Hey there coin talkers. so i just had a question becuase like i said i am kind of a new "coin geek" i call myself. i saw on coinshop.com this no "s" nickel in a set. is that really as rare as they said it is? and someone told me to get a red book for info on things like that. would that be a good purchase?
If what you were looking at was a 1971 Proof Set, then yes, this is a rather rare combination. 1971 was not a good year for the San Francisco Mint, as the some of the proof coinage escaped the mint with out the mint mark. There are sets and individual proof coins being sold on the open market. Since their discovery, and supposedly quality control for proof coinage, they have always commanded a premium in the hobby. http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=495 The "Red Book" is like the collectors bible. Yes, get the current edition from Amazon or Barnes & Nobel, even a hick like me can look at the pictures. Happy Collecting
If you are gonna be collecting US coins, a redbook should be your first purchase. http://coins.about.com/od/coinvalues/fr/redbook.htm
here: http://www.whitmanbooks.com/default.aspx?page=80&SubCatOID=78 and don't forget: http://www.whitmanbooks.com/Default.aspx?Page=81&ProductID=079482580X
ya it said it was a proof set. 1600, outta 3 million coins have it! wow that is a small number! thanks for the info so far guys. ya they had on there coinshopcom those red books for 2011 so i spose i better pick that up then with all the yes's i heard for it. thanks! and the links with info are very nice. apreciate it!