1994 Official Canadian Coin Guide

Dean Reeds is a freelance journalist in St Catharines.

This book is aimed at novice collectors who want to find out how much a
dealer might pay for their coins. As a result, the descriptions of the
coins are minimal, but the photos are ample and of good quality. Unlike
traditional coin catalogues, this book doesn’t list prices for various
grades of a coin. Instead, listed prices are for the average grade of
the issue. If a collector has an above-average grade of coin, the
dealer’s price will be higher than the stated value (theoretically at
least); the reverse is true for a coin that is below the average grade
for its issue.

The guide covers most of the standard Canadian mintages, including
tokens, commemorative medallions, and Canadian bank notes. A listing of
average Canadian dealer prices for American coins is a bonus. Beginners
will appreciate the glossary of terms, which explains numismatic
parlance in simple English.

The main strengths of this guide are its ease of use and practicality.
Because it strives to be simple, however, it leaves out a lot of the
detail that collectors always crave. Nevertheless, it is a useful tool
for those who are serious about selling pieces from their collection.