Introduction 1Part 1: Making Heads and Tails out of Coin Collecting 5Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Coin Collecting 7Chapter 2: Understanding Numismatics 15Chapter 3: Arming Yourself with Knowledge 27Chapter 4: Storing Your Collection Correctly 41Part 2: Ancient to Present Day: Choosing Coins for Your Collection 59Chapter 5: Showing Their True Age: Ancient Coins 61Chapter 6: Making a Safe Bet with U.S. Coins 67Chapter 7: Globetrotting with World Coins 71Chapter 8: Exploring the Wild Side with Rare, Expensive, and Esoteric Coins 77Part 3: Focusing on U.S. Coins 87Chapter 9: Colonial Coins: America's Ancients 89Chapter 10: Copper and Nickel Coins: Made for the Masses 105Chapter 11: Silver Coins: Keeping Commerce Alive 127Chapter 12: Gold Coins: Concentrated Wealth 159Chapter 13: Commemoratives: Raising Money with Money 179Chapter 14: Advancing to Oddball Coins 191Part 4: Buying and Selling Coins the Safe Way 201Chapter 15: Wheeling and Dealers 203Chapter 16: Grading and Authenticity, Rarity, and the Establishment of Value 213Chapter 17: Foiling the Fakes 229Chapter 18: Grading with the Pros 247Chapter 19: Selling Your Coins Yourself 257Chapter 20: Going Once, Going Twice: Buying at Auction 271Chapter 21: The Coin Auction Arena 283Chapter 22: Coin Investments, Taxes, and the Law 293Part 5: The Part of Tens 299Chapter 23: The Ten Most Valuable U.S. Coins 301Chapter 24: Ten Favorite U.S. Coin Designs 311Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Coin Collecting 317Glossary 323Index 331
Neil S. Berman is an expert numismatist and professional rare coin dealer with over 50 years' experience. He's been published in Barron's, Trust and Estates, National Law Journal, The Financial Planner, Pension World, and Executive Jeweler. He has appraised coins for the United States Postal Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.