Do you ever have dreams that you are going through piles of old silver coins? Or that someone is just handing a big bag of coins over to you? I have these dreams a few times a week. I love them! I have had 2 semi-exciting finds in the past month - i found a war nickel in my husband's pocketchange and I got a 1930 wheatie back from a cashier. I have also developed a soft spot in my heart for Barbers. I have bought a few VF halves from a local dealer and they are great. Anyway, I have not been posting lately because I have been using my spare time reading more books about coins. I am still a newbie and there is so much to learn! Sometimes these good books are hard to find... Any of you pros out there have any recommendations? Do you have a "Coin Bible" that you cannot live without?
There are countless books - depending on the area of study you wish to pursue. But it sounds like you need the Breen Encyclopedia - a good all around volume for all US coins.
Let's see.. Of course there's the Krause catalog. And when you're ready to branch out a bit, the Standard Catalog of United States Tokens (1700-1900) by Russell Rulau.
Is krause considered a good source for US coins? I know they are listed there, but everyone seems to refer to the red book or blue book for US stuff in my limited experience. When I started out collectin foreign coins, I used the black book for reference, but that is extremely limited and not very helpful for identification.
Personally, I couldn't live without the Red Book Guide to US Coins. It doesn't have as many of the varieties but it has grading points for most coins. Just my 2 cents worth.
The Red Book has been, and still is, a great guide for getting the high-level details about U.S. coin series, and contains more about colonials and territorial/fractional gold than any other. I buy them every year, though in honesty I rarely refer to them (and pretty much never use the price guides except as wild guesses for issues where I can't find the current trends anywhere else).
The other reason that I'm attached to the Red Book is very sentimental. My grandfather told me (back in the 60's when I started collecting) to always go by the prices in the Red Book. Even though I know those prices are not accurate, I still can't bring myself to dismiss the values in the book. I do check the grey sheet every now and then, but old habits die hard
Yeah. True. My dad has been a collector since he found all kinds of interesting stuff in circulation while stationed in Puerto Rico in the early 1960s as an Air Force pilot. I remember going through a lot of his Red Books as a kid, including a couple from before I was born (his earliest was the 1962 edition). And, of course, I saw all the cool coins he got in change out there -- 1921 Walkers of all mints, 1924-D cents, beat up old Indians from the 1880s and later, Barbers of all denominations, and much more. I guess that's where I caught the bug, probably by about 1972 when I was maybe 6 or 7. So yeah, I think that sentiment is why I have most of them going back to the early 1960s, and why I still buy it every year. The reference material I use hasn't changed much in recent years, but I figure if I have a nice collection of 'em going, another $12 a year ain't gonna kill me!
Most collectors of US coins rely on The Red Book (Guide Book of United States Coins by Yeoman & Bressett). You already got a recommendation on THE BREEN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF US AND COLONIAL COINS. That book is easily the single most important for the serious collector of US coins. Most collectors are put off by the $100 price tag, but they pay the price, time and again, in what they do not know about US coins. Markets are created by publications. Therefore, you will want to join the ANA if you have not already. Also, your new interest in Barber coins is supported by BARBER COIN COLLECTORS SOCIETY c/o Eileen Ribar 2053 Edith Place Merrick, NY 11566-3306 516-379-4681 E-mail: emcrib@optonline.net CONTACT Philip J. Carrigan 1944 Ash Street Waukegan, IL 60087-5044 847-625-0381 E-mail: PHILRPH1892@cs.com (They meet annually at the ANA summer convention. The next one is August 17-25 in Pittsburgh.) Michael ANA R-162953
Yeah coin dreams i've had them... although actually it was more of a nightmare. I was surrounded by piles and piles of gold sovereigns, so i started going through them, 1861, 1862, 1860, 1856, 1871, 1870... all very well and good but i was looking for an 1838 (not a rare date), could i find one? No... grrrrr. And then i came across ones that weren't London mint, oh that was the worst. But at least there weren't any St. George's for that i should be grateful.
Sylvester, I thought your recurring nightmare was being surrounded by piles of Jefferson Nickels and Churchill Crowns!!! My nightmare is is being forced, at gunpoint, to buy the Bill Clinton presidental dollar and a Hillary Clinton $10 gold piece!!! AAAAAaggghhh!!
Yes well Jeffs and Churchies haven't appeared in my nightmares yet, but i'm waiting for them... with a shotgun!
A more appropriate nightmare for a collector would be a giant coin sticking you in a plastic flip and storing you in a binder with other people in similar flips Rick 1973
