Encyclopedia of US Gold Coins: 1795-1933

RYK · May 31, 2006 12:28PM

I received my copy today (Longacre, eat your heart out!)

Here are my first impressions:

1. It is a coffee table book, not a book to bring to the beach.

2. It is truly an encyclopedia, with a short blurb about each issue. That's both good and bad. It's good because coins that would otherwise get no copy get some. It's bad because the description of a classic rarity like the 1815 half eagle (ten known) is about as long as the description of the generic 1901-S half eagle (thousands upon thousands known).

3. Coins from the National Numismatic Collection are featured, and the 1849 $20 is on the front cover. How cool is that?

4. A coin that RYK owns is pictured. I did not expect that! (Feel free to guess which one.)

5. The section on gold patterns is a highlight. Regrettably, they did not include gold patterns struck in copper, gilt, etc.

6. It is not a book you will read cover-to-cover. It spans 636 pages, including appendices.

7. It is a recommended reference for anyone with a passing interest (or more) in gold coins. Specialists will not find the book to be an important reference for their series. This book does NOT replace the existing specialty references.

DaveG · May 31, 2006 12:40PM

How does this book compare to the Akers books? Does it replace them?

(I know you kept the Akers half eagle book.)

mrearlygold · May 31, 2006 12:50PM

That's what I said. Exactly

RYK · May 31, 2006 12:53PM

How does this book compare to the Akers books? Does it replace them?

Excellent question! The new encyclopedia is not nearly as dense with auction data as the Akers books. The photos are higher quality and color (as you would expect), and the information is considerably more up-to-date. Remember, the Akers series was B.C. (Before Certification). I think that for all but the most compulsive nerds, the new encyclopedia does indeed replace the Akers books.

RYK · May 31, 2006 12:55PM

That's what I said. Exactly

Not true. Your review did not include "coffee table" but did include "wisdom tooth".

mrearlygold · May 31, 2006 1:23PM

<< That's what I said. Exactly

Not true. Your review did not include "coffee table" but did include "wisdom tooth".

>>

Longacre · May 31, 2006 10:53PM

I need to put an order in, unless the forum members want to get it for me for my birthday (later this month

)

mojorizn · May 31, 2006 11:41PM

My birthday is a long way off, but hey, I am a father and that's the 18th! I'd love a copy under the,er father's day tree (turkey, egg, your choice of holiday symbol here)!

Mojo

TheRaven · May 31, 2006 11:41PM

What is the cost of the book approximately?

Sounds like a good book.....

RYK · May 31, 2006 11:49PM

Retail $70, $100 for the leather-bound, limited edition, autographed version. Perhaps, I should give one away here?

TheRaven · June 1, 2006 12:08AM

Wow, actually I just saw it on amazon for $45.....

I see the book is to be released on 6/15 I see

RYK · June 1, 2006 1:21PM

Additional comments:

Two useful pieces of data include the total number of auction appearances for each issue from 1991-2005 and the total certified population of each issue (NGC, PCGS, and ANACS), in addition to average grade and % mint state (for those of you that can afford MS

). My one concern is that I do not know where they are getting the total certified population numbers. I myself have added the PCGS and NGC numbers for all of the Dahlonega $5's and come up with higher numbers than those reported in the book.

There is Whitman retail pricing information, which is reasonably close for the issues that I follow, and especially so considering the book was at the printer several months ago. My one criticism here is that they do not necessarily report the pricing for the grades in which the coins appear or those that people actually collect. For example, it probably would be more useful for the casual collector to have pricing information for 1924 Saints in MS-64 and MS-65 than it is for him to have pricing information for the 1924 Saint in VF-20 and EF-40. Guess which price points are published?

As a readable work, especially for one interested in the history of gold coins, this book does not replace Bowers' Illustrated History of US Gold Coins, the companion book to the 1982 Eliasberg gold sale. There is a historical overview here, but certainly not enough depth for most of us.

Overall, I think that the book is a solid reference for the casual or beginning collector. Intermediate level and advanced collectors might find it useful for a quick fact look-up, with certainly more depth than the Redbook, but will instantly realize that the Encyclopedia will not replace their specialty references.

BECOKA · June 1, 2006 2:38PM

Thanks for the info, I am still looking for a good all around half eagle reference from beginning to end. How does it do with bust, classic, Indian?

northcoin · June 1, 2006 9:07PM

I just got confirmation that my ordered copy is in transit. I was surprised though to see I am being charged a shipping charge over twenty dollars even though it is going out Media Mail from Whitman and despite the fact that the promo, as I recall, promised free shipping despite the fact that the checkout added it anyway. (For me media mail means a two or three week delay). Anyone else equally disappointed in how these books are being shipped?

Longacre · June 1, 2006 9:15PM

Thanks for the additional info, RYK. I definitely will get it. It seems like a good book and will be useful when used in conjunction with the Winter books and some of the Bowers books.

northcoin · June 5, 2006 3:19PM

Just curious, how much did the postage sticker refelect and was yours sent by ultra slow media mail? It will be a month before I see my copy.

ms71 · June 5, 2006 6:57PM

I just ordered it on Amazon.com - it's $44.07 and has free shipping (they list it as "not yet released", with an estimated delivery late this month).

northcoin · June 10, 2006 9:55PM

Even after expressing my disappointment to Whitman I was surprised at their failure to make any effort to remedy the situation. Has anyone else had a similar experience ordering something online where free shipping is promised in the promotional materials, but when the shopping cart appears you get tagged by the computer for shipping anyway? The irony is that I ordered the book directly from the publisher hoping to get it faster. As it is it is stuck now in media mail land and I could have had it already in hand had I purchased it from a secondary source.

To be charged $20 for shipping and then have it sent media mail is a real joke made even worse by the fact that free shipping was promoted.

RYK · June 10, 2006 10:04PM

I pre-ordered my copy and received it on May 31 (as indicated above). While I am not disappointed with how quickly I received, nor am I disappointed with the free postage, I will not order again directly from Whitman. Why pay 50% more to buy directly from the publisher when I can buy the book from a retailer, Amazon? Also, perhaps as a bonus, they sent me some useless spiral bound checklist of US coins via priority mail. My thinking is that instead of giving me a discount on the book, I essentially paid for a "free" item that is of no use to me (or most collectors).

northcoin · June 12, 2006 11:32AM

Good news - bad news. Good news is the book finally arrived from Whitman publishing today (6/12/06) after being placed in the mail 5/25/06. This was almost three weeks in transit and it could have been worse. Bad News - the actual cost to Whitman to ship the book to me by media mail computes as $3.51 per USPS. It would have cost $12.80 by Priority Mail and I would have had it within 3 days instead of 3 weeks. What a ripoff considering I was billed $20 for shipping and handling after having been promotionally promised "free shipping." At the minimum Whitman should have sent me the book by Priority Mail if they were going to charge me $20.00 for shipping and handling. I feel they owe me my $20.00 back. If anyone from Whitman is reading this please PM me as your customer service people have ignored my requests.

RYK · June 12, 2006 12:47PM

It's a shame that the distribution issues are overshadowing the release of a significant new numismatic reference.

BECOKA · June 12, 2006 2:36PM

I'm getting ready to place my pre-order on Amazon and I am throwing in a new Casio watch to get free shipping.

It works out that I busted my old watch.

northcoin · June 13, 2006 5:30PM

Casio? Should have gone for the Seiko.

JapanJohn · June 13, 2006 6:11PM

Ordered mine yesterday from Amazon and it was $44 and change. The confirmation email I got showed that it's expected to ship on 23 June. Because of that I changed to Super Saver Shipping and saved $4 on shipping. If I can wait until 23 June I can wait a few more days to save a few more bucks.

John

BECOKA · June 13, 2006 11:48PM

<< Casio? Should have gone for the Seiko. >>

Casio has a sweet looking Titanium alloy watch for about $60. I had a nice $300 Seiko and am tired of losing expensive watches on international flights.

BECOKA · June 29, 2006 9:54AM

Just got mine in the mail today. Agreeing with RYK Looks like a great coffee table book.

I was a little disappointed at how short the design history was on many issues. It pretty much only contained what every website summary contains. I wish it would have included all details like where some of the designs were borrowed from like the Indian Eagle from a presidential medal etc... Also there were not enough historical relevancies, I wish there were some more abstract ideas or at least something to differentiate the stories from every other gold book.

Edited: And I did not get the Casio. I got a 150mm Sigma Macro Lens instead.

messydesk · June 29, 2006 10:32AM

I got mine today as well, $44.07 delivered from Amazon. I have a slightly different perspective than those of you who are gold specialists. I'm not a gold collector at the moment. I've scrutinized a lot of high grade "type coin" dates for someone, but don't have a collection of my own. This book provides a good survey of what to expect when shopping for these coins, and leaves much of the esoterica for the specialized books. The information orthogonality is good throughout the whole book, meaning I can find pretty much the same information about every issue. The photos are not terribly consistent, though, with a mixture of "Heritage style" and "Goldberg style" shots, and everything in between. It's nice to see coins from the Smithsonian so notated in the book as well. It would have been nice to have a 10-15 "highlights" page with some glam shots of the monster coins in the book blown up big. The 1849 $20, while having a solo appearance on the cover, is covered inside the book with a picture the same size as an 1889 $1. I definitely recommend this book to anyone with at least a passing interest in gold, as it makes for a good starting point from which to explore this facet of U.S. coin production.

TheRaven · June 29, 2006 12:05PM

I go the book today from Amazon as well.....

Pretty solid book, glad I purchased it.....

Will be good for general research on future potential endervers.....

I agree some large pictures of some of the magical coins would have been sweet.....

Longacre · June 30, 2006 3:51AM

I just got mine today. I can't wait to take a detailed look through it.

Barndog · June 30, 2006 3:52AM

<< I just got mine today. I can't wait to take a detailed look through it >>

neither can Consuela!

Longacre · June 30, 2006 3:54AM

<< 

<< I just got mine today. I can't wait to take a detailed look through it >>

neither can Consuela! >>

I'm taking enough heat about that today, Dog.

TheRaven · June 30, 2006 4:54AM

Funny stuff

Encyclopedia of US Gold Coins: 1795-1933

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