1 comments about A Penny Saved: Still and Mechanical Banks.

1. In A Penny Saved Don Duer shares with you some of his extensive knowledge of collecting Banks. In every hobby there are people considered to be experts in their field. In bank collecting DON IS ONE OF THOSE EXPERTS. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about their hobby.

No comments about Planning Your Rare Coin Retirement.

1 comments about A Silver Legend: The Story of the Maria Theresa Thaler.

1. A Silver Legend: The Story of the Maria Theresa Thaler. Clara Semple. Barzan Publishing. £19.95. xii + 165 pp. ISBN 0-9549701-0-1.
   
   Maria Theresa Thalers can still be found in the souqs around the Middle East, and are often stumbled upon in the far corners of the world. How did a coin from an Austrian Empress spread so far and become so well known? This is what Clara Semple attempts to show the readers of her book A Silver Legend: The Story of the Maria Theresa Thaler. Clara has transcribed a legend upon pages. She first discovered her interest in the Thaler while researching traditional silver jewelry of Egypt and the Sudan. An archaeological artist, Semple has lived and traveled in the Middle East for most of the last half century, and in the process has become a reputable source for information on the Maria Theresa Thaler.
   The book starts off with a brief forward on the history between the author and the Maria Theresa Thaler. This is followed by a concise but informative introduction, which demonstrates the geographical distribution of the coin, along with key points as to why the coin became an important commodity. The next three chapters of the book give attention to the European origins of the coin. These chapters cover silver mining and coin production, an overview of the life of Empress Maria Theresa, and the Imperial use of the Thaler.
   The next section of Semple's book covers the ascent and use of the coin as an internationally traded commodity. The coin that Johann von Fries launched on the world would have a reign of more than 200 years. The last chapter in this section gives numerous first hand accounts relating to the coin. These accounts give vivid details of travel in the region from European explorers and travelers.
   Legends and tales of hidden hoards of coins are given, along with accounts of how rulers in the region made use of them. The names by which the coin has been known, and the attempts to forge the coin are covered. The book is wrapped up with two final topics, the use of the Thaler as jewelry and in jewelry making, and the use of the Thaler as currency for the cause of rescue, ransom, and war.
   Strong points in the book include extensive photographs and illustrations to aid the text and a thorough history of the coin from inception to modern day. The author's knowledge of the subject is apparent in her writing, which provides for excellent reading value. A possible weakness of the book could stem from her love of the subject. Overall, the book serves to romanticize the history of the coin, providing as the title states "A Silver Legend."
   The author supports her book extensively with photographs, historical documents, first hand accounts, and personal experience. A bibliography is provided, which is adequate, but could be more extensive. Footnotes are missing, which could have been used to support historical points in the text, making further research into the subject easier.
   This book would be of interest to anyone who is researching the commerce, economy, trade, jewelry production, or currency of the Middle Eastern region during the 18th to 20th Century. A book where so many levels of culture, society, and history are combined under one title is a rare find. Overall, the book deserves an "A", because Semple provides both an excellent read for "popular" history, and an excellent resource for research.

No comments about A Catalogue of the Coins of Dalmatia Et Albania 1410-1797.

No comments about Whitman Insider Guide Buying And Selling Your Coins (Whitman Insider Guides).

5 comments about Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues, 1961-Date (11th Edition).

1. Brilliant, could not do without it- the best on the market without a doubt.



2. This book is the third volume in a line series dedicated to paper money collecting. This one particularly concentrates on the banknotes issued by central banks all over the World from 1961 onwards. The book is "The reference" used by all collectors and dealers alike. Thus, it is a must in order to keep uptodate with market prices and with the current issues. Unfortunately, it has mistakes and sometimes it lacks continuity with its counterpart (vol. 2) which is not issued annualy like this one. Nevertheless, if you are involved in paper money collecting, owning this book is imperative in order to be able to refer properly to any moder banknote.
   The book can be bought from many sources, starting with its Publisher (Krause), however, my advice is to get it from Amazon.com, since its discunts are unbeatable.



3. As always, the work and research to get the latest information available to the collector is presented to us in the catalog as best as possible. I would like to see a section that list countries whose names have changed. While the catalog is a tremedous effort to 'keep current' with the many changes going on while it is in the making, I long for the day when the CD comes out and changes are added electronically. Stamp collectors now have this and a virtual stamp collection. Thanks to all that work to get the latest information for a great hobby!



4. Most useful - but - there seem to be several errors in this catalogue. One of the most glaring is the complete omission of SOMALIA, despite the index refering the reader to page 772. These are, in fact, the entries for SOMALILAND from 1994. All entries for SOMALIA from 1962 to 1990 have disappeared.



5. I would say, - there is no other, better book, so we have to use this one. I have looked through some pages of it and I already found quite a few blunders. First of all there are quite a few misleading price valuations, I would even say many price manipulations. I haven't gone through every single page of it yet, but a quick look at the book reveals the following:
   
   - Overall image quality got worse (much worse) in this year 2005 edition. Some photos have some white spots and cuts.
   
   - Signature tables have disappeared in quite a few country listings. Instead of signature tables Krause website is advertised all across the pages. Question: why remove what already has been added over years?
   
   - Most of the country letter code explanations and country names are gone from West African States listings.
   
   - Signatures are numbered but not always displayed in signature tables.
   
   - Catalogue numbers are changed and moved around to frequently confusing the collectors and especially addong tons of extra work for dealers.
   
   - Many banknotes are valued way below market value. Some are valued below anytime exchange rate. Example: Latvian 100 Latu exchange rate always was over $160 but Krause values it in Uncirculated condition at $150.
   
   - No ERRATA is being printed. Any self-respecting publisher prints errata pages and puts them in a book, or even sends Errata (corrections) pages to all their customers and book owners. The book was published carelessly. Some colourful images (not so important to a professional) were added, but what's most important is the text info and price valuations. This book is important to a beginner and as well to a professional. We still have to use it, cause there is no other catalogue for All World's Paper Money, but making so many errors and blunders shows that the publisher of this book does not care much about what the reader gets from it.
   
   Good-bye Pick... hello Krause.

4 comments about Gold Rush: How to Collect, Invest and Profit With Gold Coins.

1. Great reference book on gold coins. All the important facts on gold coins from around the world. Classic world gold, world commemoratives, world bullion, and U.S. gold all categorized in an easy to use reference. I find myself reaching for "Gold Rush" everytime I need to know the data on a specimen coin. It really comes in handy.



2. This book is nothing more than a week description of Gold coins. I was very disappointed.



3. Like the first reviewer of this book, I was disappointed. The book did not live up to the name on the cover. It was more of a price guide with outdated prices and was very much lacking on insight of "How to collect, invest, and profit with gold coins."
   
   Although it is a very beautiful book with great color photos, the content seemed very much incomplete. It felt like it was the result of a half-hearted effort by the publisher to cash in on the current gold craze. Even as a price guide, it seemed very incomplete.
   
   But, I do have one positive thing to say, at the same time I bought this book, I also bought "The Expert's Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins" by Q. David Bowers. After reading both books, the Q. David Bowers book had everything that I thought the Gold Rush book was lacking. What a wonderful book by Mr. Bowers! Whether your interest is collecting or investing, you won't be disappointed by Mr. Bowers book. Save your money on this book and buy that one instead!



4. I was a bit disappointed that the book was more or less a pricing guide. And, of course, the prices are outdated now. But on the good side, it tells you how many coins were produced in any given year and what coins actually are rare. This will help you in selecting that perfect rare coin.
   
   It didn't really get into grading, which I hoped it would address. It did, however, show lovely photos of most of the major gold coins of the world. It tells you what to look for, how to care for your coins, how to store them and much more.
   
   This is not a book to set down, open and read. It's a reference. But if you invest in gold coins or collect them, you'd be wise to invest in the book.
   
   There are advertisements in it, which I didn't care much for. But there's nothing wrong with that either.
   
   The book is really lovely. It's not a cheap paperback. It's very entertaining and has lots of interesting information and suggestions that will help you to avoid many mistakes.
   
   Highly recommended.

5 comments about Unusual World Coins: Companion Volume to Standard Catalog of World Coins (Unusual World Coins: Companion Volume to Standard Catalog of World).

1. This is a coin catalogue worth buying even if you don't have a single coin it lists. The Unusual coins are really unusual in the way they depict human vain hopes, unattainable dreams, and impossible ambitions. You can see here coins from imaginary or lost empires (Russian monarchists struck their coins in 1990), states that have not been recognized by a single sovereign nation (Hutt River Province) or worlds which existed only in the imagination of writers (the Middle Earth) or private mints (Russian euro coins...). All this is a great tribute to human imagination and entepreneurial spirit, neatly presented in the form of a handy volume.
   Naturally, you may actually collect these coins. In this case you will find the typical Krause quality - lots of pictures are missing, some coins are not listed completely but as it is in the case of all Krause catalogues: you just won't find anything better!



2. Excellent Reference Book, Pleased with quality. Rather complete. Glad I purchased it. Found the coins I had that were not in other catalogs.



3. This book, published as an accompaniment to the big daddy compendium titled 'Standard Catalog of World Coins' is given over to a slew of issues of "novel non-circulating coins, including fantasy issues, micro-nation coinage, medallic types and coins of pseudo-etats." As such, one will find issues from places as varied as 'Atlantis,' the Republic of China, Great Britain, 'Sealand' and Gardiner's Island. Some of the coins listed will have been issued, as in the Republic of China pieces during tumultuous, or perhaps I should say interesting times as a nascent although ultimately unsuccessful state struggled for legitimacy; others were officially issued by recognized and sovriegn nations but not for circulation; some were produced by entities claiming sovriegn status on somewhat shaky legal gounds, such as the above-mentioned Sealand which occupies a World War II anti-aircraft platform in the North Sea; and finally there is a handful of issues that have simply been made up and struck from whole cloth in a manner of speaking,in the monetary equivalent of a vanity press publication. There are other sub-categories but I'm sure you get the idea. The book describes the physical characteristics of the issues, tries to establish mintage dates and numbers, and metallic composition, and sometimes give some background information to boot. The resource is perfect for one attempting to find a little information about something he has found and is curious about. Unfortunately, it is no good for one who wants more than a little information as the authors give nothing more than thumbnail sketches when they give any background information at all. I think the book really falls down on this point. In addition, the author/editors neglect to tell the public what criteria were used to include and exclude various issues. I know almost nothing about this genre but even I immediately questioned some of the entries found in the United States section. I wish that a certain set of rules had been followed or perhaps that the book had been broken up into the various categories so that one would know pretty soon whether these were issued as modern fantasy nation pieces or as once circulating unrecognized states pieces, etc. I bought this version even though there is a later edition now available for the simple reason of cost. This edition can be had for very little money and it is worth every fantasy penny spent, in my opinion.



4. The book has many pictures and the coin price evaluations seem to be up-to-date. I bought this book because of its ECU coin listings.
   Some countries are well covered like the Netherlands and Spain but on other countries most Ecu coins are missing.
   What is really bad is that there are no Pre-Euro coins in this book. Therefore i give only 3 stars.



5. I knew the second edition and hoped this 4th edition would be much more than that first attempts to cover this endless territory of unofficial coins. The reality I found disappointing. There seems no clear line in choices which "coins" are in the book and which were not included. 80 year old issues that should be in this catalogue are missing; recent purely commercial issues that could be ignored are included.
   Prices of the more modern issues are often only the issue price. That doesn't help to find a real market price.
   All together I would say in some cases this book can be really helpful, but often you will find nothing about the coin/medal you're looking for.

No comments about Chinese Coins: Money in History and Society (Arts of China).

No comments about Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Coins, Vol. 2: Gold, Silver, Nickel and Aluminum (Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Coins).