I know I have seen a member or two on here post a bookshelf full of Red Books dating back to very early in their publication. If someone has a collection of books, I'm hoping they can help me. I'm doing a small research project for a write up I want to do to post here. I'm looking for someone with Red Books from the late 1950s to the early 1970s who might be willing to look up a couple coin prices for me for a few years in this range (probably 4 coins in UNC grade for 5 different years). It will probably take someone 10 minutes if they have the books. If someone could help me, please shoot me a PM. Thanks.
Another little bit about Frank he is a contribution editor on the red book as well. You see Frank is an CPA and part of his contributions is pricing....well that what I believed him to say....unless he now been given the key to the executives wash room. If in fact that's the case has now a VP at Whitman . To those of you who have never had the pleasure....well he's a walking encyopida on coins. And one other little ditty......he almost as old as Doug..... and once published a thread some 30 pages long trying to get Doug to give him a like.
I have a complete set set of Red Books (not all of the varieties) from the first edition to 2020. The book was a better “pulse of the market” indicator in its earlier years. Every collector swore by it and eagerly anticipated every new edition to see where prices had gone. That sort of came to an end circa 1980.
Well to be fair, in its early years it was also about the only price guide. (Other than Standard Catalogue of United States Coins by Wayte Raymond)
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me privately. I have been able to get the information I need. Thanks again!!!
Did someone say 'Red Book'? I only have from 1st year [1947] to date. And only a few hundred copies. well, perhaps more than a few hundred.
It was nice to read about your collection. I have a full set, except for the 2019, which, because the ANA was in California I missed getting & having Ken sign for me, as is our tradition. Also, except for the [I think] 1988, I have a full set signed by Yeoman. The only known set of Red books signed by Ken Bressett, from the first year that he worked on the Red Book. All known Special editions, some several copies. Authorized editions, many error copies. And much more.
I have collected these books for the pricing information they contain, and to see how collectors of generations ago viewed some of the coins. I don't care about the special editions with fancy covers or the error books. One year I got stuck with one of those that had some pages duplicated and other pages missing. There were some errors in the early editions that cause confusion, such as the real size of the "small 5" in the 1805 small 5 half cent with stems. There are also some interesting commentaries about the role of gold in our economy. When the price was pegged, artificially high at one time, at $35.00 an ounce, it was supposed to bring stablity to our monetary system, even though it was illegal for Americans to own most forms of it. It was time when monetary policy seemed to be much simpler.
I got rid of the thing years ago. I bought when I was fairly young collector, and it was a pain the butt, a real piece of junk. I buy books for the information they provide, not because they are weird.