Steve: I just picked up Whitman’s newly published Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties, Volume II, and it’s wild to think that it’s been 33 years since J.T. Stanton and Bill Fivaz published the first Cherrypicker’s Guide. Now, before you correct me, Dennis, the version from 1990 on my desk has the apostrophe this way in the title, while later.

“Buy the book before the coin” is a well-known refrain in coin collecting, but it may be most true when it comes to cherrypicking. Many collectors love to cherrypick, whether to fill in rare varieties on a budget, or to flip coins for a profit. Whichever camp you fall in, there are plenty of cherrypicking opportunities out there.