Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part 1: Making Heads and Tails out of Coin Collecting 5
Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Coin Collecting 7
Chapter 2: Understanding Numismatics 15
Chapter 3: Arming Yourself with Knowledge 27
Chapter 4: Storing Your Collection Correctly 41
Part 2: Ancient to Present Day: Choosing Coins for Your Collection 59
Chapter 5: Showing Their True Age: Ancient Coins 61
Chapter 6: Making a Safe Bet with U.S. Coins 67
Chapter 7: Globetrotting with World Coins 71
Chapter 8: Exploring the Wild Side with Rare, Expensive, and Esoteric Coins 77
Part 3: Focusing on U.S. Coins 87
Chapter 9: Colonial Coins: America’s Ancients 89
Chapter 10: Copper and Nickel Coins: Made for the Masses 105
Chapter 11: Silver Coins: Keeping Commerce Alive 127
Chapter 12: Gold Coins: Concentrated Wealth 159
Chapter 13: Commemoratives: Raising Money with Money 179
Chapter 14: Advancing to Oddball Coins 191
Part 4: Buying and Selling Coins the Safe Way 201
Chapter 15: Wheeling and Dealers 203
Chapter 16: Grading and Authenticity, Rarity, and the Establishment of Value 213
Chapter 17: Foiling the Fakes 229
Chapter 18: Grading with the Pros 247
Chapter 19: Selling Your Coins Yourself 257
Chapter 20: Going Once, Going Twice: Buying at Auction 271
Chapter 21: The Coin Auction Arena 283
Chapter 22: Coin Investments, Taxes, and the Law 293
Part 5: The Part of Tens 299
Chapter 23: The Ten Most Valuable U.S. Coins 301
Chapter 24: Ten Favorite U.S. Coin Designs 311
Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Coin Collecting 317
Glossary 323
Index 331