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New Professional Edition Red Book: "A Key Acquisition" for the Hobby

New Professional Edition Red Book: “A Key Acquisition” for the Hobby
From "The Publisher's Column," The Whitman Review, February 2011


The first edition of the Professional Edition Red Book made a big splash in the hobby community. Coin collectors, dealers, and researchers agreed with former American Numismatic Association president John Wilson, who called the book “another slam-dunk reference from Whitman.” A common refrain was, as Michael Luck put it in a glowing book review, “For $29.95, it’s a true bargain.”

“Professional collectors will find this a key acquisition,” wrote Diane Donovan in the Midwest Book Review.

“The images are sharp and clear,” said Bill Fivaz, “and I’m delighted with the preponderance of varieties in the many series.”

Reviewer Michael Marotta called it “a treasure house of information” and “cheap at twice the price.”

Ed Porter, in The Lone Star Book Review, gave the Professional Edition Red Book a “WOW” rating and pronounced it “outstanding.”

“Those interested in coin collecting . . . have another valuable tool available in their arsenal for building a great collection,” wrote Darrin Lee Unser in Coin Collecting News.

Now the second edition is available, and we have no doubt that our readers will be just as pleased. Whether you’re an intermediate or advanced coin collector, a professional dealer or auctioneer, an investor, or a numismatic researcher, you’ll benefit from its wealth of information on every U.S. coin series. “This information will help even the most advanced dealer, collector, or investor to be a better seller or buyer of coins,” said former ANA governor Nancy Wilson.


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Features of the Professional Edition include:


Detailed coverage of every federal coin type, half cents through double eagles, plus classic commemoratives, Proof and Mint sets, and bullion.

Expert guidance on striking and sharpness characteristics for each type—valuable information when comparing coins for purchase.

Insight on availability and condition rarity for each type.

Detailed grading instructions, including for Mint State and Proof coins.

Certified population summaries for every date and mintmark—including the number certified, the average grade, and the percent in Mint State.

Expanded valuations, including multiple Mint State and Proof levels, plus Full Bands, Full Bell Lines, Cameo / Deep Cameo, and other specialized designations.

Recent auction data for coins listed.

Additional die varieties in every denomination, with close-up photographs for easy identification.

Informative chart notes that expand on the history, characteristics, and market values of significant coins.

Detailed research, estimated mintages, and market information on early 1800s–early 1900s Proof coinage, including gold.

High-quality, full-color photographs (more than 1,600 altogether) of both circulation strikes and Proof coins, for every type.

Enlargements of key focal points and varieties—many more than in the regular edition.

A new section on the U.S. Mint’s silver, gold, and platinum bullion coins.

A 2009–2010 rare-coin market review, with a look forward to 2011.



A Guide Book of United States Coins, Professional Edition. Full color, 384 pages, spiralbound softcover, 8.5 x 11 inches. Members of the American Numismatic Association may borrow a copy for free from the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.



Comments

  • MidLifeCrisisMidLifeCrisis Posts: 10,504 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>A new section on the U.S. Mint’s silver, gold, and platinum bullion coins. >>


    And yet, it does not include colonial era coinage...again.
  • DentuckDentuck Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>A new section on the U.S. Mint’s silver, gold, and platinum bullion coins. >>


    And yet, it does not include colonial era coinage...again. >>



    Pre-federal was given the royal treatment in the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, by Bowers.



  • AMRCAMRC Posts: 4,266 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I may have to pick one of them up. Thanks.
    MLAeBayNumismatics: "The greatest hobby in the world!"
  • MidLifeCrisisMidLifeCrisis Posts: 10,504 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Pre-federal was given the royal treatment in the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, by Bowers. >>


    True...and I own a copy of Bowers' book and I really like it.

    However, this is the "Professional Edition" of the Red Book, the regular edition of which has included all manner of colonial era coinage for many years...and, as such, is a convenient, all-inclusive, quick reference that can be carried around and used by collectors.

    So if I want a "professional level" of knowledge and information about coins included in the Red Book, I have to carry around two books.
  • MidLifeCrisisMidLifeCrisis Posts: 10,504 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Besides, Bowers has given the royal treatment to many federal series in his other "Red Books", but that didn't stop their inclusion in this book...nor should it have.
  • DentuckDentuck Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭
    The Professional Edition covers federal issues, half cents through double eagles, plus commems and bullion. Giving pre-federal coins and tokens the same level of detail would probably add another 100 pages to the book. To keep the retail at a reasonable $29.95 price point, we decided to let the regular-edition Red Book and the Whitman Encyclopedia do what they do best, in terms of pre-federal.



  • SwampboySwampboy Posts: 12,874 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's been on my book 'want' list.
    I'll pick one up this year for sure.
  • RYKRYK Posts: 35,772 ✭✭✭✭✭
    "I am waiting to see if Longacre buys it," wrote RYK on the PCGS US Coin Forum.
  • MidLifeCrisisMidLifeCrisis Posts: 10,504 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The Professional Edition covers federal issues, half cents through double eagles, plus commems and bullion. Giving pre-federal coins and tokens the same level of detail would probably add another 100 pages to the book. To keep the retail at a reasonable $29.95 price point, we decided to let the regular-edition Red Book and the Whitman Encyclopedia do what they do best, in terms of pre-federal. >>


    OK. How much would another 100 pages have added to the price?
  • LakesammmanLakesammman Posts: 17,282 ✭✭✭✭✭
    WOW - cancel my Coin Facts subscription. image
    "My friends who see my collection sometimes ask what something costs. I tell them and they are in awe at my stupidity." (Baccaruda, 12/03).I find it hard to believe that he (Trump) rushed to some hotel to meet girls of loose morals, although ours are undoubtedly the best in the world. (Putin 1/17) Gone but not forgotten. IGWT, Speedy, Bear, BigE, HokieFore, John Burns, Russ, TahoeDale, Dahlonega, Astrorat, Stewart Blay, Oldhoopster, Broadstruck, Ricko.
  • CoinosaurusCoinosaurus Posts: 9,614 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>"I am waiting to see if Longacre buys it," wrote RYK on the PCGS US Coin Forum. >>



    Yeah, it's a tough call for all the Whitman authors. Do you put a QDB quote on the back of the book, or the ever-coveted Longacre endorsement?
  • MonstavetMonstavet Posts: 1,235 ✭✭
    On sale at Amazon.com for $23.60.
    Send Email or PM for free veterinary advice.
  • I'll have to give it a look, though my CoinFacts subscription and a Droid X phone gives me quick access to a lot of the same information on the go.
    Improperly Cleaned, Our passion for numismatics is Genuine! Now featuring correct spelling.

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