A Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollars (Official Red Book)

The first part of the book is good reading as it describes the history of this popular coin. When it gets into the text about the individual mint/date issues it can be a bit monotonous. That portion I would leave as a reference if you are putting together a set. The value guide is outdated and can be used for relative cost comparisons only. They do not match today's market. I wish these books were periodically updated. Also, his recommendation to collect in MS-65 is utterly ridiculous. If I had $100,000 to spend, then I would follow his guidance. However, for putting together a year set of AU to MS-63 dollars you can still use this as a reference to decide which mint mark is most affordable in the highest grade. I was able to put together my year set at a cost of about $2500. A full year/mint mark set will be cost prohibitive for most of us. CC dollars are out of the question for most sets with the exception perhaps of 1882-1884.

This book has something for everyone whether your interests is in history, engineering, aesthetics, or the social aspects of collecting. Though I can think of three somewhat large topics that are only touched upon: toning, VAMs, and investment (to be fair, you have to be rich already to get rich off Morgan dollars as you would have to buy the highest grade and rarest Morgans which start at 4 digits. Add to that, the decline in interest of young people for this sort of material possession especially in a market like classic US coins. So for me, it is a topic of the lowest interest).The bulk of the book is a mint-by-mint, year-by-year analysis of Morgan dollars. Each year also has a description of what was happening in America during that time. What I like most about the book though is the author's honest and practical advice and commentary. I also enjoyed reading about his own foray into Morgans and in particular his firsthand account of the Morgan deluge of the 1960s.One negative is that I have the Kindle version and the coin images are too low resolution. They look fine as-is but when you zoom in, there is no detail.

If you don'dt work in a coin shop with a resident dealer expert, and you like collecting silve dollars, this is he book for you. It covers all the dates and mints of the Morgan dollar and discusses pertinent information about each one. Then it gives you current market values for each coin in a number of grades--from average circulated all the way to MS7.. To my surprise was finding the varieties discussed at the end of the page These are identified according to the standard van Allen and Mallis identifications. While these may not matter to a beginning collector, the dollar specialist will want to read about them. Q. David Bowers is a living legend in the numismatic universe.And this is the 4th Edison of an essential and authoritative work n the field.

I'm a new Morgan collector and this book has taught me so much. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in becoming a Morgan numismatist.

This book is an extremely valuable resource for collectors who like having a wealth of information available when making purchases or trades. Just about everything you need to know about every date and mintmark.I'm so glad this title is now available for Kindle. It is so much easier taking all my references with me in one tablet instead of needing a backpack.

Pay attention! Buy this book. The work and expertise that went into this book by the author is unbelievable. You learn about the Morgan dollar made at each U.S. mint, (5), during each year, regarding striking with the dies, numbers produced, efficiency of workers, etc. You also read what was happening in the country/world that could affect the Morgan dollar being produced in any given year. AND, this education is repeated for each year of production of Morgan dollars. Did I mention the fine points of inspection and grading Morgans? Reread the title for this opinion. You will save yourself time and money. Bowers has set a very high standard, indeed.

Helpful book but I made the mistake of getting it for the kindle. I have a paperwhite and it is difficult to see charts on the screen and it is not easy to flip around to different places. I suggest getting this in book format.The author is clearly a coin expert and may have an interest in seeing the values of the coins rise. I think his opinion is to buy just about every coin in mint state regardless of budget. Therefore this book seems to be aimed at the coin investor or wealthy collector rather than casual collector. The information is very useful and interesting.

One of the best written books I've ever read. Now only did Q. David Bowers write this book as if he is sitting there in the room with you and telling you all about Morgans but his inclusion of what to look for in each coin in the series, goal grade for each piece, prices, etc. is worth the cost of the text. His love for the topic shines through and the pictures and historical tidbits scattered throughout are amazing!

This is a great book packed with all the information that you need on Morgan Dollars. As it is a kindle addition I have it with me all the time on my phone, and if I see a Morgan Dollar on my travels I can look it up in an instant, and see if its worth the purchase price. Highly recomended

If you're into Morgan dollars, their history and collecting them then you can't beat this for information. Pretty much everything you would want to know about Morgans is here in this book. Highly recommended.

very good.

Excellent book

Libro realmente excelente, aconsejable tanto para coleccionistas de esta moneda como para estudiosos y curiosos de esta parte de la história americana, lástima que sólo está publicado en inglés, pero es fácilmente entendible