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COVID-19 ISSUES DELAY ARRIVAL SIX WEEKS
Yes, after being twice delayed at the printer by the ongoing pandemic, Volume Three in my trilogy of comprehensive books detailing coin album publishers and their product lines has finally arrived, and all existing orders have been delivered. Titled Coin Collecting Albums—A Complete History & Catalog, Volume Three: Whitman Publishing Company Folders and Albums 1940-1978, this beautiful hardcover, full- color book came in at 343 pages and four pounds! I’m delighted with the finished product, and the comments from buyers seem to validate this pride. Ordering instructions may be found ... at my website: coincollectingboards.com.

In celebration of the new book I’m including with this newsletter an illustrated list of vintage Whitman coin folders for sale. All are identified by the Lange Numbers found in the book, which will be the new standard for collectors going forward. The list includes rare First and Second Edition folders across several grades. The time to acquire these is now, for prices will almost certainly rise with the book’s publication, just as they did for coin boards after my 2007 book on that subject.

THE WAY COOL DEPARTMENT
My collection of coin albums includes a few one-off items that defy ordinary classification. Illustrated here is one such product, the "RAIL-SPLITTER EDITION" coin album for Lincoln Cents that was produced in 1940 by a fellow named Arthur B. Low of Denver; he received a patent for it two years later. His patent drawing may be found online, and this accompanies photos I shot of my own example, which is the finer of just two seen to date. One can scarcely imagine what effect wooden pages had on the coins!

The cents are held within a fiberboard disc that is punched with openings of the appropriate size. A clear plastic window revolves around a brass grommet and has two ports that line up with the two rows of openings. By steering this window using the raised, red plastic tab the ports may be stopped over any desired date/mint opening to add and remove cents. Though a clever product, it didn’t allow for additional dates and likely succumbed to the wartime shortage of materials that played havoc with Raymond, Whitman and other album manufacturers.

A PASSING One photo that I nearly included in my new book about Whitman folders and albums but omitted at the last moment is a very personal image that captures a glorious moment in my childhood. It was taken by my brother in May of 1967, shortly after he received a camera for his birthday. The fellow at left is Bob, who lived next door and was the neighborhood "collector of all things." Not visible in the photo are my two Whitman folders lying atop the kitchen table, as Bob fills most of the missing dates from his forest of tubes. My father stands behind me, sharing in my joy, as he did so many times. In August, Dad succumbed to Covid-19 at the age of 95, but I’ll always remember his unceasing kindness and patience in indulging my childhood activities.

To visit Dave's website, see:
http://www.coincollectingboards.com/

To read the earlier E-Sylum article on Dave's great new book, see:
NEW BOOK: COIN COLLECTING ALBUMS, VOLUME THREE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n25a03.html)