Building a Library of Books About US Commemoratives Last Update: 11 January 2009 -- Most recent update(s) in blue. For many collectors, the building of a numismatic library is as fun and rewarding as the building of a coin collection. Fortunately for collectors of US commemorative coins, many books have been written about their favorite series, with the first appearing in 1922 when the American Numismatic Society (ANS) published Howland Wood’s The Commemorative Coinage of the United States of America monograph. Following is an alphabetical list (by author) of books about US commemoratives; the list is comprehensive but not exhaustive, additional titles will be added over time. Included with each title is a brief description of the book.  The notes are meant to help (hopefully!) a collector decide whether a title is right for his/her personal library.  Some, like the coins they discuss, are collector’s items in their own right and will likely take some effort to track down. Bowers, Q. David.  A Guide Book of United States Commemorative Coins.  Atlanta, Georgia: Whitman Publishing, LLC.  2008. The “Red Book” for US commemoratives might just be the “perfect” book for the vast majority of commemorative collectors.  The volume covers the traditional as well as the modern series, illustrates each coin in color, provides all of the pertinent “facts and figures” for each release, includes informative, well-written historical notes and provides pricing information across the pertinent grade ranges.  A discussion of what to look for and consider when purchasing each issue is also included.  The first few chapters of the book provide a nice introduction to commemoratives coins, a discussion of the minting process and how to grade coins in the series, as well as thoughts on “How to be a Smart Buyer” — good stuff all!  Advanced collectors will look to supplement the Guide Book with more detailed information regarding strike characteristics (of the early issues) and the ephemera associated with the coins, but this in no way diminishes what the book offers.  Q. David Bowers has delivered a winner! Bowers, Q. David (Editor). An Inside View of the Coin Hobby in the 1930s: The Walter P. Nichols File. Wolfeboro, New Hampshire: Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc. 1984.  [Out of Print] An interesting book that documents a considerable amount of 1930s correspondence by Walter P. Nichols, a prominent collector who sponsored the York County, Maine commemorative half dollar and served as the distributor for the York County Tercentenary Commemorative Coin Commission. As the time period documented covers the mid-1930s peak of the commemorative ‘craze’, the book features many interesting letters regarding various commemorative issues (plus many other US coins). Not the first book to buy when building a library about commemorative coins, but certainly one to acquire when you’re ready to travel back in time and ‘relive’ the 1930s! Bowers, Q. David. Commemorative Coins of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia. Wolfeboro, New Hampshire: Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc. 1991. [Out of Print] One of two books on U.S. commemoratives that every collector of the traditional series should have in his or her library (the other is the Swiatek & Breen encyclopedia). The amount of historical information presented on each coin is unmatched by any other volume. It covers all issues of the 1892-1954 series, along with modern issues up through the 1991 USO coin. Available in both hard and soft cover, it is recommended without reservation. Breen, Walter. Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins. New York: Doubleday, 1988. An immensely interesting and information-rich book covering all aspects of US coinage — a volume that should be in the library of every numismatist. Though limited to a single chapter, the coverage of US commemorative coins is solid. Included for each issue are notes regarding the reason for coinage, good descriptions of the designs and full coverage of the coinage statistics. Notes regarding the "first wear points’ for each coin are also included and very useful. The text often refers to the book co-authored by Breen and Anthony Swiatek (see below) for additional information and is therefore most informative when used in conjunction with that volume. Expensive, but worth every penny! Bullowa, David M. The Commemorative Coinage of the United States. New York: The American Numismatic Society, 1938. [Out of Print] One of the early books on the series (an expansion of the Howland Wood book described below) and one that served as a benchmark (along with the Mosher volume described below) for authoritative books on the commemorative series for many years.   It typically requires a bit of effort to track down, but definitely worth the pursuit. Foster, Charles W. Historical Arrangement of United States Commemorative Coins. Rochester, NY: Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1936. Softcover; 76 pages. [Out of Print] As Curator for the American Numismatic Association, Foster brought a different perspective to the commemorative series. He presented a catalog arranged by historical context rather than a simple chronological or alphabetical assembly. As such, the coins in this volume are grouped together under categories such as "Period of Discovery, "Colonization," "Growth of the Union" and "Trade Facilitation" among others. The book covers all of the gold issues of the Traditional Series, but only 28 of the 50 silver types; the book was published in 1936. Each category is introduced with a brief historical essay. Each coin is pictured and includes descriptions of its designs along with mintage statistics; many of the coins also include a short historical note. An interesting book that puts a novel spin on the commemorative series. Difficult to locate, but a rewarding prize when found. Fuljenz, Mike. U.S. Commemorative Coins: As viewed by the experts. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, Inc., 1984. Softcover; 31 pages. [Out of Print] A small booklet that compiles and updates a series of articles published in Numismatic News during 1983-84.  The volume’s intent is to provide “inside” information regarding the silver and gold commemorative series through an analysis of MS-65 quality coins for each issue.  The content is the collective expertise of Fuljenz and other noted dealers/collectors such as Anthony Swiatek, Jim Iacovo, Frank DuVall, Q. David Bowers, Ray Mercer and others.  Topics discussed include strike quality, luster, bag marks, general availability and market dynamics; not all topics are covered for each issue.  An MS-65 rarity rating is also provided for each coin; a scale of 1 (most common) to 10 (least common) is used.  The booklet was published before the launch of the major grading services and so also includes notes about which coins “should not be purchased without the assistance of a knowledgeable and reputable commemorative specialist” to help the prevent the novice collector from making ill-advised purchases of overgraded coins.  An interesting if not essential read; difficult to locate. Ganz, David L. 14 Bits: The Story of America’s Bicentennial Coinage. Washington, DC: Three Continents Press, 1976. [Out of Print] A collected reprint of an article originally published as a four-part series in the American Numismatic Association’s The Numismatist in 1975, the book presents "a legal and legislative history" of the US’ first large-scale circulating commemorative coin program. The volume also includes a number of reprints of House and Senate documents pertaining to the coinage as well as the Public Law that authorized the coins. The volume is an interesting treatise on this three-coin series and a good addition to a commemorative collector’s library. It can be difficult to find, however, so consider seeking out the 1975 volume of The Numismatist as an alternative. Ganz, David L. The Official Guide to U.S. Commemorative Coins. Chicago, IL: Bonus Books, Inc. 1999. [Out of Print] One of the more current titles on US commemorative coins (the volume covers the series through the 1999 Dolly Madison silver dollar and George Washington gold half eagle), the book is a mixed bag of execution. On the positive side, Ganz provides enjoyable, interesting pieces on the early commemoratives, the US Bicentennial coins and the background leading up to the return of commemorative coinage in 1982. The included historical price graphs for each coin are a nice touch as well. The book suffers, however, from an unusual and sometimes difficult to read page layout for each coin, as well as the inexplicable decision to separate the obverse and reverse images for each coin — the reverse images are shown in a separate section at the back of the book! Image quality is often very poor and multiple typos can be found.  Useful, but not definitive. Garrett, Jeff and Guth, Ron.  Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins 1795-1933. Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, LLC, 2006.  Hardcover; 636 pages. An impressive 600+ page work covering the entire US gold coin series through 1933, but with just a limited section on the gold commemoratives (9 pages).  A color image of each coin is presented, along with well-written basic information about each issue -- designer(s), design descriptions, mintages and melts.  Retail value and population summaries are provided for each issue, but need to be considered "historical figures" considering the dynamics of today's coin market.  A worthy addition to any numismatic library, but buy it for its broad coverage rather than as a primary gold commemorative reference. Hobson, Burton and Reinfeld, Fred. U.S. Commemorative Coins and Stamps. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1964. Hardcover; 64 pages.  [Out of Print] A simplistic volume from the mid-1960s, the book presents a "visual history" of the US through its commemorative coins and stamps (as there have always been more commemorative stamp issues than coin issues, the stamps dominate the presentation). The authors present the coins and stamps according to the date of the event being commemorated rather than the date of issue. For example, the Roanoke Colony half dollar, issued in 1937 to commemorate an event in 1587, is presented ahead of the 1926 Sesquicentennial of American Independence half dollar which commemorated a 1776 event. The book is devoid of the details necessary to be considered a serious reference (e.g., mintage statistics, years of issue, designer names, etc.) – think of it as a visual checklist. Interesting, but far from essential. Hodder, Michael J; Bowers, Q. David. A Basic Guide to U.S. Commemorative Coins. Wolfeboro, NH:Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., 1992. [Out of Print] A compact 165-page volume that features brief histories and basic ‘facts and figures’ for each issue (through the 1991 Mt. Rushmore silver dollar and gold half eagle). A nice feature of the book is the illustration of advertisements, promotional material and/or original holders for about two dozen of the issues. Not definitive in any way, but a great book if you’re just getting started (or looking to help someone who is!). Iacovo, James S. A Comprehensive Guide to United States Commemorative Coins. Dallas, Texas: The Ivy Press, Incorporated, 1979.  [Out of Print] The first serious and comprehensive analysis of the traditional commemorative series (silver and gold) in terms of "grading, points of wear, surface peculiarities, luster and abrasion severity…"  This handy volume provides issue-by-issue tips on how to tell the difference between average uncirculated (MS-60) and gem uncirculated (MS-65) coins. Though the pricing information is (of course) outdated, the what-to-look-for buying tips provided for each issue remain as useful and valuable as ever. Iacovo, James S. (Editor)  U.S. Commemoratives: Investment Coins for the Eighties. New Canaan, CT: Connecticut Numismatic Properties, Inc., 1983.  [Out of Print] Any book whose primary intent is to provide investment advice based on current market conditions is often so quickly outdated that following the advice it contains can prove detrimental to one’s financial well-being.  As such, the 25-year-old discussions of the “current market” and “investment potential” for the commemorative series included in this volume must be viewed within the proper historical context.  However, this volume goes beyond “simple” investment advice and seeks to educate the collector of US commemorative coins by providing recommendations for what to look for when building a commemorative set along with the discussions of the strike and grading characteristics of the various issues – these discussions are as relevant today as they were in 1983 (changes to grading standards notwithstanding).  Ray Mercer wrote the type and date analysis section of the booklet (see the discussion of Mercer’s highly recommended “Buyer’s Guide” publications below) with editor James Iacovo providing the introductory and background text (see the discussion of Iacovo’s “Comprehensive Guide” above).  This booklet is a double issue (Volume 2, No. 7 & 8) of the monthly newsletter The Numismatic Investment Journal.  It is a difficult work to come across, but a highly 68-page educational volume that is well worth pursuing. Laibstain, Harry. Investing, Collecting & Trading Certified Commemoratives. Virginia Beach, Virginia: DLRC Press, 1995. [Out of Print] Essentially an annotated PCGS/NGC population report from March 1994, the book offers marketplace commentary (i.e., strike characteristics, availability of coins in the various uncirculated grades, buying recommendations, etc.). As the population data and market conditions the book discusses have long been obsolete, buy the book for its place in history rather than as a guide for a current collecting/investing plan. Lewis, Elmer A (Compiler). Laws Authorizing Issuance of Medals and Commemorative Coins. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1936. A volume that collects and reprints the laws that authorized each of the commemorative coins, from the 1892 World’s Columbian Exposition half dollar (authorized August 6, 1892) through the 1936 Bay Bridge, York County, Maine and Norfolk, Virginia halves (authorized together on June 26, 1936). Updated editions that cover the complete Traditional Series, compiled by Gilman G. Udell, are also available. The various laws offer little historical context for the issues covered, but do occasionally offer up a few details not typically included in other sources. Mehl, B. Max. The Commemorative Coins of the United States. Fort Worth, Texas: B. Max Mehl, 1937. [Out of Print] A "fun" little booklet published by one of the giants in the field of numismatics. Mehl adds a bit of his own "flavor" to some of the coin descriptions and also includes reprints of a few contemporary accounts of the coins. The booklet also includes a two-page "Brief History of the Mehl Numismatic Establishment." A bit difficult to locate, but not very expensive when found — recommended! Mercer, Ray. A Buyer’s Guide to the Grading & Minting Characteristics of United States Commemorative Coins – Volume One. New Canaan, Connecticut: Connecticut Numismatic Properties, Inc., 1986. [Out of Print] The title of this 44-page soft cover volume says it all – this is a comprehensive buying guide for US commemorative coins that examines each issue in terms of luster, strike, marks and toning. It’s a book that will help ensure you don’t make ‘mistakes’ when purchasing coins for your collection — read it, learn it and benefit from it! Volume One covers the Isabella quarter, the Lafayette dollar and the half dollars from the Alabama through Cincinnati (covered alphabetically). Difficult to find, but worth the effort! Mercer, Ray. A Buyer’s Guide to the Grading & Minting Characteristics of United States Commemorative Coins – Volume Two. New Canaan, Connecticut: Connecticut Numismatic Properties, Inc., 1987. [Out of Print] Volume Two follows the same format as Volume 1, beginning with the Cleveland issue and covering all issues (alphabetically) through the Huguenot release.  As with the original volume, each issue is covered via a discussion of lustre, strike, marks and toning.  The included photographs supplement the text descriptions well and help provide a comprehensive "lesson" for each issue.  Alas, Volume Two was to be the last in the series as the advent of third-party grading services (in Mercer's opinion) reduced collector enthusiasm for efforts such as his.   Those seeking skills in grading US commemoratives would do well to seek out Mercer's two volumes -- whether collecting raw or slabbed coins!  As with Volume One, difficult to find, but absolutely worth the effort! Mosher, Stuart. United States Commemorative Coins: 1892-1939. New York, New York: Wayte Raymond, Inc., 1940. [Out of Print] A compilation of the articles Mosher wrote for The Coin Collector’s Journal during the 1930s. The booklet begins with the Columbian half dollar of 1892 and covers all coins through the Battle of Antietam issue in its 48 pages (missing are the Robinson-Arkansas, Iowa, Booker T. Washington and Washington-Carver coins). The volume features descriptions and historical notes for all coins and includes photographic illustrations of each. Along with Bullowa’s work, this booklet represented the "state of the art" for commemorative references until Slabaugh’s book in 1973 and was one of the earliest sources of collected information regarding 'melted' figures for many of the issues.  Available in either the original 1940 edition or a Second Edition published in 1946; the only update of note in the 1946 release being the addition of coverage for the Arkansas-Robinson issue. MTB Banking Corporation.  United States Silver Commemorative Coins 1892 to 1954.  New York, NY: MTB Banking Corporation. 1988.  Softcover, 62 pages.  [Out of Print] Considering that its publisher was a large international coin dealer (as well as a precious metals and currency trader), this little volume might be dismissed as just a glorified sales catalogue.  Upon inspection, however, one finds that the booklet presents succinct historical notes for each of the silver coins in the traditional series along with mintage notes and, frequently, comments regarding availability in gem condition.  The booklet also contains a table at the back that can be used to track purchases of coins from the series.  Though hardly a comprehensive reference, the booklet would serve as a nice one-hour introduction to the series for a new collector.  Long out of print and difficult to locate. Reed, Mort.  United States Commemoratives 1892-1954.  Sidney, OH: The Sidney Printing and Publishing Co. 1972.  [Out of Print] A small volume that compiles a series of articles originally published in Coin World in 1971 and 1972.  Mort Reed’s long-running “Coinology” column covered all US coin series, but beginning in October 1971, he set out to educate his readers about the silver US commemorative series.  This compilation begins with a brief introduction to US commemorative coinage and continues with a concise discussion of each coin in the silver series.  Obverse and reverse photographs are included for each issue, along with mintage figures, identification of the coin’s designer, a reference to each coin’s authorizing legislation and a simple statement of the coin’s commemorative intent.  Not an essential reference, but a nice addition.  Difficult to locate. Ruby, Warren A. Commemorative Coins of the United States (Gold and Silver). Lake Mills, Iowa: Graphic Publishing Company, 1961.  Softcover; 128 pages.  [Out of Print] In the Foreword, Ruby writes that the purpose of his book is "to have the facts, interesting stories, history and data that would be of concern to these coins, in one volume." To a large extent, this ambition is accomplished. For each of the Traditional Series half dollars, Ruby presents a brief historical backdrop along with short descriptions of the coin’s design and the name(s) of the designer(s). The gold commemoratives are included, as are the Isabella quarter dollar and Lafayette dollar, though they are given less attention than the half dollars. Interestingly, Ruby also includes the 1932 Washington quarter dollar after discussion of the Isabella. No pricing data is included in the volume, but mintage figures along with several "theme" sections (e.g., animals, ships, portraits) are featured at the rear. A "complete" volume will also include a separately printed and tipped in mintage update sheet that Ruby prepared once additional data was available from the US Mint regarding coins returned and melted. The book is illustrated with drawings by the author, a unique feature among books about US commemorative coins. Difficult to find, but worthwhile. Skipton, Amy C. One Fatt Calfe. New Rochelle, NY: New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Committee, 1939. [Out of Print] The title page of One Fatt Calfe sums up its content and purpose perfectly – “Being an account of the New Rochelle Half-Dollar and of the Celebration marking the 250th Anniversary of the Founding & Settlement of the City of New Rochelle NY.”  The book, published by the New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Committee in 1939, provides wonderfully detailed background discussion on the commemorative coin – from concept through distribution – as well as terrific descriptions of the city’s celebrations.  In a perfect collecting world, One Fatt Calfe would be just one of 50 such volumes recording the history and events surrounding the coins of the traditional commemorative series.  Unfortunately, it stands alone as the only account to so completely present the coin and the accompanying celebrations.  Tough to locate, but a prize once found! Slabaugh, Arlie R. United States Commemorative Coinage: The Drama of America as Told by Our Coins. Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman Publishing, 1973. [Out of Print] This little reference book, along with its updated 1975 edition, is packed with information that is still useful to today’s commemorative collector. In addition to presenting the ‘facts and figures’, Slabaugh also includes background notes and the historical context for each issue. The book was the first significant work on commemoratives since the Bullowa and Mosher volumes of 1938 and 1940, respectively. Though long out of print, this popular volume was produced in sufficient quantities to make it generally available via numismatic literature dealers and online auction sites. Swiatek, Anthony J. Commemorative Coins of the United States: Identification and Price Guide. Sidney, Ohio: Amos Press Inc.: 2001 (Second Edition). A comprehensive volume that features a full discussion of each issue — from the 1892 Columbian Exposition half dollar through the 2000 Library of Congress Bicentennial silver and gold/platinum bimetallic coins (a few pages are also included for the then recently initiated Statehood Quarters program). For each coin, Swiatek provides basic facts and figures, design details, background on how the coin came about, brief comments on related material (i.e., ephemera), grading insights and a discussion of the current and future market for the piece. A solid book well worth the cost. (A third edition is in the works.) Swiatek, Anthony; Breen, Walter. The Encyclopedia of United States Silver & Gold Commemorative Coins 1892-1954. New York: Arco Publishing, 1981. [Out of Print] One of two books on U.S. commemoratives that every collector of the traditional series should have in his or her library (the other is the Bowers encyclopedia). The volume is noteworthy for its extensive discussion of original holders and promotional materials for many of the issues as well as its somewhat quirky presentation of the background story for each issue. The volume is available in both hard and soft cover versions (the softcover edition includes a 1982-89 update section covering the issues of the first seven years of the modern series), and can generally be found with just a bit of searching.  It is recommended without reservation! Taxay, Don. An Illustrated History of U.S. Commemorative Coinage. New York: Arco Publishing, 1967. [Out of Print] A volume focused on the background of each issue with extensive reproduction of original correspondence regarding each coin along with many original design sketches and/or plaster models. This is not a volume of mintage statistics and market valuations, but rather a unique and compelling story of the ‘behind the scenes’ activities for each commemorative issue. Every student of the series should own a copy! Vermeule, Cornelius. Numismatic Art in America. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Beknap Press of Harvard University Press: 1971. [Out of Print] For the aficionado of numismatic art, Vermeule's book is a wonderful treatise on all that is good and bad artistically in American numismatics.  Though it covers the gamut of US coinage, the volume devotes significant coverage to the traditional commemorative coins and includes critiques of each of the issues.  Though not a "facts and figures" reference, this gem of a book is like no other in terms of its exploration of America’s numismatic art. Highly recommended! Webb, E. O. A History of Our Metallic Money. Rosicrucian Press, Ltd., 1936. [Out of Print] A volume that needs to be considered in the context of its issue date to be fully appreciated. The book includes an illustration of each coin along with a full description of its design (up through the California-Pacific International Exposition [San Diego] issue). Information regarding each coin’s date of authorization, designer and mintage statistics is also included. The book features some interesting general background information on the history of coins, minting technologies and US coinage laws. While there are a few inaccuracies regarding mintages, the book was preceded only by Howland Wood’s 1922 monograph and thus represented the most comprehensive single volume resource available to collectors. That it would soon be supplanted by the efforts of Bullowa and Mosher does not diminish its importance. Webber, Bert.  The Oregon Trail Memorial Half-Dollar (1926-1939). Medford, OR: Webb Research Group/Pacific Northwest Books Company, 1986.  Softcover, 54 pages.  [Out of Print]  A simple booklet devoted to the Oregon Trail half dollar by a photojournalist with a special interest in the Pacific Northwest and the Oregon Trail – he is also clearly a fan of the coin and its design.  Topics covered included Ezra Meeker’s promotional efforts on behalf of the trail, action in Congress related to the coin, mintage figures over the years of its production and the marketing of the coins.  A good portion of the booklet discusses a fund-raising drive among students at Yale University in Connecticut to erect a trail marker in Yale, Idaho along with the author’s search for the marker (he did not find it!).  This is a book for the Oregon Trail specialist or the commemorative bibliophile who has to have a “complete set” of commemorative publications. Wood, Howland. The Commemorative Coinage of the United States of America. New York: The American Numismatic Society, 1922. [Out of Print] The first book devoted to the U.S. commemorative coin series, coverage for each issue (through the Grant Memorial coinage) includes a brief general background, a discussion of the coin's design, the text of the authorizing legislation and comments regarding initial promotional activities.  It is one of a series of monographs (#16)sponsored and published by the American Numismatic Society, and written by one of the giants of American numismatics.  Though incomplete (it was published in 1922!) and surpassed for depth of information on the issues it covers, it is still a wonderful discussion of the series and a book that no serious library of books on US commemorative coins should be without!  Yeoman, R. S. A Guide Book of United States Coins. Racine, Wisconsin: Western Publishing Company, Inc., 1971.  [Out of Print] While the "Red Book" has never been the last word in background information about the commemorative series (it’s not its intent), the 25th Edition (1972) is one issue of the annual series that each commemorative collector should consider adding to his/her library. The "Silver Anniversary Edition" includes a special nine-page feature on the commemorative series (in addition to its regular coverage) that traces the year-by-year change in value of each silver commemorative type from the Guide Book’s 1st edition of 1947 through its 24th edition in 1971. The feature also discusses factors that influence commemorative values. A quick interesting read and a catalyst for further study!