Cherrypicker's Cent Double Dies

That's a great question you've asked! Not sure, but that's strange.

Population perhaps? How much the die was in used before retirement. And as always in the error/variety business price and attribution is arbitrary and at the whim of said author. Sometimes the attributed/listed coin is the one in his possession ...see how folks go ape----if it a cheery Packers delight? When as you pointed out, there's numerous varieties that show more separatipn/movement of hubbing, or large/small hub process. Collect them all! Or join the feeding frenzy over the "gotta have" becuz so & so said so..

Cammy, do that. I don't and won't own a Cherrypackers guide. I have always disagreed with the very premise of these type of literature. It has become associated with the get rich quick genre of flaptrap that preys on the emotions of the ignorant to pad ones own pocket. Most of these present the dream of wealth through least amount of effort, while the only ones raking in the dough is the author! The CPG, has become the Bible of this error coin religion. Now I have nothing against seeking and making a profit off of erreor/variety coins, just the presentation that riches are around the next bend, whereas that roadway is littered with an abundance of disappointed readers as we see on this forum DAILY!, those who post once and are done when their dreams are washed away. So yea, ask him why he overlooks varieties that really are of interest to a true collector, not a riches wannabe.

I agree with you Crazyb0. These books do not stress why these coins are valuable: the RARITY! They don't say how unlikely it is for someone to find these coins in circulation. I've gone through thousands upon thousands of coins and the amount of Cherrypickers varieties I've found barely made it past double digits. I can understand why, if these books are the only references people have, people get frustrated and quit the hobby soon after they start.

However, I do appreciate the Cherrypicker's guide and I will continue to use it as a reference. Especially when it comes to classical US coin varieties that are difficult to find information or pictures of online. Before I cherrypicked my 1845 Half Dime RPD, the only picture of that variety that I could find was in the CherryPickers' Guide. There was nothing on VarietyVista, nothing on Wexler's site, nothing on NGC Varieties, nothing on a google search, nothing here on CCF.

At least CPG is not as bad as "Strike it Rich With Pocket Change". Most of the coins listed are just CPG varieties with a few of the more notable errors thrown in (transitional errors, counter clashes, rotated dies, etc.) but it also has nearly all of the questionable varieties in there that many disagree or question with (the late-90s "phantom mintmarks", alleged Roosevelt dime misplaced mintmarks, no FG halves, etc.). And just the title proves Crazyb0's point, it's just clickbait in book form.

This post gives me an idea for another topic, I'll start working on it.