The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection: Professional Coin Grading Service

Not long ago was estimated that half of all coins sold and traded at coin shows, coin dealers, and in private hands where altered or counterfeits. Knoweledge is the best way to avoid loosing your money when your coins submited for grading are returned in "bodybags". Created and updated by PCGS is undoubtedly one of the best coin grading and counterfeit detection books ever written. Though there are many good choices nowadays The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection Edition, Edition #2 (Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection) still the best reference book for learning about coin grading and altered coins & numismatic counterfeiting by a long shot! Get it, read it, use it.

Please note: This book was released only last month so I'm not sure how relevant the reviews below are. I bought this at ANA's unveiling and must say that I believe that if you are going to buy one and only one book on US coins, this is the one that you must buy. It is great because it is chockablock full of utterly usable and vital information on all of the things that you are interested in when it comes to grading coins and indeed in determining whether you are dealing with true coin of the realm or a counterfeit. What makes this particular edition particularly cogent is its section on the State Quarters with photos to help with grading states MS-60 and above. This book also has an excellent section on Commemoratives which is a big help. Not all of the photographic plates are in color which is a shame because the black and whites are of absolutely no use when used to demonstrate the difference between an MS-67, and MS-66 and an MS-65: the photos are just not intense enough for one to really be able to see the flaws the editors are attempting to point out. There are color pictures which are a great help in making this comparison but they are reserved, predictably, for high end gold coins. My major beef with this and indeed all coin books to date is that the lowly, unloved Jefferson Nickel gets short shrift. Yep, barely two pages of commentary and no really great photographic grading aids. This is an especially jarring ommission in light of the newly released so-called Peace Nickel which, ironically, was launched at the same time as this book. Anyway, but for the grainy black and whites and the unforgivable nickel ommission, this book rates Five Stars. Buy it in any event.

This book gives an excellent overview of the coin grading and the attempts to artificially alter coins to enhance their apparent value. The book is organized in essay format, with good flow between chapters. Numerous diagrams make this an easy read. As might be expected in a general work, some aspects of the work deserve a more complete treatment than they receive here. This is a good read, and a worthwhile introduction. I am not a "coin person", but I found this quite diverting.

There is more knowledge packed in this book than any 10 coin books combined. I now know the standards involved in Mint State grading, although the average collector like myself should understand that you probably won't be able to sit down after reading this book and tell the difference between an MS-64 and an MS-65 if you couldn't before. Still, I am much more comfortable now in all stages of grading, and much more confident when buying and selling coins. The counterfeit detection part is probably not relevant to the average collector, but it is interesting information that adds to your knowledge of the hobby and the enjoyment of collecting.

I have worked in the coin industry for a number of years and have dealt with most of the big dealers. I thought I knew a lot about coins going in and I still can't believe everything that I learned. Everyone who even thinks about buying a coin HAS to read this book. The clear language explainations and numerous pictures make this book very easy to understand. I can't say enough about it.