Penny Whimsy by William H. Sheldon (1990, Hardcover)

This book, written by Dr.William H. Sheldon, is an absolute must-have for Early Large Cent collectors. It was written by the same man who invented the 01 to 70 grading system that is used for virtually all coins that are graded by collectors and coin dealers.
I like this book most especially because it saved me from making an expensive mistake! See my guide I wrote on it.
It is easy reading, and, while some of Dr. Sheldon's theory about how values of these rare coins could be determined via mathematical application proved wrong, his expert diagnosis and cataloging of die variations arms the reader with information that is almost fool-proof evidence for authenticating any early Large Cent.
Frequently out of print, and hard to find when available, it is, in my mind, the Foundation Book for an Early Large Cent collector to own.