Product Description: This hardcover book is a comprehensive insider's look at not only rare coins, but also tokens, medals, and paper money. At 34 chapters and nearly 700 pages, it covers everything from grading to determining values to techniques of smart auction bidding. More than 1,300 photographs and illustrations, both black and white and in full-color galleries, complement the text, showing the people, places, and coins described. Bowers' engaging case studies, strategies, and insider tips make the book an invaluable "how to" for today's marketplace. Chapters are devoted to copper, nickel, silver, and gold coins; dynamics of the coin market; fads, trends, cycles, and predictions; conserving and protecting your collection; how to be a smart seller; and more.
Coin Handbok I could have done without this book. Its design is flawed, and the binding is stiff and brittle. I prefer the Redbook or Bluebook.
Warning: Not for Neophyte Numismatists This book is EXTREMELY thorough. However, as a newcomer to the field, it was a tough one for me, as it seems the author already presupposes a fair amount of knowledge of coin-collecting jargon on the part of the reader (to be fair, perhaps it's my fault for not taking the "EXPERT'S" part of the title literally.)
I highly recommend this book if you already have some basic knowledge in the field. However, for genuine neophytes like myself, it would be better to get the basics from a source geared to beginners first (maybe COIN COLLECTING FOR DUMMIES.) I think this book would then be much more understandable and enjoyable.
"BOWERS BEST BOOK EVER": BUY IT; invest on you, READ IT; every chapter is a page turner, RECOMMENDED: 5 STARS at least***** -- "The Expert's Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins" is definitely worth reading. It is autobiographical and contains the secrets of his 60 years of success as collector, investor, numismatist, grader, dealer, auctioneer, ANA board member, and author.
Cramming six decades of numismatic life experiences into a single book is tough, requiring mental and spiritual strength. Doing this in a comprehensive, coherent and organized manner is unquestionably a laborious, taxing, onerous, and difficult task. Such a demanding project could only be achieved by the formidable Q. David Bower.
Mr. Bower is one of the most prolific numismatic writers of all time, he has written over 30 books and numerous articles and columns.This is by far the most important of his works and possibly the best ever, the quality of information & wide-ranging content makes it the cream of the crop, flower of the flock, pick of the bunch --whatever you want to call it.
It is full of valuable expertise, candid story telling, dealer & auctioneer trade secrets, smart buying and selling techniques and recommendations, and detailed descriptions of every US coin by type, complete with a close focus on: Rarity, Grading, Quality, and Value of coins. It also includes his recommendations and insights on Conferences, Life & Internet Auctions, Library, Protection and Conservation of Coins, Tokens, Medals, and Paper Money.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I Recommend this Book.
See my other reviews.
Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins High Profits from Rare Coin Investment A California Gold Rush history: Featuring the treasure from the S.S. Central America : a source book for the Gold Rush historian and numismatist A Guide Book Of Us Morgan Silver Dollars: A Complete History and Price Guide (Official Red Book) (Official Red Book) The History of United States Coinage The United States Gold Coin Collection Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia The Numismatist's Bedside Companion (The Numismatist's Companion Series) A Guide Book of Modern United States Proof Coin Sets: A Complete History and Price Guide (Official Red Book) The Inside Story Of The State Quarters (Official Whitman Guidebook) A Guide Book of U.S. Commemorative Coins (The Official Red Book) Coin Dealer Newsletter: A Study in Rare Coin Price Performances American Coin Treasures & Hoards Recollections of a Mint Director
A must have book for both the collector and investor! I read "Gold Rush: How to Collect, Invest & Profit With Gold Coins" by Mitch Battino and Arlyn Sieber (see my review of that book) prior to reading this book by Q. David Bowers. I'm glad I did because while the Gold Rush book was a very big disappointment, it made me realize just how truly good Mr. Bowers book is.
I have to be honest, coin books are generally NOT books that you read from beginning to end and find that you can't put down. This book is an exception - I couldn't put it down and I read the entire book from beginning to end.
Although I've been collecting for years, one thing I enjoyed about this book was that some of those obscure numismatic terms that other authors assume you know, Mr. Bowers will stop and take a sentence or two to explain the term. I really appreciated that.
Plus, where the Gold Rush book failed in the "How to Collect, Invest, and Profit," this book did an excellent job of showing how to do just that. It is not a price guide with outdated prices. It is an excellent reference guide with information that will never get old. This book will still be great 10 years from now.
This book has excellent chapters with hands-on advise and great stories to help explain coin market cycles, determining coin prices and value (not a list of coin prices like other books but goes into things like grading, rarity, and demand), history of the coin market and predicting the rare coin market, techniques for buying and selling, and chapters on collecting advise for everything from gold coins, commemorative coins, to paper money and tokens and medals. The only thing I would point out as that this book sticks to the U.S. rare coin market and does not discuss World coins.
I own more than a few coin books and this book has shot up to the top of my list as the "must have" book. Whether you are a new or experienced collector or investor (aren't we all really both), you will enjoy and profit from this book.
In the future, when I'm asked by new collectors what is a good book to get, this will be the book I recommend.
Excellent Guide, Outstanding Author Very informative, well written guide in investing in coins. The author possesses unquestionable authority on the subject and has a remarkably well-honed ability to write on an academic topic in an exciting manner. He is sharp-witted and enjoyable. The book is very complete and most importantly - relevant and timely. If you wish to invest and collect coins this is a must have guide.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
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Trevor
