1 comments about The Insider's Guide to U.S. Coin Values 2008 (Insider's Guide to Us Coin Values).

1. I bought this for a family member and he loves it, very simple to look things up. A lot of book for a little money

No comments about Numismatic Photography.

2 comments about The Official Red Book a Guide Book of Buffalo and Jefferson Nickels: Complete Source for History, Grading, and Values (Official Red Books).

1. 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.



2. 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

5 comments about Presidential Dollars 2007 Album (Official Whitman Folder).

1. The Whitman album is an easy and attractive display for your presidential dollar collection.
   
   The album and pages are made of heavy paper board with through cutouts for the dollars so you can see both sides of the coin. Both the album and pages are Navy blue in color with gold lettering. Included with the album are thin strips of clear plastic that slide into the free edge of the pages to hold the coins in place.
   
   Each row of coins gets a piece of plastic on the front and back side of the page. I found it easiest to insert the back plastic piece, insert the dollar coins and then slide in the top plastic piece. There are indentations along the edge of the page to make inserting and removing the plastic pieces easier. Removing a plastic sheet to insert more coins takes a bit of manual dexterity as the plastic edges are separated by an eighth of an inch or so.
   
   The pages are joined to the album with aluminum posts and can be taken out of the binder if necessary. The last page of the album contains plenty of blank spaces for dollars that may be issued after Nixon (Ford and Reagan for example).



2. I recently started collecting presidental coin proofs and I found this folder to be perfect for them. As the title states, this particular folder houses only one slot per coin, so it is ideal for people who simply want to collect one of each coin (Philadelphia or Denver) or if you want to collect proofs (San Francisco) like me. The folder is about 1 inch thick and the pages within are nice and sturdy. It is a great folder to add to your set (it looks great with the statehood quarter set as well) and with Amazon's discounts, you really can't go wrong.
   
   For those you are still interested in obtaining a presidential folder which can house coins from more than one mint, I believe Whitman does have one, but it may not be available on Amazon. I urge you to check out Whitman's actual website so you can get all the info you need, then see if Amazon has it (as Amazon may sell it cheaper.) That way, everyone gets satisfied with their purchase.



3. Perfect size to go with other coin collections I have and with only one space per coin - perfect for the novice who isn't worried about each mint location. Cover won't hold up if you plan to admire your set EVERY DAY but for the standard collector - this book will serve very well.



4. The Whitman albums are, hands down, simply the best in their class. This one pairs quite nicely with the quarter album!



5. This coin album is so incomplete its pathetic. The coin slots are only available for one mintage. The Presidential Dollars are being minted by at least three entities, Philidelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. I do not recommend this coin album to serious collectors or any one else. I take further umbridge with Amazon for not supplying complete information about this product. The only reason I rated this product as a one is because there is no zero.

4 comments about 100 Greatest American Currency Notes: The Stories Behind The Most Colonial, Confederate, Federal, Obsolete, and Private American Notes.

1. This is an incredible book to have in your library if your a collector of U.S. Paper Currency or not. Stunning pictures of each of the notes this book goes into great detail in discussing. I have this book and the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins book sitting out in my livingroom for all to see and everyone who has stopped by can not help but pick up these books. Then the oh's and ah's start pouring out !!! Absolute incredible book to have in anyone's private library without a doubt.



2. CS:
   
   I received this book and believe it is as expected. Price is at FMV (Fair Market Value). I have not yet proof read it but what I have seen it makes a great reference for those who collect currency. However, it would have been helpful to include the Friedberg number in the Appendix along with the description. Yes, this number can be variable but you have included prices that are also variable and approximate. It may have been better to give a ratio(range)year column price divided by the face value of the currency.



3. This book was exactly what I expected. Good photos and stories behind 100 of the most famous notes in history. Great as a reference or as a coffe table book.



4. It is the rare numismatic book that is educational AND entertaining. This book is one of those rare books.
   I wrote a review of this book for the Bank Note Reporter, the newpaper for collectors of paper money. I have included an only slightly altered version of that review below.
   
   My best purchase at the Chicago Paper Money Exposition was a copy of the new book 100 Greatest American Currency Notes by two of my favorite numismatists--Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman. Chet Krause and Cliff Mishler wrote a foreword for the book making that four of my favorites all in one book. No, that is not right. Tom Denly was something called valuations editor for the book so that makes five of my favorite--and greatest--numismatists all in one volume.
   In short, the book is beautiful to behold and a joy to read. That sums it up quite nicely, but I do have a lot more to say about it. I feel that I am particularly qualified to do this because I had started a book with exactly the same premise. I still have my notebook with my work. That means that they stole my idea! Of course that is easy to say after they have completed their work and I only have a notebook. It is also untrue. The original idea was Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth's popular 100 Greatest American Coins. Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery. I must also say that Bowers and Sundman did a far better job than I would have done (not that I did not have a few enhancements).
   The basic premise of the book is to select and discuss the 100 greatest American notes. The authors have done this admirably. The basic methodology was to survey a wide group of dealers asking them to list what they considered to be the top notes. While the methodology was good and the results were great, my first complaint is that I would have liked to have learned more about the methodology. The authors tabulated the results then provided the discussion. As the creators of this project, they have a greater insight than anyone on the subject. I would at a minimum have liked to read more of their thoughts on the results, but these are small complaints.
   If you have not seen the book you can cast a silent vote right now for your top note or top ten. Now that you have done that, you will probably not be surprised that the clear favorite of the survey was the "Grand watermelon" ($1000 Series 1890 Silver Certificate). The authors expected it to be number one and I had it number one in the notes for my book. You have to figure that a note with a nickname like that would come in first or to look at it the other way that a note worthy of being first would have a nick name. Indeed, nine of the top ten have nicknames.
   Two pages are devoted to discussing the grand watermelon and each of the top ten notes. Thereafter it is one page per note. This is the meat of the book. Indeed, the book could just as easily have been something like 100 Great Paper Money Stories.
   The two Davids excelled in the preparation of the text to describe the notes. They supplemented the illustrations of the notes and their discussions with additional illustrations (some of these of coins (gasp)). Most ot these are excellent and some are great in both content and quality. They are a highlight of the book. This seems to be an appropriate place to mention the superb quality of book production. It is color throughout and truly excellent. My one complaint is that the book is in a large format 10 x 12 inches. Many people will consider this a feature. Authors (including me) like these large formats, but they are harder to read. They look great on the coffee table, but are difficult to handle curled up in a chair or in an airline torture seat.
   I did not know that the watermelon description of this note could be traced back to an 1891 newspaper story. Perhaps I had read this before, but if I had, I had forgotten it. The entire quotation from the paper is included. From the footnotes at the back of the book I learned this interesting tidbit. The quotation is "From an 1891 clipping, no day date, in a scrapbook compiled in 1891 and 1892 (now owned by Q. David Bowers)." I found many of the notes worth reading.
   Each entry includes a box with "historic Market Values" and "Commentary on Value." This is the work of the valuations editor. This book is not a catalog of values (I like that), but the inclusion of this information is interesting in its own right and is nice balances with the text and graphics. When I was working on my project, I had not thought of anything like this.
   Number two in the survey is the $500 national bank note. It is a good and obvious choice. It was also number two on my list.
   The third note in the survey is Massachusetts Bay Colony 5-shilling notes of December 10, 1690. It is the first government-issue American paper money (according to Eric Newman). Among other interesting (amazing) things that I learned in this entry is that in the 17th century the annual calendar ran from March 25 to March 24. I also learned that the unique example of this note resides in the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts. That is certainly an appropriate city. I wonder if the note is on public display.
   The balance of the top ten are very interesting indeed. Instead of being great rarities they are dominated by relatively common notes and certainly are affordable in circulated grades to most collectors. The one exception is number eight, the "Spread Eagle Note" (Series of 1862 and 1863 $100 Legal Tender note).
   The others are respectively in positions four though ten (except eight): Lazy Deuce ($2 National Bank Note), $5 Educational note (Series of 1896 Silver Certificate), and Bison Note" (Series of 1891 $10 Legal Tender note), $1 "Educational Note (Series of 1896 Silver Certificate," $20 "Technicolor note" (Series of 1905 Gold Certificate, and the "Indian Chief" (Series of 1899 $5 Silver Certificate).
   The other ninety notes include a wide array of interesting and historical notes. The entry on every single one is worth studying, but to me the most interesting (especially for discussion here) are those that might not be obvious choices.
   United States fractional notes get two entries on the list. Interestingly, number 14, the fractional currency shield, is not a note at all, but a virtual collection of notes. Having said, that I think that it is a good choice.
   Four Confederate notes make the list with several of them having nicknames (the Indian Princess and Montgomery notes (two denominations making the list)).
   That vast, amorphous, and ill defined area known as obsolete notes are also included. Numbers 23 and 24 are Santa Clause notes and polar bear notes even though they are more categories than actual notes. Again, I think that they were good choices.
   I was pleased and even a little surprised to see both World War II issues (Hawaii and North Africa) make the top 100. They won their places because of their extraordinary historical reasons for issue.
   These various categories of notes included in the book are the apparent reason for the awkward book title. I offer this criticism with respect because I struggled with this problem in my unversion of this book. If you say United States notes you probably should not include Confederate notes. Colonial and Continental notes would not really fit. "Obsolete" notes would be in doubt too. Even American notes (as chosen) presents some problems. Does American include Canada? Mexico? I do not like the term currency notes, but I understand the problem. Bank notes does not fit because most of the notes selected were not issued by banks under any definition. Many people (unfortunately) would simply say currency but that is a very bad choice because currency is coins and paper money. In most constructions paper money does not work (100 Greatest American Paper Money). Even notes has some problems. Certainly, national bank notes are notes. but are silver and gold certificates notes? In the final analysis, having said that I do not like what we was used, but I do not have a better title.
   I love the book, but I disagree with some of the choices. That is one of the wonderful aspects of books of lists. They are certain to generate discussion if not controversy. I was surprised that no error or star notes made the list. I can understand that they can be excluded as being sort of varieties of other issues, but, still, I think that a token from either or both of these categories could have been included.
   You will probably not be surprised that I think that a military payment certificate should have been on the list. Having said that, I should be prepared to tell you which one. I gave that considerable thought in my work. I considered the unknown replacements and the unique replacements. Of course there is the Series 541 $5 with its attractive design and world record price history. I thought about the unique specimen booklets for Series 541 and 591. I really liked them because they have nicknames ("Comptroller Booklets"). Finally, I decided that the best choice would be the unique specimen and progressive proof set of Series 661. It does not have a widely recognized nickname, but it is still a good choice. I had a brief exchange with Tom Denly on this very subject after drafting this review. He said that he thought that if an MPC were to be included, it should be something like a Series 692 $10 or $20 because they would be very recognizable and would also be collectible. I like his thinking!
   There are other good features good features of the book that I have not mentioned. The formatter is all quite good. You can imagine my surprise at finding my name mentioned. Earning that honor as an old timer (my term) is a double edged honor. The selected bibliography and recap of the top 100 in an appendix are also useful.
   I expect that this will be a very successful book, just as the Garrett-Guth version on coins was. Can it generate more spinoffs like the 100 Greatest World Notes, or even the 100 Greatest National Bank Notes? I doubt it, but I would love to have both of those in my own library.
   If it is not obvious, I highly recommend 100 Greatest American Currency Notes by Q. David Bowers and David Sundman. It was published by Whitman Publishing and should be available wherever numismatic books are sold and even in many book stores at around $30.

1 comments about Lincoln Cents Folder #1, 1909-1940.

1. The nice, lock-in feature prevents your coins from falling out of the folder, while holding them in a nice layout. The only drawback is you cannot see the reverse of the coins when they're in the folder.

No comments about Kennedy Half Dollars Folder 1986-2003 (Official Whitman Coin Folder).

1 comments about Eisenhower - Anthony: Dollars (Official Whitman Coin Folder).

1. Whitman Coin Folders, the industry standard in coin housing, offers another solid coin folder designed to house Eisenhower Dollars from 1971-1978 and Susan B. Anthony Dollars from 1979-1981. Be warned, that the book does not include the latest information on the 1999 release of the Anthony dollars, however, there is space in the book to write them in.

1 comments about So-Called Dollars.

1. So it took 45 years but at long last we have the official second edition of the title 'So-Called Dollars.' So-Called Dollars are roughly defined as silver dollar sized medals that are not issued as trade tokens or storecards; by schools, coin clubs, the military or political organizations/candidates and have been issued in at least one form of metal. The first book was issued in 1963 by Messers. Hibler and Kappen and listed 1000 different medals each assigned it owns HK number. A sort of cult arose around the book with many collectors attempting to either collect the book (all but impossible) or sections of it. The medals cover a wide panoply of subjects and many are available for surprisingly little money. The problem was that the book was never re-issued so that used copies often sold for above one hundred. Four intrepid collectors banded together at the behest of the original publisher and produced this updated version in paperback (a hardbound deluxe edition was also offered to private subscribers). This version is far superior to the original because it has been able to locate and photograph many of the medals not pictured in the original, it has added some of the metallic varieties not listed in the original and it has added and amended a lot of critical information on the medals. This book is definitely the so-called BOMB and you must own it!

2 comments about The Complete Illustrated Guide to Coin Collecting: How to start and build a great collection: the complete companion to world coins from antiquity to the ... cataloguing, buying and selling.

1. This guide is a must for beginning hobbyist to get an overview of why coins are exciting to collect. It belongs in every public library and is a must gift for the new, young, or more advanced collector.



2. I got his for my grandson. It is really a nice way to begin to learn about coins. My brother, which is a long time coin collector said he would like to have one. So this coin book is good for the beginners and the seasoned collectors.