Your guide to getting the very best from your coin collection.
Coin collecting can be started as simply as getting a special state quarter for your birthday. Or you may use a coin collection to help you visualize the history of your state or country.
Use this site to discover tips and tricks to help grow your coin collection, present your coins to their best advantage. Find help on grading your coins, including when to use an expert coin grading service. Discover how to use a computer program to make cataloging your collection quicker and easier.
Whether you are just starting out with coin collecting or are an expert numismatist, you'll find tips and tricks for making the most of your coin collection. Everything from slabbing coins to protect them from the elements through to valuing your coin collection.
About Coin Collecting
The study and collection of coins is called numismatics. Coin collectors are amateur numismatists. It has been a popular hobby for hundreds of years. Coins have always possessed a unique mystique. They are valuable, decorated with artwork and part of history. Every coin collector gathers coins in a different way. Some collect every variety of a single type of coin. Others collect the finest example they can find of each type. Still others just gather whatever catches the eye. There are as many philosophies of coin collecting as there are collectors.
History of
The first coins date back to the 7th century BC. Coinage developed in China, India and Asia Minor, then spread around the world. Coins have been made of wood, shells and other materials, but they are most commonly made out of precious metals. The value of these precious metals are what first made coins collectible. They were hoarded as a way to save money
when coins were scarce. Later coins grew to be appreciated for their artistic and historical value. Kings commonly put their faces and names on coins to validate their rule. Coins also feature artwork that represent themes important to the culture. As the hobby evolved, coin collectors also prized coins for their value and rarity.
Type
There are many different types of coin collectors. Some collect coins from a specific country, while others collect from nations around the world. Some collectors specialize in ancient coins or discontinued coins. There is a group of collectors who seek error coin, those that have mistakes on them. Still others collect one coin of each type. These are called type sets. Coins can also be collected by theme: for example, coins with animals or trains on them. A vast majority of coin collectors accumulate a little bit of everything.
Identification
Every coin can be identified by the categories it falls into. These categories include the country of origin, denomination, series, year, variety and the mint where it was made. Slight differences in a single category can result in a drastic difference in the rarity and value of a coin.
Benefits
Coin collecting is a long appreciated hobby. Families collect coins and hand them down to subsequent generations. Coins change very little from year to year and century to century. There is something thrilling about holding a coin that was circulating during the lifetime of Lincoln or Napoleon or Julius Caesar. Coins can also appreciate in value. As precious metals get more expensive, coins made out of them are worth more. As coins get older and rarer, they also increase in value. Old coin collections are often sold for staggering profits.
Risk Factors
The more valuable coins become, the more criminals try to take advantage of unwary collectors. There are many convincing counterfeit coins floating around the marketplace. Many of these coins can only be spotted by professional coin graders. Collectors must be careful to only buy authentic coins. Sometimes coins are damaged or cleaned. This reduces their value. Coin values are in large part determined by their grade. This is a designation of the quality of the coin. Many coins are overgraded and therefore overpriced. Grading is subjective, but there are some guidelines. Be sure to have a coin graded objectively before buying it.
