Standard Catalog of German Coins [Paperback]

N. Douglas Nicol (Author), Norman D. Nicol (Author), Colin R., II Bruce (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Standard Catalog of German Coins | Publication Date: December 1998

Information for this book was gathered from more than 20 internationally recognized auction houses (many from within Germany), numismatic institutions and associations, dealers, collectors, and experts. Coins are priced in up to four grades of preservation. Every dynasty, kingdom, republic, duchy, principality, state, city, and province within the German possessions since 1601 is detailed in this easy-to-use guide. Crisp photos of the obverse and reverse of every coin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1132 pages
• Publisher: kp books; 2 edition (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873416449
• ISBN-13: 978-0873416443
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,835,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must-have" book for the collector of German coins!, September 23, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (La Jolla, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1601-Present (Paperback)

Krause Publications has brought under one cover the vast numismatic production of the German cities, states, and colonies from 1600 to date. Every serious collector of German coins needs this book. This book is a real bargain because it eliminates the need for the German coin collector to purchase Krause's regular world coin books that are now broken down into different centuries (this single volume pulls information out of the four volumes that would otherwise be required).

Here are some good points:

1. Collectors of Thalers will be pleased to see Davenport numbers incorporated in their favorite areas.

2. Numerous illustrations aid the collector in identifying unknown coins.

3. Prices appear in at least four grades for each coin.

4. Helpful sections include an "Instant Identifier" with illustrations of various coin designs specific to a particular area, and "Legend Abbreviations" which give the collector a big leg up in identifying coins based on the legends alone.

5. A decent attempt is made at listing Pattern pieces (those coin designs never officially adopted).

Here are a few areas where the book could be better:

1. Prices appear to reflect the American market for German coins which, in many cases, is substantially lower than the German market for the same coins.

2. Some of the States higher in the alphabet (Saxony, for example) seem to be lacking data on the earliest coins.

3. I'd like to see the Pattern section expanded and possibly include the numbers from Schaaf's reference book on this area.

4. Cross-references to Jaeger (the German "Guidebook") would be helpful to our friends across the big pond.

Lest I appear too critical, let me state that the positive impact of this book and the obvious time and effort that went into its production are immensely important. No other reference on German coins comes anywhere close to matching the sheer volume of information contained herein. No other single book opens up the world of German coins like this book does. Thus, whether you're a beginning or an advanced collector, this book should be an essential part of your reference library.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best I've seen, January 2, 2001

By 

Mark J. Maloney (White Bear Lake, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Standard Catalog of German Coins (Paperback)

Unless you speak/read German, this is as good as it gets. Not only is this most comprehensive compilation of relative values of German States issues, but the other information helps with the overall history lesson. This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST for anyone at the German coin beginner/intermediate level of collecting, and I suspect it has become quite useful to the advanced collectors/dealers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Standard Catalog of German Coins, 2nd Edition, December 27, 2009

By 

bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Standard Catalog of German Coins (Paperback)

I sleep with this under my pillow so when I look at the auctions at 2 AM I know what I am looking at.

I collect porcelain Notgeld that this book is useless. However, I also collect German States coins and this book comes in handier than the generic world coins catalogs.

* Over 18,00 photos
* Over 60,000 listing

Featuring:
* Accurate guides for determining intrinsic values and authenticity
* Actual silver weights (ASW)
* Actual gold weights (AGW)
* Actual platinum weights'
* statements of fineness
* Total weight of coins
* Silver and gold bullion values charts

The values may be out of date but with the addition of an online currency converter, you can get a ballpark feel for the price.

There are no color plates but the picture are quite clear.

Each of the German states has a small description of location and history.

The other thing that is missing in this catalog is a description of the person on the coin and what the different symbols represent. I know some from history but must evades me.

German war tokens "Notgeld"