Recommended Reading: Alphabetical by Subject Recommended Reading: Alphabetical by SubjectThe safest way to get started in this hobby is by reading. Read about collecting in general and the particular types of coins you're interested in. This will help you tell the good quality coins from the poor quality ones, the real coins from the fakes, and help you find a coin at a good price. It's also fun to read about the history of the coin as well. You can find these books at your local bookstore, coin shop, or through online bookstores.
Other good sources of information that are books but are not listed below include auction catalogs from any of the major auction houses, and population reports from any of the major grading services. Population reports give you an estimate of how common a coin of a particular type and grade is- the more common it is, the less it will be worth (generally speaking).
My list of books is targeted to beginners. I just don't have the time to maintain a comprehensive listing, it's not within the scope of this site, and it's already been done elsewhere. For as close to a complete list as you can get, try the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. They have an excellent listing of numismatic books on all topics within the hobby. The American Numismatists Association is also a great resource since it has its entire library catalog online, if you're looking for a book on a specific type of coin.
Most of the books below were suggested by collectors on the Usenet group rec.collecting.coins, or culled from issues of The Numismatist. I must admit I'm a bit lax when it comes to reading up on the subject so I can't vouch personally for most of these books. If I have read it, I put in a word or two about it. Some of the entries have a "review" link next to them that will take you to a review of the book.
Here the list is sorted by subject, then alphabetically by title within the subject. There are also lists sorted alphabetically by author and by title.
American coins | |
| Title | Collectible American Coins |
| Author 1 | Bresset, Kenneth R |
| Year | 1991 |
| Publisher | Crescent Books |
| Notes | is out of print |
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| Title | United States Coins by Design Types, an Action Guide for the Collector and Investor |
| Author 1 | Bowers, Q. David |
| Year | 1988 |
| Publisher | Bowers and Merena Galleries |
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| Title | Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins |
| Author 1 | Breen, Walter |
| Year | 1987 |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Review | review |
| Notes | second review |
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| Title | Cowles Complete Encyclopedia of United States Coins |
| Author 1 | Reed, Mort |
| Year | 1969 |
| Publisher | Independent Publisher's Group |
| Review | review |
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| Title | United States Type Coins |
| Author 1 | Stack, Norman |
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| Title | U.S. Mint and Coinage, The |
| Author 1 | Taxay, Don |
| Year | 1983 |
| Publisher | Durst |
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| Title | Numismatic Art in America: Aesthetics and the U.S. Coinage |
| Author 1 | Vermeule, Cornelius |
| Year | 1971 |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press |
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| Title | Guide Book of United States Coins, A |
| Author 1 | Yeoman, R. S |
| Year | 2002 |
| Publisher | Golden Book Publishing Co. |
| Notes | commonly called "the Redbook" |
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| Title | Coin Atlas, The |
| Author 1 | Cribb, Joe |
| Year | 1990 |
| Publisher | Facts on File Books |
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| Title | New Orleans Mint Treasure, The |
| Author 1 | Hoke, Tom |
| Year | 2005 |
| Publisher | Tom Hoke |
| Review | http://www.lulu.com/content/193578 |
| Notes | Thousands of dollars’ worth of gold disappeared from the New Orleans Mint before it was turned over to the state of Louisana after the Civil War. Where is that money now? This book explores some of the possibilities. |
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Ancient coins | |
| Title | Ancient Coin Collecting |
| Author 1 | Sayles, Wayne |
| Year | 1996 |
| Publisher | Krause Publications |
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Collecting | |
| Title | Adventures with Rare Coins |
| Author 1 | Bowers, Q. David |
| Year | 1996 |
| Publisher | Vestal Press, Ltd |
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| Title | Collecting U.S. Coins |
| Author 1 | Bresset, Kenneth E |
| Year | 1992 |
| Publisher | Publications Intl Ltd |
| Notes | This is the book that I used to get started. It's thorough, informative, and very easy to read. |
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| Title | Let's Collect Coins |
| Author 1 | Bresset, Kenneth E |
| Year | 1996 |
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| Title | Numisma |
| Author 1 | Frossard, Edouard |
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| Title | Coin Collecting for Dummies |
| Author 1 | Guth, Ron |
| Year | 2001 |
| Publisher | Hungry Minds, Inc |
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| Title | Coin Collecting for Beginners |
| Author 1 | Hobson, Burton |
| Author 2 | Reinfeld, Fred |
| Year | 1986 |
| Publisher | Wilshire Book Co. |
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| Title | Collecting Coins by Design |
| Author 1 | Radeker, William T |
| Year | 1978 |
| Review | review |
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| Title | Confessions of a Numismatic Fanatic: How to Get the Most Out of Coin Collecting |
| Author 1 | Robinson, Frank |
| Year | 1991 |
| Publisher | Clios Cabinet |
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| Title | Coin Collector's Survival Manual, 4th edition, The |
| Author 1 | Travers, Scott A |
| Year | 2000 |
| Publisher | Bonus Books |
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| Title | One-Minute Coin Expert |
| Author 1 | Travers, Scott A |
| Year | 2001 |
| Publisher | House of Collectibles |
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| Title | Helpful Hints for Enjoying Coin Collecting |
| Author 1 | Fivaz, Bill |
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| Title | Whitman Guide to Coin Collecting, The |
| Author 1 | Bressett, Kenneth |
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| Title | New York Times Guide to Coin Collecting, The |
| Author 1 | Reiter, Ed |
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| Title | Coin Clinic: 1001 Frequently Asked Questions |
| Author 1 | Herbert, Alan |
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| Title | Coins: Questions and Answers |
| Author 1 | Mishler, Clifford |
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| Title | Eyewitness Guide: Money |
| Author 1 | Cribb, Joe |
| Notes | history of coins and paper money around the world |
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Commemoratives | |
| Title | Commemorative Coins of the U.S. |
| Author 1 | Swiatek, Anthony |
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Grading | |
| Title | Guide to the Grading of United States Coins, A |
| Author 1 | Brown, Martin R |
| Author 2 | Dunn, John W |
| Year | 1969 |
| Review | review |
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| Title | Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins |
| Author 1 | Bresset, Kenneth E |
| Author 2 | Kosoff, Abe |
| Year | 2002 |
| Publisher | Krause |
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| Title | Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection |
| Author 1 | Dannreuther, John W |
| Author 2 | Travers, Scott A |
| Year | 1997 |
| Publisher | House of Collectibles |
| Notes | is out of print |
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| Title | Photograde |
| Author 1 | Ruddy, James |
| Year | 1996 |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
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| Title | Photograde, 2nd edition |
| Author 1 | Ruddy, James |
| Year | 1990 |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| Review | review |
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Miscellaneous | |
| Title | Art and Craft of Coinmaking, The |
| Author 1 | Cooper, Denis |
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Magazines | |
| Title | Bank Note Reporter |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Publisher | Kr |
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| Title | Coin Age |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Notes | is a magazine. |
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| Title | Coin Prices |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Notes | is a magazine. |
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| Title | Coin World |
| Author 1 | collective |
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| Title | Coins |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Notes | is a magazine. |
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| Title | Numismatic News |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Notes | is a magazine. |
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| Title | World Coin News |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Notes | is a magazine. |
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Paper money | |
| Title | Standard Catalog of World Paper Money vol I: Specialized Issues (commercial and restricted circulation) |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Year | 1998 |
| Publisher | Krause |
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| Title | Standard Catalog of World Paper Money vol II: General Issues, 1650-1960 |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Year | 1998 |
| Publisher | Krause |
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| Title | Standard Catalog of World Paper Money vol III: General Issues, 1961-1999 |
| Author 1 | collective |
| Year | 1998 |
| Publisher | Krause |
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| Title | Paper Money of the United States |
| Author 1 | Friedburg |
| Year | 2001 |
| Publisher | Coin and Currency Institute |
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| Title | Collecting Paper Money for Pleasure and Profit |
| Author 1 | Krause, Barry |
| Year | 1992 |
| Publisher | Betterway Publications |
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World coins | |
| Title | Charlton Standard Catalog of Canadian Coins, The |
| Author 1 | collective |
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| Title | Monnaies Françaises |
| Author 1 | Gadoury |
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| Title | World of Coins and Coin Collecting |
| Author 1 | Ganz, David L |
| Year | 1998 |
| Publisher | Bonus Books |
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| Title | Standard Catalogue of World Coins (4 volumes) |
| Author 1 | Krause, Mischler |
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| Title | Standard Catalog of German Coins |
| Author 1 | Nicol, N. Douglas |
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| Title | Coins of the Commonwealth of Nations |
| Author 1 | Pridmore, F |
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| Title | Coins & emails |
| Author 1 | Van den Heuvel, Michel |
| Year | 2003 |
| Publisher | Thirdplanet Publishing |
| Review | Describes the author's experiences searching for coins of the world via email: sometimes amusing, occasionally frustrating, and often rewarding. |
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British coins/UK | |
| Title | Coins of England and the United Kingdom (Standard Catalogue of British Coins) |
| Author 1 | Seaby, H.A. and P.J |
| Year | 1999 |
| Publisher | Durst |
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