US Coins

Have an idea for a coin book? Get help publishing it

By Paul Gilkes

Published: Oct 8, 2016, 3 AM

Among the books for which Central States Numismatic Society has awarded publishing grants is Russell Doughty's "Flying Eagle/Indian Cent Die Varieties."

Original images courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

The 1864-L Indian Head cent bears Chief Engraver James Barton Longacre's Designer;s Initial L in the Indian's ribbon.

Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Longacre's designer's' initial appears on the ribbon to the left of the last feather in the headdress.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

If you’ve thought about writing a book about a specific area of numismatics, it’s possible that the Central States Numismatic Society can help financially with its research and publication.

Grants to assist authors in publishing new references in four different collecting areas were recently awarded under the Central States Author Grants Program.

The four 2016–2017 Central States Author Grant recipients and the titles of their respective books are:

??Kenneth Berger, Philippine Emergency Currency.

??Russell Doughty, Flying Eagle/Indian Cent Die Varieties.

??Kevin Flynn, Coin Collecting For Kids.

??Winston Zach, Contemporary Counterfeit Coinage.

Ongoing program

According to Ray Lockwood, CSNS education director and past president, the first grants under the Central States Author Grants Program were made in 2011 and have been awarded annually since.

Grants may not exceed $5,000. The amount budgeted for the grants ranges from $10,000 to $40,000 each year, Lockwood said.

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Lockwood said grant applications are due Aug. 31 each year and are reviewed by the Central States Education Committee. The committee then recommends to the Central States Board what applications to fund. The board, in turn, approves the grants on or about Oct. 1, Lockwood said.

Since the 2011 establishment of the Central State Author Grants Program, 34 grants have been awarded.

“These grants have yielded 22 published books to date with others still in the development stage,” Lockwood said. “Three grants were returned by authors who could not finish their work in a timely manner or decided against trying to research and write a book.”

The grant money can be used for research and final publication of numismatic literature, Lockwood said. Research can include travel expenses to libraries and other primary source locations.

Actual costs of publication, such as printing and photography, may be reimbursed by grant moneys. Grant moneys are distributed on a quarterly basis.

Grant recipients must submit quarterly progress reports and supply a timeline leading to completion of their publication, Lockwood said. Any deviation from the original intent or plan for publication must be approved by the CSNS Education Committee, he said.

Some authors have received grants more than once.

Past recipients of CSNS Author Grants include: John Amato, Bob Julian, Fred Reed, Neil Shafer, Harry Waterson (two), Pru Fitts, Kathy Freeland, Larry Lee, Jesca Scaevola, Mike Van Den Heuval, Wendell Wolka, Ron Abler, Scott Blickensderfer, Paul Cunningham, Steve Feller, Mark Ferguson, Token and Medal Society, The Elongated Collectors, Bill Bierly, Kevin Flynn (two), Peter Huntoon (three), Donald Dool, David Schenkman, Steve Tomkins, Allan Schein, Gerald Tebben, Kenneth Berger and Winston Zach.