It took a little longer then anticipated. Now the correct format is set, and it looks MUCH better and sharper.

This task will be completed for Tuesday, as per latest update I recived. Final version can begin to be put together at that time and the final page count will be known soon after.

Please PM me with offers.
I may get some photos later, but I ensure you they are in great shape.

Update:

The guide was originally designed in 100 PPI (pixels per inch) and an 6x8 aspect ratio. The standard for high quality printing is 300 PPI and the aspect ratio should be 6x9. I have hired a freelance graphic designer to re-format the entire guide to fit these specifications.

An issue here is that some photos which were previously 'good' may actually not be of a high enough quality. I will be addressing these issues as soon as re reformatted version is ready for me in about 5 days. I may specifically be needing some photos of Casascius and Lealana coins.

That said, everything is well on track for February delivery!

Yes, 10% discount applies, and it applies to the whole order. That means that anyone who has already purchased a copy, can effectively get a 2nd copy for 20% off!

Sent you a PM.

January 2nd update:

About a week behind schedule (I went on vacation   ), but progressing well.

Current status:
- Only one more major producer to add. Need to add text to about 6-8 pages of more obscure producers. maybe 15 total pages need some significant work
- Casascius Section ALMOST DONE
- Final edits being made on Matthew's academic section today
- Cover still needs to be done, and the other things below that in the above list^.

Latest page estimates:
Academic section: ~16 pages
Encyclopedia section (coins and mint bios): ~200-205
Other sections include Glossary, Special Thanks, Counterfeits & Imitations, Citations / References, Author Bios, and more
It's fair to say we will come out in the ~240 page range

There are some rather obscure coins that have almost no data available for them. In these few cases, I might leave them out as to avoid writing something of very low quality, along with low quality photos. Thoughts?

I have opened up additional numbers for reservations.

TEASER: There will be some new, never-before-seen images of the Casascius 1,000 BTC gold coin!

It's a little tempting, but I wouldn't want to compromise the professionalism of the work .

I have made great progress with Bithalo, and I am sure that the final names will not cause too much disappointment to anyone

These coins are worth way more than .2 lol..
only 25 made!

To be quite honest the naming and years are among the most difficult, especially determining between the year on the coin and the 'release' date. Ideally the 'year' of a coin should always be listed as the release date, regardless of what the coin itself says. It is quite likely that there will be some errors in that area.

Naming is the second question I haven't quite finalized. I will be working with Bithalo to formulate 'official' names (a sort of naming convention according to which all coins can be accurately named) for all coins according to a standardized format. This will likely put 'manufacturer-assigned names' or 'nicknames' is quotes at the end of the assigned name that is meant for categorization purposes.

take the below example:

Ravenbit
Antique Bronze Coin, 2014 (UF) 'Node 2.4'

Cryptolator
1 BTC Silver Coin, 2014 (PF, UF, DIY)

Crypto Imperator
10,000 DOGE Coin, 2014 (PF, DIY)


-Should 'metal' be specified in the name? Should it be specified always, sometimes, or never? what if metal is unckown? I need to decide this.
- Putting 'Node Bronze, Series 2.1' at the end is too much
- Using the word 'bronze' is repetitive, as the metal is already specified n the name
- Frankly, I find the use of the 'series' concept to be extremely confusing, as not all manufacturers designate series. sometimes multiple 'series' are released at the same time. Is it designated based on hologram or production order or design? What about 'grey areas'? That said I do use the concept of 'series' in some descriptions in a more casual way, but want to avoid using them in formal categorization..

New Coin Naming Convention

I have put together the below standardized format for identifying coins and rounds in the book. IU hope that it becomes standard among physical crypto-currency.

PF - Pre-Funded (coin funded directly by the manufacturer): Casascius, Microsoul, Titan, TGBEX, Crypto Imperator, Alitin, Nasty Fans seat coins

BF - Buyer-Funded (buyer funds coin directly, before it is shipped): Some Lealana coins

UF - Un-Funded (shipped with private key secured, but without loaded value): Ravenbit, an option for many coins

DIY - Do It Yourself (Hologram Sticker or other affixed by customer): Silver Wallets, SerpCoin DIY,

2FA - 2 FActor (loaded value is not redeemable with the Private Key alone): Some Casascius bars, bhCoins 2-factor coin

Round - (no intention/capability to be used to store crypto-currency; cont considered a 'coin'): Anarcoins, Bitcoinnerd, MJB Monetary Metals,

Page numbers will be inserted before the final copy goes to print. Right now it's just 180 individual pages grouped together by mint, with Matthew having an additional ~20 pages of text that will compose the more academic portion. I have another 30-40 pages to put together, and revamp the Casascius section.
End result will likely be ~250 pages.

One difficulty is the naming. I have taken to naming the coins in a rather generic way, such as '1BTC Brass Coin, 2015', tied to the manufacturer. If multiple coins that would have the same name are made by the same manufacturer in the same year, I've used 'v1, v2' to differentiate. I have also used 'names' of the coins (nicknames or given by manufacturers) in quotation marks after the more 'formal' categorization name.
Perhaps this one will look like this:

Ravenbit
Antique Bronze Coin, 2014 'Node 2.4'

Indeed they are!
The photo credit here goes to Bithalo, who has been making some extremely valuable contributions to the book by verifying & expanding my database and volunteering to take photos of his own collection. Since this is a color book with many large photos, having good photos makes a world of difference.

Thankyou.

Sneak Peek!

The color Scheme has not yet been settled, but you can expect this type of format.
The image you see is the level of completion at which 70% of the book is at this point.

Note that this format is one of two 'base' formats for the catalouge portion, and is used primarily in cases where there is a good photo available and alot of text is not required. When space for text is the priority, the photos are both side by side at the top, but much larger than in the original Casascius book. A third format is one which includes two coin listings on a single page. These formats do vary, but are based on the three main templates.

A progress update has been added to the bottom of the top post.

Reservation numbers have been updated.

I sent him a message

Reservation list updated!

I have a number of good numbers as well.

This week i am finishing off the first 100 pages of coin & mint descriptions.
I am still taking orders!

Woah, I wasnt aware of this... It will be added to the Encyclopedia. Ill PM you Moneynuts

Update:
The book has been renamed to 'Encyclopedia of Physical Bitcoins'

Matthew and I feel that it more accurately describes the contents, unlike the previous term 'Catalogue'. Would love to hear your feedback!