New book coming soon: Treasuring Hunting the Top 20th and 21st century Die Varie

[Kevin J Flynn]

New book coming soon: Treasuring Hunting the Top 20th and 21st century Die Varieties by John Wexler and Kevin Flynn. 8-1/2 * 11, roughly 500 pages, softcover, expected publication approximately September 2015. Besides the softcover, we are also attempting to create an ebook that will be available online for reference anywhere.

 

John Wexler is considered by many to be the father of the doubled die. He co-started Error-Variety News and was instrumental in CONECA becoming one club. His articles and die variety books over the past 40+ years has inspired many to join the search. Today, John is considered one of the leading authorities on die varieties. Kevin Flynn has written 50 books on coins and covered more die varieties in more series than any other person. Their close-up photography skills are considered second to none.

 

The objective of this book is to present the top die varieties for all series in the 20th and 21st century. For each die variety, full micro photographs show the overdate, over mint mark, doubling, repunching, clashing, or other parts of the variety in full detail. Many of these varieties have several photos to show different parts of the variety or sometimes some of the diagnostics. Many of the coins have a full 8-1/2 * 11 page dedicated to just that variety. The Description presents a detailed analysis of the die variety and all design elements affected. The Die Markers section presents all known die diagnostics that are helpful in verifying the variety and sometimes the die stages. The Comments section offers insights from the expertise of the authors on how the variety was created, rarity, and other important information.

 

What considerations define a variety as a top? One of the most important aspects is how dramatic a variety is, how easily is it seen, how great the separation of doubling, how visible is the underlying digit on an overdate. Rarity is another important consideration, especially in a series like the Morgan Dollars. Collector interest has a great bearing on demand for a variety, and articles, books, and publication of a variety can stimulate interest. These and other factors are all weighed and considered when assembling a list of the top varieties for a series. Luckily John and Kevin have both extensively covered most of the die varieties for many of the series being presented.

 

We chose to do a large format book so that we could include more photographs and information for each variety. The limitation of this is that it would heavier and more difficult carry to shows to use as a reference. This is the reason we are striving to create an online reference for these varieties, so that collectors could have access to the material when they need it.

 

We are finished some of these series, others we are still working on, our goal is to be complete by September. For a few series, such as the Peace Dollars, we still need a few varieties. We are also seeking new varieties not published anywhere which should be in this book and experts in the different series to provide feedback in their area of expertise. If interested in helping, please contact John at jwex@comcast.net or Kevin at kevinjflynn88@yahoo.com.

 

[World Colonial]

Nobody posted a reply so I will pose a question.

 

How many varieties are included in your book?

 

Something tells me that it is a much larger number (from your post) than I would consider "significant". I agree exposure through a reference book can increase awareness and with it, interest. However, what you describe is and is almost certainly likely to remain numismatic minutia to most collectors.