Red Book vs. Blue Book - What's the point?

RB1026

Not trying to be a wise guy. I have bought a new Red Book each year since the early '80s and find it to be an invaluable reference book. On the flip side, someone gave me a copy of the 2013 Blue Book and honestly I can't see the point. It costs about the same and seems to be a really watered down black and white version of the Red Book.

What am I missing? In both cases, they have been in print for decades so someone is buying both. My question is....why?

Jcarney

Well, the Blue Book is supposed to be a "wholesale value" price guide or what you would expect a dealer to pay for a coin. In real life, not really. I've never seen a dealer consult a Blue Book when making an offer. If they use a guide at all, it's generally the Greysheet.

BillJones

I've been a collector since 1960, and I've never seen any use for the Blue Book. I don't know how it stays in print. It has less information than the Red Book, and the prices, at least when I last looked at them a long time ago, were very low and very unfair to any seller who used them. I agree with you. There is not good reason to buy a Blue Book instead of a Red Book.

ColonelJessup

Bucket shops and B&Ms use Blue Book to buy. It's in print, so it must be true.

Greeniejr

The Blue Book is generally useless and we tend to only sell it to people too cheap to buy the red book. They tend to also go to people who think they are smart but are really not. I suggest the Red Book to all new collectors and to update it every 5-6 years. The relative values (if a coin is worth 1000 in G-4 it is a better date for like silver dollars) are ok and the grading information is pretty good. With the mintages and pictures it is a great resource. I tell people that the pricing information is generally bad but if you know it, then the book is usable.