A Guide Book of United States Coins

First of all, make sure you buy the spiral version (this version) vs. the paperback or the hardcover. It's better, trust me, you'll see.About the book- this is THE book for the beginner or the serious coin collector. Color photographs throughout (the only one with all color photographs), up to seven grade/price columns for each coin, ALL the coins EVER minted by the US Mint (and colonial pre-mint coins), descriptions to determine the grades of your coins, and much more. Use this book to get a general idea of the worth of your coins and bring it with you to the coins shows to make sure you don't pay too much for those coins you want to buy. There are other coin books out there, but none or very few in there 54 edition. Buy this one, you won't be sorry.

If you're new to coin collecting and don't have this book, you need it; it's an excellent reference. If you don't care about the prices, the 2001 edition offers very little compared to the 2000 edition. One of those new 2000 proof sets can be had for a similar price... The 2001 edition of the red book changes little from the 2000 edition. A number of B & W pictures have been replaced with color versions of the same, and the results are generally more pleasing. Mintage figures have been updated to include 1999 numbers. The new quarters program is nicely presented, with a complete listing of all 50 states and the expected release years, as well as photos of all five 1999 designs. The new Sacagawea dollar is also listed with a brief introduction similar to that given other coins. With the exception of the new quarters and dollar, the entire regular issue (250+ pages) section is identical to the 2000 edition: no new error or variation photos or descriptions have been added. The commemoratives section has had some additional photos added and the bullion section has been re-arranged. The index also appears to be slightly improved. Giving the red book a rating is a bit silly, since most people buy it for a reference anyway. If I was comparing it to the 2000 edition, I'd give it a low rating. However, since I buy the new edition every year without thinking twice, I'll give it five stars.

Year in and year out, this is one of the better books on coins for new and experienced collectors alike. Could use some analysis on why certain coins are priced as they are. Also, could use more information regarding coin history.

At our popular Internet rare coin shop, we receive many e-mail requests for information regarding a myriad of details concerning rare coins, such as their precious metal content; who designed a particular coin; what years was a specific design of coin minted; what do the letters "D" "CC" or "S" mean on a coin; what is the approximate value of a specific coin; what is "bullion;" etc. The single most comprehensive and easiest to use reference for answering such questions remains this wonderful book which also holds a record as the longest running annual coin publication. Earlier editions have even become collector items with their own strong following. This is the first book anyone beginning to collect rare coins should purchase. The second is "Photograde." Between these two exceptionally well-written books many insights and reliable facts about rare coin collecting are presented. This book is more commonly called "The Red Book," and is seldom out of arm's reach. It is unusual to go a day without opening our copy to check at least one fact or review one detail. This is a definite FIVE STAR book on coin collecting which carries our strongest possible purchase recommendation.