The start of school is a conundrum. For parents, it’s a sense of relief of having their life and some quiet time back. For kids, it’s the beginning of bookwork, dreams and schemes. Academics might fill some of the time, but, if today is anything like earlier times, children – particularly boys – will plan and plot creative ways to have fun and, while doing so, make a fortune.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, one “sure fire” way to riches was to simply uncover a rare coin worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. Thanks to magazines such as Coin Collector, Coin World or just Coins the prospect was easy. Each month, those periodicals recounted tales of pennies, nickels or dimes found in pocket change being worth a hundreds or thousands. The thing was, the stories were true. For kids, that all but guaranteed fortunes were waiting to be found....
Enticing coin journals are still on magazine racks. Equally compelling for dreamers young or old are the coin price guides, especially the Red Book produced annually by Whitman Publishing. It’s around 450-pages and lists most all coins ever issued in the US and earlier colonial times.
About a decade ago, the folks at Whitman decided to up the ante by releasing a dramatically enhanced version of the price guide. They call it Mega Red. “Enhanced” is an understatement. Mega Red is more than triple the size at 1500 pages – thicker than most vintage city phone books. For those under age 40, phone books were massive, paperback compendiums about three-inches thick containing everyone’s name, address and number. There may be one in a museum near you.
For this ninth edition of Mega Red, the publishers have pulled out every stop to elicit dreams of fortunes to be had. Details and values of over 9,000 US coins, tokens and treasure bars are included with more than 50,000 prices for items in various grades of condition.
Take a lowly Lincoln penny. Most don’t give them a second glance. If a kid were to find one from 1917 in an old drawer or even their change the value in “Fine” condition is 75-cents. That’s not much. BUT, check the reverse. If there is any subtle “doubling” on the “9” or “7” – something 99.999 percent of people wouldn’t bother to check, that coin can be worth $100. In better condition it’s worth over $1600. Mega Red shows exactly what to look for.
In addition to early wampum used by American Indians, it chronicles coinage in the Americas such as cobs, reales and escudos from Spanish-American mints in 1500s South America. Fast forward to the mid-1700s where New England three pence, six pence and shillings along with the earliest Massachusetts Willow Tree and Pine Tree coins (the kind still buried and/or hiding just waiting to be found along the eastern seaboard) now soar into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For the most serious collectors, each version of the book has included a spotlight chapter on a particular type of coin. In this ninth edition, $2.50 gold pieces, also known as “quarter eagles,” issued from 1796 to 1929, are showcased in a giant section with copious details and values.
Within its other 1500 pages and dozens of chapters, there’s far more than can be touched on in this brief column. For example, the included appendices with values of counterfeit coins; grading and condition; medallions; private tokens; and artistic medals known as “so-called” dollars struck as mementos from famous events such as World’s Fairs.
For young treasure seekers, of pique interest are chapters on error coins – the likes of which most adults rarely notice but kids can spot in a heartbeat. (Yes, these are the same kids who can reprogram a computer or cell phone without ever glancing at a manual.)
For collectors or children in school who perchance to dream, Mega Red is a numismatic resource unlike any other filled with thousands of color photos, auction results and endless in-depth info. Naturally, it isn’t cheap. At $59.95 the price and weight of several pounds is hefty. Of course, should it reveal information about a seemingly lowly coin that proves to be worth a small fortune, it’s worth the investment. In that respect, it’s the stuff – for kids or adults – of what dreams and schemes are made.
To find out more or to order, go to www.Whitman.com.
For more collecting information and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.