Coin guides and reference books
What should be on your bookshelf in 2009.
Whether a veteran numismatist or a newbie, one or more of the books below will be an indispensable guide to your collecting in 2009. This quick look at the top books (available through Amazon or your favorite Amazon alternative) is divided into beginner, expert and reference sections, so there’s something for everyone.
Beginner level
Coin Collecting For Dummies
Where better to start as a beginner than one of the well regarded “For Dummies” offerings. This example, targeted at new collectors serves as a good introduction to the subject with a focus on what to collect, how to keep it and where to meet fellow collectors. You’ll also learn the compelling historical story surrounding various US and international coins. Like most Dummies books, it’s well written, easy to follow and covers everything you should consider before, and while, collecting coins or investing in them. If you want to start a collection, this book is for you.
From the Amazon product description:
The purpose of this fun, easy-to-access guide is to turn you into a world-class coin collector in as little time as possible. Discover how to:
* Start your collection correctly
* Evaluate coins using age, condition, rarity, and more
* Buy interesting coins without breaking the bank
* Locate rare and expensive coins
* Get savvy about avoiding fakes
* Get the whole family involved in your collection
* Develop a buying strategy
* Clean and handle coins safely
* Keep your collection secure at home and on the road
* Investigate tokens, medals, and miscellaneous coins
* Create complete collections of copper, nickel, silver, or gold U.S. coins
Coin Collecting 101 What You Need to Know
Coin Collecting 101 is a beginner level book on the basics of coin collecting. Like the Dummies book, it’s an easy read for newcomers, whilst still covering the details needed to become a knowledgeable collector. The book’s topics include grading, errors, market factors, coin preservation and key terms to learn. It also has some valuable material on which coin categories to be cautious about buying. The author is known as “The AnswerMan” in his popular columns for Numismatic News, World Coin News, Bank Note Reporter and Coins Magazine and is one of the foremost experts in the field. Although the author claims that veteran collectors will be able to discover new tips as well, it probably won’t reveal much to anyone with a bit of experience but is nonetheless a very worthy buy for the beginner.
Intermediate to expert level
The Expert’s Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins: Secrets Of Success
The Expert’s guide attempts to be a “comprehensive insider’s” guide to rare coins, tokens, medals, and paper money. This book covers everything from determining values to the smartest way to bid in auctions. Some well chosen case studies, useful strategies, and insider tips make the book a trustworthy companion in today’s marketplace. There are chapters on copper, nickel, silver, and gold coins; coin market dynamics; fashions, trends and cycles; how to get the best price when selling; and more. It’s worth noting that this book is about advice and strategies and it is not a price guide. However the advice it contains is still likely to be useful in a decade’s time, long after any prices would have become hopelessly outdated. It only covers the US market, so those interested in world coins will need to look elsewhere or buy a companion volume.
Numismatic News (subscription)
A specialist magazine is probably the best (and most timely) way for intermediate and expert coin collectors to supplement their knowledge. Numismatic News is a weekly magazine which reports on the US collectible coin market. It contains “Coin Clinic”, a very popular weekly Q&A column, a comprehensive monthly pricing supplement (included free with the main magazine), and lots of practical how-to advice and historical features. The articles cover a diverse range of topics and are usually well worth a read. A great feature of the magazine is that every subscriber gets a free classified ad with each edition. An absolute bargain if you start selling or trading coins.
Coin World (subscription)
The other leading coin collecting magazine. Like Numismatic News, Coin World provides coin prices for all US coins at least monthly. There are lots of unbiased and informative topical articles on what’s happening and good coverage of the major coin shows. Coin World articles usually manage to be sophisticated without being too geeky and the magazine is not afraid to explore controversies. Dealers see Coin World as the place to advertise and the consequent level of competition often means there are bargains to be spotted compared to pricing offered elsewhere. Coin World is undoubtedly US focussed, but does cover the rest of the world to some extent. Although slightly more expensive than Numismatic News, Coin World offers a larger range of articles and is probably better value overall.
Reference books
The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins 2009
The reference book for for more than 6000 individual US coins, published for over 60 years. This is the must guide if you are even half serious about coin collecting. The red book covers the history and value of collectable US coins from half cents, through half dollars to dollar coins of all kinds, including lots of coins not covered in coin price magazines. It provides loads of detail about each coin series. with a wealth of background knowledge and details on numerous die varieties.
From Amazon’s Product Description
Americans nationwide look to this one-volume library to tell them how rare their coins are and how much they’re worth. Collectors rely on it for its full-color photographs and detailed technical data. The Red Book covers the history and values of U.S. coins, with practical essays on grading, investing, auctions, and more. Here is some of what you’ll find inside:
- High-quality color photos of all coins
- Background info on each coin series
- Prices by grade (although prices aren’t shown for the scarcer grades)
- Mintage figures
- Metal composition for each coin variety
- Closeup photos of many major die varieties, especially bust halves
Standard Catalog Of World Coins 1601-1700 
Standard Catalog of World Coins 1701-1800
Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900
Standard Catalog Of World Coins 1901-2000
The sheer amount of information available in these books necessitates splitting them into separate volumes. However that does have the virtue of allowing you to only buy the information on the era most of interest to you. The catalogs include mintage figures, metallic composition, precious metal weights, diameter, mint and privy marks, dates, design details, historical background and of course current values in up to five grades. Although you may eventually need to supplement the information in these volumes if you develop a specialist area of interest, these books should be your first point of reference whenever you want to learn about something new.
