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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Colonialjohn, post: 2923446, member: 57741&quot;]All the right answers appear above - but in the beginning its best to buy slabs. Continue to buy slabs UNLESS you start to specialize in a series (i.e., Morgan Dollars). Then just buy the variety/grading book for the series. Some dates/mints are strong strikes and some are notorious for weak strikes. Such as in Morgans = how many bag marks are there in the face? Important as you go from MS60 to 66 for just one consideration. Its an art more than a science and we can argue between 63/64. Sure. I buy slabs only now on some issues like West Indies countermark issues or from large auction houses with a good reputation or money back guarantees. Since this series is loaded with counterfeits. Speaking of counterfeits no one yet has written a good book on Material Analysis and counterfeits. This will all change in 1-2 months. My new book :&quot;Forgotten Coins&quot; via Amazon Books looks at over 1000 different coins from 1500 to present via XRF surface analysis. Knowing the alloys and having pictures of major counterfeiting types and how the Chinese do it can help. Soon its in the final editing stages at Amazon Books.</p><p><br /></p><p>John Lorenzo</p><p>Numismatist</p><p>United States[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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