As well as weekly magazine publications, there are also several high quality books out there to get the newcomer to the world of rare coins up to speed on the subject, including the American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for US Coins and The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection.
 The American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for US Coins is aimed very much at the newcomer to the world of rare coins and numismatics in general. Perhaps as a result of this, it will have little to interest more experienced collectors and numismatic enthusiasts, but newcomers to the field are almost certain to find it invaluable. The book covers every type of coin that has ever been minted in the United States, along with photographs and detailed instructions on how to check the quality of the condition of the coin and make a reasonable estimate as to both its rarity and its value. Perhaps disappointingly, however, the book fails to give a detailed look at other elements which can affect the rarity and value of a coin, such as die weaknesses and so forth. Another of the book’s big pluses for newcomers is that gives a clear and concise explanation of all the different forms of terminology that goes along with the field of numismatics and general coin collecting, which can often seem bafflingly incomprehensible to someone just getting started in the area.
If The American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for US Coins is a good intro for newcomers to coin collecting, The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection will be invaluable to just about everyone with a serious interest in the field. The book gives an immensely detailed account of every detail associated with coin grading standards, including all the ways and manners which make up the process of judging how a coin’s value is graded - such as marks, luster, eye appeal, strike and toning. These techniques are given a superficial introduction in the beginning of the book and then explored in much more comprehensive detail later on in the tome. As the title implies, The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection is also very interested in teaching the reader the art of being able to spot phony coins, such as coins that have been altered to make them appear to be a rarer specimen than they actually are, or even outright counterfeits.
Both of these books are recommended to anyone just beginning to become interested in rare coins. |
