Hello Everyone, I have recently taken quite an interest in coin collecting and am researching the "how" and "what" of the hobby. Previously mentioned in the forums was the Red Book as good reference. I have found the red book on Amazon but it was paired with the Blue Book. Can someone please guide me to the correct book to purchase and the difference between them? Thanks much, Kristin
I will leave it to more expert opinions on the Red vs. Blue Books, although if I recall correctly the Red Book was more comprehensive. What I would like to point out is that you should be able to "decouple" the two books on Amazon and just buy either. I purchase books there and they like to suggest "buy with" deals in which I have no interest. Often there isn't even a "quantity discount" although in most cases if you spend $25 on merchandise you can get free shipping in the USA. Let me validate this... [sound of new window opening in browser... checking...] Yes, this will work. Try another search on "A Guide Book to United States Coins" and be sure to purchase the 2007 guide as it is the latest. Interesting "suggested by with": The 2007 with the 2006 edition! Uh, probably not, thanks anyway.
the blue book has less information and is mostly a price guide, (which tends to be out of date) so stick to the red book.
If you're getting the Red Book, I would suggest the spiral bound version. It's much easier to use. You can get it at any bookstore. 2007 is the newest edition. I'm stuck with the non-spiral version, and it can be a pain (but it was free)
The blue book lists wholesale values, and is actually intended to be a guide for dealers rather than collectors. However few dealers use it since the prices don't keep up to date well. It also has less information, and no color pictures. The red book lists retail values, and is intended for individual collectors. Honestly this is a far superior book to the red book... the prices don't keep up to date, but it is still a good way to judge the relative prices of coins, and it has very detailed information about US coins, as well as a lot of good background information on the coins and collecting in general. Would greatly suggest this over the blue book.
I like the grey sheet better, myself.. But that can be kind od tuff to score, I need to buy me a spiral bound Red book just have not had the time
Use neither for priceing....these books are printed months ahead of time so the prices can be outdated. It is a good book to have around to look up some info on coins. Speedy
Yep it's the Red Book by Whitman Publishing. However, your best bet is if you can't find it at a book store somewhere, try the Walmart Books on the internet. Fantastically cheaper than going through most other places and way, way cheaper than through Whitman Publishing themselves. And I agree that you should get the spiral bound version. Cheaper and easier to manipulate. If your house is on fire and you want to look up a coin, the spiral one would really come in handy. The Red Book that is out now is the 2007, 60th Edition and will be useless for prices in a few more months. It's pretty useless for prices anyway. The 2007 version has been out for a few Monnths already and I suspect Whitman is now getting ready to issue the 2008 or 2009 edition. Welcome to the hobby there Dackel. And the best place for coin information is not the Red Book, it's right here on this forum except if you listen to me.
