Recommended referrence material.

When new collectors enter into the hobby, they are often at a loss as to where to start. The best advice is still "Buy the book before the coin". Here is a short list of recommended reading.


1. A guide of United States Coins. (Red Book)-(Blue Book)
2. The complete encyclopedia of Colonial and US Coins. (Breen)
3. Krause (World Coins and Currency)

General referrence is complete in these issues. They should not however be used as price guides.

There are numerous books written on each collectible series. Many for varieties and errors. Too many to list here.

Weekly and monthly magazines are also recommended for the collector to stay abreast of the current market.

 

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if you collect or are interested in and do not have

"the complete guide to franklin half dollars"
by rick tomaska i highly recommend it. it is an awesome inofrmational piece.

 

For Morgan and Peace dollars, I recommend:
Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan & Peace Dollars
It's by Van Allen and Mallis, and a treasure trove of terrific information. It isn't cheap, but it is worth it.

 

Anyone know where I can get a copy of some books on Standing Liberty Quarters? I have a few titles (listed in the Red Book) but am having trouble finding them.

 

No knowledge of the books, but here is a link.

 

does krause and the redbook have prices? and why should they not be used as a price guide?

 

Yes, for what they are worth.

Coin values are constantly changing, and annual publications typically go to press months before they are release. On January 1, 2007, the published prices in both the Red Book and the 2007 Krause catalogs were 13-18 months out-of-date!

The best price guides are, have been, and always will be, records of actual auctions prices realized and dealer sales.

 

Here's a great title : "Standing Liberty Quarters, 4th Edition" JH Kline
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-6042961-6840753?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Standing+Liberty+Quarters%2C+4th+Edition&Go.x=8&Go.y=8

Got 'em in stock on Amazon !

 

And I'll add that it is a great book!....I bought a signed copy not too long ago and love it!!

Speedy

 

Then, what would you recomend the laymen use to gauge pricing Buying and Selling... I've never sold anything and don't plan to for anytime to come, but I'd like something other than my gut to help me decide if its a good buy or not.....

I'm sure I've way over paid on a few coins for any number of reasons, # 1 Being I did not know any better....

I respect your opion is why I ask...

 

Also The Coin World Almanac

I have a copy of The Coin World Almanac and it gives as good an overview on Americas money including paper as any I have ever seen - everything in the Red Book (without prices) including all mintage figures, laws, directors, virtually everything - It's a great Book but hardly ever gets mentioned?

Ben (have too many or just enough books) Peters

 

I just read Grading Coins By Photographs by Q. David Bowers. It is a great book to learn how to grade coins. You can read my review of this book from the link in my signature below.

 

While I agree with Doug that historical auctions will offer the most accurate reflection of the market (go to ha.com or teletrade), many use what is known as the "greysheet" for a handy reference when at a show to give a relative idea of what a coin is "worth". Greysheets have their limitations, but they can be useful.

http://www.greysheet.com/web_order/subscribe_form.asp

I subscribe to the quarterly version.

 

So just a general question, most of you say to keep up on auctions for coins. Is there a place to do this. Like is there a website or reference area to keep track of auctions?

 

Sign up for a free account so that you can view historical autions and their realized prices.

http://www.teletrade.com/

http://coins.ha.com/

 

For the brand new 'newbie', may I suggest Coin Collecting for Dummies.
Im not kidding you, its written in a style thats very easy to understand, its got some humour, and its got a U.S coin collecting flair to it all....just perfect for most of the people on this site.

 

I also use these websites for reference:

www.coinfacts.com - Internet Encyclopedia of U.S. coins.
www.coinflation.com - Have melt down values far many coins around the world.
http://www.collectorscorner.org/pocket.html - Just a nice list of coins to watch for in your everyday pocket change.

This is just my .02 (I just realized how funny it is to use this phrase on a coin collecting forum). I am always looking for new websites to add to my "references" folder.

 

I have a question about the Red and Blue Books, specifically whether or not I should buy one or both. I've done some quick searching on amazon.com, but didn't notice any major differences in the book descriptions. I'm new to the hobby, so if there's a logical reason, I don't have any issues (no pun intended) with using both guides. I also have some European and Asian coins from when I was on active duty, so I'll eventually get a world coin guide, too. Any recommendations (pro or con) on this is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Philip