How big is your numsmatic library?

LanLord

Not counting red/black/blue books and similar pricing guides. Just the real study material.

How many books related to coins do you own?

Do you specialize on one or a couple areas or all over the place?

I never realized the power of knowledge until I got here (this forum). Reading the regular output from many of the members here drove home the issue that you need to know the series you collect or your going to get crushed.

I started buying books a little over 6 months ago and have 32 at this time.
I will buy books in areas of numismatics that I don't even collect, just because I mike the subject matter, or perhaps a future interest may make the book valuable.

I want a room full of books, but that's going to take a while.

airplanenut

As an ANA member, their library is my library, so mine is pretty darn big

smprfi

8 BOOKS

abuell

Approximately 80 feet of bookshelf space. You want to know how many volumes? You come over and count them - I don't have time.

kranky

I probably have a couple dozen, not counting Redbooks.

shirohniichan

I probably only have a couple dozen, but the auction catalogs (which don't count) have tons of great information in them (as do the Gobrecht Journals and other periodicals that don't count).

mdwoods

I think I have around a dozen, not counting pricing guides or auction catalogs. mdwoods

FatMan

9 books

ldhair

18 feet if I count the auction stuff.

Outhaul

Roughly 300 books if you count major auction catalogs. I find catalogs to be excellent reference material.

Cheers,

Bob

Johnscoin

Good question...
I'd say I have about 75 possibly? About 3 bookshelves full. 2 of which I don't use much, but my parents enjoy having them in their guest room

RegistryCoin

I've gone through many, many numismatic books. I only have about a dozen here that I refer to now. All the rest went to Justin (tone boy) to use to outdo his dad.

DesertLizard

ABout 40, not including auction cats which I toss unless I see something neat then scan it in an Acrobat file which is then merged into an indexed database. The DB has about 200 auctions worth of "stuff". Stuff meaning mostly PCGS silver and gold slab data.

Coinosaurus

Too big I have about 500 auction catalogs, 1500 periodicals, and maybe 100 books.

I understand that the Hamelberg library (the largest private collection right now) is over 700 linear feet! That's about 50 bookshelves fully stuffed!

dorkkarl

2 bookshelves, each 7 ft. tall x 3 ft wide. a large proportion is auction catalogs back to about 1915, & periodicals back to about 1960.

K S

Conder101

About 21 feet of shelf space.

nwcs

I have a few. I'm more of a generalist and not as big into the details...

pmh1nic

More important question; how many of those books have you read cover to cover ?

DoubleDime

I have close to 100 Books.

RotatedRainbows

A couple dozen not counting old auction catalogs which can be invaluable sometimes.

Coulport

My 5 foot wide, three shelf book case is full.
The desk and writing bureau are loaded also.

Trime

Quite a few. Maybe 25 linear feet. More importantly I use them all the time. I do not save periodicals such as coin worldor the complementary publications of the major coin dealers. I do save the auction catalogues.

CarlWohlforth

I thought I had almost none. Well compared to some of the postere it still feels that way. I have 8 not including the Red Book (why not include that?) and auction catalogues. I have recycled a few catalogues -- they are huge and can really pile up.

CharlieB

<< <i>More important question; how many of those books have you read cover to cover ? >>



Quite a few. Keep in mind that having coin books in full view in
your bookcase could be a signpost for a burgler already in your home.
On any book that has the word COINS in huge bold print I usually
keep those books behind other books in a bookcase. May sound
paranoid but if I were a burgler I know a a grouping of books
with the words UNITED STATES COINS on them would get my attention quickly.

Besides buying them, I picked up nice coin books at yard sales for
50 cents each, and at estate sales, and some great ones at curbside
when someone moved. A few weeks ago I saw a box of books setting
out on the curb for trash pickup the next day. I threw the box
in the truck. I got a 1960 redbook and seven old 1908-1930's novels.
I posted a thread a good while back about finding a nice coin
collection too at curbside when someone chucked everything and
moved overseas. Yes, I was very shocked. I still have the collection
and a couple of redbooks that went with it plus "The Fantastic
1804 Dollar" in hardback. Remember that one?

Keyrock

A few Dozen books not counting the periodicals.

MacCoin

Boxes of Coin World, Numisatic News and Coinage

coinrookie

A few.What is odd tough, I have some that are about coins that I have no interest in colllecting the whole series. Like buffalo nickels. I plan on maybe collecting about 5 specimens. But these coins are so cool that I just want to know their history.

mrfred

One three-and-a-half foot shelf.

BillJones

About 35 feet of shelf space, not counting the Red Books. I have complete set of those starting with the first edition, which would add 4 to five more feet. How come they don't count?

09sVDB

About two dozen. I am currently reading Bowers "More Adventures With Rare Coins."

LanLord

Many people have asked about why redbooks and other price guides don't count. I suppose if you want to include them you can do so, it just seems repititious to consider upwards of (potentially) 50 or so redbooks. While they change somewhat from one year to the next, I wouldn't consider multiple redbooks a major addition to a library.

BillJones

If you have ever followed Red Books through the years, you see something about coin collecting. What happened when certain varieties were included? What happened when they were not? Why were people unable to recognize the small 5 variety of 1805 half cent? Answer: the Red Book had a picture of the wrong coin for a number of years. Where have prices gone though years? Check old Red Books. Did you know that the IRS has accepted Red Book evaluations when other price documentation was missing? That's why you see cases where lawyers buy old Red Books.

There's more to old Red Books, especially VERY OLD Red Books than meets the eye.

Keyrock

Bill, nice insight into the red books. Good information to know.

Rich

Baley

an even dozen books including my 1980 and 1999 redbooks. faves are my breen encyclopedia and my bowers "adventures with rare coins"

RGL

The standards ... Cherrypickers, ANA, PCGS and Photograde grading guides, Breen's opus, several of Bowers' books, nearly every book known to Jeffs and Buffs and their RPMs, doubled dies, etc., Tomaska's 50-70 Proof Cameo Coinage, many auction catalogs, etc. More than I thought, I guess ... then the obligatory Red Books, Blue Books, Coin Worlds, etc...

Gemini

I was fortunate to buy a collection of books from an old time collector from the 20's who had passed away and left everything to his church as he was a bachelor.

The book collection consisted of two piles from floor to ceiling on subject matter such as auction catalogs, U.S. coin monographs, dealer fixed price catalogs, early issues of the Numismatist,and foriegn coin books of many countries.

I have also added to this pile for the last 40 years and it has overgrown my house and most if it is now stored in my garage and my shed. I keep the references I use frequently in the house occupying shelves in my living room and also in my den.