New Book Covers Modern U.S. Dollar Coins

Q. David Bowers, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins (Whitman Publishing, 2016)

As serious collectors, numismatists, and researchers know well, Whitman Publishing’s Official Red Book series of guides to specific coin series are an indispensable resource.  Whether your interests lie in one of the many popular classic coin series like Morgan and Peace dollars or Double Eagle gold coins, or a modern series such as Franklin and Kennedy halves, this is the go-to reference series for those who require information about each individual coin in a series and a detailed overview of the series.

Most of the books in the series follow a similar approach, and that has a lot to do with the fact that most, though not all, are written by numismatic legend, Q. David Bowers, often called the dean of American numismatics because of his incomparable impact on the hobby, industry, and literature of numismatics.

Modern dollar coins, those issued since 1971, include: Eisenhower, Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea, Native American and Presidential dollars.  As former U.S. Mint Director Edmund Moy says in his foreword to the book, these coins are “underappreciated” compared to many other U.S. coins and deserve a closer look, and no other modern coins “have undergone so many versions in such a short period of time,” including different sizes and even shapes, various metal alloys, themes, and surface finishes. 

Both are these aspects make dollar coins a source of endless fascination for modern coin collectors.  And unlike most coin series, assembling sets of modern dollars is very affordable unless you require one of the rare varieties, error coins, or a super-high grade example.

Covering over 200 coins in depth and with over 800 color photos, no other book brings together anything coming close to the wealth of information contained in this remarkable volume.  Bowers’ own research was coupled with assistance from longtime collectors and dealers, U.S. Mint officials, and hobby groups such as the Ike Group to provide everything from the history of each series and current events and the coin scene for each year since 1971 to mintages, die varieties, grading standards, the keys to assembling a high-quality collection, and market analysis.  

In addition, there are several appendices including one on error coins, an overview of the Eisenhower series from Charles Morgan, and a gallery of designs for the Native American dollar series that were proposed for coins issued from 2009 to 2016.

This is a book that deserves a prominent place in the libraries of modern dollar collectors, and it is one to which you will return again and again, each time learning something new, or being reminded of an important detail you may have forgotten. 

Keep in mind that ANA members who order the book from Whitman receive 10% off, and that you can also borrow it from the ANA’s library.