Walter Breen (September 5, 1928 - April 28, 1993) was an American author. He is best known among coin collectors for writing Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins. "Breen numbers", from his encyclopedia, are widely used to attribute varieties of coins. He is also well known for his writings in defense of the homosexual practice of pederasty. September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Coin collecting is the hobby of collecting coins. ... Pederasty, as idealized by the ancient Greeks, was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside of his immediate family. ...

Biography

A foundling child discovered in San Antonio, Texas, Walter Breen strove to distinguish himself academically from a young age and continued excelling academically throughout his post-secondary education. He endured a brief stint in the Army, and claimed that a 1947 plane crash while on duty contributed to his photographic memory. He received his B.A.in mathematics from Johns Hopkins University in 1952, having finished four years of coursework in approximately ten months, and later earned his M.A. from UC Berkeley in 1966. San Antonio (the Spanish name of Saint Anthony) is a common toponym in parts of the world where the Spanish language is or was spoken: Argentina San Antonio, Jujuy province Belize San Antonio, Cayo District Chile San Antonio Mexico San Antonio, San Luis Potosí Philippines San Antonio, Quezon San Antonio... ... The Johns Hopkins University is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland. ... The University of California, Berkeley (also known as Cal, UC Berkeley, UCB, or simply Berkeley) is a prestigious, public, coeducational university situated in the foothills of Berkeley, California to the east of San Francisco Bay, overlooking the Golden Gate and its bridge. ...

As Breen completed his undergraduate college coursework, he immersed himself in the study of coinage. 1951 saw the journal Numismatist publish his earliest writings on the subject. Two years later he completed his first book on American coins, Proof Coins Struck by the United States Mint, 1817-1901. Coins were not all that occupied Breen's research, however. This article needs cleanup. ...

Walter Breen also spent considerable time compiling information on the history of homosexuality, particularly pederasty, sexual relationships between adult men and adolescent males. His research, unprecedented in its extensive treatment of the history of homosexuality, formed the basis for his 1964 book Greek Love, which he published under the pseudonym "J.Z. Eglinton." Since its coining, the term homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... Pederasty, as idealized by the ancient Greeks, was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside of his immediate family. ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ...

Other interests included dirty limericks and fortune cookies; Breen self-published monographs on both subjects.

Despite his alternative sexual interests, Breen was married to science fiction writer Marion Zimmer Bradley in 1964. They had two children and separated in 1979, yet he continued to live down the street from Bradley, and she remained his primary employer until his final arrest. They officially divorced in 1990. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 - September 25, 1999) was a prolific author of largely feminist fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and was a steadfast encourager of equality (and quality) in writing. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ...

In 1980, one year after "separating," both Breen and Bradley were ordained in the Holy Apostolic-Catholic Church of the East (Chaldean-Syrian) priesthood by Metropolitan-Archbishop Mikhail Itkin, a well-known gay clergyman.

Breen's pederasty was an open secret in both science fiction and numismatic circles; in the sixties he was banned for life from attending World Con sci-fi festivals due to his behavior with children, a controversy which became known as the "Breendoggle" and resonates in that community to this day.

Breen was first arrested in the 1950s for "lewd behavior", exposing himself to young boys under a boardwalk in Atlantic City; in 1991 he was charged with eight felony counts of child molestation involving a thirteen-year-old boy, the son of science-fiction writer Stephen Goldin (who has since gone public). // Sexual abuse in general Sexual abuse is a form of abuse that is made by means of the sexual behavior between an victim(s) and offender(s). ...

Breen was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1992, and died in prison in Chino, California the next year. His widow was successfully sued by the Goldin family, due to her knowledge and facilitation of his criminal behavior. The transcripts of Bradley's deposition have been made available on the internet. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, also called hepatoma) is a primary malignancy (cancer) of the liver. ... Chino is a city located in San Bernardino County, California. ...

Publications

• Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins New York: Doubleday, 1988.
• Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of United States Half Cents 1793-1857
• California Pioneer Fractional Gold: Historic gold rush small change 1852-1856 and suppressed jewelers' issues 1859-1882; co-authored by Ronald Gillio, this is the standard reference for this series of coinage
• Penny Whimsy; assisted William Sheldon to produce this 1958 update to Sheldon's Early American Cents.
• Greek Love; assisted by Warren Johansson and published by Oliver Layton Press in 1964.