COIN GRADING AND COUNTERFEIT DETECTION - 324 pp, softcover - Grading is one of the most discussed, worried about and argued over aspects of coin collecting. The books that were in print prior to this were great for circulated coins, but offered little help to the collector who wondered if his coin was a MS-65 or MS-66. Now, thanks to PCGS, every collector can become an expert grader. This large format, well illustrated guide will teach you how professional graders evaluate coins. At $29.95 I consider this one of the best buys in the hobby. A must own book for every collector. (RATING 5 of 5)
PAPER MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES 16th edition by Arthur & Ira Friedberg - 340 pp, hardcover - This superbly illustrated book is the bible for U.S. currency collectors. Even the beginning collector can't get by without the Friedberg numbering system, which is the standard used in all auction catalogs, pricelists, et cetera. This book covers Large and Small size US currency, National Banknotes, Fractional notes, Confederate currency, Colonial & Continental notes and Encased Postage Stamps. No numismatic bookshelf is complete without this book. (RATING 5 of 5)
STANDARD CATALOG OF WORLD COINS by Krause - softcover - This four volume set is, as the title states, the standard for world coin collectors. While there is a lot of information that I would like to see added, this is the best book available today. Each volume covers a different century starting with 1601, so if you only collect coins from a certain period, you may only need to buy one volume. Thousands of illustrations add to this books utility. (RATING 4 of 5)ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLITICAL BUTTONS by Ted Hake - softcover - If you are interested in American political buttons, this three volume set is for you. Each volume is about 260 pages long and has about 3000 items illustrated in black and white. A price update was last issued in 1998 and is needed to get the full value from this set. While this set is badly in need of an update, it is the best reference currently available. If you are just starting out, you may only want to purchase volume one which covers 1896-1972. Volume two covers 1920-1972 and volume three covers 1789-1916. An update by Mr. Hake would get this set higher marks, but at this time I can only give it a 3. (RATING 3 of 5)