THE U.S. MINT AND COINAGE
From NBSwiki
The One Hundred Greatest Items Of United States Numismatic Literature Rank: Number 12
Clain-Stefanelli 12546, Davis 1050
U.S. Mint and Coinage stands alone in the hall of American numismatic literature, viewing numismatic science through a prism found nowhere else. It cares not a whit for the worth of a coin, and even less about the dealers and collectors who pursue them. Instead, Taxay views the corpus of the mint through a unique, multi-faceted perspective – of artistry, technology, and economic history. While Vermeule concentrated on numismatic art and Carothers on economic history, Taxay went further, and the result is the standard account of evolving technology within the U.S. Mint, explaining not only what the Mint did, but why and how it did it. The entire presentation is immersed in a profound understanding of the archival literature, with extensive quotes and citations of original documents. No less than the Chief Engraver of the Mint endorsed Taxay’s tome, noting that “all of us who share an interest in our nation’s coinage, from its faltering beginnings up to the present, are indebted to Don Taxay.”
1st Edition
Photo courtesy of Wayne K. Homren Numismatic Library.
TAXAY, Don. The U.S. Mint And Coinage: An Illustrated History From 1776 To The Present.
New York, NY: 1966
400pp, illustrated
Octavo
Hardbound: Green cloth, lettered in black, silver embossing, dust jacket
1983 Reprint
Photo courtesy of Steve Shupe Numismatic Library.
New York, NY: Sanford J. Durst, 1983
400pp, illustrated
Octavo
Hardbound: Maroon leatherette, lettered in gilt