How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into six parts that provide you with a concise introduction and overview, involve you in starting your collection, and take you deeper and deeper into the world of numismatics. Each chapter is designed to stand on its own, so you can start reading wherever you choose and jump from chapter to chapter with ease.
Part I: Making Heads and Tails out of Coin Collecting
Don’t be intimidated by the word numismatics — it’s just a big word for the study of coins, the first stop in coin collecting. In this part, we give you plenty of reasons to fall in love with coin collecting. We also stress the importance of doing your homework before you jump in with both feet, and we steer you into some areas in which you want to become knowledgeable about coins. Finally, we show you how to store coins properly so that you and future generations can enjoy them to their fullest.
Part II: Ancient to Present Day: Choosing Coins for Your Collection
Coins have been made for thousands of years by hundreds of different countries, so you have a lot to work with. Where to start? What to collect? This part takes a look at ancient coins, U.S. coins, world coins, and the wild and wooly stuff that will really get your numismatic juices pumping. After you’ve read these chapters, you’ll have a good idea of what you want to collect.
Part III: Focusing on U.S. Coins
The United States has a rich and varied numismatic history that includes some of the greatest coins in the world. In this part, we present more than just a peek at most of them. Our goal in these chapters is to present you with choices and then let you decide which ones are for you.
Part IV: Buying Coins the Safe Way
You buy coins with the money left over after paying all your living expenses, so make those purchases count. That can be difficult because it’s a jungle out there! In this part, we alert you to some of the scams that less-than-reputable dealers use to separate you from your hard-earned money. We discuss the various numismatic price guides that help you value your collection and buy and sell coins. We also introduce you to the bane of coin collecting — counterfeit and altered coins — and show you why not to fear them. Where you buy your coins can be just as important as what coins you buy, so this part presents an in-depth look at working with dealers and buying coins at auction. A coin’s condition (known as its grade) is the single most important factor affecting its value. Learning to grade coins takes time, patience, and practice. In this part, we introduce you to some of the concepts behind grading, explain how to learn to grade coins, and show you how to use third-party grading services to your benefit.
Part V: Selling Coins and Minding the Law
You can’t take your coins with you when you die. So what’s the best way to sell them before you do? In this part, we present the three main options: selling your collection by yourself, selling to or through a dealer, and selling at auction. Each method has its pros and cons, all of which are outlined here. We also cover legal issues surrounding coin collecting — everything from using coins as an investment to paying taxes.
Part VI: The Part of Tens
Our editors said to have fun with this part — so we did! In this part, you meet the ten most valuable U.S. coins (wait until you see the prices), our ten favorite coin designs (what a bevy of beauties), and ten ways to get your kids involved in coin collecting.
