John McCloskey writes on the remarriage for the 1818 B-7 quarter, the reverse die was used to strike the early state of B-7, then after the reverse started to crack from the N in UNITED to the wing, the reverse  was paired with the rare B-9 obverse. In time, the B-9 obverse was removed and the B-7 obverse was used again, this time with the very late reverse state, as seen in the photographs. An impressive display of photographic evidence of this remarriage is illustrated.

Gary Rosner writes on his find of an 1835 LM-5.1 half dime in MS-62. The coin was in a recent Heritage auction, and was PCGS graded MS-62, in the old style small holder. In such fine condition, new diagnostics were noticed and these have been reported in his article, including star 11 sharply doubled on the two upper oustide points, a light crack through the tops of 183, and some others to various stars.  Congratulations on a fine purchase.

Jeffrey Oertel has an article about 1827: It was a Very Good Year (for bust half varieties). The article discusses the richness of the year 1827 for finding scarce or truly rare varieties. Jeffrey discusses the challenges of finding and attributing coins of this date, and gives clues to the main diagnostics he generally uses. You never know when another rare one will turn up, and with 49 varieties and several scarce die states included, 1827 remains one of the richest years to cherrypick from.

W. David Perkins provides an article on Counterstamped Early Silver Dollars, an Update. Dave mentions several appearances of counterstamped bust dollars, when they appeared at auction or were photographed in articles, giving researchers a treasure trove of information to work with. Many were stamped by silversmiths of the period, others were simply used to record a name or event, and all remain very interesting, and sometimes enigmatic.

Russell J. Logan gives us the latest Condition Census for Bust Half Dimes, 1792-1837. Amazingly, three collectors report owning all of the 91 Capped Bust die marriages! One collector owns an example of each of the 32 known flowing hair and draped bust half dime die marriages, and many superb collections are being formed. Collecting these important coins has taken a giant step forward with the recent release of the superb Federal Half Dimes 1792-1837 by Russell Logan and John McCloskey, and this advanced work includes extensive information on several remarriages of dies, die states and updated rarity ratings. Don't forget to send in your Dime census for the next JRCS Journal!

Keith Davignon writes on Counterfeit Half Dollars; News Update. Keith provides a contemporary article from 1826 about counterfeit half dollars then in circulation, warning citizens to pay attention and be wary of the false pieces. Keith published a superb work entitled "Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollars" in 1996, and several new dates and dies of counterfeits have been discovered, as expected. Some of the more infamous counterfeits have even showed up at auction, touted as mint trials or "set up piece" for the dies. These are not the case, and all collectors would do well to research such claims before bidding. Steve Herrman, a noted Bust Half Nut and JRCS member, publishes a twice yearly report on significant bust half dollar sales, and this includes a section on the many counterfeits. His Survery can be obtained through him at herrman102@aol.com. As always, any new discoveries found should be reported to Keith for the continuing updates on these fascinating contemporary counterfeits.

Stephen R. Turns wrote an article on Cataloging Your Collection. Stephen discusses the advanced technology which can be used to obtain excellent photographs which can be used for study of die diagnostics, which keeps the coins at the bank where they won't be stolen. Further, the photos can be exchanged or copied, and in some cases a photographic collection provides ample opportunity for discovery, especially when several coins from a die pairing are studied and shared with other numismatists.

David Finkelstein has an article on Capped Bust Half Dollar Dentil Anomalies. From research done, it now appears that some half dollars were engraved with double dentils, others with triple dentils. The dentils were probably the last element engraved into the die, their use was to protect the surfaces of the coin from contact and to take the bulk of the wear so the image of Liberty and the eagle would remain strong for as long as possible. In some instances, a double dentil is seen, others have a triple, and some a half dentil, as the engraver tried to evenly place these tiny punches around the edge of each die.

Ken Cable-Camilleis wrote an article entitled Scot/Reich/Kneass Gold: Research on Variety, Rarity & Availability. Ken gives a background of the history behind the gold pieces, and discusses the Capped Head to Left quarter eagles, their rarity and the number of prooflike pieces seen. This series deserves far more attention that it has received, and we're glad to see articles being written on these coins.

Last, Stephen Crain writes about the passing of Stanley Kubacki who lost his battle with cancer last year. Stan was able to cherry pick several rare half dimes, and was more than willing to share his knowledge and good humor with all he met. Stan leaves behind his wife Sue of 27 years, and four children. He will be missed by all who knew him.