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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;medoraman, post: 1416870, member: 26302&quot;]Doug and I are in the running for our libraries. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> I know I am an outlier, and many years spend more on books than coins. However, that is slowing down due to the fact I have accumulated a lot of the standard references and its getting harder to justify books I &quot;need&quot;. </p><p><br /></p><p>I may have $30k in books if you count history books that are integral to the civilization and its coins it covers. Maybe more, maybe a little less. However, like Doug I believe I probably have saved that much and/or made that much by being able to recognize scarcer items. Also like Doug my books have done nothing but appreciate in value over time, probably more than my coins have, (excluding bullion). </p><p><br /></p><p>However, the real key to me is my personal enjoyment. Being able to fully read and understand the context under which a coin was struck, being able to research its history and historical importance, learning all of the little tidbits of knowledge my mind seems to absorb like a sponge, is the real value. If my library burned down tomorrow I feel it would have been worth the cost. But, it hasn&#039;t, and I am able to always pick up a book on a subject I am curious about and learn more. I am able to loan my books to local colleges or local collectors and increase their knowledge. </p><p><br /></p><p>Point blank, anyone who collects any coins, and don&#039;t have at least one specialize book on the series they collect, are SERIOUSLY shortchanging their hobby. You are simply getting less enjoyment out of it, (in my opinion), than others do, and are not up to speed. Case in point, when I first got interested in SL halves I bought the WB book. I read it through, and learned about a double die 1858. Over the course of the next year I was able to find 6 of these coins VF to BU and buy them for common prices. That one book paid for itself in the first doubled die I bought. As an aside, I bought the book for $75 and today the book itself is worth over $300. Either way, the book was a huge boon for me economically, AND it greatly increased my enjoyment of collecting SL halves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris</p><p><br /></p><p>Btw OP, I would say there is no magical number to set aside. It will change as your library grows. Until you have all of the standards in the fields you wish to cover I would try to set aside 20% on books, but once you get all of those books, then this of course will go down.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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