[.ca] Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900 (ISBN 0896893731)

simply the best:
Granted, with today's technology, the Krause catalog could have better images for many coins. It could also have at least five basic gradings and prices for each coin instead of three or four. But all in all, it is still the best and the most complete catalog in the market. It is the reference of choice for every numismatic afficionado and every profesional. I even did see it used by European dealers who were not fluent in English. I am just an amateur, and I cannot do without it.

As my collection slowly moves back in time:
I need a guide so I just do not blindly pay big bucks for cute pictures. There are a lot of good guides and some more specific on particular eras and locations such as Westphalia. But as you do a coin search you are bound to run across something you are not familiar with and need a guide. This guide is a great place to start; it is easy to navigate and gives cursory information on particular locations and times surrounding the coin's production. Keeping in mind that this is just a guide, there are holes and the coins are not displayed in color. On the other hand the coins shown are in actual size; size is hard to translate form internet pictures. With all the electronic references today it is nice to have something tactile, static and transportable. This book meets all those needs.