Coin Collecting for Dummies

by Neil S. Berman

Covers the essentials of coin collecting at an affordable price

Spend wisely - and then keep your collection in mint condition

Can't make heads or tails of numismatics? Welcome to a treasure-trove of information on numismatics - or rather, coin collecting. This hands-on guide escorts you through the world's oldest hobby, covering topics such as how to decide which coins to collect, ways to protect them, buying andselling on the Internet, attending coin shows, to assembling and diversifying your collection.

Discover how to:

Store your collection correctly

Understand how age affects value

Locate rare and expensive coins

Get savvy with avoiding fakes

Get kids or loved ones involved

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2001

About the author

Neil S. Berman has been an expert numismatist and professional rare coin dealer since 1968. Coming back to the United States from Israel at the end of 1967, he apprenticed to the world-renowned Dutch numismatist and coin auctioneer Hans M. F. Schulman. He incorporated as Neil S. Berman, Inc., in 1968. In 1974, Neil became an associate of Metropolitan Rare Coin Company of New York. For the next several years, he represented Arthur and Donald Kagin of Des Moines, Iowa, then the largest coin dealer in the Midwest, as a purchasing agent. Later he represented Superior Galleries under the Goldbergs, also as a purchasing agent. In 1979, Neil, with his brother Jed, founded First Federal Coin Company, the first East Coast coin company to sell rare coins into IRA, Keogh, and pension plans. From 1983 until 1990, he was the purchasing agent for Asset Services, Inc., the largest coin company serving the financial community. Neil donated his large collection of German and Swiss silver minor coins to the American Numismatic Society (ANS) in 1989. In 1997, he received the American Numismatic Association (ANA) Service Award from ANA President David Ganz. In 2005 and 2006, he was associated again with Superior Galleries of Beverly Hills, this time under the ownership of numismatist Silvano DiGenova.
Neil catalogued the U.S. gold in the 1977 Kagin’s ANA Coin Auction Sale, the first New York coin auction sale in 1981 of Spink and Sons, England’s oldest and largest coin dealer, and a coin auction sale by Superior Rare Coin Galleries of Beverly Hills in 2006.
Neil has been published in Barron’s, Trusts & Estates, The National Law Journal, The Financial Planner, Pensions World, and Executive Jeweler. In 1987, he wrote, with Hans Schulman, The Investor’s Guide to United States Coins, which sold 40,000 copies and received a Numismatic Literary Guild award for Best Investment Book. In 2007, he wrote the second edition of the book with Silvano DiGenova. Neil has just completed a book on rare coin auctions.

Source: Dummies Store

Reviews

[Bernie4444 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone has to start somewhere

Usually, the “for dummies book” like a children’s book will give you fundamentals to get off the ground on a subject. However, this book is too fundamental and too broad, and too narrow at the same time. Not that it does not contain helpful information, however right from the beginning I could find no mention of Notgeld or any porcelain coins. Neither of the references addresses the subject. This leads me to believe that other vertical collection markets are not being addressed or even mentioned in this book.

The Author Ron Guth, however, is an expert and collector in many fields of coins that are not reflected in this book. I bought some Notgeld from him.

[Merlin Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for learning about the basics!

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep, it's a book about collecting coins, mostly US coins.

[Matt Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview for a great hobby.

I was looking for a way into this hobby, having once collected wines as a kid. This was the perfect book to fit my needs. A great overview, with just enough information to get you started on your particular journey. As many have said, this is a “big tent hobby” with some thing for everybody. A guidebook such as this will certainly help you decide how you would like to approach the hobby. Packed with lots of interesting facts, clear warnings for the beginning collector, and even some humor sprinkled throughout. Highly recommend.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, full of interesting information which is highly beneficial to anyone interested in collecting coins. It will be of especial interest to beginning coin collectors and casual coin collectors, as much of the information is fairly basic. But there is still a lot here that even a seasoned collector can sink his teeth into. I found the pictures and descriptions of coins, especially the rare ones, of particular interest.

[Brent Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun book, and again, a break from the books I normally read. As advertised, it is excellent for beginners. Just fyi, the emphasis in coin collecting (and thus the emphasis in this book) is US coins rather than coins from ancient Rome or the like (though the book has sections dedicated to those other interests as well).

[Eye Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really informative for beginners like me. A good starting point & foundation for coins.

[Danmcgohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative! Photographs galore to illustrate topic. Very little real technical discourse. Will use often for reference.

[Ben Kellermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t make heads or tails out of coin collecting? You need Coin Collecting For Dummies, 2nd Edition, the treasure trove on information on numismatics. This hands-on guide escorts you through the world’s oldest hobby, helping you decide which type of coins you want to collect, keep your collection in mint condition, buy and sell coins on the Internet, find interesting coin shows to attend, and assemble and diversify a great collection.

The purpose of this fun, easy-to-access guide is to turn you into a world-class coin collector in as little time as possible. You’ll learn what coins can teach you about history and geography, develop organizational and observational skills, and learn to use analytical tools, all without event thinking about it. And you’ll learn the basics about ancient coins, U.S. coins, world coins, and the wild-and-wooly stuff that really gets your numismatic juices flowing. Discover how to:

Start your collection correctly
Evaluate coins using age, condition, rarity, and more
Buy interesting coins without breaking the bank
Locate rare and expensive coins
Get savvy about avoiding fakes
Get the whole family involved in your collection
Develop a buying strategy
Clean and handle coins safely
Keep your collection secure at home and on the road
Investigate tokens, medals, and miscellaneous coins
Create complete collections of copper, nickel, silver, or gold U.S. coins

When it comes to numismatics, Coin Collecting For Dummies, 2nd Edition is right on the money!

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