Numismatic Reference Library - What's in yours?

[dadams]

I've got a small numismatic reference library building. Today, from the local public library book sale I added 5 more for a whopping 10 bucks!

 

So, besides the Red Book what is the #1 reference book in your library that you couldn't do without?

 

Here are todays pick-ups: (most excited about the last!)

 

Sadow, Joseph and Thomas Sarro, Jr. The Coins & Medals of the Vatican. 1977.

 

Trowbridge, Richard J. Crowns of the British Empire. Second Edition, 1978.

 

Laing, Lloyd R. Coins and Archaeology. 1969.

 

Rulau, Russell. Hard Times Tokens. Second Edition, 1981.

 

Overton, Al C. Early Half Dollar Die Varieties: 1794-1836. Revised Edition, 1970.

 

[cpm9ball]

About 50 books. I'm too lazy to list them.

 

Note: One selection is an 8-volume, 5,000+ page compendium. So, if you want to correct me and say it's 43, that's okay with me.

 

Chris

[RWB]

Thousands of photocopies, digital images and pdf files in multiple languages from dozens of archive collections from Wyoming to Paris.

[DaveG]

I've got about 65-70 physical books, plus access to a lot of digitized volumes (Mint Annual Reports, Hunt's Merchants Magazine, etc.).

 

My big multi-volume set is "Documentary History of Banking and Currency in the United States" by by Krooss and Samuelson, which is four volumes and 3,200+ pages.

 

My "can't do without" volumes vary, depending on what I'm researching and writing. Right now, extracts from the Official Register (a bi-annual series that lists all government employees, including Mint employees) are close at hand.

[BillJones]

If you count all of the booklets and books I have, it would number several hundred.

[jpcienkus]

I'm still building it, but it's at ~20.

 

Edited to add: I have quite a few of Roger's books. This is a paid advertisement from RWB! .

[leeg]

I have just about every early classic commemorative book in .pdf or hard copy known. Lincoln Cent books, early copper catalogs, Krause world books, token catalogs, and many others.

[greysoldier]

My most recent additions are the Registers of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties New Orleans Branch Mint Volume III, 1840-O to 1853-O (No Arrows) and Volume IV, 1853-O (With Arrows) to 1861-O by Bill Bugert.

 

[Matt_dac]

My favorite is "Indian Gold Coins of the 20th Century" by Mike Fuljenz

 

I also have "A Guide Book of Double Eagle Coins: A Complete History and Price Guide (Official Red Books)" by David Bowers. This book is a decent reference. Otherwise I research individual coins via online resources.

[RWB]

greysoldier:

 

Very nice half dollar!

[dadams]

@Matt_dac, Quarter Eagle Indians are one of my favorites - I don't own any US gold yet, but one of these will be my first! I own a number of the Whitman A Guide Book of series and find them informative.

 

@greysoldier, that is indeed a "Very nice half dollar!" and Bugert's A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties sounds like one heck of a reference work. As I understand, 2 more volumes to come.

 

@leeg, Let us know when your book hits the street! The TX Centennial is my favorite and my home state!

 

@jpcienkus, I'm still building too and I'm right near you at +/- 20, I also like Auction Catalogs and have learned quite a bit from them. A great catalogue description can be very educational.

 

@BillJones, you've got to have some good books in that stash, but I think I'd rather have your coins!!! Alas, I get to enjoy your collection and learn at the same time - great descriptions!

 

@DaveG, honestly I don't know that I'd have the strength to make it through 3,200+ pages, but Documentary history of banking and currency in the United States sounds like a serious book that would probably be worth the effort to read and understand.

 

@RWB, I'd love to see a pic of your office/filing cabinets! How do you keep track of everything?

 

@cpm9ball, Typically I catalog as one book, xx volumes. But 50 is cool w/ me!

[greysoldier]

Hopefully, Bill will complete his Volume V of the Series on the Philadelphia Mint, 1839 to 1852, by the end of the year. Perhaps available in print by mid 2016. Here is the obverse of the half dollar, listed as 1844-O, WB-22, Medium Date, Dramatically Doubled Date:

 

[jpcienkus]

@dadams,

 

I have quite a few auction catalogs from Legend and Stacks'. I agree they have some great info. They're not included in the ~20 reference books.

[RWB]

dadams:

"@RWB, I'd love to see a pic of your office/filing cabinets! How do you keep track of everything?"

 

Well, I might claim the secret is a breed of very smart mice; or maybe some super photographic/total recall memory.... But reality is that every photo and piece of paper has a reference to its source and a number based on its date and author/content. These are organized by subject for convenience. Footnotes in my books and articles also help serve as mini-indices. Also, every possible document has been OCR'd and I use an indexed search engine to find words and phrases.

 

There are also some basic reference materials I consult early in a search for information. These include the Annual Assay Commission Minutes, Annual Reports of the Mint, Sec of Treasury, US Treasurer, NARA files on coinage (from my own box and volume index) and of course the subject files.

 

Further, my general approach is not to reject anything that might be of interest or that appears to be a unique subject. I routinely scan or photograph documents that have no immediate utility -- only to discover 10 years later that they are an important part of developing answering a question. (Example: Found a 1924 mint letter thanking a person for proposing a solution for the date wearing off of SL quarters. 7-yr later, I found the original letter from a businessman in Washington DC. His proposal was to put the date into a recess - exactly as was done in 1925. There were no other suggestions even close to this before 1925....so it appears the Mint adopted the businessman's idea but neglected to thank him.)

[DWLange]

He should have suggested the Mint do that with the Buffalo Nickel, too. Of course, the use of Nic-A-Date has revealed that most of the formerly dateless pieces were coined earlier than 1925, so recessing the date may not have had much of an impact on the later pieces.

 

Collectors were absolutely crazy for Standing Liberty Quarters in the late 1930s and early '40s, mainly due to the fact that so many were already dateless. Surveys of circulating coinage revealed that by 1938 a very large percentage had unreadable dates. I doubt that this series has enjoyed as much popularity since that time.

[cpm9ball]

@RWB, I'd love to see a pic of your office/filing cabinets! How do you keep track of everything?

 

It's a state-of-the-art system...........WIFE..........What I Find Easiest

 

Chris

 

[joeyuk]

In no particular order:

 

Looking Through Lincoln Cents by Charles Daughtrey first and second editions

 

A detailed Analysis of Lincoln Cent Varieties Volume 1 by Billy Crawford

 

The Complete Guide to Lincoln Cents by David Lange

 

The Authoritative Reference On Lincoln Cents by John Wexler and Kevin Flynn

 

Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins by Walter Breen

 

The Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of U.S. Coins by editors of coin world mag.

 

The Cherry pickers Guide to Rare Die Varieties fourth edition vol. 1 and 2

by Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton

 

2014 Official Red Book (large print) by R.S Yeoman

 

Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars

by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis

 

Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection by John Dannreuther

 

The Art and Science of Grading Coins by Jason Poe

 

Million Dollar Nickels by P. Montgomery, M. Borckardt and R. Knight

 

Numismatic Photography second edition by Mark Goodman

 

Coins of Lithuania 1386-2009 by E. Ivanauskas

 

Standard CAtalog of World Coins 1990 edition by C. Krause and C. Mishler

 

 

I am sure there are others laying around I can't place my hands on now. Many were

gifted to YN'S.