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recommendations for a photo grading book
rmorgan
Posts: 249 ✭✭✭✭
I'd like to read any recommendations for which photo grading book to invest in.
My strategy is about collecting what I intend to keep, not investing in what I plan to sell.
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An old ANA Photo grade book works for me and it of course works for PCGS because they bought the copy right so they could produce the on line version. But the ANA book was a bit more informative I think.
WS
I like the ANA Grading Guide.
Not as good as real pictures but it’s a great basic guide with drawings
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
The current edition of the ANA grading guide supplemented by looking at PCGS CoinFacts and Photograde photos. The line drawings in the ANA 1st edition shown (also Brown & Dunn if you want to go back further) are nice diagrams for where details wear. Steer clear of the older Photograde books. The pictures aren't up to today's standards, and they occasionally used coins that show atypical detail for the type, such as a 22 No D cent.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
I use the PCGS App but also read
https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/grading-coins-by-photographs.html?atrkid=V3ADW4095EC2F_37038914585_pla-274960013758__165967469906_g_c_pla__1o5&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIndjJltCB3gIVWLjACh2qbgCNEAQYBSABEgL_-fD_BwE
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
The old Photograde book isn’t bad
Getting it maybe hard?
IMO, If you are going to buy ONLY ONE coin grading book THE ONLY ONE is "Grading Coins by Photographs" by Bowers. You can put every ANA Grading Guide in the garage EXCEPT for the 7th Edition which is very good (my second choice). A serious collector should have both and read the introduction to both twice! Then you'll know more about grading than at least 20% of the posters on CU. These books along with the On-Line sites are a very good start.
Note: Over the decades, I've collected/used very many grading books in different editions. So if anyone disagrees with this post you had better come loaded with facts based on hands on experience as I'm a little cranky tonight.
What I used when first starting out.
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Ken
Nobody mentioned the Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Dection by PCGS.
The comments are about the 2nd edition 2004.
Different in that only a few series are shown photos of various grades and those that are the photos are of such poor quality impossible to make out the differences.
It does discuss mint state and what to look luster,strike eye appeal and the same for proof coins as well something the other books just give a generic statement of.
Also the book contains chapter about cleaned and how to detect counterfeit coins. Very through covering different coins and what to look for.
For those of you who have both editions is it worth getting the first edition in way of content picture quality etc or the 2nd was just reprint of the first?
This is one book I wish PCGS could update.
Do they really need a new addition now they have Photograde Online and numerous grading videos on this site and youtube?
https://pcgs.com/photograde/
Thanks for all the responses. Today, while at the M.O.O.N. show, I picked up Bowers' "Grading Coins by Photographs."
One of the things I learned by attending a big show like that is how key grading is in pricing - and how important it is to be self-sufficient in grading when seeing vendor coins with the grade the vendor is declaring.
My strategy is about collecting what I intend to keep, not investing in what I plan to sell.
@davewesen said: "Do they really need a new addition now they have Photograde Online and numerous grading videos on this site and youtube?"
YES! IMO, there are a few things that could be improved.
Anyone care to find a few? It would make a great discussion here.
Don't forget to read the intro at least twice.
Your input swayed me to buy this book. I already read the intro and skimmed the opening chapters. (I'll read all those thoroughly during my evening reading time. And I will reread, as I do gleam and retain more upon repeated reads.) I like the author's philosophy about art and eye-appeal over numbers, and after my experiences today at the MOON show, all this is helping me form an approach as to how I should work the room.
My strategy is about collecting what I intend to keep, not investing in what I plan to sell.
I just ordered Bowers book in spiral from Amazon. You reminded me of all the other grading sources that I've been using. Some good, some not so much. I like our hosts photograde section and I love when this group posts great images but I need a good book in front of me. Thanks I2. It's okay to be cranky as long as we got the warning.
BTW, I just acquired 2 issues of "The Star" by Max Mehl, 35th edition of 1931 and the 40th edition of 1934. These books are a time capsule of numismatic information. Some of the prose is dated, funny, vague, correct and so much more. Mixture of hand drawn coins and photos plus lots of world coin history. Makes me want to scan an article or two and post them here for all to enjoy.
Peace Roy
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