The coin collector's survival manual
Book - 2008
An authoritative manual for both novice and experienced collectors explores the latest trends in coin collecting, covering such areas as coin care, grading, investing, and identifying scams and fakes, and includes helpful advice on safeguarding one's collection, buying and selling coins on the Internet, and more than two hundred photographs.
Saved in:
- Subjects
- Published
-
New York :
House of Collectibles
c2008.
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Edition
- 6th ed
- Item Description
- Includes index.
- Physical Description
- xxvi, 373 p., 16 p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 351-353) and index.
- ISBN
- 9780375723056
- Acknowledgments
- Preface to the Sixth Edition
- Introduction
- 1. Collecting Coins Profitably
- The Nature of a Collector
- The Lure of Coins
- Major American Collectors
- Collecting Reaches the Masses
- A Dealer's-Eye View of Collectors
- Collectors Versus Investors
- 2. Reading a Coin Like a Book
- Coin-Viewing Attitudes and Techniques
- Quick Viewing Action
- How to Handle Coins
- 3. Bigger and Brighter
- Magnification for Grading
- Magnification for Authentication
- Lighting
- 4. The Grading of U.S. Coins
- What Grading Is and Why Coins Are Graded
- Certification Services and Grading
- What Constitutes Grade
- Coins Made for Circulation
- How the Certification Services View Eye Appeal
- Subjectivity and Self-Certified Coins
- Proof-A Method of Manufacture, Not a Grade
- Grading Guides
- Numerical Grading Standards
- How the Marketplace Defines the Grades AU-58 Through MS-70
- The Coin Grading Spectrum
- Overgrading and Undergrading
- Small Imperfections, Big Grade Difference
- Mint-Made Imperfections
- White-Collar Overpricing
- How to Distinguish Mint State from About Uncirculated
- The Rub
- Strike
- Toning
- Detecting Doctored Coins
- The Most Difficult Coins to Grade
- Concluding Grading Tips
- 5. Grading Services and the Plastic Revolution
- A Tale of Two Investors
- The Impact of Grading Services
- Some Important Grading Services
- Detecting Counterfeit PCGS Holders
- PCGS Versus NGC: Analyzing the Certified Coin Market Indicator
- Changes in Grading Standards
- Premium-Quality Coins
- Grading by Consensus
- A Case for No Industry Standard
- How Grading Services Determine Grade
- How to Protect Yourself When You Buy Coins Certified by Leading Services
- Bombshell Interview: A Candid Look at Coin Doctors
- 6. New Services Land a 1-2 Punch to Protect You
- Certified Acceptance Corporation
- Reasons for Rejection
- How to Protect Yourself When Buying CAC-Verified Coins
- Alternative Services
- Numismatic Consumer Alliance, Inc.
- 7. Beauty and the Best-Authenticating Proofs
- How to Tell Proof from Prooflike
- The Most Difficult Coins to Confirm Proof Status Of
- 8. Telling Fact from Fiction
- Altered Coins
- Cast Counterfeits
- Die-Struck Counterfeits
- For Further Assistance
- 9. Making Money in Coins Right Now
- The Crack-Out Game
- Multimillion Dollar Crack-Out Secrets
- The Handpicked List for Quick Cash
- When Not to Play the Crack-Out Game
- The Best Place to Buy Coins to Crack
- Crack-Out Cautions
- Dipping Coins
- Cracking Out Commemorative Coins
- Profiting from Generic Gold Coins
- Generic Gold's Price Performance
- Rare Gold Coins' Performance
- Tips on Making Coins Profitable
- 10. Making Sure the Price Is Right
- Determining Value
- Where the Price Is Always Right
- Monthly Price Guides
- Secret Dealer Tip Sheets
- When the Price Is Not Right
- Common-Sense Tips
- 11. Registry Sets Get High Grades
- The Meaning of "Registry"
- A '"Weighting" Game
- Registry's Impact on Prices
- Pitfalls to Avoid
- 12. Secrets of Cherrypicking
- 13. "Insider Trading" of Rare Coins
- Rare-Coin Insider Trading
- Insider Information and Rare Coins
- Completely Legal Insider Negotiating
- Rare Coins as Securities
- 14. Dangers of Buying Coins on the Internet and by Mail
- Buying Coins on the Internet
- Online Auctions
- The eBay Phenomenon
- The Risks of Buying Coins by Mail
- How to Identify a Disreputable Dealer
- Confession of a Rip-Off Coin Salesman
- Mail-Order Coin Guarantees
- Your Rights as a Mail-Order Coin Buyer
- How to Complain and Get Results
- Hanging Up on Telemarketers
- 15. Cashing In at Shows
- Local Club Meetings
- Local Club Shows
- Seminational Conventions: Regional and State
- National Conventions
- International Conventions
- Bourse-Room Etiquette
- Security Tips for the Convention-Goer
- Educational Forums
- Youth Programs
- How to Design a Winning Exhibit
- How to Complain
- Dealing with Dealers
- 16. Selling High, Higher, Highest
- Changing Strategies
- The Need for Certification
- Generic Coins
- High-Grade Rarities
- Generic Gold Coins
- Five Types of Coins to Sell
- The Anatomy of a Coin Transaction
- Coin Sale Methods
- Cashing Out at the Top of a Bull Market
- 17. Don't Let Uncle Sam Pick Your Pocket
- How the Mint Makes a Mint
- Proof Sets' Price Performance
- Modern Commemorative Coins
- Traps Set by the Mint and How to Avoid Them
- Tax Obligations, Record-Keeping, and Estate Planning
- Estate-Planning Secrets
- Coins and Retirement Plans
- Contributing Coins to Charity
- Like-Kind Exchanges When Coins Have Increased
- A Tax-Slashing Strategy When Selling at a Loss
- 18. Myths That Can Cost Millions
- 19. Endangered Coins-and How to Rescue Them
- Abrasive Cleaning
- Nonabrasive Cleaning
- State-of-the-Art Protection Against Deterioration
- Artificial Toning and Doctored Coins
- Toning and Corrosion
- Holders Can Damage Coins
- Preservation Precautions
- Coin Conservation Services
- The $10,000 Conservation Secret
- 20. Security After September 11 and Hurricane Katrina
- Insurance Against Terrorism and Protection from Natural Disasters
- Explosion-Resistant Safes
- Safe-Deposit Box Storage
- Home Security
- Photographs and Digital Images
- 21. Using the Legal System to Protect Your Coins
- Forming a Legal Entity
- When a Relationship Sours
- Minimizing Acquisition Costs
- Financial Privacy
- Nothing is Certain but Death and Taxes
- Appendices
- Value Chart for United States and Canadian Silver Coins
- Value Chart for Commonly Traded United States Coins and World Gold Coins
- Specifications for American Eagle Silver and Gold Bullion Coins
- Internet Resources
- Calamity Insurance: Gold Coins as a Safe Haven
- Glossary
- Index