Book offers facts, figures, stories of U.S. coins

The Almanac of United States Coins has been released by Whitman Publishing. The 192-page softcover retails for $9.95. It can be purchased from bookstores and hobby retailers nationwide, and online (including at www.whitman.com).

The full-color almanac is designed as an illustrated catalog of useful and entertaining information for newcomers to the hobby as well as longtime coin collectors. It includes detailed photographs for identifying coins by type, grading instructions with enlarged step-by-step photographs, retail price charts telling how much common dates are worth, insight on rarer and more valuable dates, and images of collectible die varieties that can be found in pocket change.

“The Almanac of United States Coins features amusing stories, colorful essays, and astounding facts and figures about all manner of rare and historical coins of the U.S.A.,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker, who also edited the book. “One of our goals is to entertain and educate active collectors. But we also want to energize casual hobbyists and encourage them with new ways to explore and collect U.S. coins.”