Volume III completes the sixth edition with half dollars through federal gold denominations, bullion coins, commemoratives, and Philippine issues. New chapters cover Draped Bust and Capped Bust halves and dollars, expanded ‘Long Nock’ Morgan VAM content, and Presidential dollar edge varieties – and for the first time in the series, pricing is Greysheet-based with GSID numbers linking each coin across Whitman Brands’ pricing tools.
Key Features
- half dollar through gold coverage
- new Bust half and dollar chapters
- Long Nock VAM content
- Greysheet pricing with GSIDs
- 660 photos
Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins, Volume III, 6th Edition Review
The Heavy-Hitter Volume for Half Dollars, Dollars, Gold, Bullion, Commemoratives, and More
For collectors who enjoy finding overlooked die varieties, the Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins is one of the hobby’s essential references. The sixth edition of Volume III continues that tradition with a major focus on larger U.S. denominations, federal gold coinage, bullion issues, classic commemoratives, and Philippine coin varieties.
Written by Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton, edited by Larry Briggs, and featuring forewords by Q. David Bowers and Kenneth Bressett, this volume builds on decades of variety research. It is designed for collectors who want to recognize important diagnostics, understand market interest, and identify valuable varieties that might otherwise be missed.
What This Volume Covers
Volume III covers a wide range of U.S. coinage, including:
Draped Bust, Capped Bust, Liberty Seated, Barber, Walking Liberty, Franklin, and Kennedy half dollars
Draped Bust, Liberty Seated, Trade, Morgan, Peace, and modern dollars
Gold dollars through double eagles
Classic commemoratives
Bullion coinage
Philippine coin varieties
That makes this volume especially useful for collectors who focus on larger denominations, silver dollars, type coins, gold coins, and advanced U.S. variety collecting.
The book includes more than 700 images, updated information on more than 310 unique varieties, and over 120 newly published varieties. It also adds new coverage of “Long Nock” Morgan-dollar VAM varieties, Presidential dollar edge varieties, Draped Bust half dollars and dollars, Capped Bust half dollars, and Philippine coin varieties.
Why It Matters for Collectors
The strength of the Cherrypickers’ Guide series is that it teaches collectors how to see coins differently. Instead of looking only at date, mintmark, and grade, the reader learns to examine pickup points, die markers, doubling, repunched details, edge lettering, and other diagnostics that can identify a collectible variety.
That kind of knowledge is especially valuable when searching through dealer inventory, old collections, auction photos, estate groups, and unattributed coins. A variety that looks ordinary to one person may be an important find to another collector who knows exactly where to look.
This volume is particularly important because many of the coins covered — Morgan dollars, Peace dollars, classic U.S. gold, commemoratives, and better half dollars — can already carry substantial collector value. Correctly identifying a recognized variety can add another layer of significance and market appeal.
Notable Features
One of the strongest additions in this edition is the inclusion of Greysheet-based pricing and GSID numbers. These help connect the listed varieties across Whitman Brands products, including Greysheet pricing tools, CDN Exchange, and the Greysheet mobile app. For collectors and dealers, that makes the book more useful as both an attribution guide and a market reference.
The book also includes expanded beginner and advanced material, with explanations of how doubled dies and other varieties occur, how to examine coins, how to use pickup points, and how to understand factors such as rarity, interest, liquidity, and market value.
The appendices add practical value as well, including sections on doubled dies versus other forms of doubling, popular varieties from Proof and Mint Sets, 1979-S and 1981-S Proof mintmark varieties, recommended reading, and a Fivaz-Stanton number cross-reference chart.
Format and Specifications
Title: Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins, Sixth Edition, Volume III
Authors: Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton
Editor: Larry Briggs
Forewords: Q. David Bowers and Kenneth Bressett
ISBN: 0794850677
Format: Spiralbound hardcover
Size: 6 x 9 inches
Length: 328 pages
Illustrations: Black-and-white, more than 700 images
The spiralbound hardcover format is a practical choice for a working reference. This is the kind of book collectors may want open beside a desk, microscope, or tray of coins, and spiral binding makes that easier.
Best Uses
This book is especially useful for:
Variety hunters
Morgan and Peace dollar collectors
Half dollar specialists
Gold coin collectors
Type coin collectors
Dealers checking unattributed inventory
Collectors studying classic commemoratives and bullion varieties
Anyone learning how to identify pickup points and die diagnostics
It pairs well with a good loupe, a digital microscope, a current price guide, and access to recent auction results.
Limitations
This is not a beginner’s general coin guide. A new collector looking only for mintages, basic values, and simple type-coin information may want to start with a standard Red Book-style reference first.
It is also selective by design. The Cherrypickers’ Guide does not attempt to list every die variety known to specialists. Instead, it focuses on varieties with collector interest, market relevance, and practical cherrypicking potential.
As with any printed reference, market values can change. The pricing and rarity information are useful guideposts, but collectors should still check current auction records, dealer listings, grading-service data, and Greysheet updates before making expensive purchases.
Verdict
Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins, Volume III, 6th Edition is an important addition to one of the most respected reference series in U.S. numismatics. With its coverage of half dollars, dollars, gold, bullion, commemoratives, and Philippine coin varieties, it fills a major space in the variety hunter’s library.
For collectors who already use Volumes I and II, this third volume is a natural companion. For Morgan dollar collectors, half dollar specialists, gold collectors, and advanced U.S. type collectors, it may become one of the most frequently consulted books on the shelf.
Recommended for: Serious U.S. coin collectors, variety hunters, Morgan dollar collectors, half dollar specialists, gold coin collectors, dealers, and advanced cherrypickers.
Not ideal for: Collectors who only want a basic price guide or have no interest in die varieties, diagnostics, and close-up attribution.
