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A First Edition Gilbert with Card Covers

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:250.00 USD Estimated At:350.00 USD
A First Edition Gilbert with Card Covers
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Gilbert, Ebenezer. THE UNITED STATES HALF CENTS. FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF ISSUE, IN 1793, TO THE YEAR WHEN DISCONTINUED, 1857. ALL DATES AND VARIETIES DESCRIBED AND ILLUSTRATED. New York: Published by the Elder Numismatic Press, 1916. First edition, first issue. Small 4to [24 by 20.5 cm], later pebbled brown half cloth, gilt; original gilt-printed stiff brown card covers bound in. (2), 43, (3) pages; 6 fine photographic plates. Fine. A rare binding variant of the first edition issued in card covers. Gilbert's magnum opus was the first comprehensive reference on the topic, and it remained the standard work for over half a century. When compared to the cult status accorded large cents--and the large number of books written in the twentieth century about them--it is easy to understand why Walter Breen's "Ugly Ducklings" and Roger Cohen's "Little Half Sisters" were considered apt sobriquets by their authors. Ex Kolbe Sale 100, lot 185. Ex Michael Spurlock library.