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lunytune2lunytune2 Posts: 1,077 ✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
What gold books do you have in your library and which do you like best ? Looking to expand my reading and knowledge .

Comments

  • AblinkyAblinky Posts: 626 ✭✭✭
    I'm not a Gold Guru by any means, but the book "Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins 1795-1933" by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth has everything you should need from a standard reference perspective.

    Andrew Blinkiewicz-Heritage

  • valente151valente151 Posts: 1,068 ✭✭✭
    If you're looking for a good read, both "United States Gold Coins: An Illustrated History" and "A California Gold Rush History" both by Dave Bowers are great reads, with the first giving great general background and the second focusing on the fascinating gold rush in California. Both are thick volumes though and will take some time.

    In terms of reference books that are more plain cut gold references, I agree with Blinky about the Garrett/Guth book, as well as the six volumes by David Akers on the United States Gold Coins. I also enjoy the "United States Gold Patterns" by Akers, but that is highly specialized in that it only covers patterns.

    I've read all these over the past few years and found each useful.
    My Retired Toned Proof Mercury Dime Set
  • RonyahskiRonyahski Posts: 3,117 ✭✭✭✭✭
    On vacation right now, toiling away in the heat of Antigua. Took with me several books to catch up on and read. Took with me The Neighborhood Mint - Dahlonega in the Age of Jackson, by Head and Etheridge. Fascinating read about the history and personalities that was the Dahlonega mint. The United States Mint at Charlotte, North Carolina by Birdsall - historic information and anything you need to know about the operations of the Charlotte mint.

    The Garrett Guth book is a must have. I like the Bass Dannreuther book on early die varities, and the Doug Winter books on branch mint coins. Just bought the Bowers /Galiette book on $20s, it looks like an interesting read. The Breen encyclopedia is still relevant for information on gold coins.
    Some refer to overgraded slabs as Coffins. I like to think of them as Happy Coins.
  • valente151valente151 Posts: 1,068 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I like the Bass Dannreuther book on early die varities >>



    Forgot about that one! Early gold is out of my "poor college student" budget, but I own that one as well and enjoy it as well.
    My Retired Toned Proof Mercury Dime Set
  • BoosibriBoosibri Posts: 12,166 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Going from memory since my library is in a different country...

    Neighborhood Mint - Dahlonega in the Age of Jackson; good narrative on the Dahlonega mint, particularly the early years
    The United States Branch Mint at Dahleonega - Birdsall; Comprehensive book on Dahlonega
    The United States Branch Mint at Charlotte - Birdsall; Comprehensive book on Charlotte
    Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint - Doug Winter; Overview of the mint and details on each issue from the mint, rarity, and other attributes. The latest addition include much more work on varieties
    The Bass-Danreuther book as other have mentioned
    Garrett/Guth as mentioned
    David Akers volumes on each denomination from the mid-70's are helpful in tracing pedigrees
    Auction catalogs:
    Eliasberg
    Pittman
    Norweb
    Brand
    Wolfson
    Robson

    Latin American Collection

  • SonorandesertratSonorandesertrat Posts: 5,695 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Others worth considering:
    Bowers QD & Galiette R/United States Liberty Head $20 Double Eagles: The Gilded Age of Coinage [just published]
    Akers DW/United States Gold Patterns: A Photographic Study of the Gold Patterns Struck at the
    U. S. Mint, 1836 – 1907
    Bowers QD/United States Gold Coins: An Illustrated History
    Devine J (‘Lonesome John’)/Detecting Counterfeit Gold Coins
    Fivaz B/United States Gold Counterfeit Detection Guide
    Loewinger RJ (Dannreuther JW, Ed.)/Proof Gold Coinage of the United States
    Kagin DH/Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States [out of date, but there is nothing better yet]
    Moran MF/Striking Change: The Great Artistic Collaboration of Theodore Roosevelt and
    Augustus Saint-Gaudens
    All of Doug Winter's books
    Volumes 2 and 12 of the Official Red Book Series, edited by QD Bowers
    Member: EAC, NBS, C4, CWTS, ANA

    RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'

    CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
  • BoosibriBoosibri Posts: 12,166 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I forgot about the Kagins book. Best book on territorials. The Bechtlers and their coinage book is also a good read though obviously focused only on one of the private minters.

    Latin American Collection

  • Timbuk3Timbuk3 Posts: 11,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Agree with all. They are all great
    reading materials !!! :-)
    Timbuk3
  • SonorandesertratSonorandesertrat Posts: 5,695 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Some older or more esoteric books:
    Akers DW/A Handbook of 20th-Century United States Gold Coins, 1907 - 1933 [still worth reading]
    Barfield R & Strawn K/ The Bechtlers and their Coinage: North Carolina Mint Masters of
    Pioneer Gold
    Coinage of the Americas Conference, Vol.6: America’s Gold Coinage (Metcalf WE, Ed.)
    Bowers QD & Winter D/United States $3 Gold Pieces, 1854 - 1889
    Dieffenbacher A/Counterfeit Gold Coins. Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
    Frankel A/Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World’s Most Valuable Coin [about the 1933 St. Gaudens $20]
    Fuljenz M/Type III Double Eagles, 1877 – 1907
    Gillilland C/Sylloge of the United States Holdings in the National Numismatic Collection
    of the Smithsonian Institution, Vol. 1: Gold Coins, 1785 – 1834 [no additional volumes were published]
    Kosoff A/Pioneer Gold Coinage of the West
    Moulton K/John J. Ford, Jr. and the “Franklin Hoard” [mostly deals with counterfeit gold coins and ingots]
    Mumey N/Clark, Gruber and Company (1860- 1865): A Pioneer Denver Mint. History of
    Their Operation and Coinage
    Newman EP & Mallis AG/U. S. Coin Scales and Mechanical Counterfeit Detectors [mostly made to enable merchants to test gold coins for weight/diameter/thickness]
    Owens D/California Coiners and Assayers
    Rust AE/Mormon and Utah Coin and Currency [includes an addendum concerning the Mark
    Hofmann forgeries]
    Stautzenberger AJ/The Establishment of the Charlotte Branch Mint: A Documented History
    Taglione PF/A Reference to United States Federal Gold Coinage (4 vol. set)
    Breen W/Early United States Half Eagles, 1795 – 1838 [booklet]
    Breen W/Major Varieties of the United States Three Dollar Gold Pieces [booklet]
    Breen W/Major Varieties of U. S. Gold Dollars [booklet]
    Breen W/New Varieties of $1, $2.50 and $5.00 United States Gold [booklet]
    Breen W/United States Eagles [booklet]
    Breen W/Varieties of United States Half Eagles, 1839 – 1929 [booklet]
    Breen W/Varieties of United States Quarter Eagles [booklet]
    Bowers & Merena (1999 - 2000): The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Parts I-IV
    Sotheby & Co./Stack’s (2002): The 1933 Double Eagle
    Bowers & Ruddy (1982): The Henry H. Clifford Collection: Coins of the American West [a number of the pieces in this collection are now widely believed to be counterfeit]
    There are also some books that deal with fractional gold coins (e.g., Breen & Gillio).
    Member: EAC, NBS, C4, CWTS, ANA

    RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'

    CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
  • DeliaBugDeliaBug Posts: 881 ✭
    A few more for the list that I did not see.

    Auction Sales:
    Akers - Thaine Price. 1998.
    Stacks/Sotheby's - Dallas Bank. 2001.
    Superior - Trompeter. 1992.

    Federal Issues:
    Taraszka, Anthony J . - United States Ten Dollar Eagles.
    Garrett, Jeff; Danreuther, John. - United States Gold Coinage: Significant Auction Records 1990-1999.
    Garrett, Jeff; Danreuther, John. - Official Red Book Of Auction Records 1994-2004. U. S. Gold Coinage.

    Private Issues:
    Adams, Edgar Holmes. - Private Gold Coinage Of California 1849-55.
    Breen, Walter; Gillio, Ronald J. - California Pioneer Fractional Gold.
    Burnie, R. H. - Small California And Territorial Gold Coins.
    - The California portion has been obsoleted.
    Dinardo, Joseph E. - The Private Mint Of Moffat & Co.
    Kimmell, Jerry. - Pioneer Gold Auction Analysis.
    Raymond, Wayte. - Private Gold Coins Struck In The United States.
  • JJSingletonJJSingleton Posts: 1,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great list so far. My only additions for those interested in Dahlonega would be the Dukes Creek and the Green Pond auction catalogs.

    Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia

    Findley Ridge Collection
    About Findley Ridge

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I cannot add anything to the huge inventory listed above....If you read three or four of these you will be hooked on gold forever... I will recommend "A California Gold Rush History" as a great book though.... Cheers, RickO
  • lunytune2lunytune2 Posts: 1,077 ✭✭✭
    Thanks guys , cant wait to buy more !!
  • SonorandesertratSonorandesertrat Posts: 5,695 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I cannot add anything to the huge inventory listed above....If you read three or four of these you will be hooked on gold forever... I will recommend "A California Gold Rush History" as a great book though.... Cheers, RickO >>



    If you get tired of that Bowers book and 'John Ford and the Franklin Hoard' by Moulton, just core them and use them as weights for dumbbells.
    Member: EAC, NBS, C4, CWTS, ANA

    RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'

    CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]

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