Whitman Publishing announces the release of two new volumes in its series of combination book-albums trademarked under the name Search & Save. Each new volume consists of a 96-page hardcover book bound with a Whitman Classic Coin Album page for storing and displaying a customized coin collection. The Search & Save volumes are intended for beginning to intermediate hobbyists, as a fun way to introduce newcomers to active coin collecting. Volume 5 covers dimes and quarters, and volume 6 covers half dollars. Each retails for $9.95 and is available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, and online (including at www.Whitman.com).

The Whitman Classic® Coin Album page has protective plastic slides that are inserted on each side of the page’s openings, holding each coin firmly in place while allowing its obverse and reverse to be displayed.

Many of the Search & Save coins can be collected from circulation. Others require some hunting at local coin shops, online, or at a coin show. The two new volumes discuss coins going back to the earliest years of the Philadelphia Mint, in the 1790s. Their album pages start with more common and easily collectible coins beginning with the Capped Bust types of the early 1800s.

“Readers of our Search & Save books learn about each coin in the context of American and world history, and enjoy the fun and pride of building their own valuable collections,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “The books encourage readers to explore beyond their pocket change, to build relationships with coin dealers and go to coin shows. When they’re done, they not only have a personalized coin collection, but they can tell each coin’s story and share them with their friends and family.”

Search & Save: Old U.S. Dimes and Quarters begins with a richly illustrated chapter on the history of coinage in America. It includes chapters on Capped Bust, Liberty Seated, and Barber dimes and quarters of the 1800s and early 1900s, Mercury dimes, Standing Liberty quarters, Roosevelt dimes, and Washington quarters. A final chapter gives advice on collecting each coin type. The book’s album page provides openings to assemble a collection of 16 different coins dating from the early 1800s to today.

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The third edition of MEGA RED (the Deluxe Edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins) officially debuted at the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo, March 30, 2017, and now is available nationwide. Among the book’s special features is a nine-page full-color appendix on hobo nickels.

A hobo nickel is a Buffalo nickel with one or both sides altered by someone outside the Mint to make it look like another image. Often the Indian would be carved into a bearded man wearing a bowler hat, or the buffalo into a donkey, or (turned sideways) a man carrying a knapsack; sometimes political or social messages would be added. This form of folk art was popular in the 1910s through the 1940s, reaching its height during the 1930s Great Depression. Hoboes would engrave miniature works of art to sell or trade for a ride on a train, a meal, clothing, or a night’s lodging. Hobo nickels are very collectible. The Money Museum of the American Numismatic Association displays a collection of the coins, and active hobbyists convene in the Original Hobo Nickel Society (OHNS, online at www.hobonickels.org). In 2014 an example featuring both obverse and reverse carvings, graded as “Superior,” sold at auction for more than $22,000.

Mega Red’s richly illustrated appendix pictures dozens of hobo nickels from the Classic, Later Classic, and Modern eras, with enlarged photographs. It references the research of numismatists including Stephen Alpert, Marc Banks, Arturo DelFavero, Don Farnsworth, Bill Fivaz, John Kraljevich, and Del Romines. Each level of the grading system for hobo nickels (Superior, Above Average, Average, Below Average, and Crude) is illustrated with examples. Included are hobo nickels created by the most famous carvers of the Great Depression, Bertram “Bert” Wiegand and his protégé George Washington “Bo” Hughes, as well as artists whose real names are lost to history but whose styles are identifiable: Peanut Ear, Traveler, Rough Beard, and others. The works of well-known modern engravers are also discussed: Ron Landis, Joe Paonessa, Alex Ostrogradsky, Howard Thomas, Chad Smith, Keith Pedersen, John Schipp, and Aleksey Saburov. And the appendix includes a feature on the only Classic-era hobo nickel carver of whom a confirmed photograph exists: William Sharples (1902–1971), a tool and die engraver from New Jersey.

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.

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.

The classic hardcover version of the 71st-edition Guide Book of United States Coins (the hobby’s popular “Red Book”) celebrates the 225th anniversary of federal coinage in Philadelphia. On its back cover is a commemorative gold-foil portrait of David Rittenhouse, first director of the United States Mint, who was appointed by President George Washington in 1792.

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Setting a new world record for the most valuable numismatic cabinet ever sold, and perhaps a new world record for any holding of collectibles in any field, the D. Brent Pogue Collection netted total sales of $106,720,432.25 over the course of five auction events held from 2015 to 2017 by Stack’s Bowers Galleries of Santa Ana, California and Sotheby’s. Tonight’s fifth auction yielded sales of $21,402,213.75, highlighted by the Dexter specimen of the legendary 1804 dollar, which brought just under $3.3 million. The Pogue Collection, assembled by father and son Mack and Brent Pogue over the course of more than three decades, focused on the highest quality United States coins dated from 1793 to 1840.

Outside of the famous 1804 dollar, one of the most legendary rarities in any American collecting field, the sale was led by the finest known specimen of the 1811 half cent, graded MS-66 RB (PCGS), which brought $998,750 in fevered bidding. A Sheldon-13 1793 Liberty Cap cent graded AU-58 (PCGS) and featured on the famous 1869 Levick Plate, brought $940,000, making it the most valuable circulated cent ever sold. The two 1793 Liberty Cap cents included in tonight’s auction brought a combined $1.316 million, more than 65 million times their face value. The total face value of the cents in the sale, the highest quality group of early United States cents ever sold in a single auction, was $1.42. They brought a total of $12,026,653.75, nearly 8.5 million times their value as pocket change.

Other highlights included one of four known Original Proof 1852 half cents, graded Proof-65 RD (PCGS); considered the finest of the four, the Pogue specimen brought $493,500. A gem MS-65 (PCGS) 1801 dollar, once the property of Col. E.H.R. Green and Amon Carter, sold for $399,500, and an 1802 Restrike dollar in Proof-64 (PCGS) realized $352,500. Early date cents brought extremely strong prices, including those dated 1794 (the finest known 1794 Head of 1793 at $540,500 and the finest known Sheldon-24 “Apple Cheek” in magnificent PCGS MS-67 RB at $446,500), 1796 (the stunning 1796 Sheldon-84 Liberty Cap in PCGS MS-66+ RB at $705,000 and the highest graded 1796 Draped Bust cent, certified as MS-66+ BN by PCGS, at $329,000), 1799 (the finest known of the date, graded MS-61 BN by PCGS, at $540,500), and 1804 (also the finest known of the date, graded MS-63 BN by PCGS, sold for $540,500). The 1823 Newcomb-2 cent graded MS-66 BN (PCGS) brought a new record for any example of the Matron Head type, realizing $376,000. That record was tied just a few minutes later when the finest known 1839/6 cent, graded MS-65+ BN (PCGS), brought the same sum.

The auction was strong beyond the most notable and most expensive pieces. An 1817 15 Star cent in MS-65 BN (PCGS) sold for $76,375, only slightly more than an 1824 N-2 graded MS-66 RB (PCGS) that brought $70,500. The same price was paid for the finest known 1826/5 cent, graded MS-66 BN (PCGS), while an 1831 N-3 in MS-66+ RB (PCGS) stunned onlookers at $105,750, a new record for the date. A MS-66 RD (PCGS) 1852 N-22 wowed those present as it sold for $94,000, leading all late date cents sold. The most expensive Liberty Seated coin sold in the sale was the MS-65 (PCGS) 1839 No Drapery half dollar, from the Lawrence Stack Type Set, that found a new home at $141,000.

“The Pogue Collection sale was a phenomenal success. Part V surpassed our highest estimates by more than $3 million, and dozens of coins set new world records for examples of their date,” said Stack’s Bowers Galleries President Brian Kendrella.

In the Stack’s Bowers Galleries tradition of presenting old-time cabinets at auction, The Blue Moon Collection will delight bidders in the firm’s upcoming sale to be held March 29-31, 2017, in Baltimore, Maryland. Continue reading →

Nostalgia for young America was demonstrated throughout the sessions of the Stack’s Bowers Galleries Official Auction of the November 2016 Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo, where colonial and classic issues claimed the spotlight at the Baltimore Convention Center. The United States coins portion of the sale saw strong results, surpassing $6.5 million in total prices realized. This marked a wonderful conclusion to the 2016 auction season for Stack’s Bowers Galleries. All prices to follow include the 17.5% buyer’s premium. Continue reading →

Seventy years ago this month, the first edition of Whitman Publishing’s Guide Book of United States Coins (popularly known as the Red Book) went to press. The cover date was 1947, which means 2017 is the official 70th anniversary of the longest-running annual retail coin-price guide. Continue reading →

When you first start collecting coins you will often hear the saying “buy the book before the coin.” This is said for a number of important reasons. Knowledge is an important part of numismatics and the hobby as a whole, and acquiring that knowledge can help collectors make informed decisions, which in the end can save money. A coin collector who does not invest some of his or her collecting budget in numismatic references is like a car buyer purchasing a car without a steering wheel.

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Whitman Publishing announces the release of the updated and expanded second edition of A Guide Book of United States Commemorative Coins, a volume in its popular Bowers Series of numismatic titles, available November 1, 2016. The book continues in the tradition of the Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollars and other best-selling “Official Red Book” guides. The 304-page full-color volume will be available online (including at Whitman.com) and in bookstores and hobby shops nationwide for $19.95.

“Collecting U.S. commemorative coins is like compiling a photo album of our nation’s history,” said award-winning author Q. David Bowers. “These coins represent so many aspects of America—from wartime victories to scientific achievement, from sports heroes to famous inventors. Every collector can build a unique set with its own personal significance.”

Each commemorative coin from 1892 to date is illustrated in full color. Mintages, specifications, and market values in multiple grades add to the book’s reference value. Bowers explores how a commemorative develops from initial concept to final coinage. On the technical and production side he explains die preparation, the coining process, mintages, Proof and assay pieces, packaging, and distribution. On the market side, he shows ways to build an attractive collection, and gives advice on analyzing strike and eye appeal, being a smart buyer, realities of the marketplace, Full Details, registry sets, establishing fair market prices, and more.

A new appendix features an interview with Artistic Infusion Program artist Chris Costello, offering unprecedented artistic insight on how commemorative coins are designed. An extensive new gallery of images in appendix B shows 128 artist sketches that the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed to choose the 2016 Mark Twain and National Park Service commemorative designs.

“As you collect U.S. commemorative coins, take a moment to appreciate the beauty of each design and the history and lore it imparts,” said former Coin World editor Beth Deisher in the book’s foreword. “Each one has a story and there is no one better to guide you through their ins and outs than Dave Bowers.”

Because Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the American Numismatic Association, ANA members received 10% off when ordering the book directly from the publisher. ANA members can also borrow it for free from the Association’s Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is pleased to announce Part V of their series of auctions featuring the D. Brent Pogue Collection—the most valuable rare coin collection ever to cross the auction block, and the collection with the highest overall quality. Gathered over a period of many years, dating back to the 1970s, many if not most of the coins have been off the market for decades. Virtually without exception, each coin is the very finest of its kind or is among the top several. Continue reading →