“The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States, 1796-1838", by A. W. Browning; originally published in 1925; completely updated in 1991 by Walter Breen; Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc. in cooperation with George Frederick Kolbe, 1992; a review written by Robert A. Izydore, Raleigh Coin Club Newsletter, June 8, 1992. The book is an extensive revision of the original edition that was published by Browning in 1925. The original version had 44 pages. All the known varieties of the various dates were shown in eight photographic plates at the end of the book. The coins in the plates were shown in actual size. Also included at the end of the text was a table listing the mintage of quarter dollars vs the mintage of half dollars for the years covered by the book. An Introduction by Browning was given at the front of the book. The original supply of the Browning books was very limited. Reprints were published in subsequent years. The most recent was by Sanford J. Durst Numismatic Publications in 1977. None of these reprints presented new information on the early quarter dollars. The Durst reprint showed the coins in the photographic plates with approximately 23 mm diameters, which is smaller than their true diameter of 27 mm. The latest edition has 183 pages and retains intact most of the material in the original Browning version. The principal casualty is Browning's table of mintages which was deleted because some of the mintages originally listed by Browning had been dramatically revised in later years. At the front of the book is the original Introduction by Browning followed by an Introduction to the Revised Edition by Breen and a Commentary by Q. David Bowers. A considerable amount of new information is given in the revised text. New varieties have been listed for 1805 (B-5), 1806 (B-10), 1818 (B-11), 1820 (B-5), 1821 (B-6), 1831 (B-7), 1836 (B-5), and 1837 (B-5). Substantial annotations by Breen are included for each variety listed. Obverse and reverse illustrations for each variety, taken from new prints from Browning's original glass negatives, are shown on the same page as the description of the variety, and the diameters of the illustrated coins are considerably larger than the actual size (approximately 48 mm vs 27 mm). This is a considerable improvement over the original edition. The details on the coins are easier to see, and it is no longer necessary to page back and forth between the descriptions of the varieties and the photographic plates at the end of the text. Browning's original photographic plates have been retained at the end of the book in order to preserve the original format. For each variety illustrated, Browning's original description is reprinted unchanged and appears in larger type. The original description is followed by Breen's annotations which appear in smaller type. These annotations include additional details of the location and spacing of letters, numerals, and stars relative to the obverse and reverse designs. The locations of clash marks, die cracks, and numerous other distinguishing characteristics are noted. A rarity rating (R1- R8) and a numerical condition censuses is given. The highest quality examples that are known are documented, often with the use of auction citations, and all known proofs are accounted for. This updated revision is highly recommended for anyone interested in United States coins. It is a must for any collector or student of early U. S. quarter dollars. |
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