Customer Reviews

Official Whitman Statehood Quarters Collector's Handbook

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I picked this up with the thought of passing it on to a friend who collected the state quarters, but I'm glad I looked it over before I did that.

This small 90-page book's intended audience would appear to be people who were not particularly interested in or knowledgeable about collecting coins prior to the state quarters program. Much of it is a primer on coin collecting--condition, mint marks, storage and display, etc. It also includes background on the state quarters program, some history on the U.S. quarter/"two-bits" coin, changes in the design over the years, and the design of past commemorative quarters and other-denomination coins.

Its major shortcoming is that when this book was published, only the first ten quarters had been issued; for 40 of the 50 states the designs had not yet been finalized. For the issued quarters, the design is pictured and its elements described and explained. For the remaining majority, the "illustration" is a blank circle, and the text is a paragraph or two of speculation about what the design might turn out to be.

The book's interior pages are a cheap grade of paper that's already begun to turn brown around the edges, reinforcing the appearance that this was a product quickly whipped up to capitalize on initial excitement about the quarters program, but not designed or intended as a lasting reference work.

This is a great way for beginning coin collectors to learn the proper techniques, and also has great details about the Statehood quarter program and the design process. I love collecting these quarters, it really is interesting to learn about the early moments in state histories.