When =$A$1:$A$12 is in cells B1 through B12 and refers to numbers in cells A1 through A12, it gives a numerical result of whatever is in the corresponding cell. What is going on I must of known at one time, but I am going crazy over trying to remember, and why the heck the author of what I am looking at didn't simply start with cell B1, write =A1 in it, and dragging that down (It is a bit more complicated than that as it is the first "value" in a vlookup, but...

Can anyone help jump-start my brain and let me know what and why one would use this kind of reference instead of my simpler afore cited reference?