The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection by John W. Dannreuther, Professional Coin Gradi (2004, Paperback, Subsequent Edition)

The Second Edition, a collaborative effort of PCGS and Random House, was written by a number of important contributors that numismatic maverick Scott Travers assembled and edited into a book.

The guide has much valuable information (tidbit type) interspersed amongst pages of fluff. It is written - in a cut and paste style - making it hard to follow and learn about a specific series and the salient aspects of its issues. It should not be an excuse for not purchasing the official ANA grading guide, Halperin's older, but excellent book on mint state coin grading, those series specialty books that a collector should have as a reference to their area(s) of interest or Breen's classic Encyclopedia. Pictures are mostly black and white, cropped often (especially in the counterfeit detection section) where important info is lost. The color photo section is on quality glossy paper, but impractical for the majority of collectors as it shows mostly brag type proof gold coins. The book has some excellent info on the minting process, die and planchet prep and the subtleties of problems that occur with same - all-important for grading of mint state coins where defects and inconsistencies are evident and enter into the grading equation. This of course, has not been addressed together in a book format before and this is where its primary value lies. The book seems to be written for collectors/investors of brag type coins of pedigree and mint state coins - where much of the text dwells - in the hair splitting determination of differentiating high-grades. EBay buyers may find it of limited use.

The coin forgery detection area is mostly an introductory type written from a numismatic perspective and not from a forensic numismatic point of view. Suitable only for the novice, with dated and other commonly available info, and only helpful in detecting a few well known forgeries like the '09-S VDB, '16-D Merc., '93-S Morgan, etc. It is far from being more than an introductory reference as there are forgeries of these commonly encountered coins here on eBay that are not shown nor described. For instance, absolutely nothing is devoted to the US Trade Dollar. I find this especially alarming as eBay is a major dumping ground for forgeries of these coins. Furthermore, nothing about the techniques in making counterfeit coins nor diagnostics in detecting is mentioned - all suggesting as if revealing such info would be like a breach in 'coin industry' trade secrets. I find this inconsistency alarming, since the grading section of the book is replete with info about coin manufacturing. When it comes to counterfeit detection what is not said is usually more important than what is said. The authors dwell mostly on well-known transfer die and electro-spark erosion types. Some info on the Bay area counterfeits is addressed and there are some good pictures of these included.

The glossary section is excellent. The book seems to be a marketing ploy for PCGS to enhance credibility in a coin market now over-run with abc grading companies and declining submissions. It has been a freebee to the collector for joining PCGS...do you think they would really give away the secrets of the temple? When it comes to grading - I'll still reach for my ANA guide first. When it comes to counterfeit detection - I'll most likely need more info from other experts or will be forced to seek the advice of credible third party authentication experts - which is probably what PCGS wants anyway.

Because most hobbyists and dealers prefer coins certified by the major services, a book such as this is both invaluable and indispensable. The authors are quite knowledgeable in the area of coin grading and counterfeit detection and ably pass this knowledge on to their readers in a simple, straight-forward and easy-to-understand manor. It is well worth what it costs and will become an invaluable tool as you buy or sell and grade coins. If read and understood it will as well make you sophisticated enough to anticipate or predict how a service will grade your ungraded coins. In short, it will likely become your go-to reference because of the companion advice about counterfeits and what to look for. Regrettably, its Achilles heel is a paucity of good color illustrations and its having been printed on paper almost as good as one might expect to find in a roll of toilet paper or a daily newspaper. Fixing those shortcomings would leave this book heads and shoulders above most since its content is outstanding as noted above!.

From the title of the book one would expect to be able to become somewhat proficient at coin grading just by reading. Fortunately, this very thought is dispelled in the earlier pages as advice is given for the reader to go out and compare coins of different gradings.
By using the various descriptions of marks, flaws, wear, etc. and how they relate to a coin's grading a person can only gain a rudimentary idea how coins attain particular grades. The pictures used for examples are quite poor as they are printed on low quality paper and have very low resolution. It is therefore well nigh impossible to figure out the differences in the coins pictured.
When it comes to counterfeit detection, the photos and explanations are much better and lead one to believe that much study is needed before the average collector can purchase an expensive or valuable coin.
All in all, this is a good book to have as a reference in one's library.

This book shows clearly (sometimes with photos) the differences of grading standards. We collectors, no longer have to take the word of the so-called experts. This book can give you ammunition when bidding on a coin as to the validity of the Seller's Grading. Many are one or two 'notches' too high .. and this book will give you exact reasons why these coins are mis-graded! I highly recommend this book to ALL COLLECTORS, so-called 'experts' as well as the novice! Learn and ye shall KNOW!!!!!

Overall a good book. More pictures would be my call on this one.
Pictures are the best teaching tool for grading and counterfeit detection.
The pictures are good.... just need more of them.
For the 1893 S Morgan (and it's lofty price) I would have liked to see a bunch of pictures for counterfeits and grading... A whole chapter of pictures would have been great (you could use them for other dates in the series also).
Overall good read, and we use it in our shop quite often.
coiNuts