Starting Out
KellenCoin
Posts: 1,206 ✭✭✭✭
I started collecting coins (and later paper money, tokens, and medals) about 3-4 years ago. When I was starting out, I got a book by Arlyn Sieber called A Kid's Guide to Collecting Coins. This book, along with Alan Herbert's Warman's U.S. Coin Collecting were some of the best for beginners. What is a book you started out with?
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I started with a Red Book. It is the coin collecting bible.
The Red Book.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Red book
Blue book
Red Book is extremely useful. I still have one on-hand that I use regularly.
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The Red Book, Christmas morning 1959.
Red book, plus I got stacks of my paternal grandmother's used issues of Coin World about 2x per year.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
The Red Book when I wanted to know how much I saved by finding a coin in the wild, but the Blue book when I wanted to know the real value of my collection.
~Matthew
CoinRollin.blogspot.com
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A 1959 edition Blue Book (in 1959) followed by a copy of COIN WORLD in April, 1962 when I was actually starting to collect and then the big move ... $1.75 spent on a 1963 edition of the Red Book in June, 1962.
I also got a Red Book for Christmas- 1984. Up till then, I looked at Dad's, and was very proud to have my own. So much, I put my name, address, and telephone number in it just in case it got lost. I think I took it everywhere with me that next year.
The first coin book I had was the 1973 Blue Book. My mom got it for me when I had the flu.
I liked it because it gave me realistic values for my coins, and I think made it easier for me to transition to dealing coins.
I remember I had a friend who had a Redbook and every time he would add a coin to his collection he would say, "Now my collection is worth $255.50...." And I would say "Great, but what's it REALLY worth?"
He would respond $255.50.....he later found out when he got divorced and I handled his collection that he was wrong....of course, this was much later and his collection was worth WAY more than he thought...
A 1963 Redbook.
Recipient of the coveted "You Suck" award, April 2009 for cherrypicking a 1833 CBHD LM-5, and April 2022 for a 1835 LM-12, and again in Aug 2012 for picking off a 1952 FS-902.
I was a late starter. "The Coin Collector's Survival Manual," and "PCGS Guide to Grading"
1961 redbook from a second hand store.
Redbook. Now I have a near full set of them too.
Spadones' book on oddities and varieties. Around 1966/67.
Redbook.... and while I know I do not have them all.... there are a lot of them on the bookshelf.....Cheers, RickO
Fifty years ago it was the "Redbook", but not too long ago, I found "Coin Collecting for Dummies" which had some good advice for beginners.
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/publishedset.aspx?s=142753
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1973 check stand at Lynches Market, small book that had info and a check list to put a rare coin collection together.. I can't remember the name of it. Lincoln Cent on the cover I think. I was hooked. My dad gave his Red book after that from the 50's