Whitman Publishing Releases New 3rd Edition of MEGA RED
(Pelham, Alabama) — The third edition of MEGA RED (the Deluxe Edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins, also known as the Red Book) will officially debut at the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo, March 30–April 2, 2017. MEGA RED retails for $49.95. It can be pre-ordered online (including at Whitman.com) and after the Baltimore Expo will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide.
Every U.S. coinage series has been updated and revised in the third edition, and new sections have been added. The 1,504-page book includes an in-depth 314-page feature on America’s nickel five-cent coins (Shield nickels, Liberty Head nickels, Buffalo nickels, and Jefferson nickels), written by Q. David Bowers and covering 545 varieties dating from 1866 to today. New appendices explore So-Called Dollars, special modern gold coins, hobo nickels, chopmarked coins, U.S. Mint medals, love tokens, and nickel-operated machines.
Billed as the “biggest, most useful Red Book ever,” MEGA RED 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 8,200 items in up to 13 grades each, with 48,000 individual values and 15,400 auction records covering circulated, Mint State, and Proof coinage. The book is illustrated with 7,000 images, including 2,434 that are new to this edition.
MEGA RED 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’s new MEGA RED features an in-depth focus on one or more coin series. The first edition included a 364-page section on copper half cents and large cents, with images, history, diagnostics, and pricing for 832 die varieties, 1793–1857. The second edition featured 330 pages covering 607 varieties of Flying Eagle, Indian Head, and Lincoln cents, 1856 to date.
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.
Regularly updated 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; and grading standards for U.S. coins.
The book’s special-feature appendices include fresh material with each new edition. Past editions have explored coin cleaning, preservation, and conservation; counterfeit coins in today’s marketplace; the dynamics of the rare-coin market; techniques of smart bidding at auction; Scouting and numismatics; American Arts gold medallions; investing in modern gold and silver bullion; building a registry set; determining coin prices and values; predicting the rare-coin market; coin clubs; how to get a new die variety listed in the Red Book; and collecting numismatic literature.
After the Baltimore Expo, MEGA RED will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, and online (including at www.Whitman.com). Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the ANA, and Association members receive a 10% discount off all purchases.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries Acquires CollectiveCoin.com
SANTA ANA, CA. — Stack’s Bowers Galleries is pleased to announce it has acquired the interactive website CollectiveCoin.com. CollectiveCoin.com was started in 2014 by Matt Lenore and Nick Baum and is a leading tool for managing coin collections online, allowing collectors to publicly or privately view, manage and track their numismatic collections seamlessly across all devices. The website also has robust interactive social tools, allowing members to share their collections, to comment on individual coins or collections and to buy, sell and trade with other members.
“One of our mission statements is to provide solutions for all our clients’ collecting needs,” stated Brian Kendrella, company president. “Increasingly, collectors are looking for convenient technology solutions to manage and track their collections. We found no other technology that can offer this kind of utility for our clients and we look forward to expanding on its features and growing the member base.
“With most collections these days stashed away in safe deposit boxes, collectors are eager to have digital records and manage and share online as the most convenient and safest way to enjoy their collections. I think it is a perfect match. Stack’s Bowers Galleries recognizes the benefits of CollectiveCoin.com and wants to expand the audience that truly enjoys the site’s benefits,” remarked Matt Lenore, co-founder.
The site has a tremendously loyal and committed user base and this base is expected to grow when CollectiveCoin.com is introduced to Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ worldwide users. “There are no immediate plans to change the site, but longer term we will integrate the site and its tools into StacksBowers.com, allowing users to seamlessly add all their SBG auction purchases as well as acquisitions from other sources. The site will also be expanded to include currency collections,” commented Kendrella. “The site is open for use during our transition and we welcome comments and suggestions.”
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries conducts live, Internet and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company’s 80-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, The Guia Collection, The Thos. H. Law Collection, and The Robert O. Ebert Collection.
Topping off this amazing numismatic history is the inclusion of the world record for the highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, the 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar graded Specimen-66 (PCGS) that realized over $10 million, part of their sale of the famed Cardinal Collection. The company is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, with offices in New York, Wolfeboro, Hong Kong, and Paris. Stack’s Bowers Galleries is an Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic conventions, including American Numismatic Association events, the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring, Summer and Winter Expos, and its April and August Hong Kong Auctions.
Media Contact:
Christine Karstedt, Executive Vice President
ckarstedt@stacksbowers.com
Virginia Sales-Tax Exemption Expanded to Include Coins
On February 22, Governor Terry McAuliffe signed VA HB 1668 to expand Virginia’s sales-and-use tax exemption to include legal tender coins, effective January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2022.
Virginia had a short, 6.5-week legislative session. Companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate to fast-track them; both bills passed. The companion bill, VA S 934, missed the deadline for early action by the governor and should be acted on in March.
A big thanks to Senator Frank Wagner, who introduced VA S 934, and Delegate Christopher Stolle, M.D., who introduced VA HB 1668. They championed our bills and we attribute the passage of both bills to them; without their support this wouldn’t have been possible.
“These days the Virginia General Assembly always puts a sunset clause on these things. The law will sunset in 2022 unless the industry can demonstrate that Virginia dealers and the Virginia coin shows are growing again, but based on the experience of other states, that should happen,” said lobbyist Steve Haner, who also handled the 2015 bill creating the exemption for bullion. “Getting an ANA show here would really prove to the legislators that this was great policy.”
“This is a really exciting time for collectors and dealers in the state of Virginia,” said John Brush, president of David Lawrence Rare Coins. “While it took significant financial and personal resources to get this done, it was an honor to serve and help the hobby within our great state. We only hope that it will have an overwhelming impact on all coin-related businesses in Virginia and that we’ll be able to host a national coin show in the not-too-distant future.”
ICTA’s executive director, Kathy McFadden, noted that “It takes a great deal of coordination, grassroots effort, and research in passing legislation. Without John Brush stepping up to the plate and hiring Steve Haner again, the legislation would never have happened! Also, helping out this year was Bill Hoovler, president of the Rappahannock Area Coin Club, the City of Virginia Beach, and Visit Richmond.”
John Brush is seeking help to defray the significant cost that he has underwritten, and he thanks the dealers and collectors who have helped financially support this effort thus far. PLEASE help John out by contributing to this expensive endeavor, which will produce a financial gain for EVERY dealer and collector in the state of Virginia. For more information, call John at (757) 962-7502, or email him at john.brush@davidlawrence.com.
Language for Virginia’s new law:
“Effective through June 30, 2022, gold, silver, or platinum bullion or legal tender coins whose sales price exceeds $1,000. Each piece of gold, silver, or platinum or legal tender coin need not exceed $1,000, provided that the sales price of one entire transaction of such pieces exceeds $1,000. ‘Gold, silver, or platinum bullion’ means gold, silver, or platinum, and any combination thereof, that has gone through a refining process and is in a state or condition such that its value depends on its mass and purity and not on its form, numismatic value, or other value. Gold, silver, or platinum bullion may contain other metals or substances, provided that the other substances by themselves have minimal value compared with the value of the gold, silver, or platinum. ‘Legal tender coins’ means coins of any metal content issued by a government as a medium of exchange or payment of debts. ‘Gold, silver, or platinum bullion’ and ‘legal tender coins’ do not include jewelry or works of art.”
United States Mint Opens Sales for 2017 Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coins on March 9
WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) will open sales for product options in the 2017 Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Program on March 9 at noon Eastern Time (ET).
Product options and their prices are as follows:
| PRODUCT OPTION | PRODUCT CODE | INTRODUCTORY PRICE | REGULAR PRICE |
| Proof $5 Gold | 17CA | Per pricing grid | Per pricing grid |
| Uncirculated $5 Gold | 17CB | Per pricing grid | Per pricing grid |
| Proof Silver Dollar | 17CC | 47.95 | 52.95 |
| Uncirculated Silver Dollar | 17CD | 46.95 | 51.95 |
| Proof Half Dollar | 17CE | 21.95 | 26.95 |
| Uncirculated Half Dollar | 17CF | 20.95 | 25.95 |
| Three-Coin Proof Set | 17CG | N/A | Per pricing grid |
Products containing gold coins will be priced according to the Mint’s 2017 Pricing of Numismatic and Commemorative Gold and Platinum Products Grid posted at https://www.usmint.gov/
The introductory sales period ends on April 10 at 3 p.m. ET, when regular pricing takes effect.
Public Law 114-30 authorizes the Mint to strike and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 350,000 silver dollar coins, and 300,000 half dollar clad coins in proof and uncirculated finishes. Customer demand will determine the ratio of proof to uncirculated coins minted within the authorized mintage limits.
The sales price of each coin includes surcharges-$35 for each gold coin, $10 for each silver coin, and $5 for each clad half dollar coin-which the law authorizes the Mint to pay to Boys Town in support of its mission of caring for and assisting children and families in underserved communities across America.
Orders will be accepted at https://catalog.usmint.gov/, and at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468), while hearing- and speech-impaired customers with TTY equipment may order at 1-888-321-MINT. Information about shipping options is available at https://catalog.usmint.gov/customer-service/shipping.html.
In addition to online and telephone sales, the 2017 Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coins will be available for purchase following a ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 2017, at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel Ballroom; 415 New Jersey Ave, NW; Washington, DC 20001.
About the United States Mint
The United States Mint was created by Congress in 1792 and became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. It is the Nation’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage and is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; and silver, gold, and platinum bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers. The Mint is celebrating its 225th anniversary in 2017 (#USMint225).
PNG Accepts Resignation of William Dominick
PNG Accepts Resignation of William Dominick
(Temecula, California) March 2, 2017 — The Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.org) has accepted the resignation of PNG member-dealer William Dominick of Naples, Florida.
PNG Executive Director Robert Brueggeman had suspended Dominick pending ratification of the PNG Board of Directors for suspension or expulsion, as per the organization’s bylaws.
Dominick, who became a PNG member-dealer in 1990 and has been on retired status since 2007, submitted his resignation prior to a vote by the Board, and it was accepted.
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