"Money may seem hopelessly mundane and culturally meaningless, but it has dominated--and documented--world history since the time of the ancient Greeks. This heavily illustrated book provides a spirited account of the first coinages and their living descendants in our pockets and purses. It explains how people from Jesus to The Beatles have used numismatics to explore the social, political, economic, and religious history of the world"--
Eisenhower, Susan B. Anthony, Saeagawea, Native American, and Presidential dollar coins are the modern versions of America's classic silver dollar. The U.S. Mint produces them by the millions, in innovative formats and with fascinating new designs every year. Hobbyists research their history, build visually appealing sets, compete in registries, and study errors and interesting the varieties. Author Q. David Bowers, the "Dean of American Numismatics," has visited each of the U.S. Mint's currently operating facilities and has interviewed their experts. He has gathered market analysis from specialist in each series, and to this research he adds more than 60 years of in-depth study of all aspects of American coin design, production, and distribution. This definitive reference book includes a study of earlier silver dollars (1794-1935); an overview of the American scene from 1971 to date, setting the cons in their historical context; and full coin-by-coin studies of Eisenhower, Anthony, Sacagawea, Native American, and Presidential dollars. Bowers augments this study with a richly illustrated catalog of modern dollar errors and a gallery of "what might gave been"-proposed Native American dollar designs. The book's scholarly value is further strengthened by the author's notes, a selected bibliography, and a full index. Book jacket.
The coins and tokens of colonial America and the early United States present a unique chronicle of our nation's birth. This comprehensive guide provides an authoritative reference on all pre-Federal coinage.
In the third edition of the best-selling and award-winning 100 Greatest U.S. Coins, numismatic author Jeff Garrett takes the reader on a personal guided tour of the nation's greatest coinage. "Each of the 100 Greatest was voted into place by leading coin dealers, researchers, and historians," says Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. Inside the reader will find prized and seldom-seen rarities - the unique and high-valued pieces that collectors dream about, like the 1913 Liberty Head nickel and the 1804 dollar (the "King of American Coins"). The book also explores more readily available and widely popular coins: pieces so beautiful or with such strange and facinating stories that everybody wants one. By Jeff Garrett. Hardcover, 144 Full Color Pages, Metallic-Foil Cover.
Whitman Publishing debuted the Handbook of United States Coins in 1942. It was the first unbiased, authoritative resource showing how much coin dealers were paying on average to buy U.S. coins by type, date, and mintmark. The groundbreaking new book was an immediate hit, popular with dealers and collectors alike. For more than 79 years coin dealers have used the OFFICIAL BLUE BOOK(R) (as it came to be known) to make buying offers. As a collector, you can use it to find out how much your coins are worth! The Blue Book's price listings offer a real-world look at the rare-coin market, gathered from dealers around the country. The new 79th edition includes updated prices, special features, and many new photographs. Coverage includes colonial and early American coins, federal coins (half cents through gold double eagles), commemoratives, Proof sets, die varieties, private and territorial gold, tokens, the newest Presidential and American Innovation dollars, National Park quarters, bullion coins, and other United States Mint products. More than 25,000 prices in multiple grades. Easy-to-follow coin-grading instructions. Coins and tokens from the 1600s to today. Historical information. Hundreds of detailed, actual-size photos. How to start a coin collection. Detailed mintage records, and much more