Whitman Publishing announces the release of the new second edition of the Guide Book of Buffalo and Jefferson Nickels, by Q. David Bowers. The 320-page softcover book is available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, and online (including at www.Whitman.com), for $19.95. Bowers will autograph copies at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money, August 1–5, 2017.
The book covers America’s two most popular nickel five-cent series—Buffalo nickels, minted from 1913 to 1938, and Jefferson nickels, minted from 1938 to date. Bowers, the nation’s most prolific numismatic author, offers a detailed history as well as advice on smart collecting and a date-by-date analysis of both series. This includes mintages, specifications, strike quality and other technical aspects, market values in multiple grades (including Full Steps for Jefferson nickels), and high-resolution enlargements for important overdates and other die varieties. The text and catalog are illustrated by 941 images, including photographs of every coin by date and mintmark.
The new edition is more than 10 percent longer than the first, with 32 extra pages of content. It has been updated with many more photographs, expanded coverage of die varieties, new retail market values for each coin, and the latest U.S. Mint data. New illustrated appendices explore Depression-era and modern hobo nickels; James Earle Fraser’s nickel design as used on the American Buffalo 24-karat gold coin series; and “Nickels Here and There” (a study of the nickel in American popular culture). Other appendices explore a chronology of the nickel five-cent piece, Mint errors and misstrikes, and Buffalo nickel patterns.
Numismatic educator and die-variety specialist Bill Fivaz wrote the book’s foreword. He said, “If you have even the slightest interest in Buffalo or Jefferson nickels, this book by Dave Bowers is an absolute must. I guarantee you’ll have fun with these series.”
Because Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the American Numismatic Association, ANA members receive 10 percent off their direct purchases. The book can also be borrowed for free as a benefit of membership in the ANA, through the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.