Newcomb, Howard R. United States Copper Cents, 1816-1857.New York, 1944. Published by Joseph B. and Morton M. Stack under their emNumismatic Review/em aegis. Handsomely hardbound in full red leather by the collector of the Twin Leaf material, who took up bookbinding as a personal hobby. With matching red slip cover. A few pages gently bent, but quite intact and free of problems. This was Willard Blaisdell’s personal copy of Newcomb, as noted on the title page in pencil, with the further note that “pencil notes are mostly his—we assume.” This reference is to penciled annotations found within the pages, those being clearly added by a specialist in the series who was studying the coins closely. Blaisdell certainly fits that description, and we know that he made pencil notes in his auction catalogs, as we have some of his copies in our own office library. This said, there seem to be three different writing styles in the book, one of which looks very much like that used in creation of the original text, though likely an attempt to copy same. Other small additions are seen in places, including pasted in diagrams of the cents with new die markers drawn in. These are very interesting. Tears noted in one of the plates. An outstanding and historic copy of this landmark reference.From the Twin Leaf Collection of Connecticut & Massachusetts Coppers.
