Newcomb, Howard R. The United States Cents of the Years 1801-1802-1803. Detroit. 1925. Very Fine.Quarto. Hardbound in black full morocco with gilt title on the front cover and gilt fillets around both covers. The spine is divided into five panels by four raised bands, each flanked by gilt double rulings, with similar accents at the head and foot. Gently mottled stone gray pastedowns and flyleaves, with gilt dentelles around. Autographed and inscribed on the title page in brown ink, in four lines, “Howard R. Newcomb / August 23, 1925 / One of the Ten Copies / of the Deluxe Edition,’ in the author’s hand. Braided light green silk cord bound into the head of the spine connects a small cardboard guide for use in gauging cent alignments. Five high quality glossy plates are bound in, all with tissue guards. In addition there are four glossy supplemental prints laid in, each with additional photographs and extensive notes on varieties not included in the main text. In the case of 1801 N-13, there are two such pages. One includes a single reverse image, and is dated October 1928, while the other features a pair of reverse images, with the addition of a third reverse image that he assigns N-14. This plate is dated July 1931. For 1803 N-24, there are two such pages, each with different coin images, one apparently a first effort, the other with a much finer image. Both are dated January 1928. Each of these laid-in pages is associated with an ornate laid-in tissue guard. Small errata sheet tipped in on page 73. Housed in a handsome brown cloth slipcase of modern manufacture, with gilt titles.<p>As noted by the author’s inscription, this is a very rare volume. In describing this for the Harry W. Bass Library sale in 1998, George Kolbe commented that it was “little known until the appearance of the striking full-color illustration on the cover of the 1986 Robinson Brown, Jr. sale catalogue” and that until this inscribed copy appeared, the number produced was unknown. The Pogue example realized $8,050 in both the December 1998 Harry W. Bass and 2009 Twin Leaf library sales. Harry Bass’ bookplate is inside the front cover. An impressive effort on these three early dates by Howard Newcomb who credited Henry Hines, George French, William Festus Morgan, Hillyer Ryder, and George H. Clapp for their “hearty cooperation” and access to their collections.From the D. Brent Pogue Library. Earlier ex Colby Ritzman Sale, August 1968, lot 64; Harry W. Bass, Jr., George Frederick Kolbe, December 1998, lot 207; Twinleaf Library, George Frederick Kolbe, January 2009, lot 69.
