MEGA RED

A Guide Book Of United States Coins (5th Edition)

Q. David Bowers | 4.78 | 110 ratings and reviews

Ranked #1 in Coins, Ranked #3 in Coin Collecting — see more rankings.

Billed as the "biggest, most useful Red Book ever," the Deluxe Edition measures 7 x 10 inches and has 1,504 pages. The larger size and increased page count combined make the Deluxe Edition five times bigger than the regular-edition Red Book. It prices 8,018 items in up to 12 grades each, with 50,205 individual values and 16,667 auction records covering circulated, Mint State, and Proof coinage. The book is illustrated with 5,753 images.

The Deluxe Edition covers American coinage from New England colonial times to the modern day--half cents through $20 gold double eagles, plus bullion, commemoratives, Proof and Mint sets, significant tokens and medals, error coins, and other numismatic collectibles. It follows the basic structure of the regular-edition Red Book, but each chapter is dramatically expanded with more historical information, more die varieties, detailed grading instructions with enlarged full-color illustrations, specialized advice on strike characteristics and other technical details, market analysis, and valuable guidance on collecting and investing in rare coins.

The book's Senior Editor is Kenneth Bressett, Valuations Editor is Jeff Garrett, and Research Editor is Q. David Bowers. A 57-page introduction, "The Story of American Money," is based on the work of the late Dr. Richard Doty, senior curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian.

Each year, the new Deluxe Edition will feature an in-depth focus on one or more coin series. The first edition includes a special 364-page section on copper half cents and large cents written by Q. David Bowers, with images, history, diagnostics, and pricing for 832 die varieties, 1793-1857.

For federal coins, detailed charts show each mintage; a summary of certified population data; average national retail prices in grades ranging from About Good to high Mint State and Proof; and three or more recent auction records for most coins. Enlarged close-ups of die varieties provide visual guidance. Extensive chart notes give the back stories and additional details on significant coins.

"This is the biggest numismatic reference Whitman has ever created," said publisher Dennis Tucker. "Many of the Deluxe Edition's chapters could be standalone books themselves. The section on commemorative coins is 146 pages long. Pre-federal coins and tokens from the 1600s to the 1790s span 56 pages. U.S./Philippine coins of World War II and earlier are given a detailed 30-page treatment. And 364 pages of half cents and large cents are enough to make every reader a smarter buyer and collector."

Special appendices include illustrated essays on misstrikes and error coins; rare and collectible numismatic books; bullion values of common-date silver and gold coins; the top 250 coin prices realized at auction; grading standards for U.S. coins; coin cleaning, preservation, and conservation; counterfeit coins in today's marketplace; the dynamics of the rare-coin market; predicting the rare-coin market; and techniques of smart bidding at auction. less

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