What are your favorite grading books? I'm considering buying: The Art and Science of Grading Coins by Jason Poe MAKING THE GRADE: Comprehensive Grading Guide for U.S. Coins by Beth Deisher (2012-08-10) Photograde: Official Photographic Grading Guide for United States Coins, 19th Edition I already have the ANA Grading Standards book but am finding it not helpful enough. Thanks
There are several versions of Beth's book - as it's out of print, Amazon is quite expensive. Top 25 most commonly collected: https://isbn.nu/9780944945490 Top 50: https://isbn.nu/9780944945551 The whole enchilada: https://isbn.nu/9780944945636
I can speak to Jason’s book. I gained an education reading his book that I never knew I needed. I refer to it all the time anymore. It will give you a sold framework for growing your personal grading skills.
Yes, I am an active member here and I am happy to answer any questions you have as you read through the book
Is anyone familiar with the Bowers guide books, like the one of Walking Liberty half dollars? Do they go into much more detail than the Mega red book? Is it worth getting? https://smile.amazon.com/Mercury-St...king+liberty+coin&qid=1597156621&sr=8-1-fkmr0
Given their relatively low price, the RED BOOKS are usually considered essential by us coin collectors. If you want more and expensive reference books (usually with more detail) after buying them, that's an option.
The problem with the Mega Red book is that it focuses on a specific denomination. If you get the edition that focuses on the denomination you want, then its great - it's generally comparable with the detail in the individual books. However, I personally would prefer the Red Book regular (spiral bound) edition, with the basic information on each series - and then I'll buy the books focussed on the series I'm interested in. So, to answer your question - once the Mega Red series is finished, it will probably be a nice, comprehensive reference for most series. But, you're really better off just buying the book for the series you want.
I agree in general with Jason's comment re the MegaRed vs the Whitman books for a dedicated series, but....I have found that there is often different information in the two books. Not wrong, just different. While the MegaRed will contain some information on the coin you're interested in, it may not contain some information that you will find in the dedicated book. That is not too unexpected but what is a surprise is when the MegaRed contains information that is not in the dedicated book. I have found this often enough that I always consult both. So, buy the MegaRed but also buy the dedicated series books that interest you.
No subsitution for reading a grading book, but then you have to apply what you learn. Good to check out auctions on HA, GC, and even Ebay.