Book excerpt: Revised and Updated for the Gold Rush From one of the world’s most knowledgeable coin dealers–a former consultant to the Federal Trade Commission who is often quoted by the Wall Street Journal–comes a thorough update of the most-trusted consumer protection handbook to buying and selling rare and valuable coins. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and a full-color insert, The Coin Collector’s Survival Manual, Seventh Edition is indispensable for seasoned collectors and novices alike. This substantially revised edition of the Coin Collector’s Survival Manual includes revised chapters that focus on legal and financial advice for buying and selling coins, and a new chapter on the most secure way to detect coins that have been "doctored." You will learn how to: • Avoid scams when buying and selling gold • Understand the new coin grading system • Detect altered, counterfeit, and doctored coins • Know how high gold and silver coins will climb in value • Buy coins through Internet auctions–and avoid the pitfalls • Safeguard and protect your coins from disaster ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Scott Travers, former vice president of the American Numismatic Association, was called the “preeminent consumer advocate in the numismatic field” by The New York Times. He is a contributor to all the leading coin publications and served as a coin valuation consultant to the Federal Trade Commission. He has been featured as a coin expert in Barron’s, Business Week, The WSJ, MSNBC and TODAY.