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Book review: A Mercenary's Guide to the Rare Coin Market

LongacreLongacre Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
I just finished reading this book by David Hall. The book was published in 1987, but I found it interesting to read the author's views on the market back then, as well as his predictions for the future. The book is broken up into six parts: Total War (which gives overall advice, such as purchasing quality coins and why; Fundamental Theories of Battle (dealing with how to diversify your coin investments and how changes in grading affects the market; Maps (which goes through an issue by issue analysis of major type coins; Ideology--The Politics of War (dealing with an interesting topic of how historically politics have entered the rare coin market, and how we moved away from the gold standard and ended up with "fiat coins" as the author puts it; Battle Plans (this section gives very specific buy and sell reccomendations for almost every coin series, as well as providing 100 ways to profit from the rare coin market; and Victory (which deals with grading issues and how a purchase coins that may rise in value.

The book is written from the point of view of an investor, rather than a collector. The book also provides something that I have never seen before. It polls experts in the numismatic world (such as Halperin, Amspacher, Howard, etc.) and provides their view of the relative rarity of vrious coin issues. Overall the book is very good, and as stated earlier, it is interesting to see which of the author's predictions came true and which did not (one that did not come true was an opinion that the price of gold would rise to over $1,000 per ounce. It is also interesting to see the prices quoted from the late 1980's and how they compare today.

I think this is a good book and taken in the right context, it gives some very good advice. I bought it in the used book section of Amazon for $0.19 (yes, nineteen cents!); the shipping was $2.50 though, but it was still worth it.
Always took candy from strangers
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)

Comments

  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 23,892 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nineteen cents??? image
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • BearBear Posts: 18,954 ✭✭
    The book is a perfect example of the phrase" BS Walks."

    Like stock brokers, it's always a good time to buy. Whether

    the market is overpriced, overextended and over graded. It's always

    a good time to buy. A gold promise, that turns out to be merely fool's gold.
    There once was a place called
    Camelotimage
  • percybpercyb Posts: 3,301 ✭✭✭
    Thanks for your review the book. I'll try to find a copy. I enjoy reading books on coins!!
    "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." PBShelley
  • bidaskbidask Posts: 13,834 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The book is a perfect example of the phrase" BS Walks."

    Like stock brokers, it's always a good time to buy. Whether

    the market is overpriced, overextended and over graded. It's always

    a good time to buy. A gold promise, that turns out to be merely fool's gold. >>

    I don't know when you didn't take your stockbroker's advice but with many markets at a high you think maybe you should have?
    I manage money. I earn money. I save money .
    I give away money. I collect money.
    I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.




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