Customer Rating: 
Summary: Interesting read
Comment: Learn something every day. Love that maxim!! This book gives you the complete picture, well worth the money.
Dennis Skea
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good book but maybe not what you expect.
Comment: I enjoy reading Mr.Salyes' books and this one is no exception. He easily one of the best current numismatic authors. This work does a great job of covering the types of counterfeits along with their history and an overview of how they are created. It is a very good book for anyone beginning to collect ancient coins. One thing the book is not is a catalog of counterfeits nor a guide on how to detect counterfeits. These subjects are beyond the scope of any general work and are dealt with by various numismatic associations and their publications. So if you are only looking for a manual or catalog move on.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Beginners or old collectors.
Comment: This book is a must read for those starting out in collecting coins, either ancient or modern. It explains the differences in the original minting of coins, and the "modern" reproductions, fakes and forgeries, even ancient forgeries. It is easy reading, and will give a good basis for coin collecting. It is worth the short time it takes to read, and it may save you from some embarassment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A MUST FOR PURCHASERS OF ANCIENT COINS
Comment: For a long time there was considerable confusion about the authenticity of ancient coins. While considerable quantities have been found in the former ancient sites, and they have been collected since ancient times, few works were available to help the collector distinguish between the actual ancient works and fakes and copies made after. Works that are available are hard to find, usually specific to one forger and quite costly. I can safely say that this book clearly outlines the things to look for, from the commonest tourist cast copy to the advanced techniques used to fool the more advanced collectors.If you want to collect coins you should include this book as one of your first buys because it can save you many times its cost with the purchase of just one coin that is not right. This is especially true if you are buying on the internet from sometimes unreliable impersonal sources.
The format is great with a show and tell approach, easy to use, and references to other works on specialized areas of counterfeiting.
While it shows and concentrates on mostly ancient coins the information is valid for all copies. There are great plates of the fakes the average modern collector is apt to encounter now on the market. This book will help you acquire the basic knowledge necessary in collecting coins just as in any other facet of collecting antiques or art.
