Since 1946, collectors worldwide have trusted A Guide Book of United States Coins (also known as the Red Book for its longtime cover color), known for its grade-by-grade yearly snapshot of coin values, its historical insights, detailed specifications, high-resolution photographs, and accurate mintage data. The 2026 edition of the world’s best-selling numismatic reference will become available for purchase in April.

The 2026 edition has been “meticulously redesigned with the collector in mind,” according to the publisher. It features a larger 6-inch by 9-inch format, an intuitive layout, and over 32,500 market values in up to nine grades for more than 12,000 coins, tokens, medals, sets, and other collectibles.

It also includes new market insights, updated research, and the latest Mint data. For the first time, pricing is based on Collector’s Price Guide (CPG) retail pricing, and Greysheet Identification (GSIDSM) catalog numbers are integrated for seamless identification across Whitman’s family of products.

“I am truly honored to have been part of this year’s transformation, working closely with the extremely talented and professional staff at Whitman and the invaluable Red Book Advisory Panel of more than 70 numismatic industry leaders, experts, and supporters,” said Jeff Garrett, Red Book editor and president of Mid-American Rare Coin Galleries. “Every change, from the book’s physical size to its presentation order, was carefully chosen and implemented with a single goal — to enhance the collector’s experience.”

Collectors will notice several key improvements in the layout, including certain major sections now arranged by collector preference rather than strict technical definitions.

For example, the Private and Territorial Gold chapter has been significantly expanded, now including BG (Breen-Gillio) attribution numbers. Previously covering about 100 listings in two-and-a-half pages, this section now spans more than five pages with approximately 580 total listings.

Commemoratives are now grouped by denomination and listed by the familiar names collectors use. Classic commemoratives are arranged alphabetically, while modern commemoratives remain listed by date. New data organization consolidates coin type information at the beginning of each section, allowing readers to compare multiple types without flipping back and forth, improving readability and accessibility.

Additional enhancements include fun-fact spotlights throughout the book, a regular, fully illustrated case study in the “Grading U.S. Coins” section (this edition’s focus: Morgan dollars) and a new “Collector’s Notebook” covering timely topics in numismatics (this edition’s subject: Misinformation in Numismatics).

In addition to the larger format, the 2026 Red Book will be available in four different print bindings: hardcover, perfect bound softcover, spiral-bound, and large print spiral-bound. Additional information can be found at Whitman.com.

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