How much do you invest in your numismatic Library?

i have around 10 books in my library. based on my collecting, there's just a few more i need to buy. however, what i have left to buy are not cheap. if my collecting changes, then more books will be required.

 

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This is the only book I have. Good info, a little simplistic. What a good book to get

 

THE BOOK: Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of US and Colonial Coins is the most important book I own. It has paid for itself over an over because of the wealth of information it contains. When I lost everything in a fire, this was the first coin book I replaced. My library is easily worth over a thousand dollars. You should of seen it before the fire.

 

I've bought books for years and I am still buying them. I've spent over $400 on books so far this year and there are still more of them I want to buy.

 

I am not talking about myself, but I think others here should pay attention to who buy books. Some of the most knowledgable collectors on this board still buy books on coins. If anyone could afford to not purchase new books it would be these gentlemen, yet they are still buying more.

Kind of tells you the value of good coin books.

 

I've only spent a few hundred on numismatic books so far, but I have just started. The fact that I have been collecting books for a few years already just makes this even more of an exciting endeavor.

 

I was happy to receive Walter Breens complete encyclopedia, but found half of it to be useless information. There is about 250 pages of variation databases, and transaction records for specific coins from the 1980's. Anything other books you all would recommend? I've read the 6th edition ANA and am soon to get Tomasko's Franklin Half Book.

 

A coin store with a research library would be a refreshing scene. It seems most coin shops I've been in don't carry many books at all, either to look at or buy. I can buy just about any key date in almost any shop, but they don't carry even the most basic of references. Go figure. I think it would be a great idea.

Myself, I have a hundred or so coin reference books. I easily spend more yearly on books than coins, and coin books are just a small percentage of the books I buy. My house looks like a library. Many numismatic books you won't be able to find on Amazon or Ebay or shops, but rather you have to go through the authors themselves. Most times I have simply written to them an interest in their work and they send me a signed copy and an invoice. Not to mention a few of those authors I keep in touch with and they are always more than happy to answer any questions I may have. The benefits go beyond the bindings in some instances.
Guy

 

I have about 20-25 books in my numismatic library and over 200 Heritage/Stack's/Bower's Auction Catalogs dating back to 1998. I have not been buying many books lately since my collecting interest at this point is limited to Jefferson Nickels and I already have all the books.

 

I mentioned earlier that I like to buy used books from dealers

I just purchased the following used books at a fraction of their original purchase price. (I spent less on all these books than I paid for dinner Thursday night).

Flying Eagle & Indian Cents, first edition Hardback by Richard Snow
The Complete Guide to Lincoln Cents by David Lange
Getting Your Two Cents Worth: A Complete Guide to Two Cent Doubled Dies, Repunched Dates, Clashed Dies, and Overdates by Kevin Flynn
The Complete Guide to Shield & Liberty Head Nickels by Gloria Peters & Cynthia Mohon
The Complete Guide to Buffalo Nickels, 2nd edition, Hardbound by David Lange
The Jefferson Nickel Analyst, 2nd edition by Bernard Nagengast
The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dimes by Al Blythe
The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Dimes by Brian Greer
The Top 100 Morgan Dollar Varieties: The VAM Keys by Jeff Oxman & Michael Fey
The Encyclopedia of Doubled Dies, Vol. 1 & 2 by John A. Wexler

 

Wow, Nice haul! If they start taking up too much space, PM me

 

Several USED books available on the Variety Vista Website

I ordered the books while I was on business in Las Vegas. Dinner for 2 did cost more than all the books. The dealer is James Wiles at http://www.varietyvista.com The shipping was included in my order probably because I purchased so many items. I mention all this because there are still several good USED books available and listed on the Variety Vista Website.

 

The only thing I saw were Ebooks... Am I missing something?

Never mind.. I found it

 

For the benefit of anyone else that wants to look at the "USED BOOKS" list, it is at the far lower right corner of the Variety Vista store Webpage.

 

I couldn't tell you the last time that I spent any money on reference books. I am lucky enough to have a few dealers with spectacular libraries that allow me to borrow any book that I like. Recently, I borrowed a book on tokens from the KKK to help identify a collection a neighbor asked me about. I think she was a bit shocked to find out about her family's past. I wouldn't begin to know where to find that book. It hadn't been in print since the early 60s.

 

Jason,

I am rather surprised by how you are looking at this. If you find 250 pages to be "useless", that's fine, but what about the other 500 or so pages? Did you expect up to date transaction records from a book released almost 25 years ago? Any book - Tomaska's included - will only be worth what you can take from it. The Breen encyclopedia is a general reference and not a specialty book, just as Tomaska's book was not intended for the experienced Franklin/Kennedy collector/dealer. A book is a learning tool and can only help as much as you let it.

There are countless books that could be recommended, but no one else can say what is of interest to you. If you see a book and think you may like it, buy it. The worst that can happen is it sits on a shelf and is right there in case it is someday needed.

P.S. Here is a suggestion for you; http://blog.davidlawrence.com/
Also, Stanton does have a video on collecting Franklin halves.

 

There are still quite a few USED books available at http://www.varietyvista.com

I got these two USED World coin catalogs from Allen Berman (in March I think).

 

I just bought most of the remaining books he had left. He still has a few and most of the catalogs left though.

 

Hey, I am with you man. I always buy slightly out of date Krause', and other books that are updated regularly since the pricing is not what is important. Also, by the nature of what I buy, I only buy a couple new books a year. The last I bought was Sears Roman Vol 4. No one is ever saying money is a factor, its simply the knowledge in these books which is valuable. If someone never bought a coin book but diligently checked them out from the local library and read them consistently I am cool with it. I think the major point is knowledge is very valuable, and it also increases your enjoyment of this hobby. To intentionally not read good coin boooks is simply short sighted.

 

One time you suggested the Sears Greek coin books volume #1 & #2. I think you described that the two Sears books provided a decent listing of Greek coins. I only have a few Greek coins including an Athens Athena/owl tetradrachm and a Corinth Athena/Pegasos stater and a Rhodes Helios Hemiobol. I assume these Sears books would list Greek coins like mine. I further assume the two Sears books list coins from about 600BC to about 100BC in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Is that correct?

If you see the Sears books offered USED at a fair price, please send me a PM.