Media release: “Starting Out in the Hobby, With Kenneth Bressett’s Whitman Guide to Coin Collecting”

Jun 19, 2017 | News

Coin collectors have long been fascinated by the great rarities of the numismatic world. Even if we can’t afford them, we love to learn about them, to look at them, to marvel over their fantastic stories. We’re inspired (often amazed, and sometimes shocked) by the adventures of the “super-collectors” like King Farouk of Egypt, a decadent monarch who drained his treasury to indulge his pastimes . . . the fabulously wealthy Colonel E.H.R. Green, who could afford any coin he wanted and once owned all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels . . . and Louis Eliasberg, the only collector ever to acquire one of every federally issued United States coin.

Of course, we know that we’ll never be an Egyptian king, and few of us will ever attain the wealth of, for example, Chicago beer brewer Virgil Brand, who owned 350,000 coins (including more than two dozen $4 gold Stellas). But we can aspire to maybe, just maybe, be a John Jay Pittman—an “ordinary working man,” happily married for 60 years, a chemical engineer for Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, who had to collect coins on a regular budget. When Pittman’s collection was auctioned in the late 1990s, it went for more than $30 million.

Here at Whitman Publishing headquarters we know thousands of hobbyists who got started collecting coins from their pocket change. In the 1940s you could still find Liberty Head nickels dating from the 1880s to the early 1900s in circulation. Buffalo nickels, minted from 1913 to 1938, continued to serve American commerce into the 1950s. Wheat cents became obsolete after 1958 (replaced by the Lincoln Memorial design in 1959) and entered the realm of coins to be picked out and set aside. Then in 1965 the alloy of most of the nation’s silver coins was changed to a copper-nickel composition. It didn’t take long for older silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars to completely disappear from circulation and go into collections and piggy banks. And in more recent years, hundreds of thousands of new collectors have joined the hobby by saving State quarters and other circulating coins.

This simple style of collecting common-date coins at face value is the foundation for much of today’s hobby. Numismatics is no longer an elite “gentlemen’s club” reserved for the wealthy. Now it is a popular pastime, fueled by the quarters found in our pocket change, pursued by countless schoolchildren, waiters and waitresses, cashiers, computer techs, mechanics, farmers, college students, and other “ordinary” Americans.

Rich or poor, every hobbyist needs to start somewhere. If we’re lucky, we do so with the guidance and mentoring of experienced collectors and teachers like Kenneth Bressett. Ken has been active in the hobby since the 1940s. He has worked continuously on the Guide Book of United States Coins (the annual retail and history guide known as the “Red Book”) for more than 60 years. He was officially recognized with the title of editor in 1974, taking the lead from the Red Book’s founder, R.S. Yeoman. Today Ken serves as senior editor and paterfamilias for the Red Book, the Blue Book, and the massive Mega Red, the 1,504-page Deluxe Edition Red Book. “Senior editor” is not an honorary title, but an active role that benefits greatly—and uniquely—from his constant study and exploration of American numismatics.

The Whitman Guide to Coin Collecting, first published in 1999, is one of Ken Bressett’s many contributions to the hobby. The book’s goal: to provide a much-needed gateway to numismatics, offering in a single volume everything new collectors need to get their feet on the ground. Not surprisingly, the “Yellow Book” (as it has come to be known) proved to be a popular beginner’s guide. It was updated and revised several times, including in a new edition in 2003. It has been a best-seller for nearly 20 years—an “evergreen,” as we say in the publishing world.

We later published two companion books to give hobbyists a complete set of guides for every level of collecting. For intermediate collectors who want to continue expanding their knowledge there is Q. David Bowers’s Inside the Rare Coin Marketplace, and, for advanced students ready to fully immerse themselves, Bowers’s Expert’s Guide to Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins.

The journey to expertise begins with the tried-and-true “Yellow Book.” The expanded Golden Edition, which will debut on the Fourth of July, 2017, has been updated with new information and guidance for today’s hobbyists, and upgraded to full color, with even more illustrations. Its readers will enjoy a one-on-one appointment with Ken Bressett, who opens the vault doors to his immense storehouse of practical, hands-on knowledge. It’s the perfect welcome to the world of coin collecting.

Theft Suspects-Photos-Utah Area

Jun 14, 2017 | News

The below suspects came into a local coin dealer multiple times and pocketed several coins worth thousands of dollars while they distracted an employee. They were seen traveling in a light brown SUV. The male used the name Allan and gave a phone number of 402-801-0245. The couple said they were married and mentioned a 20 year age gap between the two of them. They don’t appear to be from the UTAH area and may be traveling the country doing similar offenses.

If anyone can identify or have come into contact with these two subjects contact the Det. below using case number 17P008070.

Detective Jud Callaway
St George Police Department
St George, Utah
435-627-4411.

or

Doug Davis
817-723-7231
Doug@numismaticcrimes.org

The Numismatic Crime Information Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation. P.O. Box 14080 Arlington, Texas 76094.

Whitman Publishing Releases New Gold “Toolkit”

Jun 13, 2017 | News

(Pelham, Alabama) — On the Fourth of July, 2017, Whitman Publishing will release a newly updated 2nd edition of its award-winning book GOLD: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Sell Today, by Jeff Garrett and Q. David Bowers. It is available for preorder online (including at www.Whitman.com) and will be sold at bookstores and hobby dealers nationwide for $14.95.

The book’s contents include a foreword by Kenneth Bressett (senior editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins), and chapters entitled “Gold: What is it, and Why is it Valuable?”; “The Recent Gold Boom”; “Selling Your Gold”; “Buying Gold”; “Deal With the Experts”; “Avoiding Counterfeit and Altered Gold Coins”; “Quick Answers to Frequently Asked Questions”; “Glossary of Gold-Related Terms”; and “More Resources.”

The uniquely formatted 120-page hardcover book comes in a sturdy library-quality slipcover. Inside, the text and illustrations are accompanied by pullouts printed with valuable insider information. These include technical content such as weight conversion tables, bullion-value charts, melt value by karat and pennyweight, and federal coinage specifications. “These pullouts are handy for taking to coin shows, pawn shops, flea markets, and other places where gold is bought, sold, and traded,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. They also include fascinating replicas of historical documents such as President Franklin Roosevelt’s executive order 6102 of April 5, 1933, which recalled billions of dollars worth of gold coinage and stopped the hoarding of gold coins, bullion, and certificates during the Great Depression.

The book’s audience includes experienced coin collectors and investors, as well as newcomers who have never bought or sold gold but are interested because of mainstream news coverage. It covers the history of gold going back to ancient times; market trends since 1933; U.S. and foreign gold coins; modern and older bullion and trade coins; scrap gold, jewelry, and gold works of art; how to grade gold coins; the pros and cons of various buying and selling venues; using the Internet; pennyweights, karats, grams, fineness, melt value, and other technicalities; the market effects of recent world events; contact information for world mints that sell gold; and more.

Bressett, in his foreword, wrote, “Whether you intend to buy, sell, hold, or ignore this noble metal, you will have all of your questions and concerns addressed in this handy book. Through charts, insider tips, and clear concise directions you will be able to maximize the satisfaction of your transactions.”

The coauthors are award-winning numismatic researchers. Q. David Bowers is a coin dealer, auctioneer, and writer who serves as numismatic director for Whitman Publishing and research editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins (the best-selling “Red Book” annual coin-price guide). Jeff Garrett is known as a coin dealer and an active hobby promoter; he is the president of the American Numismatic Association and valuations editor of the Red Book.

Chopmarked Coins Featured in New 3rd Edition of MEGA RED

Jun 8, 2017 | News

Sample page about Chopmarks from the MegaRed 3rd Edition

Gullberg defines “chops” as personal stamps that intermediaries known as shroffs would punch into inspected silver coins to guarantee they were of good silver and acceptable in trade. The practice started in China in the mid-1600s and took place into the early 1930s. He describes chopmark collecting as an exciting field with many discoveries waiting to be made. “A chopmark collector is like an explorer,” Gullberg writes. “You never know what you will find next.”

The author begins with a history of how silver flowed throughout the world, and especially into China, from the 1500s through the 1800s. He explores the influence of Japan in silver exporting, Europe’s China Trade, and important silver trade coins such as the Spanish 8-reales “cob,” Mexican Portrait or Bust dollars, Pillar dollars, and the famous U.S. trade dollar.

“Most American collectors come into contact with chopmarked coins when they start a trade dollar collection,” Gullberg writes, “yet few have even the scantiest knowledge of this fascinating area of numismatics. Chopmarks played a central role in the use of silver in the China Trade and involved the coinage of dozens of nations and thousands of merchants and money changers over a period of 300 years.”

The study is illustrated with 30 photographs of U.S. and foreign coins, and types of chops including incuse and relief, large and small, Chinese characters and pseudo-characters, and even ink chops. Gullberg also discusses and illustrates assay chops and wedding chops.

For collectors, Gullberg analyzes three broad categories of pricing for chopmarked coins: Group 1, comprised of common trade coins from the United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Spain, made specifically for business use in China or commonly circulated there; Group 2, very rare coins, including key dates or mints from Mexico and other countries; and Group 3, non-trade coins commonly found with chopmarks, including Morgan dollars, British shillings, Salvadoran pesos, Russian roubles, and others.

He then lays out his advice for collecting chopmarked coins, giving strategies for focusing on American coins, non-U.S. coins, type coins, and collecting by chop.

About MEGA RED

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 the third edition.

The third edition of MEGA RED officially debuted at the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo, March 30, 2017, and now is available nationwide. MEGA RED retails for $49.95 and is available online (including at Whitman.com) and from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide. Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the ANA, and Association members receive a 10% discount off all purchases.

About Whitman Publishing

Whitman Publishing is the world’s leading producer of numismatic reference books, supplies, and products to display and store coins and paper money. The company’s high-quality books educate readers in the rich, colorful history of American and world coinage and currency, and teach how to build great a collection. Archival-quality Whitman folders, albums, cases, and other holders keep collectibles safe and allow them to be shown off to friends and family.

Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the American Numismatic Association. As a benefit of membership in the ANA, members can borrow the Red Book (and other Whitman books) for free from the Association’s library, and also receive 10% off all Whitman purchases. Details are at www.money.org.

MEGA RED: A Guide Book of United States Coins, Deluxe Edition, 3rd edition
ISBN 0794845096
1,054 pages, full color
By R.S. Yeoman; senior editor Kenneth Bressett; research editor Q. David Bowers;
valuations editor Jeff Garrett
$49.95 retail