Coin Collecting For Dummies

by Neil S. Berman, Ron Guth

Overview

Can’t make heads or tails out of coin collecting? You need Coin Collecting For Dummies, 2^nd Edition, the treasure trove on information on numismatics. This hands-on guide escorts you through the world’s oldest hobby, helping you decide which type of coins you want to collect, keep your collection in mint condition, buy and sell coins on the Internet, find interesting coin shows to attend, and assemble and diversify a great collection.

The purpose of this fun, easy-to-access guide is to turn you into a world-class coin collector in as little time as possible. You’ll learn what coins can teach you about history and geography, develop organizational and observational skills, and learn to use analytical tools, all without event thinking about it. And you’ll learn the basics about ancient coins, U.S. coins, world coins, and the wild-and-wooly stuff that really gets your numismatic juices flowing. Discover how to:

• Start your collection correctly
• Evaluate coins using age, condition, rarity, and more
• Buy interesting coins without breaking the bank
• Locate rare and expensive coins
• Get savvy about avoiding fakes
• Get the whole family involved in your collection
• Develop a buying strategy
• Clean and handle coins safely
• Keep your collection secure at home and on the road
• Investigate tokens, medals, and miscellaneous coins
• Create complete collections of copper, nickel, silver, or gold U.S. coins

When it comes to numismatics, Coin Collecting For Dummies, 2^nd Edition is right on the money!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470222751
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	01/03/2008
Series:	For Dummies Books
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	7.42(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Neil S. Berman: Neil S. Berman has been an expert numismatist and professional rare coin dealer since 1968. Coming back to the United States from Israel at the end of 1967, he apprenticed to the world-renowned Dutch numismatist and coin auctioneer Hans M. F. Schulman. He incorporated as Neil S. Berman, Inc., in 1968. In 1974, Neil became an associate of Metropolitan Rare Coin Company of New York. For the next several years, he represented Arthur and Donald Kagin of Des Moines, Iowa, then the largest coin dealer in the Midwest, as a purchasing agent. Later he represented Superior Galleries under the Goldbergs, also as a purchasing agent. In 1979, Neil, with his brother Jed, founded First Federal Coin Company, the first East Coast coin company to sell rare coins into IRA, Keogh, and pension plans. From 1983 until 1990, he was the purchasing agent for Asset Services, Inc., the largest coin company serving the financial community. Neil donated his large collection of German and Swiss silver minor coins to the American Numismatic Society (ANS) in 1989. In 1997, he received the American Numismatic Association (ANA) Service Award from ANA President David Ganz. In 2005 and 2006, he was associated again with Superior Galleries of Beverly Hills, this time under the ownership of numismatist Silvano DiGenova.
Neil catalogued the U.S. gold in the 1977 Kagin’s ANA Coin Auction Sale, the first New York coin auction sale in 1981 of Spink and Sons, England’s oldest and largest coin dealer, and a coin auction sale by Superior Rare Coin Galleries of Beverly Hills in 2006.
Neil has been published in Barron’s, Trusts & Estates, The National Law Journal, The Financial Planner, Pensions World, and Executive Jeweler. In 1987, he wrote, with Hans Schulman, The Investor’s Guide to United States Coins, which sold 40,000 copies and received a Numismatic Literary Guild award for Best Investment Book. In 2007, he wrote the second edition of the book with Silvano DiGenova. Neil has just completed a book on rare coin auctions.

Ron Guth: Ron Guth is a jack-of-all-trades and master of one — numismatics. Ron is a certified public accountant (CPA), a licensed auctioneer, and a writer, but the bulk of his time is spent on his true love — coin collecting and dealing. Ron’s battle with coin fever began when he was 12 years old, and he’s never gotten over it. After a decade of collecting, Ron went professional in 1976, when he began working for a local coin shop in Tampa, Florida. In 1978, he partnered with David Goldsmith and purchased the Bay Area Coin Exchange in Tampa. Ron and Dave blasted through the silver boom, and then split up in 1981, when Ron moved to Evansville, Indiana (his wife’s hometown), where he set up shop on First Avenue. In 1984, Ron formed Mid-American Rare Coin Auctions with Jeff Garrett of Lexington, Kentucky. The company quickly established itself as an innovative leader in the industry and, within the first year, became the fifth largest rare coin auction company in America. In 1988, Ron sold his interest in the company, went back to school to finish his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance, and has since become a numismatic consultant and a major dealer in German coins.
In 1984, Ron won the American Numismatic Association’s Wayte and Olga Raymond and Heath Literary awards. He has written many coin-related articles and is listed as a contributor to several books, including Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Krause Publications’s Standard Catalog of German Coins, Roger S. Cohen’s American Half Cents, Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of United States Half Cents, and others. Ron has served as a numismatic consultant for many rare-coin companies, including major firms such as the Professional Coin Grading Services, Heritage Numismatic Auctions, and Early American History Auctions.

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Table of Contents

Introduction.

Part I: Making Heads and Tails out of Coin Collecting.

Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Coin Collecting.

Chapter 2: Understanding Numismatics.

Chapter 3: Arming Yourself with Knowledge.

Chapter 4: Storing Your Collection Correctly.

Part II: Ancient to Present Day: Choosing Coins for Your Collection.

Chapter 5: Showing Their True Age: Ancient Coins.

Chapter 6: Making a Safe Bet with U.S. Coins.

Chapter 7: Globetrotting with World Coins.

Chapter 8: Exploring the Wild Side with Rare, Expensive, and Esoteric Coins.

Part III: Focusing on U.S. Coins.

Chapter 9: Colonial Coins: America’s Ancients.

Chapter 10: Copper and Nickel Coins: Made for the Masses.

Chapter 11: Silver Coins: Keeping Commerce Alive.

Chapter 12: Gold Coins: Concentrated Wealth.

Chapter 13: Commemoratives: Raising Money with Money.

Chapter 14: Advancing to Oddball Coins.

Part IV: Buying Coins the Safe Way.

Chapter 15: Foiling the Fakes.

Chapter 16: Weaving Your Way through Price Guides.

Chapter 17: Wheeling and Dealers.

Chapter 18: Going Once, Going Twice: Buying at Auction.

Chapter 19: Affecting Value through the Condition of Your Coins.

Chapter 20: Grading Coins: Your Best Defense.

Part V: Selling Coins and Minding the Law.

Chapter 21: The Art of the Sale: Selling Your Coins Yourself.

Chapter 22: Selling Your Coins on Consignment or at Auction.

Chapter 23: Coin Investments, Taxes, and the Law.

Part VI: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 24: The Ten Most Valuable U.S. Coins.

Chapter 25: Ten Favorite U.S. Coin Designs.

Chapter 26: Ten Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Coin Collecting.

Glossary.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...a treasure trove of information on numismatics." (Stamp & Coin Mart, July 2011).

"After reading this guide you will understand the basics about ancient coins, US coins and world coins." (Stamp & Coin Mart, September 2011)

From the Publisher