Books

Reference books for collectors

Reference literature is the least glamorous purchase a collector makes and often the most useful. A good catalogue tells you what exists, how it is classified, and how to tell one variety from another — which is the difference between owning coins and understanding them.

Experienced collectors routinely say the book should come before the coin, and in areas where varieties are subtle it is hard to argue with that.

What to check

• Subject and scope — which area and period the book covers.
• Edition — later editions carry corrections and additions.
• Condition — binding, spine and whether pages are intact.
• Illustrations — how well the plates reproduce.