Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint: 1838-1861, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Nepotism...A Bad Idea
Review: There is much to like in this book. It is scholarly in its approach to population data condition, census data, and rarity estimates. It discusses well various die varities, and the history surrounding the mint, although brief, is informative. It is in the area of photography that this book falls dismally flat. It is, after all, a book on gold coins, and one of the major appeals of gold has historically been its color. Yet there is not one single color photograph in the book. They are all black and white, almost thumbnail in size, grainy and lacking in detail. When photos are enlarged to show some detai, a D/D for example, they fail to adequately illustrate the variety they are meant to. Compare this to some other similar books, David Lange's "Complete Guide" series for example, and you will see what a disservice these photographs do to the rest of the book. The photographer is listed as Mary Winter, who I presume is related to the author, probably his wife. While it's a noble goal to offer employment to a family member, maybe some other task should have been offered her rather than make her the photographer on what otherwise would have been a fine book. Having said that, I am still glad I have it for the information it provides, ergo the three stars, that, with better photographs, would have been five.