Agreed, especially if it doesn't cover all US coins. A good place to start would be CoinWorld's "Making the Grade" http://www.coinworld.com/Articles/ViewArticle/making-the-grade-third-edition-available. Great photos. The American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins is another book you should have. If you are into early american copper, there will be a comprehensive grading guide out, hopefully by the end of the year.
I am not familiar with the book. I cannot read the entire book title & author in your photo. What is it?
It's - Grading Coins By Photographs, by Q. David Bowers. Will it help you ? Yes, any book on the subject will help you. But in my opinion there are 2 books that will help you a lot more - the ANA book already mentioned and the PCGS grading book. I have always urged everyone to own and read every grading book they can find, the more the better.
Yes, I just picked up one at the Collin County (Dallas area) coin show last week. Should have done it a long time ago. Previously I have been using stuff I find on line, but having this book handy will help alot. It also has information on each coin set and strike characteristics for certain years, which is something I have been looking for.
I find it interesting that despite that word in the title, it only deals with real coins, not ASEs, or other bullion coins.
Quite a while ago, I was looking for a book to help me grade early copper. Unfortunately, one didn't exist. So, with the (massive) help of three friends, we have written the book I wanted to buy. It’s called the Grading Guide to Early American Copper Coins. Illustrated with over 680 images, this 192-page hardcover book fully describes the process of grading early American copper coins. Grades from About Good to Mint State (and higher Mint State grades, where such coins exist) of nearly all series are illustrated by full color photos twice the diameter of the coin. The book addresses each of the different types of half cents, and large cents, individually. Liberty Cap half cent and cent grading standards are discussed and illustrated by date, as are two distinct head styles each of Chain, Draped Bust and Braided Hair cents, and four head styles of Coronet cents. Of particular importance, there is an illustrated explanation of the differences between the traditional technical sharpness standards used in EAC and those used commercially. No other guide provides as much information about grading the Confederation era coinages. A chapter is devoted to standards for grading Confederation era state copper coins (Connecticut, Vermont and New Jersey coppers along with Massachusetts cents and half cents) and Fugio cents. In addition, a chapter is devoted to fully explaining and clearly describing the unique and supposedly mysterious process of “net grading” used by specialists to account for post-striking damage in determining a grade. Since defects impact the grade of higher-grade coins more severely, net grading is described for each sharpness grade from Good to Mint State. Large color photos identify the defects that lead to the net grade. Its chapters also directly address the history of the grading of early coppers, the differences between technical and market grading, authentication, the handling and preservation of early coppers, and factors other than grade that affect value. It will become available to Early American Coppers (EAC) and Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4) members at the EAC convention in Colorado Springs, CO, May 1-4, 2014 and to the public immediately thereafter. See the EAC website http://www.eacs.org for additional details. Please note that the authors have donated all royalties to the EAC’s Garvin Fund for education and outreach.
I thought it was good book and the full color photos are great. Haven't read the Coin World one yet but I've flipped through it and it looks great.
Congratulations Cringely on your scholarly work. I look forward to seeing it in print. Sounds like it is destined to be a classic.
