Coins Books

I just want Mr Blaylock to know that even though I read The Last Coin many years ago, decades even, and have read it several times since, I've never forgotten what a perfect treasure this book is. In my closing middle age now, I'm currently putting together a list of books I want on my bookshelf and this is one of them. It's a precurser to The Da Vinci Code to say the least. A mind-blowing, fantastic, fun as hell kind of read that anyone could ask for. Thank you so much for this book!! I've read all your other books - and am always pleased with those also - but The Last Coin will remain my most favorite. Just wanted you to know.

This novel is just plain fun. The characters are whimsical and endearing, even the evil Mr. Pennyman. The plot is serious, the consequences of failure dire, but what is the fate of the known world compared to the satisfaction of prank calling your mortal enemy?

There are unexpected insights into human nature everywhere, but they are never shoved in your face. You can spot them if you want or stroll merrily on past. There are moments of brilliant literalism, for example a horrendously ill wind, that doesn't blow any one any good and in fact saves our intrepid hero hours of work scraping paint.

It's an easy read and you keep turning the pages just to see what happens next. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys sticking rubber octopuses in the toes of socks, stealing the toy out of the cerial box, and going to bed in the hopes that the kitchen will miraculously clean itself over night.

This isn't for everyone, but it is entertaining. Yes, there are some goofy scenarios w/ some ridiculously quirky comedic characters that don't always act rationally, but so what. It's entertaining & sure to make you laugh.

Anyways, this is for people who want to be entertained while at the same time immerse themselves in a place that's not that dif. from where they live.

The evil Jules Pennyman is out to collect 30 ancient silver coins, each one a magical talisman, paid to Judas to betray his Master two millenia ago. The last coin lies somewhere in Southern California, and Andrew Bergen, a foolish, but likeable loser is its unwitting caretaker.

In this unlikely setting, Blaylock unfolds a realist-fantasy of subtle humor and adventures that don't quite cross over the border into farce. Populated with such delightful obscurities of American culture as Wheetabix (used to be Ruskets, no sugar added, got mushy real fast) cereal and a Nash Metropolitan, the novel delights as much with trivial backdrops as with plot and character.

The plot unfolds as a competition between the court jester (Bergen) and the evil magus (Pennyman). Thinking himself a great schemer, Bergen's innocence keeps getting him into misadventures that slowly advance and unfold the plot. Pennyman, meanwhile, acts directly, and with Knowledge. Although he sees through Bergen, cannot fathom his behavior, and therein lies the possibility of saving the world.

Quirky. Adventurous. More fun than a barrel full of hobbits. A must read unless your fantasy just =HAS= to be populated with dragons, orcs, and the like. ...

Like most of Blaylock's contemporary fantasies, this book left me with the odd but pleasurable sensation that the author was either a scant few inches from discovering the secrets of the Universe, or he was a complete idiot. Although I've met Mr. Blaylock on two or three occasions, I still can't make up my mind. In either case, this book is one of my very favorites. Only Blaylock would pit a delightfully quirky would-be Innkeeper like Andrew Vanbergen against the demonic Pennyman when the fate of the world hung in the balance. The plot, including its absurd references to the current street address of Judas Iscariot, is so wildly improbable that I have to suspect that it's true. This book is a must-read for anyone who's ever wondered if miracles and toaster ovens can co-exist in the same kitchen. Oh, and if you happen to run into Mr. Blaylock... ask him about the pig.

Jeff Edwards, Author of "Torpedo: A Surface Warfare Thriller"

James Twining is an author I have not read before. He was born in London but spent much of his childhood in Paris. After graduating from Christ Church, Oxford with a first-class degree in French Literature. he joined the investment bank UBS, working in their corporate finance division. In 1999 he left to set up his own company and in 2001 was named as one of the eight 'Best of Young British' entrepreneurs in The New Statesman. James lives in London with his wife, Victoria, and is now a full-time writer.

As I said above James Twining is a new author as far as I am concerned and I think it is always exciting to read a new author for the first time. You probably know whether the storyline for the book appeals to you, as you have probably chosen to buy the book. However does the authors writing style and the way they approach the subject gel with you as well. Are the characters plausible, do you warm to them. Well speaking for myself the author ticked all the right boxes and I can't wait to get to the bookshop to buy another one.

The book is full of intrigue and suspense. The book revolves around the lead character, Tom Kirk, the world's greatest art thief (I am not sure how you calculate these things. Is there a league table of art thieves?) and Jennifer Browne, an FBI agent desperate for another chance to prove herself.

A priest is murdered in Paris and his mutilated body is thrown into the Seine. The priest has taken a secret with him to his death and this is revealed during his autopsy. Jennifer, an ambitious young FBI agent is assigned to the case. This is her big chance to put her career back in gear, after screwing up three years ago.

Her investigations uncover a daring robbery from Fort Knox and Tom Kirk is the prime suspect. This could not come at a worse time for Kirk who is trying desperately to put his past behind him. At the same time he is being pushed from behind to complete one last job . . .

I found Twinings latest international thriller to be quite exciting. Good plotting, full of action, full of twists, and overall very satisfying.
From inside: "You see, despite what you might think, not all thieves are robbers."

Tom Kirk is a former C.I.A. operative turned spy who is accused of stealing several "double eagles", which are coins supposedly destroyed upon a Presidential order in 1933. Enter Jennifer Browne, a disgraced F.B.I. agent who inherits the case. She works with Kirk to solve the theft of the coins. But, as is always the case in these kinds of books, there is more to the story than meets the eye.

if you like DeMille, Cussler and James Rollins, you will love this book, trust me. Tight, fast-paced, no useless "it was a dark & stormy night" filler that Ludlum and Folsom love so much. A very good read, I enjoyed it from start to finish. Good job, James!

A good solid tale. After reading Mr. Twining second book, The Black Sun, I decided to give his debut novel a go. I am glad I did as I found it a slightly better read. The Double Eagle is an interesting story that combines the talents of recently retired famous art thief and former CIA agent Tom Kirk, and current FBI Special Agent Jennifer Browne as they hunt for 5 Double Eagle coins stolen from Fort Knox. The twists and turns of this who-done-it takes one on a dizzying ride through Europe in search of the elusive coins. Along the way friends become foes, and foes friends as Tom and Jennifer unravel the mystery of the missing coins. Excellent plot and good solid ending for a debut suspense novel. Character development was a little light but acceptable. Numerous characters but Mr. Twining does a good job keeping the reader informed and not overburdening the story. All in all an excellent debut novel.
Highly recommended for that day on the beach or lazy afternoon on the deck. No gratuitous violence or sex. Very little coarse language. I am looking forward to Mr. Twining's next book and more about Tom Kirk.

The album looks good and holds the coins tight. I like they have various albums for various coins in the same format that looks good on your personal library or display. Also, the deep sea-blue (may be just a little too dark) provides nice contrast with the shiny coins.
I like they provided more transparent sleeves than necessary, so if you remove or scratch them, you have replacement.
You can later buy additional pages and even adhesive letters and numbers and add them to your current album by simply removing two screws.
All in all, the album looks solid and elegant in the same time.

I looked a long time for an easy and organized way to store my 3 sets of state quarters... This album is BY FAR the best! It is simple to organize and easy to see which quarters if any I am missing. I love it!
Worth the money-

I have had one of these books since we first started collecting the quarters, but now that we have 2 children we wanted a second book. I liked the first one so much because it has the plastic that covers the coins to protect them that I had to have another like it.

This folder is nice and sturdy. Although it doesn't have slots for both Philadelphia and Denver mints, it makes up for it in the look and feel of the folder. I think it's ideal for a set of proof or silver versions, but that's just me.

The item I ordered was exactley what I had requested. It was shipped promley and arrived in good shape.

I will probably use Amazon for any future albums or related materials.

ISBN 0307090515 - Tough book to review, so maybe that's why no one has bothered until now. There's no insightful prose, no character development... kind of dry reading. Still, if coins are your thing, this is a handy book.

The negative, of course, is that it's 30 years old and newer books will offer more up-to-date info. The prices, for example, will be different. On the other hand, the basic information hasn't changed, which makes this more likely to be useful to the beginning coin collector who isn't ready to make a large investment in a pricier book.

Handy, convenient, and more reliable than the internet. Together with a currency guide, this is all most people would ever need. My latest copy was 13 years old, so I figured it was time to break down and get a new one.

The 58th edition is out, I expected a newer edition than the 54th edition I received.

I've been a coin collector since I was 6 years old (1961). I'm not hard core like my brother, so I don't buy a Red Book every year, but I have a couple of them lying around the house. I still refer to them for mintage numbers and other technical info from time to time.

I've seen other coin guides and price lists, etc. and they all pale in comparison to the "Red Book".

Get this one. It's the best.

--George Stancliffe

A good guide to see what dealers will SELL you coins for. This is not what you will get if try to sell your coins.

Won't appeal to the DVD generation of magicians.
It is densely written in the style of times gone by.
If you can get past this (i.e can read, and can interpret instructions that are written, instead of being spoonfed)you will have all the moves you could ever need.

This is a great book loaded with great material, however some of the material is false. For instance, the Faro Shuffle section is all entirely wrong. It is thought by some that this was done on purpose, and if so it is entirely unethical of the authors. Regardless, this book has a plethora of fantastic material, and I highly recommend it.

This book is comprehensive in scope-it covers about all of the basic techniques the card worker needs to know. It goes far beyond this, however. All techniques taught are described in *excruciating* detail so as to leave nothing to the imagination. It also includes ongoing words of advice on and entire chapters devoted to the _real_ secrets of magic: misdirection and presentation. As if all this were not MORE than sufficient to recommend the book, it's written in a very witty, eloquent, and entertaining style that makes it a joy to simply read. But wait! There's more! Please find enclosed numerous card effects worthy of the most discriminating audiences at less than the cost of your favorite magic dealer's Trick O' the Day. With regard to my own experience I've read this book near to tatters and have annotated nearly every other page-I got my money's worth and so will you.

I consider this book the next step after reading the great Royal Road to Card Magic. I did not like some tricks, but, the really important part of the book is, as it is stated in the title, is the technique showed. Recommended.

I am not sure who this book is written by.

It's an encyclopedia, of card handling.

There is no connection from one chapter to the next and unless you are an english major, you will simply be very very frustrated trying to understand what to do and how.

This book is not for beginner but rather someone who has a very good grasp of handling cards and would like to know more than he already knows.

This book is like an english dictionary, you being a foreigner who knows half a dozen words. You'll find yourself trying to decrypt half the instructions. Do you have the time and patience for it? I sure didn't. You'll find this to be mysterious text that might become clear to you some day, unless you already know how to do half the material in it to begin with.

This book is a live classics in the numismatic literature. Being an editor of a numismatic site www.monetarium.ru,oblige me professionaly to have all reference material about coins an paper money and this book is a must!

Great book for small amount of money...
I didn't expected that size of book, first I thought that this book is like a manual (200 pages max.) but when I received package and when I took the book out from the package I was astonished...
Inside you can find a lot of stuff, all kind of coins in natural sizes. Only thing that is not so good (in my opinion) is thickness of the paper.

This 1500+ page work is not only comprehensive but interesting to those who collect world coins, either professionally or as a hobby. It includes wonderful descriptions of coins from nations around the world, currently in existence or not, and shows photos of the coins that make determining exactly which denomination and type of coin you are examining. Furthermore, its appendices include bullion values, terminology, and a wealth of other information about both the enterprise of collecting world coins and the specific coins one might come across. Highly Recommended!

for a 2006 edition this catalog is missing many many coins from previous years that one would expect to find. there are even missing items from before 2000! not very good for an edition that soppose to be 2006. in other cases, complete countries are missing like the new set from cocos islands with the 2004 set.

I need a guide so I just do not blindly pay big bucks for cute pictures. There are a lot of good guides and some more specific on particular eras and locations such as Westphalia. But as you do a coin search you are bound to run across something you are not familiar with and need a guide. This guide is a great place to start; it is easy to navigate and gives cursory information on particular locations and times surrounding the coin's production.

Keeping in mind that this is just a guide, there are holes and the coins are not displayed in color. On the other hand the coins shown are in actual size; size is hard to translate form internet pictures.

With all the electronic references today it is nice to have something tactile, static and transportable. This book meet al those needs.

This book appears to be a very helpful source for determining hot prospects to watch for when searching coin shops and shows. It gives details needed to learn what to look for when hunting for great deals. My main focus is Morgan Silver Dollars and this book should be a valuable source for my 'cherry picking' ventures.

Error and variety collecting is a relatively new form of collecting. Since the discovery of the 1955 Lincoln Cent Double Die Obverse, collectors have been looking at coins differently. From double dies, repunched mint marks, and off-center strikes to difference in die varieties for the same series--even within the same year--the hobby of error collecting can be as satisfying and profitable.

While other books can discuss the profitability, the Cherrypickers' Guide teaches what to look for. With fantastic illustrations and a solid, usable binding, experts Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton show collectors what to look for while looking for errors and varieties. The book covers nearly every series of coins including dollars, commemorative, gold.

One caveat I will give is that those who are interested in varieties of Morgan and Peace Dollars, you may want to also buy Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars. This book is out of print, but some Amazon Marketplace sellers do have copies.

Happy Hunting!

I have had this about a month, and have used it extensively for 20th century silver issues. Just learning the angles of identifying doubles, recut dies, repunched mint marks, etc. makes this book worth it. I found some sections of no use - such as the extremely rare coins (gold, seated dollars) but the 20th century silver (Dimes, Quarters and Halves) very interesting and enlightening as well as the section on Morgan dollars. If you have a few rolls of Washington Quarters or Mercury Dimes (even circulated) you can probably pay for this book by just going through them for varieties.

I gave this book to my Dad and he loved it. Great info and pictures.

It's a nice book for prices and such (I'm no expert on coin books) does have some great photos (in color) and some information that's helpfull. But i find myself all ways turing to "Strike it Rich With Pocket Change".

"TR"

If you collect Modern Foreign this book is a MUST HAVE, I have looked up 100 or more coins and have yet not to locate the coin I am looking for. It is comprehensive, has good pictures most of the Obverse and Reverse some just of the Obverse.
I highly recommend this book, its great.
David Jackson

This publication is essential for anyone buying, selling or evaluating coins.

This is the most comprehensive coin catalogue and when put together with Catalogue of World Coins 1901 - 2006, it really gives you an accurate picture and value report of what you have in your collection or are thinking about adding to it.

This is a book that every collector whose interests exceed his backyard and go beyond his birthdate must have at home. There is no better help to start expanding your collection beyond 1901.
There is no better does not mean that there cannot be a better one. Some remarks must be taken into consideration
- this is an American catalog so prices in your country (if you're not American that is) are most certainly different and there is no point to waste your time to prove Krause wrong. E.g. prices of German states' coins in Germany are 50 to 100% higher than in Krause. They are which means that if you are looking for them you move to eBay and look for them elsewhere but not in Germany. Foreign dealers treat Krause prices of foreign coins seriously.
- this is an American catalog which has a soft spot for American coins. Most foreign readers will be mildly amused by eighteen pages of remarkably uninspired designs of the US patterns (fortunately most of them are not shown) or twelve pages of "territorial gold".
- this is an American catalog so you may find some of coins from your country missing completely or missing a picture.
If you can accept all this, you will be happy with your purchase. If you can't, you should think if you won't be much happier with a more specific coin catalog but be sure that no other can give the kind of general view you find in this one.

Material is horribly dated. Publication date apparently 2004, using 2001-2003 price date. Effectively useless.

You MUST show date of publication in description of item.

Not likely to buy again.

I'm not a coin collector. There are one or two coins I'd love to own. And I do own a few lovely ones. I say this so you'll know I'm not a member of the society of coin collectors --- that closed society of people who have their own vocabulary and ways of doing business.

But I wanted to read this book because I became interested in why Roosevelt the second opted to steal gold from the American public, making it illegal. I also was enchanted with this coin that Roosevelt the First wanted so badly. He wanted it to not contain the motto, "In God We Trust" because he believed in separation of church and state. So the story begins in 1907.

Well, I got much more from this book than I bargained for. To begin with, it's written wonderfully well. If you remember the old Dragnet radio and television shows, you'll recall how Joe Friday always said, "It was Tuesday, March 1 in Los Angeles. It was raining. ETC." It drew you in. You could picture it, get a feel for it. Well, Tripp does that in this book. He accurately tells the reader when the action takes place --- sometimes including the exact time. He often tells what the weather was like that day.

The book is exceedingly well documented. It is a true historical drama and mystery that, even today, is not really solved. All but one of these lovely coins are illegal. Yet we have reason to believe others exist --- somewhere.

You'll enter the rather mysterious world of the true coin collector and dealer. You'll be thrilled at what you find. You'll meet people of greed. Just to hold this illegal coin, this beautiful, magnificent piece of history, must be the thrill of a lifetime. Yet few people have done so or ever will.

You'll follow the coin from the mint to the final auction that makes this one coin legal (the others, if there are others, are illegal.)

This is a fascinating book and I recommend it highly.

-Susanna K. Hutcheson

This book is about a 7.5 million dollar gold coin. Obviously, this cannot be a normal coin. The book explain how the 1933 gold double eagle came to be. It begins with Saint Guadens designing the design because Teddy Rosevelt wanted new and inspiring designs. From there heads into the depression and the recall of all gold. The book invesitigates the murky beginning of all the 1933 double eagles. From there, it gets interesting. The secret service has a major headache on their hands. The plot thickens as more people come into play with these rare coins. However, you will have to read the book to see how everything plays out!
I would reccomend this book to any numismatic interested in the history of these coins. However, some parts of the book can be slow. Do not stop reading it; keep going because the action picks up. Just remember, 10 more 1933 double eagles were just (2005) recently found which would add a new chapter to the book. That development makes the story even more interesting.

As with any thriller, the book opens with the background and history of the our protagonist, in this case, the Saint-Gaudens $20 Double Eagle. Tripp repeats the well known history of how President Theodore Roosevelt wanted to extend the gilded age and update the design of US coinage. Roosevelt thought the design of the Mint's Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber's were bland and not fitting of a great nation. Tripp reproduces reports of conversations and letters from Roosevelt to Barber and other US Mint officials demanding they follow the instructions of sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, as to how the coin would be minted. If you have not heard the details of this history, the first chapter is a must read.

From the history of the rise of the Saint-Gaudens $20 Double Eagle, Tripp then talks about its demise. With the country in the throes of the Great Depression and the country revolting against President Herbert Hoover at the polls, Tripp discusses the tension between Hoover and the transition team of Franklin D. Roosevelt. While the country was experience a near total economic collapse, Tripp writes how FDR did not want to do anything that would give Hoover credit for doing anything before the March, 1933 inauguration.

Hours after FDR's inauguration, the Senate approved the appointment of William H. Woodin as the Secretary of the Treasury. Woodin worked tirelessly with the Hoover administration to try to stop the damage. Tripp paints a great word picture as to how Woodin and FDR created a policy that helped the country pull out of the depression.

One of the problem was the amount of gold leaving the United States and being used for overseas trade. More gold was leaving the Treasury than they were taking in. At Woodin's urging, FDR signed an executive order recalling all privately held gold. As this executive order goes through many updates, Tripp brings us inside the Philadelphia Mint facilities as they continue to mint 1933 $20 Double Eagles. Tripp puts us right in the Mint and traces the path of these gold beauties.

With the order to melt these coins in 1934, the mystery begins. Tripp weaves the story in true mystery novel style following the trail of several of these coins as they leave the Mint. This includes the one coin with a legal export receipt that was shipped to King Farouk of Egypt. Tripp' coverage of the "Palace Collections of Egypt" or King Farouk's by the Egyptian government (website in English) is a classic twist of capitalism and greed meeting politics.

The book bogs down a bit starting in the late 1950s as the trail for all of the Double Eagles gets cold and the various law suits are settled. The story picks up again with the discovery of the Farouk coin. Tripp follows the trail from its consignment in England through the seizure in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City by the United States Secret Service. From there, the book reads like an episode of Law and Order leading up to the settlement and auction of this one-of-a-kind coin.

The only thing that makes this only a four-star book is that Tripp's prosaic tome makes this composition a somewhat arduous read. One may require a dictionary close at hand to fully understand the lexicon he uses. If nothing else, the book did help improve my vocabulary. Otherwise, Illegal Tender is a wonderful book to read and better than most mystery novels because it is true!

Illegal Tender won the 2005 Book of the Year award from the Numismatic Literary Guild.

The author is a journalist. It is clear that he accustomed to writing shorter essays and getting paid by the word. He spared no words or overstatements. This book is about a federal investigation of a coin wanted by collectors. I am a federal investigator and a coin collector. The first eighty pages of the book are a good read and a nice discussion of U.S. coins and the double eagle. The book then drones on and on discussing an unlikely series of circular interviews described with pointless details. The author attempts to tell the story in a colorful fashion by including passages that are reminiscent of detective novels but falling far short - to the point of being trite. Face it, this investigation lagged for 60 years. Obviously, evidence discovery was slow.

If you are getting on an airplane and want a pleasant read that will put you to sleep, go ahead and buy it. The price is cheap.

Although hard core coin collectors will enjoy this book, those of us who enjoy reading non-fiction crime stories will be a little disappointed. The author does a good job in describing the history of the coin at stake but loses something in the translation. The sad fact is that this coin's history is checkered and unknown. Therefore, the reader is always left guessing and speculating about how it ended up at auction. There is very little that is "known" when it comes to how this coin escaped the melt-down. Perhaps this is not the author's fault as he is limited by his subject. The book is readable and grabs the reader at times with the description of the auction as well as the FBI investigation in the 1930's as they tried to track down where the coins came from and who had them. All in all, the author did a competent job but the subject, which could have been fascinating, is somewhat dull.

Walter Breen's was the most Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, one of the best numismatic reference available.
Does need updating but any edition is better than none.
In my opinion a must buy.

The author of this book was also a convicted child molester. He died in prison while doing time for aggravated child molestation.

Totally unreadable , very distort view on this subject :(

Perhaps only a coin collector can realy appreciate this book for what it truly represents, but anyone that wants to know about a coin variety can use it !! This book is a one stop shopping coin variety encyclopedia. Variety of coin means nothing more than coin variations, the different things done in manufacturing throughout a coins life that differentiate from any other of the same minted coins in series. The Lincoln cent has been minted for almost 100 years; and there are litteraly 1000s' of Lincoln cent varieties, ie: 1909, 1909s, 1909svdb, 1922 plain no "d" weak obverse & strong reverse, 1960 lrg. date, 1960 sml. date, 1955/55 double die, and on ....... These variations hold true for all coins ever minted in the U.S. The pictorial examples of these variations, not to mention the research that went into them, is surpassed by none !! Its always been difficult for this writer to acquire this book do to its cost, but Amazon.com not only priced it right, " it made it possible ", Thanks Amazon

As a professional rare coin dealer, this is one of the books I recommend to new investors as well as investors and collectors who are trying to gain as much insight and information into numismatics "before they invest". In-depth and informative, Breens encyclopedia is a must have for any investor or collector of rare coins.