Hobby Legend Is Honored in the New 2019 Edition

(Pelham, AL) — Kenneth Bressett, longtime editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins (popularly known as the “Red Book”), has retired into Whitman Publishing’s newly created position of Editor Emeritus. The 2019 (72nd) edition of the Red Book, available now from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, features a 10-page illustrated tribute to Bressett. In addition, the hardcover format includes a commemorative gold-foil portrait and a facsimile of his famous signature on the back cover. Bressett will make appearances at several shows and events throughout the year to autograph books.

The Guide Book of United States Coins debuted in November 1946 (with a cover date of 1947) as the hobby’s only fully illustrated catalog with objective retail pricing for every U.S. coin. Prior to this, the Handbook of United States Coins (the “Blue Book,” first published in 1942) gave unbiased wholesale pricing—how much dealers were paying, on average, for U.S. coins. These two resources were both created by R.S. Yeoman and published by Whitman. Before them, collectors had to rely on lists written by individual coin dealers, which were seen as biased and did not have wide distribution. The first edition of the Red Book was so popular that it sold out 9,000 copies in a matter of weeks, requiring another print run in February 1947.

Kenneth Bressett, a young collector from Keene, New Hampshire, first met R.S. Yeoman at a coin convention in the mid-1950s. He mentioned several errors he’d found in the latest edition of the book. In 1956 Yeoman invited Bressett to be a freelance editor, and in 1959 Bressett moved with his family to Racine, Wisconsin, to officially join the Whitman Publishing staff full time. He worked closely with Yeoman—by that time one of the most famous numismatists in the world—developing the Red Book and Blue Book and many other hobby references and products. By the time Yeoman retired in 1970, Bressett had taken over many duties as “coordinating editor” of the Red Book. In the 27th edition he was credited as the book’s editor, and in the 66th edition he was elevated to Senior Editor, with Q. David Bowers and Jeff Garrett assisting as Research Editor and Valuations Editor, respectively.

Now, in 2018, after nearly 65 years of work on the Red Book, Ken Bressett is being promoted again, this time to the position of Editor Emeritus. Garrett is taking the reins as Senior Editor and Bowers is continuing as Research Editor. “Although Ken will step down from day-to-day management of the Red Book, we know his work in numismatics will continue,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “And of course his influence, like that of R.S. Yeoman, will be felt for as long as the book is enjoyed by hobbyists around the world.”

Tucker encourages collectors to buy two copies of the hardcover this year—one for day-to-day use, and one to have Bressett autograph as a numismatic keepsake. “Mr. Red Book” will be at the American Numismatic Association Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs, June 16–28, and the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Philadelphia, August 14–18. He is scheduled to appear for a week of celebrations at the Whitman Coin and Collectibles 2018 Winter Expo, October 25–28.

“The story of the Guide Book of United States Coins is not merely a story about those who produced it,” Bressett has said. “It is a tribute to the thousands of individual contributors who have honed its contents to the point that it has become a numismatic standard and a valuable collectible in its own right. It is a success story that remains unparalleled by any other numismatic book.”

(Pelham, Alabama) — The fourth edition of MEGA RED (the Deluxe Edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins) features an expanded coin-by-coin study of U.S. dimes—294 pages covering 845 varieties from 1796 to date. Its focus on dimes also includes 15 new appendices on different aspects of the coins. The 1,504-page MEGA RED is available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, as well as online (including at the publisher’s web site, Whitman.com). It retails for $49.95.

Whitman Publishing numismatic director Q. David Bowers, who serves as senior editor of MEGA RED, wrote the expanded feature and contributed to all of the related appendices. “United States dimes are extremely popular among collectors,” he said, “offering areas of specialization to accommodate almost any budget and level of interest.” He notes that MEGA RED presents the most comprehensive coverage of early dimes (the Draped Bust and Capped Bust types) ever made in a general-interest book.

Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker said, “Dave Bowers drew from many sources for this detailed study of U.S. dimes. He consulted specialized references, analyzed auction results, researched historical documents and contemporary news accounts, and collaborated with specialists from around the country. Of course, the foundation of his work was his own experience and insight from more than 60 years as a professional numismatist and coin dealer.”

The John Reich Collectors Society, whose focus is on early U.S. silver and gold coins, was a useful resource for pre-1838 dimes. “Back issues of their John Reich Journal are a goldmine of information and can make everyone an expert,” Bowers said. He called special attention to Barry Sunshine, a dedicated specialist of early dimes, who shared research and observations from longtime study. More than 50 pages are dedicated to Draped Bust (1796–1807) and Capped Bust (1809–1837) dimes. This includes nearly 300 photographs (including enlarged photos of every date, plus many die varieties); mintages; commentary on the market, collecting tips, physical characteristics, and other notes specific to each coin; certified population data (number certified, average grade, and percent in Mint State); and values in grades from About Good to multiple levels of Mint State. Bowers also provides grading instructions (with high-quality enlarged photos of coins in grades from AG to MS, plus Proofs), history and background on each coin type, biographies of their designers and engravers, and guides to collecting.

Bowers’s coverage of Liberty Seated dimes (1837–1891) is similarly detailed over the course of 90 pages, and illustrated by 457 large-sized photographs of this long-running series’ coins, plus historical images. Bowers spent many hours studying the availability of each coin in various grades. He gives a great amount of advice and guidance on smart buying and collecting, and shares insight and research from the Liberty Seated Collectors Club and other specialists.

For Barber dimes (1892–1916) Bowers presents another full guide to collecting, grading, history, surviving populations in circulated, Mint State, and Proof formats, die varieties, hub changes, strike sharpness, and other factors relevant to collectors. He consulted with John Frost, Phil Carrigan, and other members of the Barber Coin Collectors Society for research into each date and mint. Certification data and retail price charts show the market for coins from Good-4 up to Mint State–65, plus Proofs at multiple levels. Barber dimes comprise 42 pages of research and 241 photographs, including close-ups of die-variety diagnostics.

Winged Liberty (or “Mercury”) dimes of 1916 to 1945 make up 40 pages of the expanded catalog. Bowers explains the changeover from Barber coins to the new design, including patterns, release and distribution, and the public’s perception. His coverage of strike characteristics, Proof Mercury dimes, grading standards (including for Full Band details), retail prices in 12 grades, population data, die varieties, marketplace factors, and other details give collectors plenty to study. Bowers consulted with David W. Lange, Bill Fivaz, and other specialists for in-depth research. The coin-by-coin study is illustrated by 123 photographs, including many die-variety enlargements.

For Roosevelt dimes, Bowers lays out the history of the coin developed to honor President Franklin Roosevelt, who led the nation out of the Great Depression and through most of World War II, dying of a cerebral hemorrhage just weeks before Germany and Japan surrendered. Bowers gives an illustrated biography of Roosevelt, a history of the coin’s design (including the controversy over artist Selma Burke’s claim to be its designer), and information about production, hub changes over the years, tips for collecting, and grading standards (including for Full Torch details). His coin-by-coin study covers silver Roosevelt dimes of 1946 to 1964, including Proofs, plus the mysterious 1964 Special Mint Set coins. He discusses 1965–1967 SMS coins, and popular die varieties listed in the Cherrypickers’ Guide. Copper-nickel and silver Roosevelt dimes of 1965 to date are explored in charts and photographs of each. In total, 67 pages and 575 photographs are devoted to these popular modern coins.

In addition to these detailed studies of individual dimes, of MEGA RED’s 25 appendices Bowers coordinated 15 that each focus on a specific dime-related topic. The richly illustrated “Carpe Dime! Dimes Seize the American Imagination,” by award-winning numismatic author Joel Orosz, explores dimes in popular culture ranging from music to literature, movies and other entertainment, commerce, banking, and other aspects of life in the United States. Other appendices show extraordinary error and misstruck dimes; pattern dimes and proposals that never became official coins; counterstamped dimes; dime scrip issued by banks, merchants, and towns; “paper dimes” from the U.S. Treasury Department; Civil War sutlers’ “dime” tokens; Civil War ten-cent store cards and dimes used as planchets for silver Civil War tokens; dimes recently discovered in the purser’s safe of the shipwreck SS Central America; the history of the famous 1894-S dime; a snapshot of the dime market in the 1940s; irradiated dimes; and an illustrated essay on the greatest U.S. dimes.

“With more than 1,600 high-quality photographs of U.S. dimes, this edition of MEGA RED is like having six beautiful coin collections laid out in front of you for in-depth study,” said Bowers. “Add to that 80 pages of related appendices with an additional 250-plus photographs, and you cannot afford to miss out on this edition.” Images are from the Whitman Publishing historical archives plus coins photographed by Heritage Auctions, Stack’s Bowers Galleries, NGC and PCGS, the Smithsonian, and individual hobbyists who answered Whitman’s call for dime photographs.

MEGA RED is billed as the “biggest, most useful Red Book ever.” It measures 7 x 10 inches and has 1,040 more pages than the regular edition. The larger size and increased page count combined make MEGA RED five times bigger than the regular-edition Red Book. It prices more than 8,000 items in up to 13 grades each, with 48,000 individual values and more than 15,000 auction records covering circulated, Mint State, and Proof coinage. The book is illustrated with thousands of full-color images, including thousands that are new to this edition.

MEGA RED is available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, and online.