The Coin Collector's Survival Manual: An Indispensable Guide for Collectors and Investors [Paperback]

Scott A. Travers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996

The Coin Collector's Survival Manual has been called "one of the most important coin books ever written" by The New York Times and has sold more than 80,000 copies. It has received four awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG), including "Book of the Year", and was the only work ever to receive NLG's "Best Consumer Protection Book" award. Now revised to offer the most up-to-date information available.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott A. Travers ranks as one of the most knowledgeable and influential coin dealers in the world. His name is familiar to readers everywhere as the author of six bestselling books on coins: One-Minute Coin Expert, How to Make Money in Coins Right Now, Travers' Rare Coin Investment Strategy, Scott Travers' Top 88 Coins Over $100, The Insider's Guide to U.S. Coin Values, and The Investor's Guide to Coin Trading, and the forthcoming Coin Collector's Survival Manual. All of them have won awards from the prestigious Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG). In 2002, NLG awarded him its highest bestowable honor, the lifetime achievement Clemy. He was elected vice president (1997-1999) of the American Numismatic Association, a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization. He is contributing editor to COINage magazine and a regular contributor to other numismatic periodicals, and has served as a coin valuation consultant to the Federal Trade Commission. His opinions as an expert are often sought by publications such as Barron's, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal. A frequent guest on radio and television programs, Scott Travers has won awards and gained an impressive reputation not only as a coin expert but also as a forceful consumer advocate for the coin-buying public. He serves as numismatic advisor to a number of major investment funds and has coordinated the liquidation of numerous important coin collections. He is president of Scott Travers Rare Coin Galleries, LLC, in New York City. Please visit him online at www.pocketchangelottery.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Bonus Books; 3rd Rev edition (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566250617
• ISBN-13: 978-1566250610
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,665,908 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.