No comments about Standard Catalog of World Coins/Deluxe Ana Centennial Edition (Standard Catalog of World Coins).

3 comments about Collecting and Investing Strategies for United States Gold Coins.

1. The price of gold just hit $1,000 an ounce. With the decreasing value of the dollar, the emergence of significant inflation, the unpredictability of the stock market, and the expanding recession within the general American economy, gold and precious metals has resumed its traditional role as a place that capital is being invested to protect it from the instability of the national and global economies. Part of the Zyrus Press 'Official Strategy Guide Series', Jeff Ambio's "Collecting And Investing Strategies For U.S. Gold Coins" is a premier instruction guide to understanding the specialty investments in, and collections of, rare American gold coins. From gold dollars, quarter eagles, gold pieces, gold stellas, half eagles, and double eagles, each variety and sub-variety of gold coin is identified, illustrated, described, backgrounded, and provided with investment tips. An indispensable manual, "Collecting And Investing Strategies For U.S. Gold Coins" is a core and essential addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library gold coin collection and investment reference shelves.



2. I found this book to offer all of the basic information on coins without being overly dry and dull, as often books of this type can be. The format is easy to follow and skim. Overall a good book worth the money.



3. You would be better off buying the Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins. It gives much more information in much greater detail. If you already own the Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins or a similar book, you definately don't need this one, as it contains only redundant information.

No comments about 2010 Standard Catalog of World Coins - 1901-2000 (Standard Catalog of World Coins).

3 comments about Numismatic Forgery.

1. Gone are the days of thoughtless coin purchases, and carefree days of yore. Today, the average Joe Numismatist faces a staggering array of crooks out to bilk him of his hard earned cash, by selling recently manufactured numismatic forgeries. Mr. Larson write very intelligently, with wit and humor! I found this book to be not only fun to read, but as much of a page turner as any I have ever read! Bravo sir! I will buy you a cup of coffee should you venture into my neck of the woods. I will guarantee any prospective reader that his book will inform, educate, enlighten and scare the pants off you. You will never look at a rare coin the same way again. Rated 8 stars.



2. Covers: Alteration (tooling, adding mint marks); Casting (centrifugal); False Dies (engraving tools, from electroplates, from casts, explosive impact); Collars; Planchets; Striking (hammering jigs and the 'gravity hammer'); and Wear/Patina.

   Although written in the style of a "how-to" manual for replica and clandestine workshops, the book's target audience is collectors and authenticators. To employ Mr. Larson's techniques for crime you'd need to know the basics of precious metal casting, tool and die machining, gunsmithing, and numismatics. For readers without a metal lathe but with a serious interest in authentication and forgery-fighting, the book will provide an understanding of the covert minting process.

   I was most impressed by Larson's treatment of the manufacture of steel dies through explosive impact copying. His procedure involves modifying shotguns to drive cast hubs into annealed dies. Larson's diagrams are explicit enough to convince the numismatist that explosive copying is practical. Details only of use to criminals, such as the type and quantity of gunpowder to use, are deliberately withheld from the reader.

   Larson quotes an anonymous authenticator who examined 114 1916-S quarter eagles during the 1980s. 56% of them turned out to be fake! Hi-volume forgers in the Middle East and the Orient *already know* many of Larson's techniques. _Numismatic Forgery_ may provide a few useful tips to jewelers and machinists independently turning to crime, but the primary value of the book is to educate collectors in the characteristics of the illicit workshop.




3. A must read for anyone who buys coins: dealer or collector.
   Very insightful and a much needed tool for the industry. There has been nothing quite like this. Nice back cover short reviews by Jim Halperin, Ken Bressett and Mark Salzberg. This book is major league.

No comments about The Insider's Guide to U.S. Coin Values 2009 (Insider's Guide to Us Coin Values).

5 comments about Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins.

1. Walter Breen's was the most Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, one of the best numismatic reference available.
   Does need updating but any edition is better than none.
   In my opinion a must buy.



2. The author of this book was also a convicted child molester. He died in prison while doing time for aggravated child molestation.



3. Totally unreadable , very distort view on this subject :(



4. As a professional rare coin dealer, this is one of the books I recommend to new investors as well as investors and collectors who are trying to gain as much insight and information into numismatics "before they invest". In-depth and informative, Breens encyclopedia is a must have for any investor or collector of rare coins.



5. Perhaps only a coin collector can realy appreciate this book for what it truly represents, but anyone that wants to know about a coin variety can use it !! This book is a one stop shopping coin variety encyclopedia. Variety of coin means nothing more than coin variations, the different things done in manufacturing throughout a coins life that differentiate from any other of the same minted coins in series. The Lincoln cent has been minted for almost 100 years; and there are litteraly 1000s' of Lincoln cent varieties, ie: 1909, 1909s, 1909svdb, 1922 plain no "d" weak obverse & strong reverse, 1960 lrg. date, 1960 sml. date, 1955/55 double die, and on ....... These variations hold true for all coins ever minted in the U.S. The pictorial examples of these variations, not to mention the research that went into them, is surpassed by none !! Its always been difficult for this writer to acquire this book do to its cost, but Amazon.com not only priced it right, " it made it possible ", Thanks Amazon

1 comments about Guide Book of United States Currency (Official Whitman Guidebook Series).

1. Needs more pictures, especially the Morgan Dollar. Left it out completely which is absurd, considering it is probably the most widely collected U.S coin. Still, it is very usefull when used in conjunction with another book, like the 2006 Black Book. It is also a 2004 Edition, so the prices are not up to speed, hence using two books.

1 comments about Confessions of a Numismatic Fanatic: How to Get the Most Out of Coin Collecting.

1. These 210 pages is the best overall coin collecting book ever printed! This should be required reading for every collector.

4 comments about World Notgeld, 1914-1947: A Guide & Checklist and Other Local Issue Emergency Money.

1. Very good book of german notgeld, other countries are listed, very fews pictures of other countries



2. This book says it all in the title, except I'm not sure what they mean by guide. There is a short introduction of the author blah, blah... The notgeld is listed and easy enough to find but no information, like engraver/artist, where it was pressed, how many were made or how many in circulation, in fact it tells you nothing (and most do not not photos) except there is a general/vague 1-7 scale of rarity with no pricing or suggest value. this was merely a checklist.



3. An excellent reference to all kinds of Notgeld from many countries.
   Table of Contents
   * Introduction
   * Issuing Cities: Alphabetical by Countries
   * Periodical Abbreviations
   * Bibliography
   * Country Abbreviations
   * Issuing Cities Alphabetical
   
   The introduction gives a fairly thorough explanation of Notgeld in English and German. The book is designed as a checklist with a box to mark off as you find what you want. It makes no pretence to pricing. The Bibliography is extensive enough to be worth the book alone.



4. This guide contains a list of emergency money issuing authorities, mainly cities. The reader will see many images, some of them in color, to have an idea of how interesting collecting emergency money may be and will have access to a bibliography which may help to search for a more comprehensive information.

No comments about The Gold Book: A Guide to Commonly Traded Gold Bullion Coins and Bars.