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 Replies: 17 / Views: 4,538 |
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Valued Member
United States
318 Posts |
Since I have just again started to collect US and foreign coins, I think I should buy a Standard Catalog of World Coins to help me identify them, etc. I think since I can only buy one catalog, it should be the years 1901-2000 because I have the majority of these year coins.
I think I would much prefer the actual paper catalog versus the CD version for the computer. I want to flip pages and put the coin right next to the picture and description. That is just me.
My questions:
#1. Does it really matter how old an issue I get? I don't have the money for a new 2012 issue. The older the issue, the cheaper it is. Is there much of a difference with the information provided in the various year of the catalogs?
#2 For those of you who use the CD version, what are your thoughts on that. Do you wish you had the paper version of the reference book?
I am new to owning this type of reference catalog, so if there are any other tips, please let me know. I have read several posts where members have mentioned this particular book.
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Valued Member
United States
320 Posts |
Santy Claus brought me a copy of that exact book for christmas. I agree it is a bit spendy, which is why I never did it for myself, but it is quite nice. I agree the paper one is better. If you want a specific coin or two looked up let me know... if you have more than that and with funds being an issue I'd say to check with your local library, you might be able to check it out rather then buying it. lookup is quite quick, I got through a good 50 coins in about 2 hours.
As to the age, I believe the main difference, being that the "newest" coin in there is 12 years old, is that prices tend to fluctuate. So a copy from 2002 is not going to be a very accurate price guide. That, and new varieties are being discovered all the time, so you might miss a variety.
Someone who has owned more than just the last copy could chime in to confirm my suspicions, though...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2605 Posts |
My thoughts on it, the majority of prices in Krause are very unreliable; with the fluctuation of the silver prices even the coin shop owners don't put solid price tags on coins containing the metal anymore. The catalog is good for identification purposes and, maybe, just a ballpark for the price. So, go ahead and buy an older used copy, it'll serve you as well.
And concerning the CD, a couple of newer catalogs I've got came with CD, so far I've never used them - only flipping through the book. Although, if I'm on the road and planning to visit any coinshops I plan on packing those CDs (the whole inventory of my collection is on my laptop).
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
I usually get second hand copies of Krause, but the four covering the last 400 years that I have are 10 years old now. As you would expect, the prices are way out of date. Comparative pricing that is 10 years old can be of some benefit.
For me, not to worry, I have many ways of finding current values, via current auction catalogues, from more up to date country specific price lists, and information from the 'Net. I can easily believe that some Krause prices were not correct in the first place. The more up to date auction catalogues that I have reveal different opinions re pricing.
Nevertheless, the advent of the Krause series of catalogues was a huge leap forward in numismatic publishing, and the comprehensive photography is heavily relied on.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
507 Posts |
#1. It doesn't matter how old of an edition you get. The value is in the ID, not the prices, as svslav mentioned. I have a 2006 version. #2. I have the paper version only; wouldn't be happy with CD. Other: If you haven't already, you need to bookmark Don's World Coin Gallery. There is an alternative book called "Collecting World Coins: Circulating Issues 1901 - Present" that I would recommend over the standard catalog. It is basically the standard catalog without all of the not-intended-for-circulation junk. This greatly reduces the size while still being 99% as useful. -wheatiefan |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
wheatiefan: You have made a good point. Nevertheless, a lot of the mints around the World are now issuing for circulation bulk coins commemorative coins, that are obviously NOT NCLT. That presents a problem for catalogers. Do you include these commemorative or don't you?
Krause has responded by publishing their Unusual World Coins, but the mints still find ways of making things difficult for them.
You now have me looking for the alternative publication at least to examine, because the Krause reference is ready for replacement.
Edited by sel_69l
01/07/2012 03:18 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
695 Posts |
Late last year I purchased a second-hand copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901 - 2000 through Amazon.com for considerably less than a new one. It was 'second-hand' only in name as it came in new condition together with a CD. It has proved invaluable for identifying coins, weight, diameter, mintage etc. Catalog prices are not important as more up-to-date pricing can be obtained from sites such as http://www.ngccoin.com or http://www.numismaster.com |
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Moderator
 Australia
16816 Posts |
If you buy a secondhand 2006 edition or earlier (the most recent edition I own), you'll also get the first few years of the 2000s included. The 2000s catalogue didn't begin until 2007.
The main difference year-to-year is prices, so if prices aren't important to you, the age of the catalogue shouldn't be either. They tend to put a few more pictures in each year. While a few errors and omissions might get corrected, Krause seems to generate new ones each year to replace them.
They didn't have CD versions back when I bought mine - the only electronic copies of Krause back then were the Russian bootleg scans, so I've never tried to use one. Krause and/or online booksellers often bundle the book and CD together.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4212 Posts |
Keep an eye out for library book sales. They get rid of their Krauses' yearly.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
507 Posts |
I purchased a used, full size 2006 krause standard catalog for $15-20 a few years ago. The shipping cost more than the book. I believe this was from a CCF member. I purchased the smaller "Circulating issues" a little later, used, for about $15 after shipping. This was from Amazon. I've seen for sale "A Catalog of Modern World Coins, 1850-1964" by the same company that makes the Red Book, but haven't perused it. The time frame seems like it would be helpful for some collectors, but once you commit to the krause 'by century' books, you're not likely to need it. Wizard coin sells it for $15 new. Quote:
...a lot of the mints around the World are now issuing for circulation bulk coins commemorative coins, that are obviously NOT NCLT. That presents a problem for catalogers. Do you include these commemorative or don't you? When I first received the Circulating Issues book, I saw page after page of similar coins from Thailand, Spain, UK, and others, and thought I'd been misinformed. I didn't realize there were so many intended-for-circulation commemoratives. As far as the catalog goes, as you say, the mints have made it hard for them. I think if they're likely to show up in pocket change, they deserve to be included. I don't think every US State Quarter needs its own KM#, but that's one of many judgement calls they have to make. . . As a collector, I'm not interested in collecting them. -wheatiefan |
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Valued Member
 United States
318 Posts |
I was just able to purchase a "like new" 2011 edition of the World Coins catalog on ebay for $27 (includes shipping). Can't wait for it to come in. Also my dad gave me his small foreign collection yesterday so can't wait to use the book when it arrives. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
539 Posts |
I like having the hard copy but the CD versions are marvelous for 'traveling'. I have 3 of Kruase catalogs on CD (and subsequently loaded on my hard drive) and when I'm gone for a weekend, carrying my laptop anyway, it becomes invaluable when I run across a shop. And as for current pricing, others have already chimed in the NGC site is great!
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New Member
Canada
4 Posts |
I was about to order a Krause book but noticed the CD version - does it have PDFs or ereader files on it? If I can read it on my phone that would be nice.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
The only coin books I buy are nomally several years old. I never sell coins so any prices are not what I'm interested in anyway. For US coins, I buy a Red Book, hardcover, every year but never use them. They are part of my Red Book collection, nene ever opened. Otherwise, I like any coin books at least 4 or more years old. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
I usually replace my Krause catalogues when the current one I am using starts to fall apart.
They are replaced with good condition second hand copies, which come from my friendly dealer, when he is getting rid of old stock 'on the cheap'.
The poorer condition copies of Krause I just give away for free, to anyone who may be interested. I have even given old copies back to my friendly dealer for free, so he can on sell them to young collectors, who may have only one or two dollars to spend.
It is a good way for a dealer to get kids into the numismatics of older coins, and have new customers, and to maintain friendly relations with his customer base, both young and old.
Out of date pricing matters little to me. What CAN be important is the comparative pricing within a volume.
This information CAN, but not always, indicate that a particular type that you are interested in, could be of significant value. If that turns out to be important to me, (which is not all that often), I will go searching elsewhere for current pricing, such as my friendly coin dealer's current shop copy, or via the Web.
I maintain the ownership of Krause catalogues, covering the last 400 years of numismatics.
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Moderator
United States
14463 Posts |
the Krause CD versions are PDF files, and are very easy to navigate. The file for 1901-2000 coins is about 486 meg
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Replies: 17 / Views: 4,538 |
Posted 01/06/2012 11:33 pm
