everywhere - bookcases all over the house, home office,basement, off-site storage locker. I opened dozens and dozens of packed boxes, to no avail. Theappearance of the book is as familiar to me as my own signature. I feel like I have lost a friend.

Yes, I could buy a replacement copy, but not on eBay; there are none to be had at the moment. Thebook for which I paid about $20 in 1993 has since appreciated significantly. Used editions sell for $300+on the internet. Beyond the financial penalty, however, is the diminution of my enjoyment. I could alsoreplace the data. 2 But what I can't replace is the pleasure and enjoyment I received from the hobbywhile perusing my original copy. I know my volume is soiled and smudgy and shopworn. But I still loveit. One fine day it will turn up and beckon me to open its pages and get to work again.

There is a backstory to the missing book. During the 1990's, Bill, Randy, and I all lived in theWashington, DC area. On occasion I would run into them at local coins shows. I can't rememberwhether I was speaking with Bill or Randy but I do know that one of them offered to sell me hisremaining basement inventory of The Complete Guide to Seated Liberty Halves, perhaps several hundredcopies, at a very favorable price and in shrink-wrapped condition. I was tempted until I contemplatedthe chore of dribbling out 5-10 copies a year on eBay for the next two decades. I blinked. Oh well.

Charles adds:

For more information on LSCC, see:
http://www.lsccweb.org/
http://www.lsccweb.org/Links.shtml

For more information on the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, see:
https://www.coinbooks.org/