Whitman Publishing Announces Redesigned And Updated 2026 Red Book

Whitman Publishing - The newest edition of the popular Red Book series will be released in early April and includes its largest update in years.

The 79th edition of A Guide Book of United States coins (the Red Book), the world's No. 1 best-selling numismatic price guide and reference, has been completely redesigned as part of Whitman Publishing's newest release. With even more grade-by-grade coin values, historical insights, high-resolution photographs, and accurate mintage data than ever before, collectors across the globe have plenty to look forward to when the new Red Book launches for wholesale purchase in late March and releases to the public at bookstores and online shops on April 8, 2025.


Front cover of the new 2026 Red Book.

Since 1946, more than 25 million copies of the Red Book have been sold, making it one of the best-selling nonfiction books in American publishing history. The 2026 edition has been meticulously redesigned with the collector in mind. It features a larger 6-inch-by-9-inch format, an intuitive layout, and more than 32,500 market values in up to nine grades for more than 12,000 coins, tokens, medals, sets, and other collectibles.

It also includes new market insights, updated research, and the latest mint data. For the first time, pricing is based on Collector's Price Guide (CPG®) retail pricing, and Greysheet Identification (GSID#8480;) catalog numbers are integrated for seamless identification across Whitman's family of products.

"I am truly honored to have been part of this year's transformation, working closely with the extremely talented and professional staff at Whitman and the invaluable Red Book Advisory Panel of more than 70 numismatic industry leaders, experts and supporters," said Jeff Garrett, Senior Editor of the Red Book, President of Mid-American Rare Coin Galleries and a former ANA President. "Every change, from the book's physical size to its presentation order, was carefully chosen and implemented with a single goal: to enhance the collector's experience."


The various Red Book covers available for the 2026 edition

While the new edition is larger than the previous edition at 6 inches by 9 inches, it will also be available in four different print bindings: hardcover, perfect-bound softcover, spiral-bound, and large print spiral-bound. Collectors will also notice several other key enhancements, with certain major sections now arranged by collector preference rather than strict technical definitions.

Key Enhancements

The Private and Territorial Gold chapter has been significantly expanded, now including BG (Breen-Gillio) attribution numbers. Previously covering about 100 listings in two-and-a-half pages, this section now spans more than five pages with approximately 580 total listings.

The Commemoratives chapter has been reorganized to better align with market conventions. They are now grouped by denomination and listed by the familiar names collectors use. Classic commemoratives are arranged alphabetically, while modern commemoratives remain listed by date.

Circulation and Proof-strike value charts have been separated throughout the book, making it easier for collectors to assess market values. Type-coin value charts have been added for each coin type, where applicable, including qualities of surface (e.g., Deep Cameo, DMPL), strike (e.g., Full Bands for Dimes, Full Bell Lines for Half Dollars), and color (Brown, Red Brown, and Red). Coins known in all three levels of the relevant quality may have as many as 27 price points, ranging from G 4 to MS 65 RD.

New data organization consolidates coin type information at the beginning of each section, allowing readers to compare multiple types without flipping back and forth, improving readability and accessibility.


Interior pages of the new 2026 Red Book

Additional Enhancements Include

Fun fact spotlights throughout the book.

A regular, fully illustrated case study in the Grading U.S. Coins section (this edition's focus: Morgan dollars).

A new Collector's Notebook covering timely topics in numismatics (this edition's subject: Misinformation in Numismatics).

Pre-order purchases can be made at Whitman.com and Amazon; regular purchases can be made through Whitman's ebay Store, Walmart.com, bookstores, hobby shops, and other retailers nationwide beginning April 8, 2025.

Click here to preorder on Amazon