Crosby, Sylvester Sage. The Early Coins of America; and the Laws Governing Their Issue. Comprising also Descriptions of the Washington Pieces, the Anglo-American Tokens, Many Pieces of Unknown Origin of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries and the First Patterns of the United States Mint. Boston. Sylvester S. Crosby. 1875. Fine.Quarto. Hardbound in black half morocco and black cloth. Ruled in gilt along the leather edges. Distinctive Nova Constellatio on the front cover, in gilt. Spine divided into six panels by low-relief bands, each ruled in gilt. The second and fourth panels with the title, author and date in gilt, the others plain. Faint speckled finish around the page ends. Marbled pastedowns and flyleaves. More than 100 woodcut illustrations, 10 heliotype plates and the usual two heliotype foldouts, one with a small tear noted. As mentioned in the previous lot description, directions to the bookbinder giving proper placement of the 10 plates were included in the printed volume (found opposite the table of contents). In this volume all plates are properly positioned as intended. Minor splitting inside the cover joints, but the volume remains tight otherwise. Some central pages with a corner bump at the bottom. A distinctive and desirable binding for this classic numismatic work, a reference with more than a century of useful lifespan. Considered one of the finest American numismatic references and necessary for any working library. This example has a nice provenance to G.T. McCombe, whose faint stamp is noted on the front flyleaf. McCombe of Lockport, New York, advertised as a coin dealer, circa 1881. A collection was sold at auction under his own name by Charles Steigerwalt in January 1883. He was likely the original purchaser of this volume from Crosby. Also included in this is a tipped-in copy of Crosby’s own October 1874 announcement that what had been intended as a 10-part series would require an 11th, for the extra cost of $1. There are also two additional small plates of obverses and reverses of eight coins, and a page illustrating and describing the 1783 Nova Constellatio patterns.From the D. Brent Pogue Library. Earlier ex G.T. McCombe, circa 1881; Charles M. Johnson (a named consignor to Bowers and Ruddy’s February 1978 sale); George Frederick Kolbe, June 2006, lot 25.
