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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,000 |
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Valued Member
United States
284 Posts |
I've been looking through Amazon's site for a good reference book on US coins. The list has been brought down to seven potential titles. Are any of these winners? If you had to choose just one, which one would it be? "Coin Collecting 101 What You Need to Know" by Alan Herbert "The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection Edition" by John Dannreuther "The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards of United States coins" by Kenneth Bresset "The Coin Collector's Survival Manual" by Scott Travers Are there any other titles I should consider? Thanks! -- Boris |
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Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
 If you do not have one already, purchasing a RedBook should be the first thing you do. It is the single best all purpose, all collecting level reference book you can buy. If you already have that one, then I would recommend either Herbert or Travers. Once you digest all of that reading material, then buy a book(or two) on grading  Did I mention how important a good reference set is? I would recommend spending at least 5% of your collecting budget on books. |
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Valued Member
United States
227 Posts |
You should buy Red BookIf you are new to coin collecting I would also recommend fliping through "The Coin Collector's Survival Manual" by Scott Travers at a Barnes & Noble or something but not really worth buying. Most of the things that book mentions you can find out by reading this forum but reading before you start buying a lot of coins will help you avoid the mistakes that many of us have made and man have I made a few.  |
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Moderator
 United States
196702 Posts |
There is not much I can add but another Especially to the Red Book. It is, in my opinion, the first book every collector of US coins should get. Edited by jbuck
01/02/2009 12:16 am
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Valued Member
 United States
284 Posts |
I just looked up The Red Book. Seems like it is a yearly publication. How big of a sin is it to get a year or two behind and save a few $$ along the way? -- Boris |
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Moderator
United States
6563 Posts |
First time getting it I'd go ahead and get the newest edition but then subsequent additions you can skimp on. But honestly it won't matter That much to be a year or 2 off if all you want is the primary info and not the pricing
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
How big of a sin is it to get a year or two behind and save a few $$ along the way?
Not a great sin. The only time-dependent information in any book is pricing, and you'll want real-world sales records rather than someone's printed opinion on pricing anyways. As a general information reference, including relative value by pricing differences (if not the *actual* value of the coin, today) you could hardly do better than the Red Book. As a grading reference, the Bresset title you posted, or James Halperin's How to Grade U.S. Coins are the standards. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
615 Posts |
I would have to say the Red Book, since I used to be very close with one of the "special consultants". |
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Moderator
United States
23859 Posts |
More information on this topic located here |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,000 |
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Posted 01/01/2009 10:50 pm
