As some collectors may know, the Guide Book of US coins was first release in 1947, and have been produced annually since that date. In 1997, for the 50th Anniversary of the 'Red Book' Whitman Publishing issued a special edition classic cover in dark red leather and numbered from 1 thru 1200. The books were not signed by Ken Bressett, unless you were able to search him out at a ANA convention or special event where he appeared. The book had a special numbered insert page: I have to get a better picture of the insert. However, this copy had a special 'paste down inside the front cover: I am searching for any information about this item. Does anyone know when or where this was done? Does anyone have a copy of this special edition with the paste down? Any recollections where obtained? Thanks Frank
A small write up about the above edition: Special Maroon Cover for the 50th Anniversary of the Guide Book In recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1st Edition of the Red Book (which was dated 1947, with a copyright date of 1946), the publisher decided to produce a special cover. The original selling price for this edition was $24.95, with a limited run of 1,200 pieces. Each piece, with a special maroon cover in the design of the original 1947 edition, has a special bound-in insert page of hand-numbered, heavy paper stock. The edition was offered for sale through retail outfits, but was also given away at an ANA banquet as a table favor. Those who received the book in that manner were truly fortunate, and probably received the lowest numbers. Usually, those offered for sale are numbered in the 500 range (of the 1,200 printed) and up. The value of this Special Edition has increased rapidly since its publication. The first one that I was able to find was at the ANA New York City Convention in August 2002 and had an asking price of $60. The chart below shows how the book’s valuation has changed. Pricing of 1997 Special Edition Guide Book Edition Value, new 1998–2001 $75 2002 $80 2003 $120 2004 $120 2005 $120 2006 $120 2007 $120 Value, signed Bressett: $175–$195 2008 $125 Value, signed Bressett: $175–$195 As the chart illustrates, the value of the 1997 Special Edition moved upward until reaching the current plateau of $120. This edition, with almost double the production of the two earlier ANA editions, has not shown the same leaps in price that the earlier editions show. However, it also appears that current owners of the books are not yet willing to part with them. A review of internet sales shows that only around ten are sold in any given year (although this does vary). Often a month will go by without any being offered. Only when more copies become available on the market will we know if the pricing chart is accurate. However, the individual, handwritten numbering of these books makes them particularly novel. As opposed to books of the earlier editions, each of these volumes is unique, and it seems likely that lower-numbered books will soon assigned a higher value than those with higher numbers. It is also possible that copies with special numbers—such as 10, 250, 500, 1,000, 1,200—will become popular. Only time will tell.
For the sake of curiosity, may I ask exactly what you mean by "a review of Internet sales"? Would this be just ebay, or do you somehow follow the larger book sites (Amazon, Abe, etc) as well? Unfortunately, there is nothing that I can add to help with the original question.
