Correcting Krause

I've got quite a few coins that are slabbed by NGC with incorrect information that propagated from errors in Krause. I'd like to have them corrected, but I feel I'm going to have to get Krause to make the updates first in order to have it done.

Has anyone here submitted corrections for any of the Krause world catalogs? What were your experiences like?

 

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Have you tried talking to NGC and seeing if you could just get the correction done on their end if you provide the relevant information?

 

Do you mean like the LCS' print version of the 20th century guide that's missing Panama? The whole country?

 

I have bought several old SCWC volumes so that I can check for discrepancies like this. I actually have one published about every 5 years. If you have patience you can pick them up on Bookfinder.com for less than $10 each, even 30 year old ones. Of course, if you don't have patience you will end up paying over $100.

 

Yes, but they didn't seem very keen on the idea. This wasn't as much of a problem when they used the KM numbers on the labels, as this would generally still be correct, even if the entry was wrong in Krause. Now that they are not using KM numbers, they are pulling all kinds of bad info for the labels. Plus, the definitive sources I would show them aren't in English.

Having said that, I did have luck in the past getting them to add unusual types to the list of types they grade, so that's something. And I've had luck getting them to change the country for the listing of some tokens that are exceptions to the expected country attribution.

 

I don't think too much credence is given (non-ancient) world coins by any publication or business in the USA. Such "nice to know" information is not the kind of thing that motivates them. I have contacted Krause publications on two occasions via snail mail with no response. They will probably not respond to you.

I just recently found (yet another!) error in Krause that mirrors an error in the Korean Daegwangsa catalog (or is it the other way around? I don't know!). This one was with that 5,000 Won coin I wrote one of the Featured Articles you see at the homepage here. I got the information correct on this one from a credible source, and I am considering giving Krause another try at attempting to correct their error. Couldn't hurt...

 

A compromise may be that if they are unwilling to change the actual information that you could get them to remove that info and just use the Krause number instead or to just leave all the extra info off that is inaccurate. Seems like that shouldn't be something they would have an issue with.

I am sure there probably is a way to get Krause to update something, there is just no way that would be a quick process and even then NGC might want an updated published version before they made the change.

Another option maybe check and see if PCGS has graded any of them and if so if what they put on their label is more accurate and more what you are looking for. They may very well just put the Krause number, but either way I think your best bet at a quick resolution will be directly through the TPGs.

 

In my alter-ego as a short lived reviewer on Amazon I left this review. It's gotten buried by Amazon now because I didn't buy on site, but the review is still in existence.

Basically I found the edition had left out a large chunk of Japan. I called, emailed and had no response from the publisher. It was only after my then-prominent Amazon review that I finally got an answer, plus a file with the missing pages (and those were posted on Amazon).

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1RXEGTVLK4E42

and my other stunningly poor response from the same publisher...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R25LGFABV1JHWG?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

 

Actually I've done that as well. PCGS was differentiating between multiple versions of restrikes of the same coin, and NGC was not. By sending them example photos of how PCGS was doing it, I got them to adopt that practice as well.

In the cases I've got though, I can't really compare between PCGS and NGC. One coin is a pattern that's incorrectly listed as a business strike. Another is a business strike that's incorrectly listed as a pattern. Four are entirely missing from Krause. One is incorrectly omitted from revolutionary coinage (wasn't a problem when they were using the KM number, but now all are listed on the label as revolutionary coinage except for one). A few others are not incorrect, but Krause just has made up names for the types that have nothing to do with established type descriptions from their country.

In the cases where I've been successful in getting NGC to change their policy, it's where the coins in question were, in fact, listed in one of the catalogs of record that they use.

 

That makes sense that they would be more open in that case. I am guessing that none of the catalogs they use would be helpful in this case. Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you to try and convince them and that PCGS hasn't graded any that would help you out. ANACS would probably be the most open to letting you make you case for what they should be and potentially making the change based off your information, the downside though is NGC doesn't take cross overs from them so I am not sure if they would carry any weight with them if you really want them in an NGC holder.

Are there any recognized or published experts for these coins? If there are and you could get some letters from them that might help sway them.

 

I have submitted corrections to Krause in the past, and I've noticed that my corrections were included in later revisions. I've submitted photographs to them as well, which were later included. As mentioned, they only publish every few years (except for the 21st century book - I think that one is still annual).

 

It has been many years since I did it last, but there are email addresses provided in the introductory matter of the book. These are from the Krause 20th century guide, 38th edition (the most recent one, I think):

 

I have the 41st Edition, which is 2014. I am pretty sure there are more recent ones.

 

Oh, dang, you are correct.... Looks like the 44th edition is the most recent. What a terrible error on my part!

Anyone with an edition more recent than mine have any information on email addresses? The clip I showed is from the introductory text, in the front pages of the book.

 

The main expert on these coins died a few years back unfortunately. Though there are prominent Hungarian numismatists I can likely get in touch with (I've tried some routes that have failed), I'm not sure how recognized they would be or how much of a barrier the language would be in presenting supporting materials. When I had some patterns slabbed by NGC, I sent supporting materials in Hungarian along with my translation, and they attributed them very well, even with very incomplete info in Krause.