The U.S. Mint's hugely popular American Gold Eagle and American Platinum Eagle coins are collected by numismatists, stockpiled by investors, and treasured by precious-metal buyers throughout the United States and around the world.
Now, no less an authority than Edmund C. Moy-38th director of the U.S. Mint-shares his unique insight and behind-the-scenes perspective on these beautiful pieces of Americana.
To create this book, Moy has drawn on a lifetime of interest in coins and precious metals, leading up to his 2006 confirmation as director of the U.S. Mint. Under his tenure, demand for American gold bullion coins multiplied more than fivefold, from less than 330,000 ounces in 2007 to 1,800,000-plus ounces in 2009, and counting. The U.S. Mint went from a major producer to the world's largest producer of gold, silver, and platinum coins, with bullion coins accounting for the majority of the Mint's revenues.
Director Moy brings together diverse elements-technical and artistic, historical and current, market-driven and hobbyist-to make American Gold and Platinum Eagles a valuable addition to any collector's or investor's bookshelf.
“The arrival of Colonel Mason’s oyster can full of gold in Washington would change everything in the United States,” Moran writes. “It would fuel a rapid industrialization across the Northern states with a supporting rail system. It would leave few institutions untouched, least of all the United States Mint at Philadelphia, which would be shaken to its very foundation and only just barely survive.”
With hundreds of full-color images, some not seen in print for generations; an engaging narrative that sheds new light and draws fresh new conclusions; rich details on the colorful personalities involved and their interactions; and an inventory of the Smithsonian's gold holdings, this book is a treasure for the coin collector, the gold investor, and everyone interested in the fascinating history of the United States.
“A fascinating account of the trying period of the California Gold Rush and its effect on the United States. 1849: The Philadelphia Mint Strikes Gold comes with our highest recommendation. We were genuinely impressed with the depth of the research ... written in the style of numismatic history at its best.” — Richard G. Kelly & Nancy Oliver, numismatic historians
• $49.95
• 352 Pages
• Hardcover
• Full Color
• 8.5 x 11 inches
This handy book tells you how to “cherrypick”—that is, how to examine a collection of coins to locate those with unusual characteristics: doubled and tripled dies, overdates, repunched mintmarks, and other features that can reveal a supposedly common coin to be a rare and valuable variety.
Few books have taken the coin-collecting community by storm like the Cherrypickers’ Guide. Since the first edition burst onto the scene in 1990, thousands of hobbyists have been searching for the rare and valuable die varieties described inside.
448 pages, 6 x 9 inches
Reviewed in COINS Magazine, April 2016 issue, page 15, by Mike Thorne, Ph.D.
Book-review highlights:
“The fact that the Cherrypickers’ Guide is entering its sixth edition should tell you something about the value of the information it contains. As a former textbook writer, I can tell you that books with little demand don’t make it to a sixth edition.”
“With knowledge of what to look for, the Cherrypickers’ Guide will give you the information that will allow you to cherrypick dealers’ stock.”
“Obviously, this is an extremely important work that I can see going into further editions.”
“Coin collecting during retirement poses specialized challenges and opportunities,” Bilotta says. He explores these issues in depth and guides his readers toward building their enjoyment of the hobby while preparing their collections for later allocation to their heirs.
“Retirement is a time to adopt new collecting strategies, often to consolidate and focus, to define new goals,” Bilotta says. “Retired collectors might dabble in selling parts of their collections, or even jump into that pursuit with both feet.” For some retirees, this is a time to budget and scale back on hobbies, while still staying active. Others find themselves with more money and more time to devote to collecting. “Importantly,” Bilotta says, “it’s also a time to educate your family, and prepare your collection for the future.”
In addition to addressing active collectors, he gives valuable hands-on advice to inheritors on how to manage the disposition of rare coins and other collectibles.
• 256 pages
• Softcover
• Full Color
• 6 x 9 inches
The Check List and Record Book features actual-size illustrations of each coin type, complete mintage records for circulation-strike and Proof coins, and coin-by-coin listings of every date and mint. The coins covered include U.S. half cents through gold double eagles, 1790s to date; classic and modern commemorative coins; government-issued commemorative sets; Proof sets and Mint sets; Canadian coins from the 1850s to date; and silver, gold, and platinum bullion coins. There are sections to keep track of collections of Hard Times tokens; Civil War tokens; other tokens and medals; Hawaiian coins; Puerto Rican coins; coins struck for the Philippines under U.S. sovereignty; misstrikes and error coins; and American Arts gold medallions. The Canadian chapters cover large cents; small cents; five-cent pieces; silver and modern coins; commemorative issues; dollar coins; and bullion pieces.
“Keeping an accurate inventory of your coins is one of the most important things you can do as a collector,” says Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “Not only does it help you organize and build a better collection, it can also be useful for tax and insurance purposes, and as a valuable record for your children and grandchildren to learn about your collection.”
This Check List and Record Book covers coins and coin sets up through 2015, with extra space to keep track of later coins.
Now, for the first time, in full color! The updated and revised seventh edition of this comprehensive guide spells out the official American Numismatic Association grading standards for each United States coinage series. Every coin minted since 1793, from half cents to gold double eagles to commemoratives, is studied in 384 pages of easy-to-follow text and photographs.
• Convenient spiralbound hardcover binding.The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins, seventh edition, is an indispensable aid to properly grading U.S. coins—the very foundation of smart buying, selling, and collecting.
Nearly 150 years after his death, Abraham Lincoln consistently ranks at or near the top of every poll of America’s best, most admired, or most popular president ever. In 2009, for Lincoln’s 200th birthday, Whitman Publishing debuted Fred Reed’s outstanding work, Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness. Beautifully illustrated in full color, with hundreds of private and public images, Reed explored the popular depiction of Lincoln as “ideal, idol, and icon.” He showed the martyred president on coins, tokens, medals, postage stamps, and paper money—and also in oil paintings, magazine covers, popular advertisements, political cartoons, and other diverse media.
This groundbreaking book won three national awards and was distributed in bookstores across the country. Now, in 2012, comes the follow-up—Abraham Lincoln: Beyond the American Icon. Bigger, with more pages, and even more images (1,400-plus), plus more award-winning analysis and commentary. This new book promises to be another best-seller and newsmaker!
Hardcover, 8.5x11, Full Color, 464 pages