Customer Reviews

2009 Standard Catalog Of World Coins 2001-Date (Standard Catalog)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was looking forward to this book so I could reference the latest issues of a number of countries. Unfortunately, there are very few listings that aren't covered in the 2005 edition of Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-present. In addition, the lack of pictures of more modern issues is disturbing. There are abundant pictures of the outrageously excessive issues of the Isle of Man crowns; however, more important pictures of new issues from Thailand are not included. Unless you read Thai, the descriptions are useless and you can't easily reference your coins. Also, it is surprising the number of countries not listed past 2002 or 2003. If this is a 2007 edition, one might think that it would be comprehensive at least up to 2005. I would recommend waiting for later editions that will hopefully be better researched and more comprehensive. This is just a cheap attempt to make more money by re-packaging information available in earlier editions.

With every passing year the edition of a separate 21st century coin catalog becomes more justified. Any coin collector can easily list a number of countries which do their best to fill the volume with products of their mints and national banks. China and France alone add at least two to four pages yearly, Russia and Poland are not far behind. It does make sense to produce this catalog and yet there are doubts.
The 2009 edition brings another selection of new commemoratives plus a handful of fairly interesting regular coins but somehow I am still unconvinced that there were credible reasons for splitting the 1900+ volume into two - the 20th and the 21st century (apart from making more money on collectors ;) If you could remove "patterns etc." sections - most of which interest less than a hundred people all around the world - the 20th and the 21st century catalogs could still easily be produced as a single volume.
The volume seems to have become too big to handle for its editors. Several times the same coins are listed twice (Bangladesh 2 taka is the first to come to mind) with minute differences in descriptions as if there were differences between two coins. It seems nobody had the strength to edit the whole volume carefully...
In short - if you are seriously interested in commemorative world issues, this is your book. You simply must buy it as the only other choice is checking various internet sites. Yet if your interests are more moderate getting a new edition every two or three years should be enough.

The first two editions of this catalog received less than favorable reviews, so I waited until the third edition to buy one hoping that the bugs would be worked out. The listings for most countries are more current in that coins up into 2007 are included, which is reasonable for a 2009 edition that had to be printed in early 2008 or earlier. Older editions often were three to five years behind. On the down side, the catalog still includes major problems: LARGE numbers of coins for most countries are listed without pictures (80% or more for some smaller countries), some catalog numbers are different than those in earlier editions, some coin descriptions do not match the coins pictured (which is correct, the description or the picture???), some descriptions do not list the subject of the coin (especially a problems with some poor pictures), some coins are listed more than once with different catalog numbers (if all coins had pictures, this problem would be more obvious). The listed coin values are a mixed bag. Most of the values for newer commemoratives look like full retail as issued by the mints or their distributors. Values for coins from countries that are hot right now are a joke, but predicting market swings is beyond the scope of any catalog. Use the values as guides to approximate values and not the actual values.

With all the problems, this catalog (and the others in the series) remain the most comprehensive source of information available on world coins. The specialty collector can find better catalogs--usually at much higher prices. The more general collector or novice should use this catalog, if for no other reason than using the catalog numbers for record keeping and communicating with other collectors or dealers. The publisher could do a great service to the hobby by fixing the problems, especially adding pictures for ALL of the coins.

I was planning to buy the new edition of World Coins 2001-Date when it comes out. Fortunately, I found a remaindered copy of the 2009 edition for $5. It was overpriced. More than 1/3 of the 2001-2005 coins I looked up were not there. Some of the country listings, like Colombia, were a complete joke. I won't purchase any of the newer books in this series until I can actually see one with the omissions corrected.

So here we go again... The second edition of a largely unnecessary book (if Krause could drop the "patterns, pieforts etc." sections in the 20th century volume, the two volumes would fit perfectly in one) which seems quite dated the very moment it is published - only in case of some countries you get issues up to 2005. The policy of dating the catalogue "for the coming year" makes the gap even more painfully visible.
At the same time the second edition does not fill blank spaces left in the first one. Let me give you just one example - Belarus, a country which issues only commemorative coins in moderate mintages but an impressive number. Let's look up the most popular denomination - copper-nickel 1 rouble. 2001 - 2 out of 4 are missing, 2002 - 4 out of 5, 2003 - listing complete, 2004 - 5 out of 10 missing, 2005 - 1 out of 10, and that is the end. Nothing from 2006 and 2007. You don't believe me? Don't take my word for it, check the website of the National Bank of Belarus. It is in English. The editors apparently did not.
That's the catch - most of the information this catalog is missing is readily available on the Internet. Updating the catalogue would take a week at most and that would include looking up current coin prices on eBay. Because the prices are just as dated as the rest, they don't take into consideration the rise of silver and gold and the fall of the dollar in relation to other currencies.
However, so far no one has done it better and that is the saddest part. So if you don't have the week to browse the Internet, and want information on recently issued coins in a reasonably handy volume, go ahead and buy it. Just remember that the editors did not have the week as well, and you, at some point, will have to do their research anyway.

It is sad they split up the giant edition but it was inevitable. The combined edition was just too big.

The problem with this one is that it is too expensive for so little. Many dates even countries are missing when I know for a fact that modern coins were made since 2001.
Mintages that have been missing from these books for years still are not in this edition. What a shame.

El libro, ha sido útil, Aunque Omite Algunas monedas de Paises que se emitieron en el año 2007, Aun así es una buena hora para quienes nos gusta la numismática. Estoy satisfecho.

This animal is good for pointing out many coins that may be missed in the smaller magazines and at trade shows. However, it is a catalog, about the size of a phone book and with so few advertisers that they are negligible.

There are no fancy color pictures just coins and lots of them divided into countries; so many coins that it can make your head spin if you are not searching for a particular theme. The shallow part of the book is the depth of time.

This version contains the Euro and it may not be ancient coins or Notgeld but the designs are innovative and affordable. Collect them now while they are at face value. In the years to come they will be of value and sentimental value to your offspring.

I know the book is a tad expensive but it is worth adding to the collection or catalogs on earlier eras.

Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900 (Standard Catalog of World Coins 19th Century Edition 1801-1900)

World Notgeld, 1914-1947: A Guide & Checklist and Other Local Issue Emergency Money

This animal is good for pointing out many coins that may be missed in the smaller magazines and at trade shows. However, it is a catalog, about the size of a phone book and with so few advertisers that they are negligible.

There are no fancy color pictures just coins and lots of them divided into countries; so many coins that it can make your head spin if you are not searching for a particular theme. The shallow part of the book is the depth of time.

This version contains the Euro and it may not be ancient coins or Notgeld but the designs are innovative and affordable. Collect them now while they are at face value. In the years to come they will be of value and sentimental value to your offspring.

I know the book is a tad expensive but it is worth adding to the collection or catalogs on earlier eras.

Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900 (Standard Catalog of World Coins 19th Century Edition 1801-1900)

World Notgeld, 1914-1947: A Guide & Checklist and Other Local Issue Emergency Money

The fourth and last installment in the collection. Unfortunately is the one that has the least value for your money as you will need to buy a new copy every few years.

Still it ius a must for any serious coin collector.