Publisher’s Column
by Dennis Tucker

The State of the Hobby

How do you gauge the grassroots health of a hobby? You might start with the number, depth, and quality of books, magazines, and other products that serve it. These are better measures than just looking at auction records and top-end sale prices. (It’s exciting that the Eliasberg specimen of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel recently sold for $5 million—even the mainstream press will be interested in such an event—but that’s only one numismatic transaction out of thousands that occur every day.)

Walk into a Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Books-A-Million —the nation’s three largest bookstores—and you’ll see shelves full of hobby references and storage supplies. Those of us who collect coins, paper currency, tokens, and other numismatic treasures have a bumper crop to choose from.

The price of gold rises and falls, hot investments come and go, market bubbles expand and pop; meanwhile, the health of the hobby, judging from the wealth of related “stuff” that helps collectors enjoy their collections, is very strong.

In the coming months you’ll continue to see a diverse library of books from Whitman Publishing in your local bookstores and hobby shops. (Of course, you can also order online or through the mail from hundreds of vendors nationwide.) Two new titles by Kenneth Bressett will debut: one a second edition of his award-winning Money of the Bible, and the other a brand-new book that I predict will earn its own share of awards, as well as rave reviews. Exonumists (collectors of medals and tokens) will enjoy two excellent new books on those subjects. Paper-money collectors will have several new references to peruse, as will Canadian coin and world coin collectors. Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine money gets the spotlight in several new books; Civil War buffs will find a nice addition to their library; colonial enthusiasts will pick up a pointer or two; and we’re not neglecting stamp collectors, either. Of course, collectors of U.S. federal coin series will be delighted with several new and updated Bowers Series books on commemorative coins, Lincoln cents, Morgan dollars, and others.

Albums and folders continue to be popular, from the classic blue Whitman folder to handsome leatherette albums. Coin maps, tubes, 2x2 holders, and other supplies offer plenty for the enthusiast. What do you collect? Click on Coin Supplies, Currency Supplies, or Stamp Supplies at the top-left of this page, and you’ll find some interesting possibilities. One example: Whitman is leading the way in storage designs for Presidential dollars. (See this month’s "Featured Upcoming Book" for more on the new Golden Dollar coins.)