Customer Reviews

A Guide Book of United States Coins: 2005

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Kudos to Mr. Bressett on this edition. I would recommend this to anyone just starting to collect coins, or who hasn't picked up a copy of this reference in a few years. The Whitman ads that offended me in the 2004 edition have been largely addressed. While there are seven full pages of ads (no longer all from Whitman) still present, five of them have been pushed to the very front or back of the book. If the two remaining pages of ads smack dab in the middle were moved to either end as well, this would be a five-star book. Or if the price was markedly decreased with the additional ad revenue.
That said, there were some great additions: The introduction has been improved with a summary of abbreviations used throughout the book. An additional column of grades has been added with the early coinage, which is nice. The poor quality of images from the 2004 edition have been addressed - one or two slipped through, but by and large all of them are good. The value table for the misstrikes has been dropped, which is probably a good idea - misstrikes are fickle creatures when it comes to value. The misstrikes layout is also very nicely redone. The hard times tokens are back, and the patterns section was kept. Near the very end, a few new notes from Q. David Bowers really enhance the sense of what numismatics is about - that there is a rich history not only of the coins themselves but within the collecting community as well. Last but not least, a very nice glossary is included at the end.
Oddly the `additional contributors' section was dropped; not a big deal to the casual reader - I don't know how the contributors feel. The commemorative section has a plethora of new images and some layout changes, with mixed results.
Overall, this is an excellent edition. Meaningful additions were made and existing materials enhanced. I would recommend this edition to anyone looking for a good coin reference.
[Addendum]: It is true that the market prices can be very different than the prices listed in the book - some of this reflects natural fluctuations in the marketplace, as well as reference points - rarer coins have very few public transactions to estimate value. I agree that the prices should not be viewed as definitive.
As for the lack of some MS-state values - valuation of coins increases exponentially between MS-63 and MS-70. The editor appears to have selected popularly available grades for the appropriate denomination. In my opinion, it is a reasonable balance between useful information and keeping the guide to a reasonable size. Such detailed information would not be meaningful in an annual guide.
Those who seek current market values for very specific grades can find them online.

I became fascinated with coins as a youth a zillion years ago. I worked on the Lincoln cents series, memorizing the valuable dates and prices before finally completing the entire set. Since that time I have returned to coins again and again, drawn by their allure on many levels. They serve as cultural icons - an encapsulated national history lesson. They are also beautiful works of art...one cannot help but be reminded of the great sculptor Augustus Saint-Gauden who designed, according to President Teddy Roosevelt, the "most beautiful coin ever minted" - the famous and breathtaking St. Gauden's $20 gold coin. Last, but certainly not least, coins serve as an anchor in bad economic times and as excellent (the best) investments. Even in this age of technology, savvy investors know that gold and silver are "for the ages".

Throughout it all the Redbook has been a faithful companion. It succeeds where others do not for several reasons - each edition builds on prior works, research is ongoing, latest findings are presetn but most important, it remains THE repository for fair pricing. I note that it still contains the reminder, "Well-struck, uncirculated pieces demand higher prices than shown". Some things never change.

The listings are accompanied by numerous photographs including a multitude of "close-ups". The warnings are also present - Be aware of washed coins or altered dates or forgeries. But it is the grading system that forms the core of the book. Despite the non-stop battles over grading methodolgy (I prefer the 70 point system since it seems the most objective) many experts still refer to the Redbook and its language concerning feathers, stars, "LIBERTY" and hair details. As long as there are silver and gold coins there will be a Redbook.

The Redbook is the US coin collector's bible. Every collector MUST have this book if they are collecting US coins. The Redbook lists every coin ever minted in the United States. It also tells you which mints have produced them (there have been many over the years) and how many where made at each mint. This is valuable information because the value of any given US coin will depend on its date, mint mark & condition.

The prices in the Redbook are representative of the full retail price of a coin. The vast majority of the coins listed can be had for considerably less though from any reputable dealer. In most cases, if a dealer tries to get the Redbook price for a coin, run, do not walk, to the nearest exit.

Try searching on Google for a "reputable coin dealer" (include quotes) to locate a reputable coin dealer in your area. Every coin dealers advertises the quality, value and convenience of shopping with them but how many advertise their integrity? Try googling for "integrity, quality, value & convenience" (include quotes) and just see how many coin dealers are willing to ride on their reputation!

If you are looking to sell some coins, do NOT base the price you want for them on what is shown in the Redbook. The price a dealer will offer you for you coins will be a dealer-to-dealer price (i.e. a wholesale price). You certainly don't want to be one of those naive collectors who walk into a coin shop and try to sell your coins for anywhere near the price shown in the Redbook. Most dealers would simply laugh at you and move on to the next customer (as rude as that be).

Again, if you are thinking about collecting coins, the Redbook had better be the first book you buy.

The Redbook is a great reference for coin collecting. It has color pictures of almost every coin. It also illustrates die varities and other rare errors like double dies. The pictures are enlarged so you can see if your coins have a feature that makes them much more valuable. It tells you the mintage for each coin. Also, with each coin series there is a short history about the coin series. Included is a section about error coins.

The one bad thing is the pricing. It really is not much inline. If you want this book just for pricing I would not reccommend it. However, if you want it as a reference, I would highly reccommend it. Some prices are too high, and others too low. So if you want a good coin reference book, this is one of the best out there!

it really is the best "little" book for anyone interested in collecting coins or watching the value of owned coins go up. very reliable prices.