A Guide Book of United States Coins, 2nd Edition: The Official Red Book, Deluxe Edition

This is an excellent text, but I this age of electronic books the pix need to be higher resolution. Publisher is putting minimal effort in this effort. Here's an example of an untouched photo. For a reference book focused on imagery, it's really poor.

This book is chockablock full of really super information. As such it weighs at least ten pounds. I haven't owned a red book in years, at least 10 likely more mostly because I didn't get much out of it. I bought this because I read that a new section was to be included about So-Called Dollars which is true, but more on that later.The Red Book, as most of you already know, is the authoritative general reference used by coin collectors and dealers to get general, and some specific information about pretty much all of the coins issued by and for the people of the United States (and British colonies) and its territories. As we've matured as a nation and indeed as the research has grown more and more categories of numismatics have become sought after and eventually legitimized by inclusion in this book.The 2017 Mega Red book is the culmination of what we "know" about the state of United States coins and coin-like material. One of the excellent things about this expanded format is that it gives the editors the opportunity to become downright chatty in their discussions of coins which makes the articles pertaining to their respective subjects that much more lively, informative and entertaining. The book begins with a broad overview and then drills down by topic to include just about everything you'd want to know on a casual basis.The reproductions are done in color and this book is lavishly illustrated, even going so far as to include close-ups of many of the sought after or notable doubled-dies, die details and markers, and mint mark/lettering varieties. The book also includes quite detailed grading information for the various coin series and pricing information (estimates and some actual auction results).Modern bullion coins are given their own sections too.What brought me to the book, frankly, were the appendices, and specifically the section on so-called dollars. This was edited by Jeff Shevlin who is generally considered the world's leading expert on the topic. He has chosen a broad cross section of medals that are listed in the book "So-called Dollars" by Hibler and Kappen, comprising around 100 medals. Many of those included are rare, some virtually unobtainable, but others are readily obtainable for very little money. Given the limited space Mr. Shevlin was given, he did an excellent curatorial job. My only quibble would be that he did not include more of the 'monetary" issues, specifically the Bickford and Eutopia dollars.Having said that, if one drills down more deeply into the book, he will find that there are other sections of the MEGA Red Book that include so-called dollars that are listed in the Hibler & Kappen reference. To wit, the chapter (and legitimate chapter, not an appendix chapter) about "Private & Territorial Gold" contains about a half dozen numbers that are listed in "So-Called Dollars" as issued in "Hart's Coins of the West."Also, under the "Private Tokens" chapter there is a section on Lesher Referendum Dollars which are also listed in Hibler & Kappen.Finally, in Appendix I the editors has taken up the task of listing "Modern US Mint Gold & Silver Medals" which although containing a small number of entries at present does seem to promise an expanded presence in the years to come. This reviewer particularly welcomes such a development as one does get the impression that the US Mint has gone into overdrive in the production of nominally monetary, rather uninspiring, modern commemorative coins that will never find circulation and are produced in such large numbers that they will likely never become rare.Medals and so-called dollars, on the other hand, because they have only recently come into their own despite having been produced years, and in some cases more than a century, ago are surprisingly affordable and fun to collect despite, or because of, their oftentimes excruciating rarity.I do have one overarching criticism of this book and that is that the editors neglected to include an introductory discussion of what is new in the book. Doing so would have drawn collectors to this 'new' material thus reinforcing their decision to include it. This is inexplicable and sorely missed.Nefvertheless the chatty, informative style in which the book reads, and the truly enormous and enormously valuable information it includes makes this a very, very, good inclusion to one's library.

A scholarly, well-crafted, and accessible text that provides a plethora of facts, figures, and engaging stories about our country's numismatic history, along with most of the contemporary knowledge necessary to become an advanced collector. I say 'most', because, as other reviewers have noted, some coins receive less attention than others. If you specialize in a particular series, e.g., 20th century dollar coins, you might consider a text that focuses exclusively on such coinage.But if you're looking for a comprehensive text that will provide the essentials on all U.S. coins, with encyclopedic coverage of the most popular series, e.g., Lincoln wheat cents, I highly recommend spending a little more money for this text versus the standard edition.Nothing against the venerable Red Book, but the Mega Red provides five times as much information for less than three times the price. It's like getting a 1916-D Mercury dime in AU-50 for the VF-30 price. ;O)

I have been collecting U.S. coins for over 40 years. With over 1500 pages, this is by far the best "all in one" book I have ever owned and I own many different coin reference books. A wealth of information for the beginning collector to the most advanced collector. A "must" have.

Several pricing tables are almost unusable due to image issues with the e-version. First the pictures aren't good to begin with, and unfortunately all of the pricing tables are stored as pictures. I could live with the low quality but the worst part about it is that many of the pricing tables are split into multiple images. This results in pricing tables cut off in the wrong place and portions of the table appearing without column headings or are misaligned when displayed together. As an example, the silver Peace Dollars pricing table - it is divided into two pictures, and the second one's columns are not just a little off, they are way off - to the point of being unusable unless you have a hard copy handy. This has occurred many times in this book making it undesirable for its primary purpose. I've had it about 20 days and I had hoped to return it, but doesn't look like Amazon will allow it.

Lot of information for reasonable price. This one is the value that you should sell at. The blue book is what a dealer will offer for purchase of your coins.

BIG book with lot of info - but depending on the particular series - also lacks a lot of info. The immediate standout is the IKE dollars. NO Images showing the differences in the various TYPES that are well documented and designated by all the grading companies. This is especially important due to the high premiums for certain versions.

This book in indispensable for anyone interested in U.S. coins. Certainty we all want to know how much are those old coins worth but the book is more than that. Lots of excellent photographs, quanties minted and grading guides add to the usefulness of this book. The author's include some fascinating narratives about how our coinage system evolved from pre-colonial times.A excellent reference for seasoned collectors and a smart gift for inquisitive teens.

This great offical guide has sold of 24 million copies It was just what I have been looking for.A wealth of information about USA best selling coins and their valuesfrom the very early days to present day; all in one place with full colour pictures.It is as good as it looks and is the book most highly prized throughout the world, by dealers and collectors alike.

Great value just what I required

This book is well worth buying and is very detailed. Thankyou

Ideal for the avid coin collector.

I cannot live without it!