Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: I quite like this pricey 'ultra' modern resource: here's why
Comment: This book actually rates three stars because it is quite expensive for what you get, but it is still a really excellent resource for those who do one of three things: 1) collect Modern Commemoratives; 2) collect US Mint Bullion Coins; 3) collect Ultra Moderns (I say ultra moderns because until this book's new definition of moderns, traditional coin collectors deem all 20th century coins 'moderns'. This one begins the count from the year 1965; although interestingly it includes the Proofs, which for this particular time sequence is very important. This book is good in the sense that the Forward really makes one excited about collecting these ultras where it discusses the genre and explains that this is a legitimate area of collecting interest where one can build a substantial collection rapidly and for a relatively small cost. In this day and age of inflated coin prices for some of the rarer and more desirable coins amongst even the traditional moderns, there has to be a niche for new comers, kids, etc. and this niche is it. It is also good in the sense that it give census numbers of these coins as graded by NGC and explains how one should extrapolate certain of these numbers (for instance, that there is a great number of MS 68 Silver Eagles that go unslabbed because of the high minimum grade reqt. of submitters). The reviewer below protested that this count is too narrow, but the point is that this is a book as published by NGC and doesn't purport to have the entire census universe numbers contained in it. This is still nice because most coin collectors, such as myself, will subscribe to just one or two services and so will have access to those companies' census counts but not others. So, while I have PCGS' pop. reports and ltd. access to ICG's, this NGC count is a handy reference for me. I was especially pleased about two aspects of this book's layout. The biggest one was the 'Rarities and Notable Varieties' notes section in which the 'key' coins are highlighted. For instance, I collect Jeffersons but was not aware of the special, so-called 'specimen' coins minted in 1994 and 1997, both of which I will now look out for. The other nice thing is the 'NGC Quick Tip' which warns the reader of certain quirks that one should look out for, for instance scraping on the Eisenhower Dollar on Eagle Feathers and Obverse, just as a coincidence, I had set aside a large number of these recently wondering what was up with this. In future, I will focus in on those areas before making a purchase. Finally, this book is the only handy reference I know that devotes an entire section complete with pictures of all of the Modern Commemoratives to date. This latter sub-section of coins is one that may yet emerge as an important branch of American Numismatics. For those of you who wish to get a head start, this is a good resource to turn to for now. Oh, and finally, finally, for the very first time in a coin book an entire section is devoted to the Bullion coins that have been issued by the Mint and this area too is becoming ever more popular, and is one that I believe will get ever stronger in years to come (even stronger, in my opinion, than the Modern Commmemorative genre). Anyway, even though this book is spendy when new, I can recommend getting it, possibly discounted, if you have an interest in any of the areas above that I have mentioned.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Misleading Title
Comment: The thing that troubles me most about this book is that it's description leads the prospective reader to believe that it is about grading coins. It is not. The book description implies that it provides a grade-dependent population census of modern coins. It does not (imho). The description implies that the book provides tendencies in the appearances of various coins. This it does do to a degree (These paragraphs in the book are the source of the two lonely stars characterizing my review) .
There is but one page in this entire book on grading - even then just definitions. (I don't count the advertisements that tout the care with which the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) "objectively" grades and certifies coins (conveniently, NGC is one of the publishers of the book). There are neither examples nor guidelines to DIY grading of coins.
Then there is the census. The population numbers provided in the book consist only of those coins certified by the NGC, and the NGC alone. The census does not include coins certified by other third party grading agencies such as PCGS, ICG or ANACS. Furthermore, the book also does not acknowledge that most purchases of modern commemorative coins, mint sets and proof sets do not get certified. So what, you say? The point, I believe, of providing a grade-dependent census is to establish the relative rarity of a given coin at a given grade. As rarity and grade together are the dominant determiners of value, an NGC-only census is of no value.
The truly sad thing is that the topic of the bulk of material in the book would be warmly welcomed by the numismatic community - both beginners and advanced collectors -- if done well. This book deserves a second edition, maybe not the same authors or same publisher (no conflict of interest there!) to create a reference book on modern coins that actually has utility to coin collectors. The genius in marketing at NGC who thought it would be a good idea to push out a less than mediocre book allegedly on grading modern coins just leads me to recommend the VASTLY superior book on grading coins put out by PCGS - their biggest competitor! Doh!
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