A lot of discussion on this board about what books to buy for a given purpose. My question is, if I'm not crazy into vareties and such, will Breen's Encyclopedia serve all my needs?
Breens has a lot of information ( and some will say he made up part) and I have and use it for the descriptive parts and technical aspects of the coins such as weight and allowed variance. there is a lot of information in it. My complaint is that the illustrations are so small, it makes it difficult at times with the coins, but I know of no other book which gives so much information about the whole range of US coins from pre-colonials down. It has nothing of value as to grading, pricing, etc., so other internet or books would have to supplement. Others will say the redbook, and it is better for beginners, but I see no reason not to buy what you like. Jim
I just started reading the book NGC Grading guid for modern U.S. coins the first edition. So far its pretty good and would recommend it to any new collector or even if your not new.
If you aren't really into varieties then yes it will. In fact it will probably go well beyond you needs. If you are a relative newcomer to coins then I would strongly recommend you checkout the Redbook (A Guidebook of United States Coins by R S Yeoman.) It will satisfy most casual collectors and it's a heck of a lot cheaper. If you want to get SERIOUSLY into a particular series then you want the specialized books on that series. The Breen book is much more in depth and with broader coverage than the Redbook, but it probably is more than most people want or need. If you can, try and find a copy at a library or borrow it from another collector first to see if it's what you want. (If you are an ANA member the ANA library should have a copy you can borrow for the cost of postage back and forth.)
An ANA grading guide, a red book, and maybe a photograde will serve your most basic needs. But if you want more specialized information, not just varieties, you need specialized books.
I think if you spent the $150 or so on Breen's book you would be disapointed, I know I was. There is a lot of information there but most of it is just short discriptions whithout many pictures of the actual coin. I think you would be better off picking a couple of series that you are interested in and investing your money in those books.
The whole reason I was thinking of getting the Breen book is my reluctance to drop a ton of money on a bunch of different books. I've been collecting for a while, but mostly as a kid when my budget looked very different. Now I'm getting into early copper, and I know I need to be educated. I'm disinclined to ever do much with varieties, both due to a lack of interest and the extremely high cost of early 19th century coins. Thus, dropping $500 on the various books needed for large cents, plus more for half cents and indian heads...well, you can see why one-stop shopping was looking pretty good. Imagine all the coins I could buy for that kind of dough!
I find it easier to imagine how much money you would throw away because you DID NOT buy the books. That $500 on books would save you thousands on the mistakes you did not make because you had the books.
Doug is correct. I collect some large cents and I am not into varieties either - well maybe some redbook varieties. To me to collect large cents you need the variety to know what to bid or pay for a coin. Plus if for nothing else when you go to sell. I attribute them for my own curiosity and to help me determine what to pay. Especially on some of the heritage auctions. Next - if you can cherry pick an NC coin or a R-5 coin you might very well now be able to buy several large cents for when you sell it. The same for other type coins is true also.
Mark - great advice, thanks. Never thought of that. Sounds like I definitely need to pick up the large and half cent books individually. As far as the Breen book, is that a worthwhile expenditure generally?
Breen's book is a must, but you have to realize that Walter never met a fact that he couldn't make up.
If you are intersted in early copper you woul do much better with his half cent and early large cent encyclopedias. (And you will spend less for those two than you would for his general encyclopedia.) And Mark is right, the books can definitely pay for themselves. A little over a week ago I picked up a low grade 1794 large cent on ebay for $150. It had nice surfaces, just very low grade with the back almost smooth. Why did I buy it? I have the books (and some experience) and I was able to determine that is was an S-40 which is an R-5+ coin about 30 to 40 pieces known. Even i the condition it's in, properly identified it's probably about a $450 coin. Even better, I didn't have one in my collection. So I got a coin for my large cent collection, something that is very difficult to do anymore, and I got it well below the market price....because I have the books.
Exactly. I like to look at it in the positive like Conder said as well, just think of how much you WILL make as well as not lose. I was once able to spot, in a large lot small photo, an Ostrogothic coin in a pile of Byzantine coins. The lot sold for $55, that one coin is $350. There are so many examples of this I have personally done, let alone everyone else that is why it seems cliche. You simply MUST have the same knowledge as the other party in the transaction or you can be taken. If you have superior knowledge than you are the one in control. Also, remember that good coin books actually go up in value more than the coins themselves. I believe Breen's book is above issue price, and Sheldon and others are worth more than they were issued for. Redbooks won't go up, but prce guides don't. Bottom line you are never "wasting" money on your coin books, its an investment that will pay back immediately in knowledge and long term in price appreciation.
Ok, ok...i get it. I'll drop the cash. On my shopping list are the 2 volume Noyes set, the Grellman book, and Half Cent Die States by Manly. Seems to be the recommended choices from what I've read on the board. Anyone disagree?
tsk tsk why not just ask you instead he would save the 500 and the thousands sometimes you never stop to think
Sounds like a good start. I think you will be surprised by not only good purchase info, but your depth of the hobby will be greatly expanded. I simply would not collect ancient coins if they were to me nothing but little bits of metal. The history behind them will greatly enrich your colelcting experience, and hopefully make you money. When looking at what books I need, I always start at a good auction catalog. Look at the references section, the books referenced are ALWAYS needed immediately, as they are the standard. After that, talk to a couple of really good dealers who specialize in that field and ask their recommendations, (or great members here as you have done). I could help more if you were asking about ancients or medieval, but have been away from US coins too long.
