Jan 18, 2011 | books, commentary, technology
I am amazed at the response I have received over the topic of digital books. For those who wrote to me directly echoing my call for more, I wish you would add them as comments to my posts. I think the numismatic publishers would like to see your comment—especially since I have been contacted by both the publishers at Whitman Books and Krause Publications, they are reading and paying attention!
Roger deWardt Lane reports that his book Encyclopedia Small Silver Coins: Brother Can You Spare A Dime about modern dime-sized silver coins of the world can be purchased in both paper form and as a download. Roger also said that he gave permission to Google Books to add it to their digital database.
Thijs Verspagen wrote to let me know that he maintains the Digital Library Numis that links to many electronic numismatic books and articles that can be freely downloaded. The site has quite a list of a variety of downloadable numismatic publications.
I also heard from Scott Tappa, Publisher at Krause Publications. Scott reports that two Krause books are now available on the Kindle. Scott writes:
This year you will see more and more KP books available for e-reader devices like the iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc. For instance, here are links to Kindle editions of two recent releases, Warman’s U.S. Coin Collecting and Canadian Coin Digest. (click on the titles to view the listings at Amazon.com)
Numismatic books face certain challenges in formatting for e-readers. In particular, our catalogs are image-heavy, which makes them very large files, which can make them difficult to download. Thus, expect to see KP create e-reader specific products that are smaller and more focused than our large catalogs.
Our parent company, F+W Media, has made e-books a top priority. In fact, we are hosting the second annual Digital Book World conference in New York City starting January 24, and are keenly focused on staying at the front of this market revolution.
Numismatic publishing is a niche business. While it is a large niche, publishers are competing for the best content, the best authors, and access to the same distribution sources. These companies have to be responsive to what their readers want. I am sure that these publishers welcome your feedback.
Jan 17, 2011 | books, commentary, technology
Earlier this month I posted the question, “Where are the Electronic Numismatic Books?” That post garnered the most responses I have seen in quite some time—although many were in the form of personal notes rather than blog comments. Most of the comments were overwhelmingly positive agreeing with my assertion that there should be more electronic numismatic books.
Some of the comments, including Dennis Tucker, Publisher at Whitman Publishing, corrected me in saying that the Whitman Encyclopedia of U.S. Paper Money by Q. David Bowers is available on DVD. Tucker also said that the the Guide Book of United States Coins, Professional Edition was also available on DVD but I did not see it listed on Whitman’s website.
After receiving the note from Tucker, I asked him about Whitman’s e-book plans. He responded as follows:
Whitman Publishing does plan to distribute more books in electronic format. PDFs have certain strengths that our readers find appealing: they can be distributed on DVDs; they’re searchable; they have internal links; they’re PC and Mac compatible. Paper-money collectors love Q. David Bowers’s Whitman Encyclopedia of U.S. Paper Money — a massive 900-page reference book — and they also love having an electronic version available on a conveniently portable DVD.
Retail pricing, distribution models, and other details of future electronic projects aren’t ready to go public yet. But I can say that nothing is off the table as we explore the best ways to bring numismatic content to our readers — PDFs, downloads, apps, online content are all possibilities. Currently we have two web sites, WhitmanReview.com and WhitmanCoinCollecting.com, that aren’t “books” or “magazines” as such, but that broadcast show reports, book reviews, numismatic interviews and commentary, auction news, and other hobby information.
Remember in the early and mid-1990s, when “CONTENT IS KING” became the mantra of every Internet consultant and Web design agency from coast to coast? It’s still a very important concept in numismatic publishing. Whitman is strongly devoted to supporting fresh, ongoing, original numismatic research and authorship. This of course includes updated retail and wholesale pricing (as found in the Red Book and the Blue Book), updated auction records, updated certified coin populations, and the like. Those kinds of market data are very important to collectors, dealers, and investors. But Whitman Publishing has a commitment to the hobby community that goes beyond just reporting on market trends. We’ve nurtured a booming renaissance in numismatic publishing over the past ten years or so in particular. That investment, that energy, that explosion of talent has created the CONTENT; without good content, distribution models (whether ink-on-paper or electronic) are irrelevant to the hobbyist. If the content is factually wrong, or if it’s incomplete or misleading, or if it’s just a stale rehashing of old previously published information, it won’t matter if it’s published in books or online — collectors won’t find it valuable. Neither the publisher nor the consumer will find true, lasting value in that formula.
Whitman Publishing has the best numismatic authors and researchers working today. Kenneth Bressett, Q. David Bowers, Jeff Garrett, Dick Doty, Roger W. Burdette, David W. Lange, Rick Snow, Mike Moran, Bill Fivaz, J.T. Stanton, Katherine Jaeger, Rick Tomaska, Nicholas Brown, David Camire, Fred Weinberg, David Sundman, Harlan J. Berk, Clifford Mishler, Jim Haxby, Art Friedberg, Ron Guth, John Dannreuther, Hugh Shull, George Tremmel, Robert Azpiazu, Ira and Larry Goldberg, Eric P. Newman, Paul Rynearson, David MacDonald, Don Bailey, Scott Schechter, Saul Teichman, Fred Reed, Adam Crum, Selby Ungar, Jeff Oxman, Frank Colletti, Bob Leonard, Len Augsburger, Joel Orosz — that constellation of numismatic stars shows Whitman’s commitment to content. How we deliver that fresh, original content will continue to evolve. And it won’t end with the current generation of numismatic superstars. Last year Whitman teamed up with the American Numismatic Association to revamp and endow three new literary awards for Young Numismatists. They’ll be the ones digging in Treasury archives, unearthing primary documents, analyzing data, making brilliant connections, and writing about their findings after we all retire.
Is the traditional paper book obsolete? No. Are distribution models changing? Yes. Will Whitman Publishing continue to bring its best to collectors and serve their needs? Yes indeed!
Interestingly, I never questioned the quality of the content of Whitman Books. On the contrary, it is because that their content is so worthwhile that I am interested in e-books that Whitman would publish. However, I believe that the those of us who are interested in technology and those who grew up in the 1990s will be more interested in e-books than dead-tree editions. In other words, I think Whitman, Krause, Zyrus Press, and any other numismatic publisher should be entrenched in electronic publishing within the next five years.
Jan 8, 2011 | books, commentary, technology
Ever since I first put my fingers to the keyboard of a PolyMorphic Systems Polly 88 microcomputer and learned to program it in BASIC, I have been very interested in technology and integrating technology in my life. I have owned computers since the early 1980s and spent a career first as a programmer, architecting systems and networks, and for the last 18 years in information security. Over my 30 year career I have seen the industry grow from million dollar mainframes to being able to put a computer in your pocket that can make telephone calls without wires and play music.
My trip down memory lane comes as the the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opens in Las Vegas. It is the largest show that features nearly every electronic gadget and gizmo both available and not available. It is where companies announce new products, new features, and show off what they are thinking about the future—which those of us in the industry call vaporware. It is where all of the neat toys are shown off.
Even for those of us in the industry, it is difficult to predict the future, even after seeing this year’s “next big thing.” We can look back at the last CES and see what made it past the announcement and has became hotter a year later. Watching the new product introductions, the hot products are smarter phones and tablets.
Tablets are smallish computers with the functionality to consume media and content and only powered enough to be a limited content creator. Applications run locally to enhance the tablet’s functionality while giving the user access to an entire Internet of resources. This year it is clear that those introducing new products are looking to be the next iPad killer. Weather you like Apple or not, the iPad has set the tone for the tablet market the same way the iPhone has set the tone for the smart phone market.
So why am I talking about CES on a coin collector’s blog? Because this big thing will have an impact on how you consume numismatic information.
The future of content consumption is electronic. E-book readers will support the reading of books, magazines, newspaper, and some online content on a small handheld device conveniently sized for reading. They are designed to do one thing very well: provide you a way to read published content in a more convenient manner and without killing trees. While tablet and smart phones are more general devices, both have the ability for you to read published works when you are not playing the current hot game or social networking. All of these devices have programs that can tap into online bookstores so that you can buy books at a reduced price and have it loaded directly onto your device to read.
E-book readers can read many different format files, but the type used for the best reading experience is based on the concept of “electronic paper.” Electronic paper allows the reader to resize, bookmark, type notes, highlight, and do anything to an electronic page except fold it while maintaining the integrity of the book. As the read changes size or add their own notes, electronic paper allows the book to reflow, or repaginate, within the device. When a book or document is repaginated, tables of contexts and indices are also adjusted to make the text easy to search.
Currently, the only numismatic book publisher selling electronic versions of their books is Krause Publications. If you visit their online store you can search the Coin CDs/DVDs section to find a number of their publications, including the Standard Catalog series can be purchased on CD. Once you load the CD on your computer and copy the Portable Document Format (PDF) file to your hard disk, you can open the file in a PDF reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader on any system or Preview on a Mac). Once the file is open you can search for any text, zoom in to view any image up to 400 percent, add notes, bookmark pages, and highlight areas. Again, anything you can do with a real book except fold page corners.
Krause also sell sections of the Standard Catalogs and other publications as downloads. For example, if all you are interested in are Obsolete Bank Notes of the District of Columbia, you can just download that section of the Standard Catalog of United States Obsolete Bank Notes for significantly less than the entire four CD set.
Since I purchase the Standard Catalog of World Coins for the 20th century, it has been a wonderful resource to have while sitting at my computer. Searching for country coinage information and making highlights has really enhanced my appreciation for the work without having to lug around that huge volume. I also consider how many trees were saved by buying bits and not pulp.
Using a PDF document on an e-reader does not take advantage of the e-reader’s strength. Since I do not have an e-reader, I downloaded Krause’s U.S. Coin Digest onto my iPhone to use as a portable reference. It is a wonderful portable reference to have without having to carry the book. However, the use of a PDF document shows its limitation on smaller screens. A test on a friend’s Kindle demonstrated the limitation of a PDF file when it was proven difficult to navigate a zoomed PDF document because of screen size limitations. It would help those of us with e-readers if they would publish books in ePub and E Ink formats.
At least Krause has taken the first step into electronic publishing. Whitman Publishing, the other major publisher of numismatic books, only offers “dead tree editions.” I know that some people like the physical book, but they should start embracing the 21st century and offer e-books for those of us who want to read their books in a more portable format that does not kill trees. I am sure Whitman can figure out the economic benefits of replicating bits over importing physical copies from China.
Until Whitman and other numismatic publishers catch up with the e-reader, you can find classic electronic books to download to any device. The best source if Google Books. While Google Books does sell current editions in electronic format, they also have a number of scanned books they have permission to make available or whose copyrights have expired. The best way to find numismatic books is search for “coins” on the Google Books website. Books can be read online or you can download free books through the Google Bookstore. You can file early copies of The Numismatist through Google.
Publishers who have not embraced the e-reader will lose out on the business of younger numismatists and technology-oriented people like myself. CES made it clear that the future is in portable electronic devices and the publishers who cannot or will not provide the appropriate product will be losing out on new business. I hope the numismatic publishers consider this for their current and future publications
Aug 2, 2010 | BEP, coins, currency, Federal Reserve, fun, gold, technology, US Mint
It has been said that the dog days of summer is when it is very hot causing a period where there is a lot of inactivity or stagnation. There has been little of the dog days here in the nation’s capital. Aside from a lot of work to do, severe storms can wreak havoc with electrical lines—which causes computers not to work. July has been an interesting month and I hope August is more like the dog days without the same heat and humidity!
For something a little different we turn to the technology website CNET. CNET is a long time resource for the consumer technology community that was acquired by CBS Interactive last year. With the commitment of growth from CBS, CNET has been expanding their technology coverage in a number of interesting ways. For CNET, reporter Daniel Terdiman, writer of the Geek Gestalt blog, is taking another road trip. Road Trip 2010 brings Daniel to the east coast where he has visited a few sites of numismatic interest.
While in Washington, D.C., Daniel stopped at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where he was given a tour Behind the scenes with the next-gen $100 bill. Daniel opens up his trip report by saying, “I’m staring at $38.4 million in cash, and it’s hard not to drool.” It is a nice look behind the scenes at the BEP from the eyes of someone who is not a collector. Do not forget to check out the stacks of money in the photo gallery.
After making other stops, Daniel was in Philadelphia and visited the US Mint. Daniel opens his article talking about the gold-colored planchets that will be struck into dollar coins. Aside from watching the minting process, he spoke with the U.S. Mint’s Chief Engraver John Mercanti about the technology used in creating coins. Daniel spoke with Engraver Joseph Menna about the digital production process—do not forget to watch the YouTube video. When you check out the pictures and when you get to picture 18 imagine the amount of money you could make on the error market if you had access to this bin!
Finally, stopping in New York City required a stop of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Located at 33 Liberty Street in lower Manhattan, it is the branch of the Federal Reserve that distributes U.S. currency worldwide. Eighty feet below the bedrock that the building is constructed on is the gold vault where 36 countries have deposited $255 billion worth of gold. More gold is stored at the New York Fed than anywhere in the world including the U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Since photography is not allowed at the N.Y. Fed, they did provide pictures that Daniel used in his report.
Although Daniel did not get much of a tour through the New York Fed, the series of numismatic-related articles are still a good read from someone without a numismatic background. You may want to check out stories on some of his other stops, including the one place I want to visit!
May 9, 2010 | CCAC, technology, US Mint
As a proponent of using technology to advance all my favorite activities, I was happy to read about Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee member Donald Scarinci was tweeting about the last CCAC meeting in Philadelphia. The posts on his Twitter account (@Scarinci) made for an interesting read as to what was discussed at the meeting.
If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, I recommend that you read my previous blogpost about the service.
A few days after the meeting, I heard from Scarinci via email who said that he had been studying Twitter for a few months before deciding to use the service. This is understandable because for the uninitiated, Twitter can be confusing. Scarinci, whose interests include law, numismatics, and art, decided to try Twitter to share his interest with others. “I decided to go forward with Twitter in order to communicate to people and at the same time make it worthwhile for people to follow. I didn’t want to focus just on law or just on numismatics or just on art,” Scarinci wrote. “I wanted to show myself as a full multidimensional person—opinionated, insightful, diverse, sensitive, at times insensitive. If used thoughtfully, twitter will allow me to display my personality and my interests as a mosaic rather than as a single static snapshot.”
What makes Scarinci’s perspective on using Twitter interesting is that it provides an insight into one member of the CCAC. Many of us never meet the CCAC members. Sometimes we hear them speak at various shows. But using Twitter as a way to allow us to meet him, at least virtually, allows us to understand at least one of the personalities making the selection on the coinage we care about.
When Scarinci contacted me, I said that I wish I would have known before the meeting because I would have followed his tweets. Since discovering his tweets, I have added @Scarinci to my list of followers on both the account that I use with this blog (@coinsblog) and my personal account. Although it was difficult to be one his followers when he tweeted he went to Katz Deli in Manhattan the other day (stop thinking of their corned beef… it’s the best!).
After a recent online and public “discussion” with CCAC member Gary Marks about the lack of communications from the CCAC, it was refreshing to hear from Donald Scarinci with a very different and positive attitude on communication with the public. Scarinci wrote:
Reporting from the CCAC meeting as it was happening is something I always thought should be done. I never understood and still don’t understand why the Mint does not web cast the CCAC meetings. We are, after all, a citizens committee. Each one of us on the committee has different perspectives and different levels of knowledge about numismatics and about art. The CCAC is very much as congress intended it to be—a peoples’ committee. While imperfect, it is probably the only way to debate and decide coinage designs in a democracy. So why not bring people in as the discussion unfolds and involve anyone who has an interest into the very core of the process. Twitter allows that to happen in real time without attaching people to a viewing screen for hours at a time. Instead anyone interested in the subject can get information in brief sentences. If the writing is clear and simple, the communication will work for busy people with day jobs even better than a web cam. That’s my opinion.
Amen!
I applaud Scarinci’s initiative and appreciate his efforts. I hope the concept of using modern communication techniques can be institutionalized by the CCAC and the US Mint and expanded to include more citizens in the process. Scarinci will be tweeting during future meetings. I will be following those updates (@Scarinci) and suggest anyone interested in the work of the CCAC to follow, too.
Apr 11, 2010 | grading, review, technology
Professional Coin Grading Service keeps upping the ante on their PCGS Photograde service. In its latest release, PCGS has added more coin images, new series (e.g., Half Cents, Large Cents, and Half Dimes), and more coin imagess in lower grades. PCGS boasts that there are 1,450 images for Photograde covering almost all coin series. As part of the website service, PCGS now includes their Guidelines for Eye Appeal that includes images to supplement the text.
With the upgrades includes upgrades for the PCGS Photograde for the iPhone app and PCGS Photograde HD for Apple’s new iPad. Since I do not own an iPad (I rarely buy the first release of any product), my review is only for the iPhone app and the website.
The first thing we find when starting the Photograde app is that it does not put the iPhone in landscape mode. In fact, the entire application will work in portrait or in landscape mode. While a this may sound like a trivial change, iPhone users will tell you that being able to control the how the app is viewed can make the difference between being useful and a nice-to-have app. Being able to be used in portrait mode means I can just hold the iPhone without having to reposition while I use the image to compare with the coin I am looking at. This subtle change is a big plus for this app.
Added to the application were images for half cents and large cents with great images of the coins in the various grades. Even if I will never own a Chain Cent, it is nice to have a clear picture of one to carry around while I walk the bourse floor. Half Cent collectors will also benefit for the adding of those coins. Like all of the other series, the images are clear and can be magnified on the iPhone using pinch motions.
Another nice addition is more coins in lower grades, even for a series like the Jefferson Nickels.. Those who collect coins in lower grades can now determine what the grade of their coin is. Those of us who sometimes buy lower grades because of the higher grade coins are not as affordable, it gives us an idea of how each coin would grade so we can buy it at a fair price.
Speaking of eye appeal, I found PCGS’s page about eye appeal very interesting. While I like the description, the pictures leave much to be desired. Apparently, PCGS thinks that everyone finds toned coins attractive. With all due respect to PCGS and those fans of toned coins, I am not someone who finds them attractive. Toning is environmental damage. It is the oxidation of the medals (primarily silver) caused by exposure to the elements whether by chance or on purpose. Thus I find the Morgan Dollar they call “Amazing” to be quite a bit less than amazing. In fact, almost all of the coins in the page are toned which I do not find appealing. I understand I may be in the minority in this discussion, but PCGS should recognize that there are collectors with similar views and maybe should consider toned and untoned coins for this section.
Still, the modern coins have been completely omitted from the applications and the website. Jefferson Nickels do not include mint state grading images of the current design, quarters and halves do not include the bicentennial images, and the quarters do not show the obverse of the State Quarters design. As for the dollars, the images end with the Peace Dollars. As I said in the first two reviews, given that there were some circulation of the Eisenhower and Susie B’s as well as striking issues with the Eisenhower dollar, it would be nice to have an image reference of these coins.
PCGS keeps making very good improvements to the website and the iPhone application. For this upgrade, I give both the website and iPhone app a grade of MS68, a premium grade for their new additions but less than perfect for the continued omission of post-1964 coins. PCGS can up this score by adding modern dollars and make it a perfect 70 by adding all modern coin series.
Mar 28, 2010 | grading, technology
This week, the Professional Coin Grading Service announced “The Big One,” a service called PCGS Secure Plus.™ A new service line that will be an option for most collectors except for rare and ultra rare coins which must be certified by PCGS Secure Plus. The significant part of this service is that PCGS is adding modern computer imaging to coin grading.
Coins grade through Secure Plus will be scanned by an optical device that will map the surface of the coin creating a digital signature of its characteristics that can be used for later reference. The digital signature is a unique identification of the coin that can withstand potential coin doctoring and to prevent the users from removing the coin from the slab to try to have it graded higher. It can also be used to determine if the coin was doctored from its previous submission such as being artificially toned.
During the announcement PCGS President David Hall (videos Part 1 Part 2) said that this should end “gradeflation” as well as work out errors in the population reports when people submit coins multiple times. Hall said that multiple submissions did not serve the industry and hope that this would end the practice. Hall noted “We did not start PCGS to grade a coin 40 times.”
Hall said that PCGS has been working on this service for two years with “industry leaders” who were not mentioned. However, in the follow up presentation by PCGS CEO Don Willis (videos Part 3 and Part 4), his technical explanation included an image of the CoinSecure, Inc. to use the CP16 CoinAnalyzer. During his part of the announcement, Willis said that the process is being patented.
CoinSecure, Inc. is a Palo Alto, California based company whose president is Richard M. Haddock. Haddock is the former CEO of the LaserCard Corporation, a company specializing in secure identity solutions that include difficult to counterfeit identification cards and the technologies to detect counterfeit cards. A search of patent records at the World Intellectual Property Organization shows that Haddock has been awarded 16 international patents for various types of optical-related work including for security-related devices. Patents pending for Haddock and CoinSecure are as follows:
| |
Application Number |
Title |
| 1. |
20100039818 |
Numismatic Storage Container To Prevent Counterfeiting Of Coinage |
| 2. |
20090303478 |
Apparatus For Producing Optical Signatures From Coinage |
| 3. |
20090296365 |
Calibrated And Color-Controlled Multi-Source Lighting System For Specimen Illumination |
| 4. |
20090295912 |
Coin Edge Imaging Device |
| 5. |
20090286458 |
Self-Centering Loading, Indexing, And Flipping Mechanism For Coinage And Coin Analysis |
| 6. |
20090284754 |
Method For Optically Collecting Numismatic Data And Associated Algorithms For Unique Identification Of Coins |
As part of the PCGS Secure Plus workflow, coins will be imaged using the CP16 CoinAnalyzer and the data saved in an internal database. Will said that once the coin is imaged, it will go through the normal grading process where it will be reviewed by three graders before being reviewed by a finalizer. Only the finalizer will have access to the digital information and will take appropriate actions.
The Plus
As part of the announcement, PCGS said that it will mark premium quality coins for its grade with a plus as part of the grade. When Willis made the announcement, he said that PCGS has been experimenting with a 700 point grade scale to score a coin based on its technical grading and eye appeal. Coins that grade in the upper end of the grade range will receive the plus. As Hall noted, this will “unlock the value” of better quality coins. Plus grades will be available for grades XF45 through MS68 except for MS60 and MS61.
The plus designation was announced in conjunction with Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. This service will only be available for selected classic series and not planned for modern issues.
More Plus at CCE
As part of the plus designation announcement, Collector’s Universe, the parent company of PCGS, announced that their Certified Coin Exchange market place will offer sight unseen bidding for plus grade coins. Sight unseen bidding means that purchasers will not be allowed to return a coin after auctions through the exchange. Since CCE is an exchange for dealers, it will be interesting to hear what those dealers think of this policy.
An Additional Plus
One understated announcement is that PCGS has updated their holder and added new anti-counterfeiting features to the label. Coins graded as part of the Secure Plus service will be placed in a holder that has a label with a shield. The shield will be printed with a color shifting ink that makes it difficult to duplicate. Color shifting ink is similar to the technologies that are being used on US Federal Reserve Notes. Also, Willis announced that microprinting will appear behind the shield.
Microprinting prevents the vast majority of imaging technologies from being able to duplicate the label. However, PCGS should provide a guideline as to what to look for so that collectors can verify the labels of the coins they buy.
Having been an advocate for computer based grading, this is a great start to using technology to assist in grading. Add the ability to digitally fingerprint the coin to prevent coin doctoring and crackout artists from resubmitting the coins multiple times hoping for better grades, PCGS has created “The Big One” in the world of third party grading.
Feb 6, 2010 | grading, review, technology
On Friday, I connected my iPhone to my computer and opened iTunes to sync everything together. During my sync, iTunes reported that there were application updates. One of the updates was the PCGS Photograde for the iPhone application. Since PCGS upgraded the application and PCGS Photograde website, so quickly after its initial release, I thought an update on the review was in order.
On both the website and the iPhone app, the home page now has entries for “Two & Three Cents” coins and divided the gold into “Small Gold Coins” and “Large Gold Coins.” The full look of the screen looks good and gives the website and iPhone app the impression that it is more complete. Seeing these new images suggests that PCGS added coins from the 19th century coins. But when tapping on the image for the Cents, I saw a full screen of cents starting wit the “Liberty Cap Large Cents” through the Lincoln cent. Not only did PCGS add 19th century coins but they went back to the first coins issued by the US Mint. After looking at the images, I confirmed that my favorite 1794 cent looks like PCGS’s 1796 cent that they grade PO-1.
After seeing how far back the images go, it was time to find out how modern PCGS gets. Because of size limitation, the iPhone app does not include years of issue, but the website does. On the website, says that the Lincoln Cent runs 1909 to Date, yet all of the coins imaged were pre-1959 wheat-back cents. There were no images of the Memorial cents nor images of the lowered relief coins. For those looking to put together high grade modern sets it is a serious omission.
In fact, after checking other coin images, all of the images of coins that are in circulation today do not have images of modern coins. Jefferson Nickels do not include mint state grading images of the current design, quarters and halves do not include the bicentennial images, and the quarters do not show the obverse of the State Quarters design. As for the dollars, the images end with the Peace Dollars. As I said in the first review, given that there were some circulation of the Eisenhower and Susie B’s as well as striking issues with the Eisenhower dollar, it would be nice to have an image reference of these coins.
The new images of the added coins are beautiful in all grades. Users of this applications will have a great tool for determining the grade of coins. However, I have the same complaint I made the last time on the use of toned coins. I understand some collectors like toned coins, but the toning does detract from seeing the subtle differences in between high grade coins.
PCGS has taken a great tool and made it even better. I like the iPhone application for being portable when I attend coins shows. For this upgrade, I give both the website and iPhone app a grade of MS67, a premium grade for their new additions but less than perfect for the omission, especially for not including the Eisenhower and Susan B. Anthony dollars.
Jan 29, 2010 | administrative, technology
As many knows, the US Mint’s public view of technology barely makes it to the end of the 20th century. While other government sites have used the change in administration to refresh their websites, the US Mint is now beginning a “study” as to what they should do. The way the US Mint’s administration manages themselves, it would surprise me if they change their website before the end of the current administrative term.
Miraculously, the US Mint does offer RSS feeds. Of the four feeds they offer, two have been updated on a quasi-regular basis. The US Mint Press Release/Public Statement feed is updated when the Mint ’s press office publishes another release. They also have a Product Information Update feed when new items appear in the online catalog.
After finding a service that will take an RSS feed and post it on Twitter, I decided to add the ability to take the US Mint’s RSS feeds and post them to the blog’s Twitter feed, @coinsblog. If you do not understand how to use RSS, you can either follow me on Twitter or see the tweets on the left side of this page where it shows my last five tweets.
If the US Mint is not going to take advantage of technology to keep you informed, I will do what I can to bring the information to you.
Jan 18, 2010 | grading, review, technology
With my background in computers, I love technology. When technology can be used to enhance what we do, I am one of the first people there to participate. This week, I downloaded my first coin-related iPhone application, PCGS Photograde for the iPhone.
While reading an article reviewing PCGS Photograde website, I noticed they included a banner announcing that the information was available for the iPhone and iPod Touch was available via the iTunes App Store. Excitedly, I clicked the link, read the information, and downloaded the application. After syncing my iPhone with iTunes, the app appeared on my phone.
Unlike other iPhone apps, PCGS Photograde starts and stays in landscape mode without an option to change that. Even with that minor nit, the app starts right at the home page no splash screen (a good thing), with an image similar to the one on the website. Although PCGS does not use key date coins for the initial image, the coins used do a very good job in representing their section.
The first limitation I noticed for both the web and iPhone app is that the coins listed were struck in the 20th century. Even if the series started in the 19th century, no series that ended before 1901 was listed. Further, modern coins are not listed unless the series started before the change to clad coinage in 1965. This means that there are no grading images for the Eisenhower, Susan B. Anthony, or Sacagawea dollars. Given that there were some circulation of the Eisenhower and Susie B’s as well as striking issues with the Eisenhower dollar, it would be nice to have an image reference of these coins.
As with the website, the user taps either the obverse or reverse image of the coin representing the series to show a page for you to pick the coin type. One more tap displays the coin in various “common” grades, usually from G04 through MS65. The app shows three images at a time and you can scroll left or right by flicking your finger across the screen. To see the details close up, you can double tap the image you want to see and it will expand to show the entire coin on the screen. If you want to see more detail, use the pinch motion to adjust the size.
Once you expand the images, you will find that coin images are beautiful. Even when looking at lower grade cents or high grade silver, the images clearly show the criteria for the the grade. The only complaint I have for the images is the use of toned coins. While some people like toned coins, I am not one of them. To me the images with the toning detract from the coins beauty and does tend to obfuscate some of the differences between grades especially Mint State grades which can be difficult without toning. For example, the MS67 and MS68 Kennedy Halves are toned coins which makes it difficult to tell the differences between the two grades.
One advantage the iPhone app has over the website is that while viewing coin images there is a button to back up one page. On the website there is a “[home]” link. Although you can go back a page by using your browser’s navigation buttons, having a “go back” link would be helpful.
Both the Web site and iPhone app are very useful. But I like the iPhone application for being portable and being able to come with me to shows or coin shops to help me with coin grading. I give both the website and iPhone app a grade of MS64, a common high grade for being very well done but could be better.
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