In recent months the Whitman team in Atlanta, Georgia, has been busy creating and finessing the forthcoming 66th edition of A Guide Book of United States Coins (the hobby’s famous “Red Book”). Work on this edition began nearly a year ago when editor Ken Bressett, valuations editor Jeff Garrett, and I (research editor) flew to Atlanta to have what publisher Dennis Tucker called a “summit meeting.” For two days we immersed ourselves in the current regular-edition Red Book as well as the Professional Edition. We exchanged ideas, made plans, assigned tasks, and after this immersion departed home.

Fast forward to last autumn, and Dennis Tucker and editorial director Diana Plattner, working with their fine staff, began compiling prices. Dozens of annual survey questionnaires were filled in by leading coin dealers, auction houses, and numismatic specialists all across the country. In Atlanta our pricing guru Keith Zaner made additional compilations. Jeff Garrett and his team worked out of their offices in Kentucky and Florida while Ken Bressett and his team coordinated in Colorado.

Then came the sorting, weighing, and studying of prices, determining what to say in the 66th edition about changing gold and silver prices, and more. The editorial content was reviewed, tweaks were made to reflect the latest research, new issues (National Park quarters, Presidential dollars, commemoratives, etc.) were added, more than 300 new photographs were taken, new essays were written. As I write these words on February first, the Atlanta crew is putting on the finishing touches. The result will be the latest and greatest edition of the one book everybody interested in American coins uses.

I bought my first Guide Book in 1952 when I was 13 years old. I never would have guessed that my name would someday be on the title page!

I can hardly wait to see my first copy of the latest edition a few weeks from now. The book will debut at the Whitman Expo in Baltimore, March 22, 2012.

Top left: During the preparation of each annual edition of A Guide Book of United States Coins a lot of ideas are shuttled back and forth between the Whitman Publishing team in Atlanta and Ken Bressett (senior editor, Colorado Springs), Jeff Garrett (valuations editor, Lexington, Kentucky), and Dave Bowers (research editor, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire). Shown here is one of several mockups—this one ultimately not accepted—for a cover design for the 2013 edition.