Hello; I am very new to coin collecting. maybe 10 months or so. I have around 350 items in labeled 2x2 flips put inside of boxes. all of this is from circulation. I've decided this is something I like. For the past couple of months I have been coin roll hunting. I am at the point where most of the common spare change i have. So I am thinking about alternating month to month between buying coins outright and coin roll hunting. I have a budget of 30-50 USD monthly. What kind of coins can I get around that price? Graded? ungraded? opportunity to grade and earn value? thanks for your input.
I recommend spending your 30-50 some months on purchasing books. General book on coin collecting, books on grading, and books on specific series you want to collect.
opportunity to grade and earn value?
Grading doesn't earn value. Sending a coin to a grading company and having it slabbed can demonstrate the value of a coin and make the coin easier to sell but doesn't change the value of the coin.
To get an idea what you can get for $30-50 search recent sales for coins that interest you and see what they sold for.
I recommend spending your 30-50 some months on purchasing books. General book on coin collecting, books on grading, and books on specific series you want to collect.
opportunity to grade and earn value?
Grading doesn't earn value. Sending a coin to a grading company and having it slabbed can demonstrate the value of a coin and make the coin easier to sell but doesn't change the value of the coin.
To get an idea what you can get for $30-50 search recent sales for coins that interest you and see what they sold for.
I have a couple books already, the big red book and the cherry pickers guide.
Go to a coin show, a decent coin show with 20 or 30 dealers is a good start. Anything bigger than that will be overwhelming.
At the show flip thru all the binders and dig thru the bins and talk to dealers .
Get a feel for whats available and what you like and what you should pay. Take notes, take pictures, write down prices, compare prices. The same coin can vary in price from one dealer to the next by 200+%.
(Graded coins are fine, but you already have binders with 2x2s? Stick with those for now.)
After a couple shows you'll know what you like but start small. With $30 -$50 you can buy uncirculated world coins including some modern silver, or fill your binder with a date-run of BU Wheats from the 1940s and 50s. Or just grab one or two nice Franklin half dollars every other month. Those are affordable even in UNC condition. You might not know what you like till you see it all laid out in front of you.
If you need help picking a coin show, repy here with the nearest major city to you. We dont need your address but give us an idea of where you live and we can suggest good shows.
PS: important rules: always stay in your budget, buy the coin not the holder, it's ok to walk away empty-handed!
Go to a coin show, a decent coin show with 20 or 30 dealers is a good start. Anything bigger than that will be overwhelming.
At the show flip thru all the binders and dig thru the bins and talk to dealers .
Get a feel for whats available and what you like and what you should pay. Take notes, take pictures, write down prices, compare prices. The same coin can vary in price from one dealer to the next by 200+%.
(Graded coins are fine, but you already have binders with 2x2s? Stick with those for now.)
After a couple shows you'll know what you like but start small. With $30 -$50 you can buy uncirculated world coins including some modern silver, or fill your binder with a date-run of BU Wheats from the 1940s and 50s. Or just grab one or two nice Franklin half dollars every other month. Those are affordable even in UNC condition. You might not know what you like till you see it all laid out in front of you.
If you need help picking a coin show, repy here with the nearest major city to you. We dont need your address but give us an idea of where you live and we can suggest good shows.
PS: important rules: always stay in your budget, buy the coin not the holder, it's ok to walk away empty-handed!
I bought another book on morgan dollars kinda merging the last two posts. been looking at morgan dollars, modern silver, american silver eagles. i'm still very overwhelmed. although the 30-40 dollar auctions im seeing closing on morgan dollars on ebay right now are looking nice. I live in Louisiana, travel all over the state, so am willing to go to any coin show in the state. I do not have binders, I have boxes with 2x2.
since you're new maybe stick to bulk coins from different country's witch are cheap (at least here) I also started collecting foreign coins. after that you can do hardcore collecting like type sets, key dates etc
I am not new to coin collecting but have a few questions. I encountered this coin while going through a jar of pennies gifted to me. When i found it I wasn’t sure if there was something wrong with this coin like some kind of error or if it had just been scraped up.
I am not new to coin collecting but have a few questions. I encountered this coin while going through a jar of pennies gifted to me. When i found it I wasn’t sure if there was something wrong with this coin like some kind of error or if it had just been scraped up.
soo from my research there was plating issues on this kind of coins. also drifted planchets but this is just so light I think its just some scraping on steel wool or something.
I am not new to coin collecting but have a few questions.
Why would you then piggy back off a post that has nothing to do with what you're posting? Not only is it bad manners but is counterproductive to your efforts to get an answer to your question. Why would anyone looking for “error coin” posts bother to read a post with a subject asking for help to learn how to collect. New posts are free. Try it.
I am not new to coin collecting but have a few questions.
Why would you then piggy back off a post that has nothing to do with what you're posting? Not only is it bad manners but is counterproductive to your efforts to get an answer to your question. Why would anyone looking for “error coin” posts bother to read a post with a subject asking for help to learn how to collect. New posts are free. Try it.
While I have you here. do you have any suggestions based on the OP?
Nothing other than when I started I bought bags of low value coins from coin shops until I decided what I wanted to collect and used the ones I didn't want to collect to trade with. The thing is, you can't expect to know exactly what you want when you start. Most of us have been collecting for 40+ years. You have lots of time to change. Start with whatever and adjust as time goes by.
Go for anything that had silver in it. The budget puts you a wee bit out of the ounce of silver stakes (I am assuming you are American and now with silver price, an eagle is around $50 your money, but you may get generic round for $48 or so each).
I would look at Walking Liberty silver halves, standing liberty quarters in Fine or better and Franklin Halves. The Halves you can get MS examples for not much above melt for most dates after 1940. Not only do you get a beautiful and historic coin, but something that will keep its value and precious metal investment.
I love coins. Especially silver, gold and anything really old.
Member of the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand and the Auckland Numismatic Society
Try buying 1 oz silver coins, there might still be time to find them under $50. If not, then look for silver coins from Western Europe, countries like France and Germany have good silver coins, for around 30 to 40 dollars, and you can find a huge variety, with different monarchs/emperors and coats of arms rich in details that you might like, I'm talking about coins from the end of the 18th century and the entire 19th century. Normally the 5 francs / 5 Marks coins will fit your budget depending on the quality and you can find them quite easily on eBay.
Nothing other than when I started I bought bags of low value coins from coin shops until I decided what I wanted to collect and used the ones I didn't want to collect to trade with. The thing is, you can't expect to know exactly what you want when you start. Most of us have been collecting for 40+ years. You have lots of time to change. Start with whatever and adjust as time goes by.
Same here, that's probably the easiest and cheaper way instead of buying 50$ coins
Also in Sri Lanka if you buy a commemorative coin still available at The Central Bank of Sri Lanka its 25$ for a ounce (not troy) .925 sterling silver. I mean if I just melted it I'll be worth more. but also its only like 2000 pieces. So in the local market you will get like 5$ profit so you have to go to the international market. so yeah I don't think silver will go up in numismatic items because you can just go out and buy a sterling ounce for 25$ - 30$
I live in Louisiana, travel all over the state, so am willing to go to any coin show in the state.
Check this link to Coinzip, they publish a list of coin shows sorted by state. Seems to to be only a couple shows in LA, but one near New Orleans coming up in Nov:
Dont bring a lot of money, just go to learn. Ask questions, take notes, take pics, decide what you like and get a good idea of what coins cost.
PS: some dealers will offer a discount if you ask, some wont, dont be afraid to try! And never ever fall in love with a coin. Love is very expensive. Alway always be willing to walk away.
