The "A Guide Book" Series By Whitman

So I re-read that portion of the pictured earlier "Action Guide" relating to Liberty and Shield nickels and started (not finished yet) the later "Guide Book" on Shield/Liberty nickels, both written by Q David Bowers. The later "Guide Book" is far and away a better read with much more information. The earlier "Action Guide" has a grand total of about 20 pages on these topics, whereas the later "Guide Book" has a whole book, about 270 pages, dedicated to the topic. The earlier "Action Guide" also discusses Three Cent Nickel and silver pieces, Half Dimes, and Buffalo/Jefferson nickels. In a single book.

The "story" is much more readable in the later "Guide Book," there is significantly more information (like for each year or set of years), there are engaging discussions leading up to the series (patterns, etc.), and just a better read than the earlier book. This isn't to knock the earlier book, it has survey-level information that is/was good for the collector looking to learn high-level info about the serieses (is that the plural of series?). But the later "Guide Book" has so much more information and is a much better value(?). There is nothing *wrong* with the information in the earlier "Action Guide"; it's just mostly general information and much less overall and detailed information than is in the later "Guide Book."

Three thumbs up for the later "Guide Book."

Now I'll finish the Shield/Liberty nickel "Guide Book" and read the other two "Guide Books" I bought. Then I certainly will get more from this "Guide Book" series.

Thanks for bringing this topic up and listing the titles here--very handy!

I just got an email notification from Wizard Supply.

Guess what's now in and ready to start shipping?

#19 on the list...


https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/th...e-cents.html

Let's not over look the most important Red Book Collecting book - "A Guide Book of the Official Red Book of US coins"
https://www.whitman.com/store/Inven...f-U-S--Coins

and;

an older and interesting, (1982) four-part booklet series: THE Red Book COLLECTOR SERIES "How to Determine the Condition of Red Books"; "The Red Book Market Rarity Scale"; "The Red Book Inventory Record"; and "The Red Book Informative Newsletter" put out by, WGY Coin Company and The Early Press Publishers. (Current prices is around $150.00 if you can find them all).

Plus new this past month is the 19th volume in the series - "A Guide Book of Half Cents and Large Cents"

Coming soon the 20th volume "Guide Book of Barber Silver Coins"

and I believe #21 will be - " Guide Book of Seated Liberty Silver Coins"

Usually have nothing to say about guidebooks since I collect what I like not based on some status quo found therein; but...

Am I understanding there is a guide book to guide books?

Well it is pretty strange that a set of guides need a guide to read them. Just tells me the original guides are not worth looking at since they are filled with too much stuff.

As for that video. I wanted to just yell at the kid who made it to "SHUT UP!"

The comments on ASE vs Walking Liberty half are quite stupid. The claim of the walker being "art because it was sculpted, while the ASE was just a modern copy" is downright stupid. I can't tell any difference in them anymore than I can tell the reverse of an Ike and SBA except for the size! I wonder if the kid knows that the sized of an originally sculpted coin is reduced down to actually fit the coin. Also the fact the Mint may still be in possession of the original sculpt so they just used newer machines to do the same scaling to made the modern dies. Or if he watches this video, he will notice they use the EXACT SAME machines for modern coins in circulation that were used on his 1916 design coinage.

4 minute mark mentions the machines coming from France in 1906, 10 years prior to his "art" of the walker. Now the Mint might not use those Janvier lathes for hubs for the ASE, but I think it is only the special attention given to the dies of proofs that make they stand out while the hub is made the same way for EVERY coin. Entirely mechanical, with no digital processing to reduce from the original sculpture to the hub from which dies are made.



Oh look! There in the video thumbnail/preview is the Janvier lathe in question!

Ah! So its title is a bit of a misnomer and it isn't really a guide to the Red Books, but a history or exploration of them. Now THAT might be something interesting to look at. Aside from jsut telling what changes may have occurred over time in the presentation of the Red Books, but "how to build and care for a collection of Red Books" could be used for other books made the same way and probably used as often like a recipe book, other non-coin guidebooks.

Now it seems less silly.

I bet you have.

Volume #21 is shipping

https://www.whitman.com/store/Inven...ilver%20Coin

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...t_dp_summary