The Gold Book: A Guide to Commonly Traded Gold Bullion Coins and Bars [Paperback]

M. A. Olsen (Author), Alison Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992

The Gold Book came into being in response to our customer's most frequently asked questions regarding gold bullion coins.

It is a comprehensive, authoritative gold guide for professional and novice alike. It follows a systematic, easy to follow format in its description of more than 100 popular gold issues. Life-sized pictures of both the obverse and reverse of most coins appear on the outer edges of each page to assist readers in quickly identifying a particular gold bullion piece.

Included in the specifications of each coin are the following: Total Weight, Purity, Gold Content, Fineness, Diameter, Thickness, Edge, Mint, Strike, whether or not the piece is Legal Tender, the Mintage Period, and the Designer (when available). There are also descriptions of the designs which appear on the obverse and the reverse of each piece.

Six appendicies appear in the back of the book. They list the coins included in the book in a variety of ways. For instance, one appendix lists the coins by diameter and thickness which is very helpful to jewelers who make coin jewelry. Another lists the coins by purity. A third by gold content which is very useful for those wanting to compare the gold content of one coin with that of another. A fourth lists the coins by total weight. The others list the coins by country. The Gold Book is intended for use by appraisers, attorneys, bankers, coin dealers, investors, jewelers and anyone else buying, selling, appraising, inheriting, or accepting gold as collateral. It answers many common questions about gold coins and bars.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...Olsen and Matthews intended this book for use by anyone with a need to determine the identity and value of gold bullion an coins and have succeeded. ...the generalist appraiser can have the first step in identification of numismatic materi9al. As with most speciality materials, this information won't make you an expert overnight, but it can certainly help warn you when its time to call one in. with all of the possibilities for encountering numismatic materials in estate and insurance appraisals, The Gold Book is a must for every appraiser's tool kit. -- Terry R. King, ASA , Personal Property Journal,

...The 128 page soft-cover book is formatted in 5 .5-by-8.5 inch size with more than 230 black-and-white photographs. It lists both legal tender and non-legal tender coins of 21 countries which are mostly traded for bullion value. The book also lists bullion bars and "rounds" of three precious metal trading firms. Information includes the precious metal content, dates of mintage, purity, and fineness, Mint, designer and legal tender status. There is no designation of any rare dates in the various series. There are appendixes listing coins by country, diameter, gold content, purity, and by weight. There is a glossary of terms and a chart of weights, chart of gold prices per year, conversion table and measures pertaining to gold. -- Coin World The News Weekly for the Entire Numismatic Field. Volume 33, Issue 1674. May 11, 1992

More than 100 commonly traded gold bullion coins and bars are listed in The Gold Book (ANA Library Cat. No. CC63.O3) by M.A. Olsen and Alison Matthews. The guidebook follows a simple format that is intended for use by appraisers, attorneys, bankers, coin dealers, investorsm and jewelers. Included for each coinage issue are specifications, actual-size photographs and descriptions. Six appendixes - listing coins by diameter, thickness, actual gold content, total weight, purity and country of issue - plus a glossary and tables of equivalents and fineness make comparison and identification of issues easier. The 128 page, softbound book is conveniently sized at 51/2 x 81/2 inches. -- Bookmarks, The Numismatist, Volume 105, Number 6, June 1992

The Gold Book - A Guide to Commonly Treaded Gold Bullion Coins and Bars, by M.A. Olsen and Alison Matthews. The Colorado authors have pieced together a manual of collectible investment-grade gold coins and bars. -- Business News, The Denver Post, Saturday April 4, 1992

The Gold Book...simply stated is a comprehensive, authoritative gold bullion guide for the professional and novice which follows a simple and systematic format. This format allows the reader to locate comparable information by quickly flipping from page to page. In addition, the six appendicies sort identical information for display in a different way: by weight, gold content, purity, diameter, country and fineness. ...Chester West, a well know numismatist states "I can't imagine that every dealer, collector, or investor in the country could resist buying this work, in as much as, the first use on the firing line will more than pay the modest cost." -- Linda Bumgardner, Publisher of Grey's Guide, 1992

This detailed, illustrated guide to gold coins and bars serves those interested in these objects for their trading rather than their numismatic value. It provides a range of information for more than 80 gold coins issued by 20 countries and approximately 20 bullion bars. A brief introduction gives some useful background information about buying and selling such items and discusses other factors that may influence their value. The main section of the book is a country-by-country listing that illustrates and describes each of the coins. Thisi is followed by a short list of bars arranged by commercial firm of issuance. A series of six appendicixes provides additional listing by characteristics that are of particular interest to traders... -- Norman D. Stevens, American Reference Books Annual, 1993

This work is a handy guide to the common bullion gold coins sold in today's market. All coins listed are illustrated, and they are fully described as to size, weight, gold content, and legal tender status. Other information is also given such as the identity of the designer, when this is known. The contents are summarized in handy appendices at the back of the book... This work is a handy reference for the gold collector and for the investor, and it is of a size that us easily handled by individuals, and stored in the average bookcase...the authors have produced a very fine handy guide to available modern gold coins worthy of a place in any collector's library. -- Jerry Remick, The Canadian Numismatic Journal Volume 37, Number 7, July/August 1992

From the Publisher

This book has been a good seller for us. It contains information very helpful to those interested in buying or selling gold bullion coins and bars. We view it as a consumer guide because it provides information that enables the reader to make informed gold bullion transactions. Armed with the information in this book, people are able to speak with confidence to both coin dealers and their peers about a subject that seemed to be cloaked in mystery not too terribly long ago. Some testimonials we have received are "I have found the "Gold Book" to be an interesting and valuable resource" and "Don't buy gold without buying this book first!"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 117 pages
• Publisher: Westminster Pub Co (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963049844
• ISBN-13: 978-0963049841
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #508,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)