The Coin Collector's Survival Manual, 6th Edition [Paperback]

Scott A. Travers (Author)

Book Description

Series: Coin Collector's Survival Manual | Publication Date: October 14, 2008

Revised and Updated

From one of the world’s most knowledgeable coin dealers–a former consultant to the Federal Trade Commission who is often quoted by the Wall Street Journal–comes a thorough update of the most-trusted consumer protection handbook to buying and selling rare and valuable coins. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and a full-color insert, The Coin Collector’s Survival Manual is indispensable for seasoned collectors and novices alike.

This substantially revised edition of the Coin Collector’s Survival Manual includes new chapters that focus on legal and financial advice for buying and selling coins, and a section on the newest coin grading service, the Certified Acceptance Corporation, and how it will change the landscape of coin grading for investors.

You will learn how to:
• Understand coin grading systems
• Detect altered, counterfeit, and doctored coins
• Know when to buy and sell–and when not to
• Buy coins through Internet auctions–and avoid the pitfalls
• Safeguard and protect your coins from disaster

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott Travers, former vice president of the American Numismatic Association, was called the “preeminent consumer advocate in the numismatic field” by The New York Times. He is a contributor to all the leading coin publications and served as a coin valuation consultant to the Federal Trade Commission. He has been featured as a coin expert in Barron’s, Business Week, The WSJ, and MSNBC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: House of Collectibles; 6 Original edition (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375723056
• ISBN-13: 978-0375723056
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #757,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well balanced, June 26, 2001

By 

Robert Gonzalez (SoCal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coin Collector's Survival Manual (Paperback)

Travers does a great job of bringing balance to this book. It includes everything from what kind of magnafying glass to buy, to buying rare gold and all things in between. I felt the most helpful sections were the detailed write-ups on grading (different services, methods, and evolution of) and how to spot artificial toning, counterfitting, and doctoring/cleaning. It also explains how not to get ripped off at coin shows and by con-artist dealers. I would recommend this for beginners, as well as intermediate coin collectors.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A solid reference for the more serious collector, December 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Coin Collector's Survival Manual (Paperback)

Scott Traver's has written a number of highly useful texts on coin collecting. His latest edition of the "Survival Manual" is no exception. It contains information on a variety of topics to help the collector make wise purchases and avoid being cheated. There is a heavy emphasis on grading and detecting counterfit coins and some extremely useful tips about ordering coins on the Internet and via mail order. This book gets a bit technical -- so truly beginning or novice collectors may find it a bit more complicated than they might be comfortable with. But anyone who does or is contemplating making any substantive investment in coins should read this text carefully. Overall, an excellent book and a fairly interesting read. A great gift for any serious coin collector !

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't expect too much from this helpful, easy read!, July 12, 2003

By 

Mendicant Pigeon "Mendicant Pigeon" (pdx, or United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Coin Collector's Survival Manual: An Indispensable Guide for Collectors and Investors (Paperback)

I've decided to add my, ahem, two cents worth, on this book because I have just finished reading another book by the same author titled 'How to make money in coins right now.' I resisted buying the latter because I suspected, rightfully as it turns out, that there would not be much new information contained in it; Mr. Travers has a tendency to rehash a lot of his admittedly valuable and well-reasoned information advice. This book covers a lot of ground, per the reviews below, much of it essential. The single most valuable section, to my mind, is the in-depth discussion of coin grades as used by the professionals, and a discussion of recent changes made in grading standards. Also helpful is the section discussing ways to spot coins that may not be as good as the 'look,' and why (toning, doctoring, cleaning, etc.). I definitely can recommend this book as a stand alone purchase but would steer the interested buyer to another of Mr. Travers' books titled 'How to make money in coins right now.' I say this only because each book covers a lot of the same ground but the other contains information crucial to the 'value' question that every coin collector has at the back of his mind. Either will do, however, I just don't recommend purchasing both: One or the other and spend the money you don't spend on a nice collectible coin.