The "Must Have" Book

I like the Krause North America guide. It's updated annually, has all American circulation coins and a good chapter on colonial issues, and for just $5 more than a Red Book (also: good luck getting a Red Book shipped to Canada on the cheap) it has good Canadian and Mexican listings. Well, the Canadian listings are kind of messy because NCLT is not differentiated from actual circulation issues, and it's the same with Mexico, but I learned tons about Mexican coinage, especially the revolutionary issues. It's a good cheap all-around pricebook for the most commonly encountered raw coins in Canada or the USA (although there's no Canadian colonial issues, qq).

The Red Book has general grading guidelines, but if you have an iPad or iPhone, check out the PCGS Photograde App or the Coin Week App - both show grading photos. PCGS has the same thing online, but it's handy on your mobile device.

Q David bowers the experts guide. It is good reading and covers the full spectrum from coins to tokens to paper currency. It also advises what to look for in making a purchase.

The " RedBook" as it will have every bit of information you might ever need in US coins. ANA Grading guide is also a good book as mentioned.

Walter Breen's US Coin Encyclopedia while very good is IMO dated and filled with some questionable data. Still, it is one of the most complete references ever made, and quite an undertaking. Currently it sells for $75-150 on ebay or through rare book dealers. (I have all three in my library).

The CherryPicker guides Vol 1 & 2 are also pretty nice to have though more for advanced collectors of US material.

If there is a particular series you begin to gravitate towards, let us know I would be happy to point you to some excellent specailized books in a particular subject. I have around 500 volumes in my numismatic book collection - down from 1000+ a decade ago, but most are now must haves and 'out of print" books.

You could always join the ANA and then you will have free access (other than S&H) to the Dwight Manley Numismatic ANA Library, they loan books via mail. Worth joining for that reason alone, and you'll get a monthly copy of the Numismatist magazine.

Books IMO are one of the most important parts of a solid coin collection. I applaud you for asking this question!

Many thanks for all the recommendations. I agree, the net can't replace a good book but they both have their place in the never ending quest for knowledge. I have around 1K myself but on a myriad of topics.

Rick