Customer Rating: 
Summary: It's official so you must have it, obviously, but for what?
Comment: This book contains the official grading standards of the ANA so obviously it is a must own for people who wish to grade within the standards of the ANA. I mean, that is why I purchased the thing but you know what?, I found that I didn't really need it...at least not this edition of it. This is because the ANA is the, ahem, gold standard when it comes to grading coins so practically any current book that you buy concerning the grading of coins will use this information as the baseline. Thus, you can buy books on the hobby that may focus on a topic more exciting to one and which are interesting reads as well, but which nevertheless will refer to the standards elucidated here as the starting point of any discussion of coin grade. What I am saying is that the information contained here is critical to establishing a coin grade so you probably already know what you need to know about these standards from other coins books you have read which purport to help you to establish grade bcause they use this book as a jumping off point. So, use this book as a reference manual, especially if you want to become a professional grader and all the while hope that the ANA comes out with an easier to read and more useful edition soon. Either that or read the other books out there by well-respected coin experts who use these standards and help you "how to use" the standards laid down in this book. The reason that I'd rely upon experts who write books on the hobby for such guidance is that they understand what makes one coin more desirable than another even though each ostensibly meet the objective standards contained in this book, and they tell you how they know and try to instruct you how to do the same. The best way that I can demonstrate what I am talking about is that I bought a coin on ebay that was slabbed by NGC to be a 1938 D/S buffalo nickel. I returned the coin to seller because the '8' in '1938' had been sheared off at the mint. Yet, this coin was in MS-65 condition according to the standards laid down in this book. Get my point?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Indispensible Guide
Comment: How many times have you heard a dealer say, "shine it up and it'll be BU?" If you're like me, you've seen the questionable grading standards of some dealers. Having a guide like this is absolutely essential if you're going to be spending money on coins. Being able to grade coins well is as essential to the hobby as buying the coin.This guide has more information that simply what to look for in grading coinage. It has information on the history of the hobby, how to detect cleaning and other alterations, what the key areas are to look for in coins, and some other useful articles.
Grading coins is both art and science and you'll find even experts grading the same coin differently. But with a book like this you can have a basis of comparison. The only thing I wish the book had is more color photography of each grade/coin. But that's what the book Photograde is for...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Comment: This book is one of the finest if not the very best tool avaliable today, not only to collectors but dealers as well. I strognly reccomed the purcahse and use of this book. Keeping in mind that you must pay close attention to the details for accurate grading.
