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I have a couple of somewhat short book ideas and thought I would pass them by the crowd here to see what comes back.
Hobby to Career in Very Small Details.
More for the purpose of being able to share details in my earlier life with my own future generations than anything else, I thought about writing a short book about MY adventures in coins. Somewhat of an autobiography of a die variety collector gone mad. I would write specific details about how I got into the hobby, shows I went to, anecdotes about some conversations I have had with some of the most influential dealers and authors in my past, such as Q. David Bowers, J.T. Stanton, Bill Fivaz, James Wiles, and others.
I would write about some of the things that make me unique as a collector/author/dealer/researcher. My art, my photography, and how I started each...by mistake, almost. My rather unique position as an author, foreword writer, photographer, and artist in various numismatic books - I believe 12 to date.
I would write about highlights in my 'career' as a numismatist - like the evening in Pittsburgh when I had dinner with Fred Weinberg, Arnie Margolis, and Richie Schemmer, and we all called and sang "Happy Birthday" to my mother because I made mention that it was her birthday and needed to borrow a phone to call her. Or maybe the day that Ken Bressett invited me to his house to view my original artwork hanging on his wall. Or the time I was asked to attend a show and do a book signing with Q. David Bowers on his book for which I wrote the foreword - when I showed up at the table, he didn't know who I was because we had never met in person and basically told me to wait my turn for a signed copy of the book. That was cleared up rather quickly.
The History of Error/Variety Collecting
This is something that someone really needs to do, and I think I'm qualified and know enough different people to make it work.
I want to write a history of the hobby from the first inkling of interest back in the early 1960s to now. I would include interviews of those still living, plus memories of conversations had with those no longer with us. Included (if they are willing) would be the first hand accounts of Ken Potter, James Wiles, John Wexler, J.T. Stanton, Bill Fivaz, Brian Allen, Brian Ribar, Mike Diamond, Mike Ellis, Rich Schemmer, and others, as well as stories and memories of John "Lonesome" Devine, Frank Baumann, Arnie Margolis, Gerald Glasser, Alan Herbert, Delma K. Romines and others who are not still with us.
Included would be information about the beginning of CONE and NECA (which merged to form CONECA), the SDDCA, NCADD, their respective websites, coppercoins.com, and the entry of the grading companies into the E/V world. Basically a timeline of "how it all happened" with interviews and paragraphs directly from the various people who helped make this hobby what it is.
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Both of these ideas would be for short-run, self-published books of probably fewer than 200 copies each. They would run 150-250 pages each and would be illustrated where possible. I would believe that the price per book would run somewhere around $15-$20.
What do you think?
Hobby to Career in Very Small Details.
More for the purpose of being able to share details in my earlier life with my own future generations than anything else, I thought about writing a short book about MY adventures in coins. Somewhat of an autobiography of a die variety collector gone mad. I would write specific details about how I got into the hobby, shows I went to, anecdotes about some conversations I have had with some of the most influential dealers and authors in my past, such as Q. David Bowers, J.T. Stanton, Bill Fivaz, James Wiles, and others.
I would write about some of the things that make me unique as a collector/author/dealer/researcher. My art, my photography, and how I started each...by mistake, almost. My rather unique position as an author, foreword writer, photographer, and artist in various numismatic books - I believe 12 to date.
I would write about highlights in my 'career' as a numismatist - like the evening in Pittsburgh when I had dinner with Fred Weinberg, Arnie Margolis, and Richie Schemmer, and we all called and sang "Happy Birthday" to my mother because I made mention that it was her birthday and needed to borrow a phone to call her. Or maybe the day that Ken Bressett invited me to his house to view my original artwork hanging on his wall. Or the time I was asked to attend a show and do a book signing with Q. David Bowers on his book for which I wrote the foreword - when I showed up at the table, he didn't know who I was because we had never met in person and basically told me to wait my turn for a signed copy of the book. That was cleared up rather quickly.
The History of Error/Variety Collecting
This is something that someone really needs to do, and I think I'm qualified and know enough different people to make it work.
I want to write a history of the hobby from the first inkling of interest back in the early 1960s to now. I would include interviews of those still living, plus memories of conversations had with those no longer with us. Included (if they are willing) would be the first hand accounts of Ken Potter, James Wiles, John Wexler, J.T. Stanton, Bill Fivaz, Brian Allen, Brian Ribar, Mike Diamond, Mike Ellis, Rich Schemmer, and others, as well as stories and memories of John "Lonesome" Devine, Frank Baumann, Arnie Margolis, Gerald Glasser, Alan Herbert, Delma K. Romines and others who are not still with us.
Included would be information about the beginning of CONE and NECA (which merged to form CONECA), the SDDCA, NCADD, their respective websites, coppercoins.com, and the entry of the grading companies into the E/V world. Basically a timeline of "how it all happened" with interviews and paragraphs directly from the various people who helped make this hobby what it is.
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Both of these ideas would be for short-run, self-published books of probably fewer than 200 copies each. They would run 150-250 pages each and would be illustrated where possible. I would believe that the price per book would run somewhere around $15-$20.
What do you think?
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