Newbie Questions

Hmm... I like the Krause Standard Catalog of World Coins, Circulating Issues. This runs from 1901 to 2013, so this will cover almost everything you would find in a dealer's mixed bin - these bins are certainly worth it. I read up on world coins and have pulled almost 3 troy ounces of silver out of junk bins, at an average cost of about $6 per ounce. And I have found many other rare-r coins, including high face-value coins (2 500 yen at a flea market for $1, face value about $10).

However, the Internet is fine for identification purposes - Numista is fairly comprehensive, and so is the NGC price guide. But most stores price out of Krause, which usually runs lower than ebay (because of the lack of a 10% ebay fee and shipping costs).

I, too, like the Krause Standard Catalogs of World Coins.

The NGC price guide is compiled from the Krause Standard Catalogs so should be fairly accurate but I have occasionally noticed mistakes, eg VF values in the XF column (and have told them so).

I don't think the NGC or Numista are sufficiently detailed for identification, so I think that the Krause catalogs (even a few years old) would be a worthwhile investment.

Krause is too low on British coins, how I wish I could buy coins at Krause prices !
Of course, all cataloguers have their bias and blind spots; I suspect Krause sees lists and auctions mainly dealing in US and Can material. I also think that prices for France, Germany, and Switzerland are sometimes too low, and prices for Australian and NZ tokens seem too high.

A better online (free) guide for British coins is http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/values/index.html