Expanded Red Book, 76th Edition, Will Debut at the 2022 Whitman Baltimore Expo
(Pelham, Alabama) — Visitors to the March 31–April 2, 2022, Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo in Baltimore will have early access to the 2023 (76th) edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins (known to collectors as the “Red Book”). After its Expo debut this newest edition of the hobby’s best-selling reference will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide. In the meantime, it can be preordered, including at Whitman.com and other online bookstores.
The 76th edition has been expanded to 472 pages. It prices nearly 8,000 entries in up to 9 grades each, with more than 32,000 retail valuations in total. It includes many new features and updated research, plus additions to the book’s 1,900-plus color photographs.
Senior Editor Jeff Garrett said, “Today’s rare-coin market is dominated by collectors, with an emphasis on quality. Auction records continue to be set for outstanding coins and ultra-rarities. Renewed interest in collectibles, financially flush consumers, and fear of inflation have all combined to spark demand across the board for most United States coinage. The 76th edition of the Red Book has more price increases than any in recent years.”
Editor Emeritus Kenneth Bressett has worked on the Red Book since 1959. He wrote about the first 75 years of its history in his memoir A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book. “I pity anyone looking for auction bargains today!” Bressett said about the current coin market. “Choice coins seem to be high on everyone’s wish list. Condition and rarity prompt the most active bidding, and shocking prices. The stimulated activity has also caused price increases in many lower-grade pieces. Are prices too high? Probably not, even though the expanded competition might not last forever. Markets and collector interests have a habit of changing over the years, but seemingly always in an upward direction over any reasonable period of time. The old adage ‘The time to buy is when the piece you want becomes available’ is as true today as it has ever been. I see nothing but good times ahead.”
Research Editor Q. David Bowers calls the Red Book “the most useful single-volume reference a coin collector can add to their library.”
“Our print runs for the Red Book have sold out faster than normal in recent years,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “We see this increased demand as a measure of the hobby’s growth. The 25 millionth copy of the Red Book was sold in 2021, and strong demand continues in 2022.”
The 76th edition, with a cover date of 2023, will be available in formats including the classic red hardcover; the convenient spiralbound softcover that lies flat when opened; and the easy-to-read Large Print Edition.
About the Guide Book of United States Coins
A Guide Book of United States Coins is the world’s most popular annual retail price guide for U.S. coins, tokens, and other numismatic items. More than 25 million copies have been purchased since 1946, making it one of the best-selling nonfiction titles in the history of U.S. book publishing.
For the 76th edition, more than 120 professional coin dealers, scholars, and other numismatic experts contributed their knowledge under the direction of Senior Editor Jeff Garrett, Research Editor Q. David Bowers, and Editor Emeritus Kenneth Bressett.
The 76th edition of the Red Book is available online and at bookstores and hobby shops nationwide. Whitman Publishing offers a Large Print Edition and two formats of the regular edition (hardcover and spiralbound softcover). Details about the eighth edition of the 1,504-page expanded Deluxe Edition, popularly known as MEGA RED™, will be available soon. For more information and to order, visit Whitman Publishing at www.Whitman.com.
A Complete History and Price Guide: Gold Quarter Eagles Get the Full Dave Bowers Treatment
Whenever Q. David Bowers releases a new book, numismatists everywhere smile. His literary contributions are legendary. More than 30 years ago Bowers’s importance was recognized by the Numismatic Literary Guild when he was awarded the Clemy, the group’s top award for long-term literary excellence.
What is less known, perhaps, is David’s wonderful leadership qualities, which were on display when he served as president of the American Numismatic Association in the early 1980s.
When I first met Dave, I was a young (27) grader/authenticator for the American Numismatic Association Certification Service (ANACS), joining a ANA board meeting in Colorado Springs. At the time, the board of ANA luminaries was debating whether to change the way our grading service described coins, from numbers to adjectival grading. We graders pointed out that the hobby and our customers preferred numerical grading. Many of the board’s elder statesmen (and stateswomen) preferred adjectives like “Choice Uncirculated” to a numerical grade like “MS-63.” With 20/20 hindsight, I think we graders not only had a better crystal ball for the future, but we also understood what the majority of our members wanted.
President Bowers agreed with us younger graders and adroitly led the board to a decision to forego changing our grading methodology to an adjectival system. I will never forget his respectful command and leadership in that important board meeting. As the newest grader—just six weeks on the job—he may have saved my job (as last-in, first-out). Thanks, Dave!
ANACS was founded in part by Virgil Hancock, also a past president of the ANA. Counterfeits and altered coins were becoming a growing problem in the 1970s, so the ANA formed ANACS to assist collectors wanting to know if their coins were genuine. In 1979 Virgil Hancock and Larry Spanbauer wrote Standard Catalog of United States Altered and Counterfeit Coins to help collectors and dealers identify the most prevalent counterfeits in the market. This became our favorite authentication guide at ANACS when I worked there in 1982 and 1983. When you turn to the book’s acknowledgement page, only a few industry leaders were recognized for their help and advice, and the first person acknowledged is, of course, Q. David Bowers.
Forty years later, Dave continues to provide valuable insights throughout his new book on quarter eagles, including warnings about counterfeit and altered coin dangers. For example, he wisely notes that the 1911-D quarter eagle is often produced by adding a “D” to a 1911 Philadelphia Mint coin. Dave also reminds us that while the lettering and motifs on the Indian Head quarter eagle are recessed, a departure from the normal relief style, curiously the mintmark is raised above the field on the branch-mint coins struck in Denver in 1911, 1914, and 1925. Dave also points out that collectors should look for strong D mintmarks on the rare 1911-D coins. That tip alone to the beginner is worth the price of admission to the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins.
Like Dave, I had to work odd jobs to buy coins in my teen years. Neither of us could afford the rarities we dreamed about owning. Many yards were mowed to be able to buy silver coins, but my first gold coins were the incused quarter and half eagle I bought after winning $50 playing bingo with my grandmother. Thus, I truly appreciate Dave writing a book about one of the first gold coins I was so proud to call my own.
Like many collectors back in the day, I had to get a special plastic holder to display and protect my first precious rarity, and I had to carefully put all the plastic screws in place with my favorite small screwdriver. I am sure Dave had similar holder experiences. Dealers back then sometimes provided a four- or eight-piece type-set plastic holder with the purchase of one coin, in order to encourage set building. This was an old-time form of a “continuity marketing” program.
The Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins is described on the title page as a “Complete History and Price Guide,” and it lives up to that description. Every design and coin in the denomination is covered in depth, from 1796 to 1929, including circulation strikes, Proofs, patterns, and all varieties.
America’s quarter eagles were minted in years when the country’s “hard dollar” was backed by the gold standard. Dave Bowers not only addresses the beginning of this denomination but also includes information about what brought an end to this popular collector coin. He includes excerpts from the March 1930 Numismatist that speculates about a strain on our gold reserves caused by European withdrawals or, more likely, the Treasury trying to maintain its gold supply at preferred levels.
Dave includes many interesting tidbits throughout the book. For example, he points out that quarter eagles were popular with the more affluent for gift giving, so banks carried extra of those coins at Christmas. Similarly, today banks often order extra $2 bills at Christmastime. These $2 Thomas Jefferson bills are their most requested note for holiday gift giving. The director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing told me the bills are also the most popular seller on their website.
While the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins is enjoyable to read as history, it also serves as a useful collector reference. If you want to review selected auction results, they are right at your fingertips. If you are a student of die varieties, this book is for you, too. If you like date-by-date analyses, welcome to them! If you like Proof coins, you need this book. If you are interested in the opinion of our country’s foremost numismatist on how many quarter eagles were melted, you need this book. If you want to know what Bowers thinks about grading and survival rates in various coin grades, you need this book. If you find striking characteristics interesting, here’s your source. If patterns are your cup of tea, this book is a must. If you like the latest information on die and planchet preparation by mint, this book is for you. If you want information on important quarter eagle collections, hoards, and treasure finds, you need this book. If you want helpful distribution information by mint, get this book. If you want helpful numismatic morsels—like Proof mintages from the 1840s to the 1870s being frequently overstated or just speculations, as those coins would be struck and sold, but if buyers failed to materialize, the leftovers were melted—this book is for you. If you want to know more about why there were quarter eagle shortages over the years, you need this book.
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- Bowers lays out the historical context of the nation’s $2.50 gold coins back to the late 1700s.
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- Each coin, date by date, is given a full study of its mintage, quantities surviving today, strike characteristics, auction records, values, and other important factors.
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- A sample page from the index illustrates the book’s depth and breadth.
For these reasons and more, every gold coin enthusiast needs the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins. This book truly lives up to its description as “A Complete History and Price Guide.”
Q. David Bowers takes you on a fascinating journey through history using the quarter eagle as his “time machine.” His life experiences, knowledge, and immeasurable skills provides money-saving and money-making insights into this denomination. There’s no other book like it on quarter eagles. Most importantly, Dave’s contribution will be the foundation for many new enthusiasts to begin their lifelong journey enjoying and collecting this important denomination. Having the Guide Book of Quarter Eagle Gold Coins on your shelf is a must. and I will be referring to it periodically forever—and always with a smile.
By Q. David Bowers; foreword by Mike Fuljenz.
ISBN 0794847331. Softcover, 6 x 9 inches, 448 pages, full color.
Retail $29.95 U.S.
https://whitman.com/a-guide-book-of-quarter-eagle-gold-coins/
The Lion of England roars its way into The Royal Mint’s Royal Tudor Beasts collectable and bullion coin range
The Royal Tudor Beasts The Lion of England 2022 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin pack
The next coin in The Royal Mint’s Royal Tudor Beasts Collection features the Lion of England. As one of the oldest and most iconic royal beasts in heraldry, Henry VIII chose the fierce lion to represent pride, courage and strength. Released over five years, The Royal Tudor Beasts collection allows customers to build their very own collection celebrating the ten Royal Beasts chosen by King Henry VIII to line the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace.
Andrew Dickey, Divisional Director of Precious Metals at The Royal Mint said: “The introduction of the Royal Tudor Beasts onto bullion coins is an exciting moment for us at The Royal Mint. Featuring impressive designs, each bullion coin provides investors across the world with an opportunity to invest in gold, silver or platinum, while also being able to admire the skill, design and craftsmanship of each coin. Bullion coins are renowned for their value, tradability and liquidity and we are delighted to also be able to offer an aesthetic value to someone investing in our precious metals.”
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- The Royal Tudor Beasts The Lion of England 2022 UK 1oz Gold Proof Coin Obverse
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- The Royal Tudor Beasts The Lion of England 2022 UK 1oz Gold Proof Coin Reverse
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- The Royal Tudor Beasts The Lion of England 2022 UK 1oz Silver Proof Coin Obverse
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- The Royal Tudor Beasts The Lion of England 2022 UK 1oz Silver Proof Coin Reverse
Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said: “We are delighted to launch the Lion of England as the second coin in our collectable coin range celebrating The Royal Tudor Beasts. Developed in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, these coins are already becoming a modern classic, inspired by the history of Hampton Court Palace.”
Emma Saunders, Senior Licensing Manager at Historic Royal Palaces commented: “We are thrilled to launch the next commemorative coin within the Royal Tudor Beasts Collection, as well as introduce bullion coins to the series. The Lion of England is recognised worldwide as one of the most majestic of all the Royal Beasts and in this Jubilee year, it is the perfect way to commemorate this historic moment”.
Designed by artist David Lawrence, each coin design, including the Lion of England, is a unique balance of the naturalistic elements of the creatures with a stylised, heraldic depiction incorporated into the design.
2022 Bullion Royal Tudor Beasts Lion of England Silver 2oz Coin stack
Visit www.royalmint.com/tudorbeasts to view the full collection of collectable and bullion coins available.
Astounding 100-Note Pack of Series 1934A $500 Notes is First Banknote Pack Graded Under New PCGS Service
Professional Coin Grading Service will soon debut grading of sealed banknote packs amid demand for certification of consecutive notes, low serial numbers, and other rarities
This Series 1934A $500 Federal Reserve Note pack marks the first United States pack encapsulation at PCGS and represents a crossover from an alternative grading service, which had previously holdered each note individually. The innovative PCGS pack holder keeps packs intact and secure. Courtesy of PCGS.
“This is not only one of the oldest-surviving intact packs of U.S. banknotes to surface, but also the only pack of $500 notes believed to exist. It could be one of the rarest and most valuable banknote packs,” states PCGS President Stephanie Sabin.
It was submitted by U.S. Coins and Jewelry (https://uscoinsandjewelry.com/) in Houston, Texas, under a new PCGS service option that will provide for the encapsulation of full (100) and half (50) consecutive packs of small-size U.S. banknotes, which are graded as a whole unit and provided a single grade based on the condition of the entire pack.
“We are excited to offer banknote pack grading, an innovative option for those who wish to keep packs of banknotes intact rather than split them apart and have the notes graded individually,” remarks Sabin. “The benefit of grading an entire pack of banknotes rather than individual notes has a lot to do with certain collectible characteristics that are unique to packs of banknotes, such as keeping together a run of notes with consecutive numbers, consecutive Star Notes, and the like. There are even cases where a pack of notes may be historical or collectible for other reasons, such as having an origin associated with a bank hoard, a notable collector, or other numismatically significant factors.”
The historic pack of $500 banknotes will be on display at the PCGS Booth (#401) at the Long Beach Expo, February 17-19, 2022, to officially launch submissions of packs.
“It is astounding that an original pack of 100 $500 notes with a combined face value of $50,000 survived since the Great Depression era. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the average annual salary in the United States in 1934 was less than $1,400. In 2022 dollars, that $50,000 pack would have been worth the equivalent of about $1 million when the notes were printed,” said Matthew Duncan, co-owner/general manager of U.S. Coins and Jewelry. “We are delighted that these are the first banknotes certified as a pack by PCGS.”
The pack’s earlier pedigree includes the Taylor Family Collection, one of the world’s most valuable private collections of banknotes.
PCGS Banknote Manager Joseph Pielago explains, “Banknote pack grading opens up an entirely new world of opportunities for collectors who previously had to break up historic or numismatically significant banknote packs for the purpose of getting these pieces graded and encapsulated. Collectors can maximize the value and security of their banknote packs with our revolutionary holder and never again need to break apart valuable packs to do so.”
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- PCGS is introducing grading for packs of 50 or 100 small-size U.S. banknotes, enabling the protection of consecutive notes while keeping the pack intact. Courtesy of PCGS.
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- An alternative grading service had previously broken up this historic pack of $500 bills, but PCGS pack grading provides for the protection of these unique collectibles while keeping the consecutive notes intact in their original wrapper. Courtesy of PCGS.
Submitting banknotes for PCGS pack grading will be easy and available for all PCGS Authorized Dealers and PCGS Collectors Club members. These innovative hard pack holders, available only for small-size United States banknote full packs and half packs, provide for the encapsulation of 50 or 100 consecutive notes, including Replacement Star Notes. No minimum number of packs will be required, and encapsulation of each pack will be $60 beyond fees for the service level chosen, in addition to shipping and handling costs.
While all notes in the pack will be examined by graders, a single grade will be granted as a composite for the entire pack and does not guarantee that any single given note within will grade at that level if it were submitted individually. More information and guidelines for submitting packs will be coming soon at www.PCGS.com.
About Professional Coin Grading Service
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is a third-party coin and banknote grading company that was launched in 1986. Over 35 years, PCGS has examined and certified more than 48 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of over $47 billion. For more information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, please visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.
Royal Mint announce Extremely Rare One-of-One Piece for Auction
Director of Collector Services Rebecca Morgan with Trial Pattern Piece
On 6th March, The Royal Mint will offer the 1 kilo, solid gold Una and the Lion trial pattern piece along with 74 other lots (85 total pieces with one lot containing ten pieces) to the public via an online auction. Registration for the auction is now open and bids can be placed from today (Monday 21st February)
As The Royal Mint reports the rising popularity of rare and historic coins as portfolio diversifiers, the opportunity to own an Una and the Lion piece is likely to garner huge interest. The design is one of the most coveted British coins, and an original Una and the Lion can reach £500,000 depending on its condition. In 2019 The Royal Mint remastered the collection, and the newer versions have already started to command higher prices on the secondary market – often fetching up to 10 times their original value.
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- Trial Pattern Piece with Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse
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- Trial Pattern Piece with the Una and the Lion reverse
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services for The Royal Mint, comments: “Over our 1,100 year history we have made some of the world’s most famous and rare coins, including the 1839 Una and the Lion design. We remastered the range in 2019, and this trial pattern piece played an essential part in ensuring the design met our exacting standards. As a numismatic rarity, we expect the Una and the Lion trial pattern piece to be highly desirable when it’s offered alongside other Royal Mint exclusives at auction next month.
“Pattern pieces command some of the highest prices in the secondary market especially when compared to the regular issues of the time. The 1663 pattern “Petition” crown in EF (extremely fine condition) for £525,000 versus the 1663 Crown in EF £10,000 so we anticipate this piece being of global interest and highly popular amongst collectors. Given the numismatic significance of this piece along with the modern appeal, we have estimated this could go for £250,000 to £300,000 however we would not be surprised if bids went above this.”
This pattern piece comes from the very early stages of the 2019 trial process, created to test the design of the original coin (38mm diameter) on a significantly larger Gold Kilo (100mm diameter) ensuring the high relief would work on the increased diameter. As a result of this technical focus, the unique piece going up for auction contains the Roman numerals from the original design from the year 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX), differentiating it from the finished coin that was issued in 2019 that had the date still in Roman numerals but reading XXIX (2019).
To ensure authenticity, each auction piece, including the Una pattern piece, bears a hallmark stating the quality of the metal and a unique latent security feature – designed by The Royal Mint’s Chief Engraver, Gordon Summers.
Rebecca continues: “Ordinarily a pattern piece such as this would have been melted down long ago which is why this is such an exciting find. This piece is a genuine and authentic step in the trials process and as such of great numismatic significance. Its appeal will be just as great to the hardcore numismatist as it will to the ‘investor collector’. I can easily imagine a collector who has spent several hundreds of thousands of pounds on an original 1839 Una and the Lion quite happily spending the same to have this piece sit next to the original in their collection.”
The trial pieces are not official UK coins, and are ‘one of one’ items – meaning they are not included in the mintage figures.
To register for the auction, visit Die Trials and Pattern Piece | The Royal Mint.
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