Do any of you have the book called "A Guide Book Of United States Type Coins"... ? Is it a good book to have in addition to having "A Guide Book of United States Coins"? I guess what I'm asking is does it have good additional information not found in the latter? Thanks!
I think Mr Bower wrote it....I haven't read it...but I have a gift certificate for the place Mr Bower works for and they sell the book and they also have him sign it! I think from what I seen he is a great writer---some like him..other don't. To me...his book on Morgan dollars was boring...but some of his other books are very good!! Speedy
First, let me state that you can never own enough reference material. Almost every book you purcashe is likely to contain at least some useful information not found in another, that being said... The book you reference is by Q. David Bowers (a well respected numismatist and co-founder of Bowers and Merena) and although I have not purchased it myself, seems to be an alternative to the other title you mention - the official red book. As a matter of fact, Mr. Bowers even seems to have adopted the term official red book for the title of his book - which seems a little odd. Personally, if it is a matter of purchasing one book or another (and since you already have the red book), I would recommend an alternative. As a recommendation (albeit a somewhat more expensive one) I would recommend Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of U.S. Coins. Or possibly one of the many coin grading books on the market if you do not have them already... How to Grade U.S. Coins by Halperin ANA's Office Grading Guide (may not be the exact title check money.org The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection by Hall Just my opinion though. Another thought would be to pick out some speciality books... a book specifically about Morgan Dollars, or Large Cents, or another coin that you are collecting. Often these types of books are going to go into much more detail about die varieties that may be of interest to you.
I would get the ANA grading guide for sure...also there is a grading guide called PhotoGrade...if ONLY helps someone grades the cirulated grades Poor1 to AU58 (I think)...but it great...that is what I use. I just got a Breen Encyclopedia for $70 + S&H!!! Speedy
Ruddy's Photograde and th ANA guide will teach collectors how to properly assign grades to circulated U.S. coins. Although everyone has a preference, I prefer the earlier editions (before 3rd edition) of the ANA guide which utilize line drawings as opposed to the Photograde and 3rd edition ANA which use pictures that can sometimes cause confusion in grading. For grading uncirculated coins I recommend Halperin's book.
You said "almost" so let me amplify that. Some are better than others, of course. Sometimes that is an objective view, sometimes personal opinion. Some books just "work" better than others. Still, there are a few dogs out there. When I worked for Coin World, there was one book in the library written by an Amos Press author (publishers of Coin World). He wrote two other books. They apparently were passable. This one, however, had a note from the editor written in the front saying never to use this book because it is unreliable. The Whitman people who published the book own the trademark The Official Red Book. It has nothing to do with QDB. QDB is now American Numismatic Rarities. "Bowers and Merena" has nothing to do with him any more. There was a buy-out and a restructuring by Collector's Universe. I agree. I have made a few corrections to my Breens, but over all, there are few books that come close. We take Breen for granted today, but he created the truly academic, scientific investigation of US Numismatics at a time when it was still a gentleman's hobby verging on a Tulip Craze. Even today, few people put the book to its best use. Most people read the narratives and never catalog or attribute their own coins against it. The narratives are important, of course, for establishing the sequence of events in US Mint history. Breen worked with Taxay when both men were writing their respective books. (Taxay's U. S. Mint and Coinage is another reference that everyone needs.) I also like the DLRC books by Kevin Flynn, and others. DLRC Press has the Complete Guide to... (Mercury Dimes, Seated This, Seated That). These are highly authorative references for the speciality collector of these type series.
Your correct, and it could have been Whitman and/or QDB who chose the title. In any event, it is rather odd given the fact that there are two "official red book" guides that were published for the same year. In regards to Bowers and Merena, yes they were bought out and there are many who will state that they have not been the same since then. I noted that QDB was the co-founder because of how well-known the Bowers and Merena name is.
I am a complete novice and just started collecting. I am hooked! I bought a bunch o' books.................. The best books(for me the new guy) that I have read so far are: Coin Collecting-A Beginner's Guide To The World Of Coins Kenneth Bressett and One-Minute Coin Expert Scott A. Travers The least valuable book(for me) so far is: Coin Collecting For Dummies I really like Coin World and Coinage magazines too. I should also add that The Red Book and the book on US Type Coins have also been very helpful. Freddy B
