Do you have a numismatic library? For the purpose of this article, I’ll assume that you don’t. What books would make good additions to a budding numismatic library?
The initial purchase should probably be a book that combines an overview of coin collecting, with coin values. A good example of this is the current Guide Book of United States Coins, a.k.a. the Red Book because of the color of its cover.
The 2024 Red Book follows the tried-and-true formula of its many predecessors, beginning with a brief section titled “How to Get Started in Coin Collecting.” After an introduction to U.S. coinage, the Red Book touches on topics such as determining the condition of coins, Mint data and checking coins for authenticity.
Important though this introductory material may be to new collectors, what they’re typically interested in are the coin values. These are covered in ascending order by denomination from half cents through $20 gold pieces. Also covered are Colonial issues, commemorative coins, coins primarily produced to be sold as bullion but widely collected and so on. There are even values for this book as a collectible. Published by Whitman Publishing, the list price for a hardbound edition is $19.95.
The, . the Blue Book, is a companion volume to the Red Book. Whereas the coin values in the Red Book represent average retail values for the coins
