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Reference Book
Red Book of
United States Coins
A Guide Book of United
States Coin
by R.S. Yeoman
* Learn About U.S. Coins
* Find Out What Your Coins Are Worth
* Color Illustrations For Many Major
Coin Types
 2006
RED BOOK OFFERS BIG CHANGES
For nearly six decades, hobbyists have valued the Red
Book as a comprehensive reference and price guide for all
United States
coins. Chapters in the book include
detailed listings of colonial coins from 1616 through the opening of the
federal mint, and all
United States
coins including special varieties,
commemorative coins, and privately issued territorial gold pieces.
Special sections in the 2006 edition include Hard Times
tokens (used as emergency money from 1832 to 1844), and a comprehensive
overview of pattern coins (made to test proposed designs for American
coins throughout the years). Other chapters are devoted to errors and
misstruck coins, Philippine coinage while it
was a
U.S.
possession, Hawaiian and Alaskan coins
and tokens, and even a section on old Red Books and their values.
Recently added features include tips on how to get the
most out of coin collecting as a hobby or investment, a summary of
record-shattering auction prices, biographies of famous collectors of
the past, and a glossary of coin terms.
The traditional series of
U.S.
coins has also been expanded this year by adding much new information:
new grade pricing, the latest commemorative coin issues and Mint sets,
state quarters and Westward Journey nickels, bullion issues, and mintage
reports. Additional price columns cover the most useful and available
grades. New tinted backgrounds make the charts easy to read.
Price changes throughout the 59th edition show a strong
collector base for nearly all kinds of coins. Colonial coins and
territorial gold, in particular, have gone up in value over the past
year.
Scarce-date
U.S.
gold, especially branch mint pieces,
continue to escalate, and just about every
coin in high grade has seen a substantial rise in price.
In addition to providing price information, the Red Book
is a standard reference source for historical data, mintage records, and
coinage specifications for all
U.S.
coins. Colonial coins and tokens, bullion coins, and territorial gold
pieces are all listed and described, with retail values in multiple
grades. The values shown are average estimates calculated by surveying a
panel of nearly 100 of the nation’s leading coin dealers and
researchers. The latest auction results have also been incorporated, so
the data reflects today’s real-world market.
Kenneth Bressett, longtime
editor of the book, commented that the ongoing program of improving the
Red Book’s usefulness has been accentuated this year by the addition of
eye-catching color throughout. All coin illustrations have now been
replaced or upgraded with high-quality full-color pictures. The special
high-grade paper that was first used last year has been so well received
that it, too, has become a standard feature. “About the only design
element that has not changed in this edition is the book’s traditional
red cover,” said Bressett.
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