WALTER BREEN’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNITED STATES HALF CENTS 1793–1857

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The One Hundred Greatest Items Of United States Numismatic Literature Rank: Number 25

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Davis 141

Breen or Cohen (#46), is the question for the half cent collector. A loose consensus seems to be the Breen book, but using the Cohen numbers, which Breen conveniently cross references. Nevertheless, one often sees both Breen and Cohen attributions in catalog descriptions. In any case, Breen’s half cent Encyclopedia is a trip back in time to the early days of the first United States Mint, struggling with copper supplies, die production, and manually operated screw presses. Breen’s liberal citation of material from the National Archives is a welcome departure from certain of his other work. Combined with a thorough photographic record of die states and varieties, Breen’s half cent Encyclopedia will keep the dedicated half cent collector out of trouble for a good amount of time.

1^st Edition

BREEN, Walter H. WALTER BREEN’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNITED STATES HALF CENTS 1793–1857.
South Gate, CA: 1983
501pp, illustrated
Quarto
Hardbound: Red leatherette

Original retail price $60

1^st Edition, Deluxe

BREEN, Walter H. WALTER BREEN’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNITED STATES HALF CENTS 1793–1857.
South Gate, CA: 1983
501pp, illustrated
Quarto
Hardbound: Full leather, embossed die-cut medallions (enlarged) of the 1793 design on cover, glossy color photos

Original retail price $300