by Dennis Tucker

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation announced in April 2020 that its London affiliate, NGC UK, has certified a 1952 British penny. If an American collector focuses only on U.S. coins and doesn’t study money from across the Pond, this might seem like a strange thing to publicize. The United States Mint produced more than a billion Wheat cents in 1952. Surely Britain’s pennies were minted by the millions, too?

In fact, they weren’t. And the 1952 penny deserves every headline it’s earned.

NGC describes the coin as “a numismatic unicorn.” It’s unique—and not in the rhetorical sense that promoters sometimes throw around to describe coins that are merely interesting, super-rare, and valuable.

This one-of-a-kind coin is truly one of a kind. No other 1952 penny is known to exist.

The bronze coin features a profile of King George VI, who died in 1952. His Majesty’s likeness on British coinage would be replaced in 1953 by a fresh-faced portrait of his young daughter, Princess Elizabeth. With his passing she became Queen Elizabeth II.

The reason Britain didn’t mint pennies in 1952 was not because of the transition between monarchs, but because there were already enough such coins in the channels of commerce.

Numismatists Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker, writing in their new book, 100 Greatest Modern World Coins (Whitman Publishing, 2020), discuss the situation: “The production of several British coins had temporarily been suspended throughout the twentieth century, most often due to an abundance of a given denomination in circulation. This was the case, for example, with Great Britain’s penny from 1923 through 1925, 1933, and throughout much of the 1950s.”

Another British coin from 1952, the King George VI half crown, ranks as no. 35 among Morgan and Walker’s 100 Greatest. Only two examples are known to exist: One is the VIP Proof specimen currently residing in the Royal Mint Collection. That particular coin was thought to be unique until 1967, when a second example turned up—in pocket change! Examination by Royal Mint employees and other experts led the Mint to proclaim it genuine, although its precise origins remain unknown. According to Morgan and Walker, “Officials suspected it was a die trial that had mistakenly escaped the Mint.”

Unlike the case of the bronze 1952 penny, which was suspended because enough coins of that denomination were already in circulation, the Royal Mint held off making the copper-nickel 1952 half crown in order to save metal for military production. The Korean War was on, and nickel was mission-critical for ordnance and other equipage.

The story of these coins is just one of many among the 100 Greatest. In their beautifully illustrated book, award-winning writers Morgan and Walker offer a guided tour of coins that have influenced the world and captured the imaginations of collectors since the early 1900s. In defining “greatness,” their exploration focuses on such factors as rarity, value, popularity, beauty, innovation, and historical significance.

There are a half dozen other entries from Great Britain among the 100 Greatest Modern World Coins. They include a silver trade dollar, two pennies, a gold sovereign, and two Proof sets. Only China ranks higher that Great Britain with more coins among the , although there are also many British imperial and Commonwealth entries, including coins from Australia, Canada, East Africa, India, New Zealand, the British Mandate of Palestine, and South Africa.

100 Greatest Modern World Coins can be ordered online (including at Whitman.com) and from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide.

The Best-Selling Blue Book Tells How Much Your Coins Are Worth

Of all the numismatic books Whitman Publishing has created over the years, including many recent titles that have already matured into standard references, the Guide Book of United States Coins—the “Red Book”—is by far the most popular. It’s hard to argue popularity when generations of coin collectors have bought more than 24 million copies in total!

The hobby community has another long-running annual price guide, though: one that deserves at least a tiara if not the record-holder’s crown. The —the wholesale-price guide known in the hobby as the “Blue Book”—has actually been on the numismatic scene longer than its retail-pricing counterpart. Hobby legend R.S. Yeoman started the book in 1942 as a groundbreaking resource for coin collectors. (It wasn’t until 1946 that the Red Book would come into being.) With the Blue Book, for the first time ever hobbyists had an impartial, research-driven annual guide to tell them how much the typical dealer would pay for their U.S. coins, and dealers had a handy guide for buying.

What Exactly Is the Blue Book?

Today, Senior Editor Jeff Garrett, backed up by Research Editor Q. David Bowers (with an annual overview by Editor Emeritus Kenneth Bressett), continues the venerable Yeoman tradition. As the Blue Book nears its eightieth anniversary, collectors and dealers alike find it to be a valuable yearly indicator for wholesale coin values. More than 100 leading professional coin dealers, numismatic researchers, and organizations contributed to the 78th edition, which is available now from bookstores and numismatic dealers around the nation.

New coin collectors sometimes ask, “What’s the difference between the Blue Book and the Red Book?” The main answer is simple: the Blue Book lists wholesale prices many coin dealers will pay for collector coins; the Red Book lists retail prices that a collector can expect to pay for the same coins.

For the past 78 years, the Blue Book has aided millions of people who have inherited coin collections, have coins to sell or trade, or are actively engaged in collecting. The popular coin-folder method of collecting by date and mintmark has created ever-changing premium values for coins, based on the supply and demand of each. The Blue Book, through its panel of contributors, has reported these changing values over the years. It also serves as a source of general numismatic information for all levels of interest in the hobby.

Who Uses the Blue Book?

Many Blue Book readers are longtime numismatists who appreciate the quality of the book’s photographs and historical/technical data. Other readers might not actively collect coins, but found some old “pennies” and nickels in Grandpa’s cigar box in the basement and want to know how much they’re worth. In addition to more than 25,000 listed dealer buy prices, the Blue Book contains a wealth of numismatic information—instructions on grading, more than 900 photographs that can be used to identify coins, rare and valuable features to look for, mintages and other data, historical background, and more. The book has sections on colonial and early American pieces, all regular federal coins from the 1790s to date, classic and modern commemoratives, Proof and Mint sets, popular die varieties, private and territorial gold, bullion, State quarters, Presidential dollars, selected American tokens and medals dating from the 1600s onward, and more.

“More people than ever are inheriting coin collections,” said Garrett, “and the Blue Book is an excellent tool to start the process of establishing values. The book is simple to understand, with accurate pricing reflecting what you can expect to receive for your coins.”

How are the Blue Book’s Prices Compiled?

The values shown inside the Blue Book are average prices paid by dealers for various United States coins. They represent a cross-section of prices being paid around the country, compiled from many geographically separated sources, from coast to coast and North to South, some in heavily populated metropolitan centers and some in smaller towns. All are experienced professional coin dealers or longtime collector specialists. Local supply and demand and unique inventory conditions can affect any given dealer’s pricing; having a single-source compilation of typical prices gives both buyers and sellers a benchmark for comparison. While many coins bring no premium in circulated grades (e.g., common pocket change), they usually bring higher prices in Mint State and Proof. Extremely rare and valuable coins are often sold at public auction, and prices vary according to current supply and demand.

Editor Emeritus Kenneth Bressett recalls his experience with the Blue Book, first as a reader and later as its editor: “The Blue Book was the first professionally produced coin reference that I ever used. When it was introduced in 1942 I was astounded by the scope and quality of its content. I continue to use it today as a handy reference to market trends, and as a quick way to find reliable statistical data that it contains. Throughout the years, Whitman has continued to uphold the standards set by its original author, R.S. Yeoman, and to provide collectors with the best and most accurate information possible. I am often reminded of how fortunate I was to have found a copy of this important book so early in my career, and to have been a part of continuing the tradition for the past 78 years.”

New Features in This Year’s Blue Book

The 78th edition of the Blue Book (with a 2021 cover date) features the modern, updated layout of recent years, improved black-and-white photographs, the latest data from the United States Mint, and, for the first time ever, a 16-page full-color feature section on Morgan and Peace silver dollars. “The dual 100th anniversary of the last Morgan dollar and the first Peace dollar is approaching in 2021,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “This year’s Blue Book explores the history and charm of these valuable silver coins, two of America’s favorite classics.”

All of this combines to make the Blue Book a handy educational reference—and explains why, like the Red Book, it remains one of the longest-selling publications in the hobby.

Published in convenient softcover and library-quality hardcover on high-quality paper, the 78th (2021) edition Blue Book has a retail price of $12.95 (softcover) or $14.95 (hardcover). You will find it online, and at bookstores and hobby shops and retailers nationwide.