Book Review: The Art and Science of Grading Coins

by forum member Jason Poe.

I recently ordered a copy of this book, and was not disappointed as I read it. As the author makes clear in the introduction, it is not a "grading guide" but rather outlines an approach to the evaluation of coins in a systematic manner, which can be used to arrive at a numeric grade. The factors evaluated in this way are strike, wear, surface marks (which are mostly objective) and luster and eye appeal (which are more subjective). He explains in a thorough way why coins look the way they do. This book is well suited for beginner through intermediate collectors, I believe. Poe covers the basics of studying coins, including the use of proper lighting and magnifying lenses. He then goes over some basic metallurgy and the coin minting process, including the preparation of dies.
Much of the book covers the evaluation of coin surfaces, and in particular the various forms of luster found on mint state coins, and what causes it. I found this very interesting. In addition, Poe has carried out a number of simple experiments to demonstrate wear and the creation of marks on coins, and the effects of different types of cleaning, so that collectors can identify these. He thoroughly discusses strike, die wear, and the deterioration of dies over time and how it is reflected in the final product. After reading this,with some practice anyone should be able to tell a weak strike from worn dies, or both, if they happen to be on the same coin.
There is a chapter on eye appeal, and on toning along with a discussion of thin film interference (from a physicist I would expect no less!).
The section on grading discusses the history of the grading scale, how to use it in a general way, and includes an even handed discussion of market grading and the TPG approach to grading, that I found very useful.
The author pulls everything together in the final chapter, "The Grading Method," which I believe if used consistently would help most collectors significantly improve the quality of their collections. The importance of looking at many coins in hand is emphasized throughout the book (so start going to shows folks!).
The text is illustrated with black and white photos that tie in directly to the topic under discussion. I found the images to be of good quality and useful to understanding the point being made.
I did not read the book specifically to look for factual errors. One sentence that I think could be clarified a bit is on p. 82 and reads "After the die was hardened in a heat treatment called 'annealing'..."
As I understand it annealing is a heat treatment used to soften metal, either for coining or engraving. Dies were hardened by heating to a high temperature and then rapidly cooling them in a liquid. (This quenching process is mentioned earlier in the book).
In summary, I think this book belongs on the shelf of every beginning and intermediate collector, along with a standard grading guide, and perhaps Burdette's "From Mine to Mint." The $20 price is very reasonable. Read it and then look at coins. A lot of coins.

 

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Thanks for the review. I haven't bought a book in many a moon, but Burdette's and Jason's look like good Christmas gifts for coin collectors.

 

I haven't seen this one yet Doc , but From Mines to Mint is a excellent book to read and understand , I just wish they had more detailed pics .

 

thank you i have not taken a look at a coin book for some time i have opne more a.n.a. course to go... and im done..
next year i will take the test

 

Thanks for the great review!

 

You're welcome! I really do think it is a significant contribution to the numismatic library. I went back and edited a couple of times yesterday while I had the opportunity in order to emphasize that the book is about a systematic approach to evaluating the important attributes that determine a coin's grade. There is a ton of useful information packed into this slim volume, including a useful glossary at the back. I even learned a new word: "chatoyancy"!
Attending the ANA grading classes is one of my goals, eventually. This book would be an excellent addition to the course materials, I think. It would make sense to read it prior to attending the course.

 

Are there any examples of the photo content inside? Are there many quality color images, not counting the cover? I wouldn't mind seeing an example of the images and a rough count of photos in the book.

 

The photos inside are all black and white - the cost of color printing would have been very high, and I wanted to keep this book affordable. There are 61 images in the book. Images include everything from closeups of whizzing to diagrams of flowlines, pictures of different types of surfaces, ray tracings to illustrate a triplet design, and many coins to illustrate things I'm talking about (wear, die clashing, staple scratches, etc).

 

So, how and where do I order a copy?

 

There is a link in my signature. It is on Amazon.

 

It's already available at Amazon in Germany - terrific! I've ordered my copy today. Jason, when are you coming over to sign it for me...?

 

Next time I'm in Germany, I'll see if I can swing by and sign it for you

Of course, no telling when that will be.... I was just there this summer though, and loved it. Spent most of my time in Vienna and Salzburg, but we took a day trip to Bavaria.

 

... and one more thing, is this publishing backed up by grading credentials of any type, previous published materials, or is it just a beginner book by a collector of 20 years, meant for beginners?

 

I have no credentials, or previously published materials. I have 20 years of learning and experience, and I will let my reputation and posting speak for that. It is my first book, and it will (probably) be most useful for beginners. I have a scientific and engineering background, and I hope my approach will bring a different perspective to the subject. Because of this, I think that intermediate level collectors will be given something to think about.

 

Ordered my copy today, looking forward to a good read.

 

Added to my list...

 

I can't get enough information on coins. Every time I stop, I pick up a coin book to read. This sounds like a good one for the library. I'll order my copy soon.

 

Dang, went to order it and had to add more, now up to 7 books.

Your fault! At least that is what I am telling the wife...

 

yeah, reference acquisition has a way of snowballing.

 

I'll take that blame. Tell her you know the author, maybe she'll think that's cool?