What are your favorite coin books and research materials?
mrearlygold
Posts: 17,858 ✭✭✭
What books do you almost always have on hand that you use for research or just to flip thru? Which books would you recommend to a new collector? Any books on specialties or just coin books in general?
Tom
Tom
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
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Comments
As for more general reading, Bowers' Adventures with Rare Coins and More Adventures with Rare Coins are among my favorites. I also like his Numismatic Companions series--their small size makes them easy to tote around. Bowers books are generally excellent; I am currently enjoying the book, The Norweb Collection: An American Legacy. Unfortunately, this one, like several others, has become hard to find.
After that?
It depends on what particular interests the collector has, but you can't go wrong to start with a Red Book, Breen's Encyclopedia and a grading guide (such as Photograde, the ANA Grading Guide or the PCGS Grading Guide - first edition only, of course).
Check out the Southern Gold Society
For U.S. gold, The Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins, 1795-1933, by Garrett and Guth.
For the most numismatic facts packed per square inch, The Expert's Guide to Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins, by Q. David Bowers.
For early small coins, Fractional Money by Neil Carothers.
The Provincial Token-Coinage of the 18th Century by Dalton & Hamer
Old Davisson sale catalogues
Collecting:
Conder tokens
19th & 20th Century coins from Great Britain and the Realm
Love ideas from whomever.
Ike Specialist
Finest Toned Ike I've Ever Seen, been looking since 1986
<< <i>College of Hard Knocks , manuals and study guides. >>
many of us learned that way you know
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
The Bowers books on Silver Dollars are also quite pricey. I saw part one listed for 500 bucks earlier
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Handbook Of United States Coins (The Official BLUE BOOK), 56th Edition by R.S. Yeoman
Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins, Fifth Edition by American Numismatic Association
Official Guide To Coin Grading And Counterfeit Detection, First Edition by Professional Coin Grading Service
Grading Coins Today: An ANA Correspondence Course, by Don Bonser
Grading Mint State U.S. Coins: An ANA Correspondence Course, by J.P. Martin
How To Grade U.S. Coins, by James L. Halperin
Photograde Official Photographic Grading Guide for United States Coins, 18th Edition by James F. Ruddy
Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States A Complete Encyclopedia, Volume One by Q. David Bowers
Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States A Complete Encyclopedia, Volume Two by Q. David Bowers
Morgan Silver dollars A Complete History and Price Guide, 2nd Edition by Q. David Bowers
The Morgan and Peace Dollar Textbook, by Wayne Miller
The Comprehensive U.S. Silver Dollar Encyclopedia, by John W. Highfill
Comprehensive Catalog And Encyclopedia Of Morgan & Peace Dollars, Fourth Edition by Leroy C. Van Allen & A. George Mallis
Morgan Dollars An In-Depth Study, Second Edition by Dean F. Howe
The Top 100 Morgan Dollar Varieties: The VAM Keys, by Michael S. Fey, Ph.D. and Jeff Oxman
Out of all of the refernces above, I use Official Guide To Coin Grading And Counterfeit Detection, First Edition by Professional Coin Grading Service the most, followed by Comprehensive Catalog And Encyclopedia Of Morgan & Peace Dollars, Fourth Edition by Leroy C. Van Allen & A. George Mallis
TKC!
Proud member of the CUFYNA
Need a Banner Made? PM ME!
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Only for issues which have do not have a more up-to-date resource. Even for these, Heritage and ANR archives, Bass catalogues, and others are more useful--you just have to work harder to get the information.
<< <i> Any of you dated gold collectors think that Akers books are still relevant?
Only for issues which have do not have a more up-to-date resource. Even for these, Heritage and ANR archives, Bass catalogues, and others are more useful--you just have to work harder to get the information. >>
Now if prices realized from all legitimate auctions could be archived and be made available in one place.
I'd happily pay a subscription fee for that service and watch several other pricing sources fade away into oblivion.
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
I'd happily pay a subscription fee for that service and watch several other pricing sources fade away into oblivion.
Whitman offers such a product yearly. It costs about $150 and covers all major auctions for about 10 or 15 years. I saw it in Atlanta at the spring ANA show, but I did not want to carry it home with me. Wen I finally got around to ordering it from Whitman, it was sold out.
I plan to purchase it next year.
That's a link to a good source of info by the way ( what RYK posted)
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Numismatic Art In America by Cornelius Vermeule. Aesthetics of the United States Coinage by the curator of classical
art from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Great book!
I suspect Coin World could be on the same level, but alas no index exists, and even if it did, who has a full set?
Wow! No wonder my wife tells me to clean up the bookcase so often. She doesn't even realize all the stuff I have stored in the basement.
WS
Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins - Bresset
Commemorative Coins of the United States - Q. D. Bowers
<< <i>Probably the thing I reference most frequently are back issues of the Numismatist and Numismatic Scrapbook, indexed in NIP at the ANS (amnumsoc.org).
Good ones! When I worked at Heritage back in 1991 a fellow came into the showroom on a saturday and asked if we would have an interest in a virtual complete set of Numismatists. I asked him what year and he replied "all the way back". I asked Steve Ivy is we ( Heritage) wanted them and he told me that if I wanted them to go ahead and buy them for myself. OK! I asked the fellow what he wanted for them which turned out to be reasonable and he asked me if we had a hand truck as his van was outside and these things were heavy. I wound up moving the equivilent of 6 bannana boxes of Numismatists, all in sets and still have them today. Has to be several hundred pounds!
Needless to say I was out bid on a duplicate set tonight heh.
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
It's the definitive guide to Ike Dollars.
This is still 1987, isn't it?
Vietnam Vet 1968-1969
The Coin Collectors Survival Manual: Scott Travers.
The Expert's Guide to Collecting 7 Investing In Rare Coins: Bowers
$20 Saint Gaudens Registry Set
I just bought a signed copy in Hard Cover ! I don't recall seeing a hard cover one before. What an adventure!
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
CDN from within the last 6 months for basic valuation reference
Kessler's Fugio Cents
Breen's Half Cents
Silver dollar attribution guides used to be around me a lot more. As I absorb them, I rarely consult them. Rob's 21-D comes in handy still and I am just getting into the new 78-S one. The 79-S rev 78 guide I should use more than I do.
If I am going to a dealer's shop, I take nothing except rarely a grey sheet.
If I am driving to a show, I'll take the grey sheet (and probably buy a new one if they have a table) and have the VAM updates in my backpack to check out the interesting coins I cherry. I never actually take them out of my backpack at a dealer's table.
If flying to a show, The VAM book and a couple attribution guides will be added and probably remain at the hotel while on the bourse but might be in the rolling backpack.
Should I be specifically looking for Fugios or half cents, I'll just memorize the characteristics of the varieties I want.
NSDR - Life Member
SSDC - Life Member
ANA - Pay As I Go Member
The Die Varieties of United States Large Cents 1840-1857, Bob Grellman (late date large cents)
The Half Cent Die State Book, Ron Manley (U.S. half cents)
Penny Whimsy, Sheldon (early date large cents)
Standard Catalog of World Coins from Krause (18th, 19th & 20th century volumes)
The Provincial Token-Coinage of the 18th Century by Dalton & Hamer (British Conder Tokens)
... and NOTHING by Breen.
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
By the way, am I the only person who uses the Coin World Almanac? Whenever the question about what boks we use comes up, no one ever mentions it but me.
A copy at work, a copy at home, and need to buy a copy for my car.
The Red Book
ANA Grading Guide and/or Photograde guide
Cherrypicker's guides
Any book by Scott Travers ("How to make $ in Coins right now" is very good)
Good luck...and when you are ready to step it up a notch, there are many great books if
you decide to concentrate on one series.
"La Vostra Nonna Ha Faccia Del Fungo"
<< <i>read anything by QDB. My favorite QDB book is Abe Kosoff Dean of Numismatics, but that is far from being a "research material". >>
I just bought a signed copy in Hard Cover ! I don't recall seeing a hard cover one before. What an adventure! >>
For pleasure rather than research reading it is hard to go wrong with the Bowers books on famous collectors/dealers such as Norweb, Kosoff, Garrett, Eliasberg etc. The one exception for me was the one on
Virgil Brand, it just kind of left me cold I think because he did not come off as a very likeable person and his
personal life seemed to be pretty messed up.
Apropos of the coin posse/aka caca: "The longer he spoke of his honor, the tighter I held to my purse."
Bill Noyes' Large Cent worjs for both the early dates and middle dates
The Official Large Cent Condition census book by bill noyes - 2005 publishing
CQR (Copper Quotes by Robinson 18th ed ) and Penny Prices (Bill Noyes 2005)
old Superior LC Auction catalogs featuring ( especially Jack Robinson 1989; Robinson Brown 1986 and 1996; G. Lee Kuntz 1991; JR Franknfield 2001; Wally Lee 2003) unpallelled LC cataloging
Snows Book on Flying Eagles and Indian Head Cents
...and as soon as I can find one [at a reasonable price] Penny Whimsey and Bob Grellmans book on Large Cent attribution...Leo
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I do. I have a pretty extensive library.......some of them I've never even opened
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Anyone have an opinion on the Type I, II, and III double eaglle books??
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870