Wrote a book about classic commemoratives — a collector's guide from an unlikely place
MarRot
Posts: 20 ✭✭
Hey everyone,
I'm Marcin, a collector from Warsaw, Poland. Three years ago I stumbled into classic commemoratives and never looked back. What got me hooked was simple — every single coin is different. Different story, different designer, different political scandal behind it. You can't say that about many series.
I now have over 20 pieces in my type set — Oregon, Texas, Norfolk, Columbian, Columbia MS67+ among them — and somewhere along the way I started taking notes. About the history, the grading traps, the drip strategies, the coins that are worth hunting and the ones that are dealer traps.
Those notes became a book. "Half a Dollar of History" — 50 chapters, one per type, Columbian through Carver-Washington. Grading guides, set-building strategy, auction values from April 2026, PCGS coin photography throughout.
This is entirely my own work — research, writing, editing, layout, publishing. No publisher, no editor, no team. Just a collector from Poland who got a little too obsessed.
I'm not a professional numismatist. English is not my first language. But my love for these coins is very much real.
Happy to talk commemoratives, answer questions, or just commiserate about the Oregon Trail situation. That chapter practically wrote itself.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Comments
Good luck in your quest for a knock-out Lafayette.
Your book certainly sounds interesting!
(I'm going to pick up the Kindle version.)
Thank you so much!
Hope you enjoy the book, and feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback!
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
you might get spamming comments. this thread will likely go that way.
but
no author should get spam complaints on these message boards
i hope it sells really well for you.
Thank you for the heads up — and for the kind words. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
As I mentioned, this book is really just a love letter to classic commemoratives. Three years of collecting, note-taking, and probably too much time on auction archives. Whether it sells ten copies or a thousand, I'm just glad I wrote it.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Congrats on this achievement , I wish you all the best with your new endeavor and welcome to the forum!
Suggestion -followed, redacted post edit
And for clarity- it doesn’t bother me in the slightest personally, but I believe this to be the quickest and least amount of effort to prevent being bumped to the BST, and then i can subsequently edit this whole comment once you’re good to go as to not distract too much from the thread.
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Nice job on the grammar-- I would have never guessed ESL.
The link did not take me anywhere...Can you provide a title?
edit: disregard link comment. it worked the third time [once logged into site].
Just remember...the advice you receive on a site is worth every bit of what you paid for it.
Thank you so much — both for the warm welcome and the very practical advice. Editing the post right now and moving the link to my signature. Appreciate the guidance, this community is exactly why I love this hobby.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Thank you — that genuinely means a lot! I spent more time editing the English than writing the actual content, so it's good to know it paid off. 😄
Glad the link worked eventually — Amazon links can be finicky sometimes. Also you can just put my surname Rotocki in search field.
Details also can be find in my signature
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
One question for the community — I've priced the paperback at $51.99. For a 272-page full-color collector's guide, is that reasonable for the US market? I honestly don't have a great feel for American book pricing, especially for niche numismatic publications. Any feedback welcome — I'd rather know now than wonder later.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
ignore the requests to remove sales locations.
keep them there
CaptHenway sold his book about 1922 cents right here on this forum.
the new guy can sell here too!
Thank you — really appreciate the support! This community has been incredibly welcoming for a first post. I'll leave everything as is and see how it goes.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1027585/1922-cent-varieties-book-6-22-26-photo-update
Did you bother to read my suggestion before you hastily suggested to “ignore” what I said? I’m assuming you just skipped it… and don’t recognize that it accomplishes exactly the same thing…but increases visibility by leaps and bounds with an Sig vs one discussion. With a simple change in framing, a warm welcome, and the friendliest possible presentation. Good thing OP decided not to practice suggested ignore-ance.
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I actually took the signature advice — great suggestion from earlier in the thread. And I appreciate everyone's support in keeping the post as is.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Honestly, I have no clue what the average is, but based on my very limited knowledge about printing costs I would estimate that it cost at least $20-$25 to produce and ship a book like that. If I’m off, I doubt I’m that far off and I’m sure there’s other costs that easily add up where you’re not making much more than the kindle price as far as profit.
If someone feels that you don’t deserve to make $15 or even $25 on a book copy, I don’t think that “someone” would be a potential customer to begin with. Other reference books are over $100, and some out of print references that are very rare may be over $500 or even $1000.
If anything, I’d try the classic USA strategy and reduce by $3 to have a prettier and less imposing number , if you had the room to. Just the psychological effect of “49.99” v “more than $50 😮“ makes enough of a difference that it became a nationwide adopted practice for the majority of businesses. lol.
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That's incredibly helpful — thank you. Changing to $49.99 right now. Classic strategy, makes perfect sense!
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
congratulations on your achievement ... looks like a very interesting reference. Thanks for sharing with the forum.
Top 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
successful BST with Ankurj, BigAl, Bullsitter, CommemKing, DCW(7), DesertMoon, Downtown1974, Elmerfusterpuck, Joelewis, Mach1ne, Minuteman810430, Modcrewman, Nankraut, Nederveit2, Philographer(5), Proofcollection, Realgator, Silverpop, SurfinxHI, TomB and Yorkshireman(3)
Thank you so much — means a lot coming from this community!
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Congratulations on turning your passion into a book for us collectors to enjoy.
I fell in love with a toned Lincoln-Illinois commem that I saw as a kid in my local brick and mortar store, but at $18 it was way beyond my means. There were also about 400 white morgan dollars in his cases, so I blame that for my negative bias against that series and white coins..
Commems and Early Type
Welcome to the forum. Nice to see a new member who is so passionate about the classic commemorative series.
Congratulations on your new book and wishing you success.
There are some of us on this forum, who have recently( within the last few years), been bitten by the classic bug. Personally, I’ve acquired over 40 beautiful pieces, all in PCGS holders in the MS65-67 range.
We share your passion.
Again welcome and much success.
Zack.
Thank you! And what a story — a toned Illinois as your gateway coin, I completely understand. There's a full chapter on the Illinois in the book, and toning gets serious attention throughout. As for the 400 white Morgans — I don't blame you at all 😄
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Thank you Zack — 40 pieces in MS65-67, that's a serious and beautiful collection. You clearly have a great eye.
It's funny — from Warsaw, Poland, I sometimes feel like I discovered a secret that most people around me don't know exists. Classic commemoratives are virtually unknown here. That's actually what pushed me to write the book — I wanted to share that passion with Polish collectors, but ended up writing it in English because the story deserves a wider audience.
We definitely share the passion. Hope you find something useful in the book — would love to hear your thoughts!
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
I am curious about availability and where you buy classic USA commemoratives?
I buy mainly through GreatCollections and Heritage Auctions (though Heritage buyer's fees make me cry every time 😄), also from private sellers on Facebook groups and dealers like Northeast Numismatics. A few pieces came from eBay as well.
Buying from Poland is a logistical obstacle course, but I'm determined enough to make it work. I use myUS — a service that gives me a physical US address. Once a month, when coins from different sellers have accumulated, I ship everything together to Poland in one package. At the border I pay 8% import tax on coins and then I can finally enjoy them.
The biggest challenge is evaluating photos since I can't see the coin in person — but so far I've been happy with my purchases.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
same places I do - your import tax is less than my state's sales tax
Congrats.
Where did you gather your information for the book from?
Thank you! The information comes from a few different sources:
For auction values: I manually scraped GreatCollections results from 2023-2026, compiled everything into Excel, and calculated MS-65 medians for each type. A lot of spreadsheet work but worth it for accuracy.
For market data: Greysheet and PCGS Population Reports.
For historical background: Swiatek's reference work, numismatic forums, and a lot of time going down rabbit holes on the history of each issue.
For grading observations: years of following auction results closely and personally buying and collecting these coins.
Not the easiest research project for someone sitting in Warsaw, Poland — but that's exactly what made it interesting. 😄
Everything written from scratch — no AI, no ghostwriter. Just a collector from Poland with too many Excel tabs open.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
looks like we shop at the same places then! And honestly, 8% import tax doesn't sound so bad when you put it that way 😄
You're welcome to visit Poland anytime — beautiful country, no sales tax on coins, and I'll personally show you where to find a decent pierogi. Fair trade for a Lafayette tip? 😄
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Congratulations on your book. Might I invite you to join the Numismatic Bibliomania Society? Here is a link to their latest newsletter. Tell them that Tom DeLorey sent you.
Edited link: https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n25.html
One of the most interesting things about the classic U.S. commemoratives is that for some of them there is disagreement as to which is the obverse and which is the reverse. Within this subset we have the beautiful Oregon Trail Half Dollar, clearly illustrated and described in the 1927 U.S. Mint Report as the Conestoga Wagon side being the obverse.
However, over the last century many people laying out pictures of the piece have thought that it would be "cute" to put the side with the Native American on the left, as if he were holding up his hand to tell the intruding wagon to "STOP!" Because coin pictures are traditionally laid out with the obverse on the left, this has fooled many people, and organizations, into incorrectly believing that the Native American side is the "obverse." It is not.
TD
Tom, thank you so much — both for the kind words and for this incredibly valuable correction. And what an honor to receive a comment from you personally.
I address the obverse/reverse confusion in the Oregon Trail chapter, but it appears I may have gotten it backwards from what the official 1927 Mint Report states. I relied on the numismatic literature which — as you correctly point out — has been perpetuating this error for decades. I should have gone deeper to the primary source. Lesson learned.
I'll be correcting this in the next revision of both the Kindle and paperback editions — which I'll be uploading shortly anyway for other minor corrections. Thank you for catching this early.
I suspect Oregon Trail may not be the only coin in the book where I followed the incorrect numismatic convention rather than the official Mint documentation. Would you be willing to point out any other types where this confusion exists? I'd rather fix them all at once than discover them one by one.
Regarding the Numismatic Bibliomania Society — I'd love to join! Though I think the link you shared leads back to this thread rather than their newsletter. Could you share the correct link?
And yes — tell me where to find that 1927 Mint Report. I want to read it myself.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
Try this link:
https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n25.html
If you do a search for "U.S. Mint Reports," one of the hits will lead you to the Newman Numismatic Portal at Washington University in St. Louis. The page gives a list of Mint Reports by year, though of course those are fiscal years and fiscal years and calendar years often clash. For example, the 1926 Sesquicentennial Half is listed in the 1926 Mint Report because if came out in the first half of 1926, while the 1926 Oregon Trail is listed in the 1927 Mint Report because it came out in the second half of 1926.
The NNP is an amazing source of numismatic information, though it can be maddeningly difficult to navigate. Keep trying.
Tom, thank you — Newman Numismatic Portal is going straight into my bookmarks, I had no idea this resource existed.
The fiscal year detail is exactly the kind of thing that gets lost when you rely on secondary sources instead of going back to the original documents. My mistake, and a good lesson.
I've already uploaded corrected files to Amazon — Oregon Trail is fixed in both Kindle and paperback. I'll go through the Mint Reports for the other types as well and fix anything else that needs correcting.
Really appreciate you taking the time. This is exactly why I posted here.
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X
It’s also possible that people have made this mistake because (I think) it’s the only US coin where a human is on the reverse and something else is on the obverse.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
That's a really interesting point — and probably one of the reasons this confusion has been so persistent. Our instinct is to put the human figure on the left, so we do, and then assume that must be the obverse. A century of habit built on a reasonable but incorrect assumption.
One more reason this coin deserves its own chapter. 😄
Author of "Half a Dollar of History" — A collector's guide to the classic U.S. commemorative type set (1892–1954) | 50 chapters, PCGS photography, grading guides & auction values | amazon.com/dp/B0H6BZMQ6X