BOWERS RARE COIN REVIEW ON NEWMAN PORTAL

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V22 2019 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 22, Number 12, March 24, 2019, Article 9

The latest addition to the Newman Numismatic Portal is the Rare Coin Review. Project Coordinator Len Augsburger provided the following report. -Editor

With the kind permission of PCGS president Brett Charville, Newman Portal is pleased to announce the availability of the Bowers & Merena house organ, Rare Coin Review, on Newman Portal. This publication ran from 1969 (then under the Hathaway & Bowers banner) until 2003, likely the longest such emission in American numismatic history (Stack's Numismatic Review is also in the running).

Rare Coin Review appeared bimonthly for most of its life, and contained feature articles, coins presented at fixed prices, auction previews, and copious commentary from Q. David Bowers on numismatic matters large and small. Sometimes, the small matters were the more interesting! On a personal note, this was the publication that drew the present writer back into numismatics after graduating from college.

Rare Coin Review attracted some of the best writers in the field, as authors were simply more happy to write for Dave than for other editors. The coin offerings were of course the main draw for most readers, and one might find anything from a rare colonial to popular coins like Morgan dollars. There was always something for everyone, from the beginning collector to the specialist, and this was no doubt a great part of its appeal.

House organs such as Rare Coin Review are often overlooked as a source of information, yet they can be a gold mine of valuable data and research. Seen more as ephemeral selling tools, they are read and set aside (or even tossed aside - it takes a dedicated bibliophile to assemble a complete set). Like Len, I became ever-more intrigued with the hobby through RCR articles - in my case, ones on encased postage stamps and merchant counterstamps.

As I grew into a numismatic bibliophile I became fascinated with the house organs of yesteryear such as The Elder Monthly, Mehl's Numismatic Monthly and Kelly's Coins and Chatter, all of which contain interesting and often important information later forgotten by the community at large. Many thanks to PCGS and NNP for making RCR available to collectors and researchers everywhere. -Editor