Do Red Books serve any purpose in todays market?

[the_Thing ®]

I'm thinking not.

[truthteller]

Are you talking about Mao's little red book?

 

 

 

 

TRUTH

[thebeav]

Thing,

I can't tell you how often I have to consult a Redbook for a weight, or for mintage numbers. Granted, I don't get a new one but every 7 or 8 years......I would hate to live without it though......

 

Paul

[the_Thing ®]

I didn't think about that beav, thats a good point.

[gmarguli]

They are great for granny to look up her proof sets and coins pulled from change back when silver was circulating. They serve no useful purpose for serious collectors. The prices listed are usually way off.

[Newmismatist]

Not really a price guide anymore, but a Great source for Reference information

[michael]

they really screwed up many of the mintages this time around especially so the 1914 proof barber quarter and evenmoreso the matte proof 1909 vdb mintage also many typos

 

so i totally lost all of my respect for the redbook and i would not recommened it now to anyone

 

i have seen in just starting collectors to junior numismatists get caught up in the prices like gospel and really get taken in the marketplace

 

i think the current red book does a great disservice as per the above to the coin hobby at large

 

do it right get with the program or do NOT do it at all

 

as many see this book as the end all the bible so to speak

 

 

michael

[Merc]

It does offer nice color pictures of many coins. The it also has a grading guide for each type. That is helpful. Then the prices are not quite right. They are too low in some areas and too high in many others. I was at a recent coin auction and I noticed that most of the people around me had Red books. I bought nothing there since they were bidding using red book prices and forgetting about the extra 15% at the end.

[James_OldeTowne]

I use the RedBook fairly frequently, because many customers use it as a variety reference. Varieties listed in typical albums, such as Dansco and Whitman, are usually nicely demonstrated in the RedBook. Also, it's about the only place you can go for some semblance of pricing for colonials. Finally, when I buy a new issue, the previous issue becomes my checklist for the coins in my collection. It's simple - just circle the price in the appropriate grading column for your coin. There's really no checklist you can buy that's better than just simply using an old RedBook.

 

James

[SilverDollarMan]

Good read, also good 2 c people I know here.

[jom]

The pricing is worthless. The info is priceless.

 

jom