Best MS Examples Grading book? Help a noob.

xbob

I bought Photograde, which is adequate for circulated coins, despite the grainy, small b/w photos. The descriptions help just as much as the photos.

I bought the HOC/PCGS Coin Grading/Counterfeit Detection book and I feel like it's lacking in photos (most printed in b/w except for a few color pages). Most descriptions aren't even accompanied by a photo. Most Mint State coin descriptions are vague at best and don't go into minor differences between grades (that's why we send them in, right?). For a hobby that is so visual, it just doesn't seem good enough.

Each month, Coin Values magazine has had some nice grading articles with very large detailed color photos at almost all grades for their selected feature coin. I like that style a lot and I am wondering if there is a really good book with large color photo examples, at MS grades, of many commonly collected U.S. Coins? Preferably with good descriptions too, not just "MS61 shows a few more marks than MS62" etc..

Am I asking for too much, or does this book exist?

Hopefully, as I progress in the hobby and time permits I'll get to look at many real life examples in detail to educate myself. For now a great book would really help.

Thanks for any helpful advice,
XBOB

jonesy

There's a PCGS graders book. At least that's what I heard. Call them. BTW!! Welcome to the Forums!!

kyleknap

The thing I would recommend most would be to look at lots of actual coins, as photos cannot even begin to tell the story.

As for reading material, however, auction catalogs (both old and new), are a great inexpensive way to see lots of beautiful pics/descriptions.

Kyle

TommyType

The best circulated grading book is probably the ANA grading guide. Problem is, I think it's out of print...but I think it can still be found with some searching. Pictures are better than PhotoGrade, but it still isn't much help for MS grading.

With all the advances in digital photography, I'm waiting for someone to do the photo grading guide RIGHT. I think it would sell really well!

Tom

michael

get the first edition of the pcgs grading guide with the glossy pages this will help you with what you want in an ms grading guide so far in my opinion but it is not a substitute for looking at many coins in hand sight seen at a coin show but it is a good reasonable start

if YOU TRULY WANT TO GRADE CIRC COINS THEN THERE IS ONLY ONE GUIDE TO GET IT IS OUT OF PRINT BUT IT IS EASILY OBTAINABLE brown and dunn grading guide ANYTHING ELSE PALES IN COMPARISON

photograde coins are all overgraded and you are in trouble if you go buy coins using this guide

if you are selling coins then yes i would use this guide

michael

kranky

I honestly don't think it's possible to learn to grade MS coins from a book. Like others have said, you need to look at lots of coins. The differences between MS grades are so slight, plus things like luster and eye appeal can't be properly captured in a photo.

darktone

The PCGS book is good but I don't really think it will help a new collector determine MS grades. Probably the best thing to do with out actually viewing graded coins is to look through the Heritage auction archive- lots of coin pics in all grades. mike

xbob

It sounds like there's a real need for book like I mentioned, since the best books that others have mentioned are out of print. Maybe I'll write to Coin Values and suggest that they compile their grading articles into a book. Who knows maybe it will happen someday?

Here's an idea, PCGS gets together with Topps and makes a nice glossy color photo trading card set of graded coins of each type (all dates would be a little too much). That would be educational and fun, as well as a cheap way of "collecting" the coins you can't afford. Could also get more people into coin collecting. Maybe...

Thanks for the advice so far!

-XBOB

mgoodm3

I have learned to grade MS and PR around here looking at pics and reading the analysis given by forumites. It doesn't replace looking at coins, but is a good way to start.