What’s old-fashioned but never goes out of style? A gold coin in your Christmas stocking! If you were lucky enough to get one as a gift or if you’re simply interested in learning more about U.S. gold coins, read on.

Dennis Tucker writes:

If you’re interested in U.S. gold, I highly recommend the second edition of A Guide Book of Gold Dollars, by Q. David Bowers, for an immersion in this fascinating and highly collectible series. Bowers shares tips for smart collecting: how to judge quality, determine value, understand the market, and make good buys. Along the way he explains why, “in all of American numismatics, the gold dollar possesses a special charm.”

You’ll learn how the history of the nation shaped the coin’s design and production—how the first gold dollars were made by a private coiner from gold mined in Georgia; why some people were convinced that only second-rate countries issued such small gold pieces; what the general public thought of the tiny, delicate, yet highly practical coins; and the effects the Gold Rush, the Civil War, political controversy, monetary crises, and other factors had on the coinage.

Read more at Coin Update News.