The newest edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins (known to collectors as the “Red Book”) will debut at the Whitman Baltimore Coin and Collectibles Expo on March 26, 2015. The 69th edition, with a 2016 cover date, can be pre-ordered online (including at Whitman.com) and after the Expo will be available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide.
The Red Book, used by coin collectors to identify and value their coins, prices 7,700 entries in up to nine grades each, with more than 32,900 retail valuations in total. Keeping up with the latest coins from the U.S. Mint, the 69th edition has the newest cents, nickels, dimes, National Park quarters, half dollars, Native American dollars, Presidential dollars, commemoratives, official Mint coin sets, and bullion coins. The 69th edition includes 94 new coin issues and 8 new sets, with information about all formats of the 1964–2014 50th-anniversary Kennedy half dollars (including the .9999 fine gold version). Mintages of modern coins have been updated across the board using the latest government data.
A team of experts led by Senior Editor Kenneth Bressett has updated and expanded the pre-federal section on Confederatio coppers and related speculative patterns, with more photographs, new research, and three times as many pricing entries. Expansions are also seen in the addition of Very Fine pricing for Shield nickels, a new entry for the controversial 1859 Indian Head cent with experimental reverse, and a description of the special Uncirculated Mint sets of 1942–1946.
As in past years, collectors will benefit from the Red Book’s recent auction records provided for significant rare coins. Listed throughout the charts are more than 170 notable auction results. Combined with the listed retail prices, the auction data help advanced collectors understand the modern market for high-end rarities.
In addition, the appendix of the “Top 250 U.S. Coin Prices Realized at Auction” has been fully updated. Since the last edition 14 more coins have broken the $1 million mark, for a new total of 79. This includes four new coins that auctioned for more than $2 million apiece since the 68th-edition Red Book debuted one year ago.
In a promising measure of the health of the hobby, the Red Book’s numismatic bibliography includes 26 standard references published within the past five years.
The cover of the spiralbound 69th edition shows three beautiful and historic American coins: a Draped Bust copper large cent, a Liberty Seated silver dollar, and a modern Native American dollar.
In addition to the regular editions of the Red Book, a special limited-edition hardcover with a unique design will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the American Numismatic Association. The special edition will be offered by the ANA as part of its 2015 Annual Appeal, launching in October.
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