Coin Collector Books

How's this for a table of contents?:

Introduction
I. Three Rules to Remember
II. Getting Started
III. Grading Your Coins
IV. Valuing Your Collection
V. Storing Your Coins
VI. Buying Coins
VII. Enjoying Your Collection
VIII. Coin Varieties
IX. Comments and Observations
X. The Rest of the Story
XI. Just Some Old Coins

 

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I also have one on the obv/rev inscriptions of English Conder tokens.

 

I want one of these but the cheapest is over $100......Really? What?

 

Most specialized numismatic books have small print runs. They tend to get bought up quickly and then become very hard to find and costly when you do.

 

That's true...I happen to know of a great slab reference book that is just IMPOSSIBLE to find.

 

Not just numismatic books, also specialized philatelic and gemology reference books. Mainly those with heavy amounts of photographs. Buy 2, as the better ones will wear over the decades.

 

Try and keep your ear to the ground to find out how and when John Burns inventory is disbursed. Last I knew he still had two or three copies when he passed away.

 

I have been...I was just giving you a hard time. lol.

 

$100 is too much for a book IMHO, I don't collect books I collect coins. I hope the information is available somewhere else.

 

Sometimes a $100 book will save you thousands of dollars on actual coins

 

Agreed, some of these resources are well worth their price. If this is a series you are planning on seriously collecting (and by that I mean really diving into, varieties, ect)...then this book will pay for itself in the long run.

 

Yeah I understand that but....I am not that a serious of collectors. I do not buy high dollar items in which the book would help me. The fact that I was looking for that book is enough, once I saw the price, I did not need it that bad...I paid $50 for a Cameo coins book which is my passion but that is about my limit.

 

Some books can also pay for themselves many times over. The Cherrypickers Guide for one.

 

I spent already like $500 on coin books and I started collecting only a year ago. Why? Because I learn with each and every line I am reading... and no, not everything is on the web and certainly not in such an organized form. Get the book if you think it'll be a helpful resource...

 

It would be nice, but I will wait for the reprint.

 

Just what are you collecting? That will answer your question on what you need, in a book, or magazine, to acquire your information you need. Other people that have good books: Walter Breen, Bill Fivaz, J. T. Stanton, Bernard A. Nagengast, Robert H. Knauss, Richard Snow, David W. Lange, and others.

 

Kennedy's....but most of what I need is online.

 

PLUS, most of these books will become $200 books in the future.

Not all books are worth it, believe me. Just like coins you need to educate yourself on what you are buying. However, good books that are recognized as the standards in their fields I have never seen lose value. Like Doug, paying $100 for a good book will pay me back, and its not a bad investment in its own right. Actually, most books I want are more than a $100 bill nowadays. Some of this is my fault, I should have bought them when they came out, but now they are much more expensive.

"Good books" are a completely different class than Redbooks, KM catalogs, etc that the majority of collectors are familiar with.