Coins Books

It is shocking to me that this book was published in 1924. It is incredibly poignant and thought-provoking, even by today's standards.

Evangeline is the perfect housewife and mother of three young children. Her house is immaculate, her children mostly well-behaved. Dinner is healthy and hot and on the table precisely as scheduled. Everyone in town admires her as the perfect example of wife and mother.

In reality, though, Evie is absolutely smothered by her life. She is impatient and unhappy, and her attitude and constant nitpicking is making her kids miserable and physically sick.

Evangeline's husband, Lester, likewise hates his job as an accountant for a department store. He would like time to himself, to sit and puzzle through things, to watch the poetry of the world unfold around him.

When Lester falls and is seriously injured, it becomes impossible for him to go back to work. Evangeline jumps into the workforce as a saleswoman, and finds she has an incredible talent for sales, and that nothing makes her happier than going to work every day. Lester, meanwhile, finds that he delights in spending so much time with his children, observing them grow and learn as he takes care of the day-to-day chores of the household. The children, free from the stress of living under their mother's constant criticism, blossom.

This was such a compelling story of individuals trying to find their niche in society, and the surprise they find in being satisfied with working outside of their expected gender roles. The book very carefully examined the ways in which working outside of the home might be fulfilling to some people, while working at home might be just as fulfilling to others, regardless of their gender. I really liked the close inspection of the inner lives of the children as well; this book spent a great deal of time focusing on the fact that children are people with thoughts and feelings and needs just as important as those of adults, even when they don't have the words to express them.

This book, although published eighty-four years ago, is still relevant today. Quite a feat.

I loved this book and wish that I could have known this writer because she must have been a formidable person in her day. Although today we might not judge harshly (at least not out loud) the subject matter of the book, the "correct" roles of men and women in a marriage, I think the perception is still there that women should delight in child-rearing, while men are all about making money. I kept having to remind myself that this was written nearly 70 years ago!

Eva Knapp is an obsessive, tyrannical mother and homemaker. Her husband Lester is a poet at heart and dreamer who gets fired from his accounting job. Shortly afterward he falls off the roof and is badly hurt. So Eva goes to work and Lester stays home with the kids--a huge success for both of them. But society expects Lester to go back to work again and Eva to stay home "where she belongs." Neither one wants this. Canfield explores this dilemma involving traditional roles fairly well, but not with any great skill or insight.

As a child, my Grandfather collected pennies for each of his Grandchildren. As an adult, I am still collecting. The Whitman folders were good enough then, and they are certainly good enough now. Easy to insert coins, yet tight enough to hold them for many years.

This folder is an excellent starting point for any new coin collector. The folder has a nice lock-in feature preventing the coins from falling out. The recent dates ensure that the folder can be filled without too much difficulty from simply rooting through pocket change regularly. Highly recommended for young people who wish to start a coin collection.

I was given this book by my dad when I was little...it got me interested in coin collecting and is inexpensive! I would recommend it as a gift for kids or adults...it makes a fun hobby!

How many times have you heard a dealer say, "shine it up and it'll be BU?" If you're like me, you've seen the questionable grading standards of some dealers. Having a guide like this is absolutely essential if you're going to be spending money on coins. Being able to grade coins well is as essential to the hobby as buying the coin.

This guide has more information that simply what to look for in grading coinage. It has information on the history of the hobby, how to detect cleaning and other alterations, what the key areas are to look for in coins, and some other useful articles.

Grading coins is both art and science and you'll find even experts grading the same coin differently. But with a book like this you can have a basis of comparison. The only thing I wish the book had is more color photography of each grade/coin. But that's what the book Photograde is for...

This book is one of the finest if not the very best tool avaliable today, not only to collectors but dealers as well. I strognly reccomed the purcahse and use of this book. Keeping in mind that you must pay close attention to the details for accurate grading.

This book contains the official grading standards of the ANA so obviously it is a must own for people who wish to grade within the standards of the ANA. I mean, that is why I purchased the thing but you know what?, I found that I didn't really need it...at least not this edition of it. This is because the ANA is the, ahem, gold standard when it comes to grading coins so practically any current book that you buy concerning the grading of coins will use this information as the baseline. Thus, you can buy books on the hobby that may focus on a topic more exciting to one and which are interesting reads as well, but which nevertheless will refer to the standards elucidated here as the starting point of any discussion of coin grade. What I am saying is that the information contained here is critical to establishing a coin grade so you probably already know what you need to know about these standards from other coins books you have read which purport to help you to establish grade bcause they use this book as a jumping off point. So, use this book as a reference manual, especially if you want to become a professional grader and all the while hope that the ANA comes out with an easier to read and more useful edition soon. Either that or read the other books out there by well-respected coin experts who use these standards and help you "how to use" the standards laid down in this book. The reason that I'd rely upon experts who write books on the hobby for such guidance is that they understand what makes one coin more desirable than another even though each ostensibly meet the objective standards contained in this book, and they tell you how they know and try to instruct you how to do the same. The best way that I can demonstrate what I am talking about is that I bought a coin on ebay that was slabbed by NGC to be a 1938 D/S buffalo nickel. I returned the coin to seller because the '8' in '1938' had been sheared off at the mint. Yet, this coin was in MS-65 condition according to the standards laid down in this book. Get my point?

Black Book prices are more realistic than the more famous Red Book. Comprehensive listings and an easy to use format. Just a trade paperback in its quality of paper and cover, but the best value for your money.

This is a good reference book to have on hand, whether you're a coin collector or not. Also some good warnings to protect you from common scams. Every well stocked home library needs this book.

This book is very helpful in telling any coin collector what U.S coins, old and new, should look like. History of coinage is good. I feel the prices given for values of many coins is somewhat high. There are other books for values, but none as good as this one for helping any coin collector learn about our coinage.

This book is great for the beginner or the advanced collector. It is well organized so you can skip over the chapters that do not interest you. If you are looking to become a specialist in Buffalo or Jefferson Nickels, this book is for you. It covers history and technical details of each series. In addition, each year and mint mark has a separate section detailing collecting strategies and information specific to that issue. Grading standards for each series is also covered in great detail.

It was a splendid idea for Whitman to combine Jefferson and Buffalo Nickels into one guide as it is a logical progression from one series to the next (usually in reverse order). The beauty of this book is that it is that it breaks down each year in the series with a the kind of data that one really cares about; strike quality in the case of Buffaloes; Step data for Jeffersons; major die varieties in both series. This book is small enough and helpful enough so that one would not feel self-conscious taking it with him to a coin show for helpful consultation. I am less familiar with Buffs than I am with Jeffs so I'll confine my criticism to the Jefferson discussion and that is with the frequency data of 5 and 6 Full Step coins. I find this data to be far too generous for the following reasons: 1) The number is a hypothetical count on freshly minted coins and the reality is that most of the coins in the issue will not have countable full step cartridges due to wear; 2) Authors do not take into account hits which render the step count meaningless. In other words, in the real world one is simply not going to find full step coins, free of hits and bridges at the rate the editors claim. It is helpful, though, that the editors of this guide quote heavily from Nagengast which until now has done the most exhaustive published study of Jeffersons. I feel confident relying on the Whitman guide knowing that the editors of it studied Nagengast. As to the values charts that accompany each coin, these are definitely helpful if not dispositive but should be used in the context of the coin market at time of publication. Price swings are dramatic depending upon whether the coin market is doing well or poorly. All in all, this is a top notch guide and actually the best one on nickels I've encountered precisely because of its compact size, good coverage, dual coverage. There are better Buffalo books out there, Lange's third edition comes to mind, but for the money this is definitely top of the food chain.

A Guide Book of Buffalo and Jefferson Nickels is the eighth entry in the Bowers Series of numismatic references: while general-interest holdings might find it too specialized a reference, any library strong in coin collecting must have this. Fine historical background accompanies detailed high-resolution enlargements of coins and discussions of mintages, market values in different grades, and even a reference to error coins. The chronological arrangement and discussion lends not only to quick identification, but to quick assessment of background history and values, making for a 'must' any serious coin collector needs.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Catalog was rec'd promptly and in good condition. Contents are everything we thought it would be.

Put on your reading glasses and your back-brace! This updated volume (4th edition) is huge, heavy, and filled to the brim with small print and b/w pictures...but those are necessary evils considering the breadth of information covered in this book. I wondered if the $35 price would be justified and I suppose it is. There may be easier ways (e.g., on-line) to find information about individual tokens, private merchant coins and cards, commemorative US coins, campaign tokens, as well as territorial gold and silver, but for serious collectors of early American exonumia or anyone trying to identify or establish the value of an unusual US coin, this volume is indispensable. I only wish my eyes were better! I'm glad I bought the book. Beyond its usefulness as a field guide, it is chock-full of interesting historical information and trivia, making it a very cool resource for anyone curious about how commerce, politics, and territorial expansion took place in colonial and post-colonial times. It also covers the Civil War era and after, up until the turn of the 20th century. Collecting these rare coins can be a gratifying hobby. Many of the coins are quite affordable and all are interesting snapshots of the mindset of our forebears. Also, by using this guide one might discover that the weird coin or faded store card found in Grandpa's sock drawer is a unique treasure which could yield big "bucks" (an exonumia term: buckskins were used as currency in the colonial period) at the next coin show or in an online auction. I gave the book 4 stars only because there are no color pictures, even though the details of coins are often easier to see in black and white. If there were color plates, however, I might not have been able to afford to buy this book.

This is the absolute best reference book for collectors of United States Tokens and exonumia. The detailed pictures make identification easy and the index works extremely well. This is a must have for any United States coin/token collector. A++

The spine of the book was loose, detracting from its quality. Not bad enough to go through the hassle to return, but somewhat disappointing.

Product arrived on time and was exactly as described. My ND fan absolutely loved it!!!

I purchased this collection for my Father In-Law, a devout ND fan, for Christmas. It was highly recommended by the Notre Dame Alumni site and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who might be interested!

great book about coins around the world, many images, coin history facts and collecting guide for every collector, sure increase coin collector knowlegde

I purchased a copy of "The Complete Illustrated Guide to Coins and Coin Collecting" by Dr James Mackay. This is a paperback edition of encyclopedia with similar cover. I found it a beautifully illustrated book but was Shocked to read the text of the introduction to Sri Lanka. It contained many factual errors and reflected a total ignorance of the History and Numismatics of Sri Lanka.

Let me point out a few.

1) Lankan coinage is documented from 3rd Century B.C.
2) The Chola were from south India and invaded Lanka only in 985 and subjugated the Sinhala who migrated and took over the island from the indigenous Veddahs in the 5th Century B. C.
3) Images [1-2] is a Portuguese Tanga counter-marked by dutch
4) The rupee was not in par with the Rix dollar
1 1/3 (i.e. 4/3) rupees equaled 1 Rix Dollar in 1821
5) The 1/3 Farthing did not circulate in Lanka.
6) Images [3-4] is a half cent from 1870 not a fraction of farthing
7) There was no Local currency from 1839 to 1868 - Indian Silver was used along side British brass.
8) The new emblem was adopted in 1972 coins.
9) Images [13-16] were of commemorative coins issued after 1990
10) The Images [13-14] is slightly smaller than actual size.

In view of these numerous errors in a short bit of text of which I am an expert, I have lost all confidence in the text printed in the guide. I strongly suggest that like Krause, Anness publications, get experts in the numismatics to review and correct the text for each country.

In views of these errors I have corrected the text below and hope this modified text will be used in any future reprints of this Guide or Encyclopedia.

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A number of islands in the Indian Ocean, which were formerly part of the British or French colonial empires, issue their own coins. They range from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), which has a coinage dating back to the 3rd century BC, to the territories that have adopted distinctive coins only in quite recent times.

Following the capture of the island of Ceylon from the Dutch in 1796, and its proclamation as a British crown colony six years later, copper coins were issued by the British in 1802. They bore an Asian elephant on one side and the value or the effigy of George III on the other.

SRI LANKA

The earliest coins were Punch Mark silver of northern India. The Ancient coins of Lanka had the railed Swastika. Medieval Gold, Silver and Copper coins with Standing King "Ceylon Type" were issued from 9th to 15th Century. Coastal area of the island was under Chinese control from 1408 to 1438. Portuguese arrived in 1505. They, in turn, were supplanted by the Dutch in 1658, who counter-marked the Portuguese silver tangas [1-2].

The British took over the Dutch territories in 1796 and made the island into a crown colony in 1802. The British retained the Indo-Dutch currency system, based on the rix-dollar, divided into 48 stivers, or 12 fanams. From 1839 to 1868 British half and quarter farthings and silver three-half-pence also circulated in Ceylon, in addition to Indian silver coinage. In 1872 the currency was decimalized, and the rupee of 100 cents was adopted. Bronze coins of this series [3-4] bore the profile of the reigning monarch (obverse) and a palm tree (reverse) while the silver, or later nickel, coins had the value in numerals in an ornamental reverse [5-8].

Ceylon became a dominion in 1948 but continued to issue coins with the monarch's effigy until 1957. Thereafter the national emblem was substituted in a series introduced in 1963, with name of country in Sinhala and Tamil in addition to English [9-11]. In 1972 the island became a republic under the name of Sri Lanka ("resplendent island") and adopted a new emblem on obverse [12]. A few commemoratives have been produced since 1957, when the 2500th anniversary of Buddhism was celebrated, and many more since 1990 [13-16].
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This is a great book, beautifully illustrated. Bought it for my niece who has just started collecting foreign coins. It is easy to use, fully illustrated, and gives great background on foreign countries and their history as well as information regarding the coins themselves. Would highly recommend this book.

THE BOOKS IS VERY FAMOUS AMOUND US-THE COIN COLLECTIONS FANS. I HOPE TO BUY THIS BOOK IN CHINA.PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I CAN FIND THE BOOK. I'M LIVING IN DALIAN, CHINA.

This hefty volume provides all the necessary information that a collector needs: prices of four grades, metal composition and weight, coin picture, mintage, dates, mint and a KM number of every coin. Additional useful appendices are also included, which can faciliatete the task of identifying cryptic coins (using this book, I've identified three previously unidentifiable coins!) My only criticism is that the coins appear in black and white. A color verion might augment the price, but at least in some parts, this is a must -- For example, when the authors explain how to grade coins, one can hardly see the difference between Unc and AU, or XF and VF. I also found one coin missing from the Israeli catalog, but other than that this is an excellent collector's reference.

Very Good Guide to US Coins: Krause publications has greatly improved this guidebook to numismatist, easier to use, convenience, good quality pictures. KRAUSE reference numbers included. Excellent numismatic information at your fingertips.

Is not as well organized as Whitman's "The official RED BOOK a guide book to United States Coins".

Numismatics is a hobby as any other do not expect a handsome return on your investment, at least not a monetary one. Have fun. Good luck.

Joel Edler and Dave Harper's 2003 Us Coin Digest, in contrast, presents a spiral-bound guide to average retail prices from market experts: quite a different market. Small black and white photos of the coins accompany details on their collectability.