Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness is a remarkable creation. Harold Holzer, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (and cochairman of the United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission), calls it “interesting and compelling,” saying that “Reed’s commentary and the arrangement and choice of imagery make Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness a very worthwhile and elegant project.”

Dr. Thomas Turner, longtime editor-in-chief of the Lincoln Herald (the oldest continuously published journal devoted to the life and career of Abraham Lincoln), calls it “a unique study” that “makes a significant contribution to the field.” Reed draws on his own unparalleled collection of Lincoln numismatic items, illustrating the book with hundreds of full-color images sure to delight the collector and historian. These are joined by engravings and daguerreotypes, old film stills, a never-before-published oil painting, magazine covers, political cartoons, and a host of other images. They are poignant, provocative, profound, sometimes puzzling; individually fascinating and collectively illuminating.

Dr. Turner, in the book’s foreword, muses on the potential for Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness to bridge the gap between mainstream historical study and numismatics:
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Coin collectors and enthusiasts have long been familiar with the story of two boys who unearthed a fortune in gold coins while playing in a Baltimore basement in 1934.

But the rest of the story trailed off to a few odd details. One of the boys died young, the other ran into trouble with the law. No one seemed to know more.

A lifelong coin collector,  Author Leonard Augsburger was determined to uncover the rest of the story. What happened to the kids? The gold? Who buried it in the first place?

Meticulously researched, Treasure in the Cellar delves into the lives of the boys and their families, recreates the hours at the police station after the boys reported what they found, and describes months of courtroom drama as descendents of several former property owners came forward, each claiming the fortune for themselves.

Paperback copies can be ordered from Amazon.com while hardbound (priced at $30) and deluxe leather-bound editions can be ordered directly from Len at Amazon at leonard_augsburger@hotmail.com. (more…)

By James L. Halperin, Mark Van Winkle, Jon Amato and Gregory J. Rohan

The ten and twenty dollar gold pieces designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens are generally considered among the most beautiful and artistically accomplished coinage of all time. The development of these designs was understandably a difficult process, one that took years longer than it would have from another, less-accomplished sculptor.

The Coinage of Augustus Saint-Gaudens is an issue-by-issue examination of these two artistically inspired series of gold coins. Each date and mintmark is reviewed with up-to-date information, much of which has never been previously published. The book is based on the extraordinary collection of Phillip H. Morse. When Morse’s collection was sold in November 2005 it brought $19.2 million with many records broken for both rare and common coins.

Full color throughout, 253 pages.

“The Morse collection book is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful collection of the nation’s finest coins. Saint-Gaudens died before his masterpiece could be distributed to the public, but this book is solid proof that his creations are rightfully cherished and will be for generations to come.”
–Wayne Homren, E-Sylum Books

The book may be purchased directly through Heritage – Order Today for Just $75 with FREE SHIPPING!