(Part 17) Best antiques & collectibles books according to redditors
We found 938 Reddit comments discussing the best antiques & collectibles books. We ranked the 416 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 321-340. You can also go back to the previous section.
330. A Guide Book of United States Commemorative Coins, 2nd Edition (The Official Red Book)
1 mention
I know it's not quite the same as comics, but I've been a baseball card collector for 20 years. If you want a terrific read check out Mint Condition. It explains that, though people have been collecting cards for over a century, the idea that they could have significant value is a relatively new idea. The T206 Wagner is a famous example. It went from a relatively affordable card in the 1970s to a several hundred thousand dollar to two million dollar card in the 2000s. The most famous example, the PSA 8 Gretzy Wagner, actually has a shady past. It's more or less fact now that it was cut from a sheet, or trimmed and altered to get a higher grade, which pretty much nullifies its high grade in most collector's minds. The 90s also brought around card grading, and the idea that condition is everything. It's actually a plausible idea. There are probably thousands, maybe millions of copies of certain cards. The ones that survived being destroyed or neglected are viewed as more desirable. I think it's just human nature. The book also describes how one collector can restore old cards to get higher grades from PSA. He could potentially make a small fortune from doing this, but he actually doesn't use his talents for evil. So grading is shady in many ways but I won't get into that.
TLDR; The people that did this had no concept of future value.
3^rd Edition {2018} "Mega Red" version of the Red Book. Arrived at my post office yesterday evening. It weighs enough to kill someone should you toss it at them.
It shouldn’t take much money. I’d start by grabbing Red book and blue book. I’d say blue book would be better for you, unless you plan on buying more coins.
2019 Official Red Book of United States Coins - Spiral Bound https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794845711/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dkz-Bb81A1982
A Handbook of United States Coins Blue Book 2019 (The Official Blue Book of United States Coins) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794846491/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Lkz-BbQFGHZ9R
Blue book will give you an idea of what coin dealers should offer value wise if you want to sell. Red book is closer to what dealers would charge for coins. These are just guides though, and prices can take wild swings, but they should give a decent idea on values, how to guess the grade for ungraded, and some errors to look out for.
Sorry for your loss, but hopefully his collection brings you some happiness.
Also, I am in Fairfax, Va, so if you wanted to talk about coins, or anything really, feel free to hit me up.
A couple of ways.
First, you've got to realize that with stuff like low-grade common coins like wheats, prices will be all over the board depending on the market. Some people want to sell/buy in bulk and so prices are closer to 6 to 80 cents, some people piece out individual cents and wait a long time and they'll bring a buck or two.
Secondly, eBay generally has higher prices for low-grade common coins than a physical coin shop, BUT this is offset by the fact that eBay charges fees and shipping.
If you want to be really exact, get yourself a copy of Photograde and The Red Book and you'll have pretty accurate retail prices if you grade correctly. For higher grade or rarer coins the Red Book prices are pretty much spot on and for low-grade common silver coins they generally just sell for melt.
As for how you should price your coins, the question is who is buying your coins and how long can you afford to sit on them. If generally non-collectors (people who don't know much about coins and just buy stuff because "its neat") buy coins your prices can be a bit higher than if you deal primarily with serious collectors prices need to be lower, especially for problem coins (low grade, holed, bent, corroded, cleaned, polished, etc.). And how quickly do you need to sell these coins? If you want to flip them in a week, prices will have to be much lower than if you're willing to sit on them for half a year. Do you have much money tied up in them? If so, then perhaps selling for under the market will help you recoup that capital much quicker (maybe even selling to a dealer if you paid cheap enough and the dealer is willing to pay you a decent amount) but you might lose out on some of the profit you'd have if you let them sit in your eBay storefront or in your display case for a few months.
Storage conditions for Morgans and Peace Dollars is thought to be one possible explanation. Over on NGC's Board there was a thread on this awhile back. The original poster of that thread wrote this book.
This is a good one and sounds like it would be a good fit for you.
If you're looking for actual history, rules and regulations behind US coinage (or having a hard time sleeping) check out this book.. It is very detailed and dry, but you will learn about why our coinage is the way it is and the political stuff behind how certain laws were passed and other US history pertaining to our coins.
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. Regardless of whether you’re a novice or an expert, the term numismatist still applies.
The important thing is to not overwhelm yourself and try to be an expert on everything. Learning how to research and educate yourself is probably the most important lesson to learn in the beginning. I would also recommend figuring out what you’re interested in collecting and focus on learning about that. Once you’ve done that, break it down further into manageable chunks, just like you’re doing with the Seated Liberty type.
I tend to focus on a single denomination at a time. I started with small cents, learning everything I could about varieties, grading, etc. When I want to switch it up, I choose a different denomination and start the process again. So if you’re interested in building a Seated Liberty type set, continue doing what you have been, focusing specifically on learning as much as you can about the type before the show.
If you don’t already have them, here are a few books I highly recommend picking up:
Official Red Book of United States Coins
Photograde
Grading Coins by Photographs
Cherrypickers’ Guide - Vol. I
Cherrypickers’ Guide - Vol. II
These aren’t meant to be read cover to cover, but I reference them constantly.
If you’re interested in focusing on Morgan’s at some point, I would also recommend this book:
The VAM Keys
Finally, when you’re considering a purchase, I go to eBay and filter by Completed and Sold auctions to get a sense of what kind of deal I’m getting. The market fluctuates frequently and although the Red Book is a very valuable reference guide, seeing what similar coins have sold for recently is a much more accurate representation of what a fair price is at that point.
Pricing Morgans is a knowledge-based art. For starters, LOOK AT THE COIN! Of course, for a newbie it's comforting to have the certified slab. But I've seen some over-priced higher-grade coins that are downright ugly. And some beautiful coins might be under-priced because they are technically down-graded (dings, nicks, scratches).
It's very helpful to have several Price Guides. For retail prices, get a 2017 Red Book -- which has lots of great info. There's also a Morgan Red Book. Lots of other Morgan books too.
You'll also want to know dealer pricing -- the Greysheets. Monthly subscriptions are pricey; instead, get the $45 single-issue 7-Pack ("The Works"). Prices rarely change quickly, so the single-issue works well for many months.
Also look at "Sold" listings of online auction sites (ebay, Heritage, etc.). There's a learning curve... well-worth the time & effort.
Lastly, initially set a per-coin budget... say, $100 - $200. After awhile, you know which coins are worth more.
It's a great hobby. Enjoy the hunt!
You likely will be very well-served with the ANA book and I've also noticed Whitman also publishes "Grading Coins By Photographs" as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794836879/
I'm ordering it mainly based on how much I appreciate the other books I have by Q. David Bowers.
I think using Photograde in conjunction with either one of these is a great combo obviously since you have alternative photos to reference that can also be enlarged.
Numista, for coins from US or really anywhere.
Or for a printed resource you could buy/borrow a Red Book.
There's also the specialized Red Book for commems:
https://amazon.com/dp/0794844197/
Blue Book or Red Book
One more thing before I forget it:
If you are wanting to start collecting I suggest you get a Whitmans Red Book. They give a pretty good indication how much you can expect to pay for any given coin.
For me, far more interesting.
https://www.amazon.com/Whitman-Encyclopedia-Mexican-Money-II/dp/0794839541/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484926926&sr=1-6&keywords=Mexican+Coins
Good luck.
There are 96 varieties. I have 36/96. About 30 of them are under 2 million ever made, so some real rarities in there.
If you have any doubt in your commitment, Dansco makes this 1 per year album:
http://www.danscoalbumstore.com/morgan-dollars-date-18781921-year-album-7171-p-2045.html?osCsid=6b40790a6263e7906127254156cf2473
If you are ready to move forward, I highly recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Morgan-Dollar-Americas-Affair-Legendary/dp/0794839533/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410875993&sr=1-1&keywords=morgan+dollar
Well as a noob collector, I might be able to help! Advice is more if you live in the US.
1a) if you live in an area where you have lots of land, its not a bad idea, otherwise its not needed unless that's your thing.
That's about it, may have gone overboard into detail lol, but hopefully you find something here useful. Happy hunting :)
It would be a very, very long list. Your best bet is finding a Friedberg red book or this checklist they sell. I’ve never used the checklist so YMMV.
https://www.amazon.com/Check-Record-United-States-Paper/dp/0794845177
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794847005/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3RL93T230YGWB&keywords=red+book+of+coins+2020&qid=1565384392&s=gateway&sprefix=red+book+of+%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-2
a bit out-dated, but always good: 'A Gentle Madness'; Nicholas Basbanes