January 21, 2011 – Whitman Publishing has released the second edition of A Guide Book of Gold Dollars, by Q. David Bowers, with a foreword by David Akers. The 288-page book has a retail price of $19.95 and is available online (including at WhitmanBooks.com) and from booksellers and hobby stores nationwide.
United States gold dollars are a fascinating and highly collectible series. In A Guide Book of Gold Dollars, Q. David Bowers – the “Dean of American Numismatics” and the most prolific numismatic author of all time – shares tips for smart collecting: how to evaluate quality, determine value, understand the market, and make good buys. Along the way Bowers explains why, “in all of American numismatics, the gold dollar possesses a special charm.”
Readers learn how the history of the nation shaped the coin’s design and production – how the first gold dollars were made by a private coiner from gold mined in Georgia; why some thought only second-rate countries issued such small gold coins; what the public thought of the tiny, delicate, yet highly practical coins; and the effects the Gold Rush, the Civil War, political controversy, monetary crises, and other factors had on the coinage.
Bowers provides a wealth of information on each issue: mintages, certified populations, field populations (number of surviving coins), grading information, die characteristics, market values, auction records, keys to collecting, and more. Enlarged photographs illustrate each date and mintmark. A historical backdrop of what was going on in America during each year, along with hundreds of full-color images, make this book a treat for anyone interested in our nation’s history.
Gold expert David W. Akers calls the Guide Book of Gold Dollars “a wonderful book – in fact, the finest volume that Dave Bowers has yet written in the Official Red Book series.”