Coin Collecting 101: What Type of Coin Should you Collect?

Coin collecting is a fun hobby to start and the thrillMS-70. Although MS-70 is considered unobtainable,
of hunting for old coins is enough for many peoplea grade of MS-65 and higher will make a coin's
to continue doing it. Other people consider coinprice shoot up.
collecting an investment, something they canCirculated coins are more forgiving, they do not
receive a profit from. If you are one of thosetake into consideration the amount of scratches
people, then you can find several types of coins inand dirt a coin has gathered along the years.
this article that will help you determine whatGrades for circulated coins will vary. AU (about
others are looking for."uncirculated"), EF (extremely fine), VF (very fine),
Most coin collectors will look for only a specificF (fine), VG (very good), G (good), AG (about
kind of coin that will make their collection moregood), F-2 (fair) and P (poor) are used as
valuable and interesting to buyers. Others areindication of how much a coin is worth.
collecting for sentimentality and are looking moreThese grades are dependent on a circulated coin's
at the coin's uniqueness.luster, visible wear, design elements and visibility
Series collectors are those looking for a series ofof letters and numerals. Unlike "uncirculated" coin's
coins that mark every year and every designgrades, these grades do not dramatically lower a
change made in that coin.coin's value. This is wonderful for people who are
Type collectors are those people who are lookinglooking just to complete a collection and do not
to get one of each coin where there were/arecare about a coin's mint condition.
changes made.Pricing of a coin will usually be determined by a
Ancient coin collectors are those people lookingcoin's supply and demand. Very low supply and
for coins spanning the years 650 BC - 450 AD.very high demand will make a coin's price higher;
This is the time when coins were invented andhowever, high supplies of the coins will depreciate
there were silver, gold and bronze versions made.a coin's value.
It also marks the time when Roman emperorsDemand is usually established by coin dealers
were the rulers and most of them featurewhere they take into consideration the number of
famous Roman emperors, Roman towns, or gods.people wanting to buy or sell the coins. Once a
Token collectors are those who are looking forcoin becomes difficult to find, coin dealers will
different kinds of tokens that were used inusually make its price higher so that people are
exchange for real money when there was a lackinclined to sell extra copies of their coins.
of coins. These tokens were used as localGrading and pricing a coin usually takes a lot of
currency even if the government had not givenexperience to master. Although there are several
permission for them to be used.tips and guidelines to look for in grading a coin,
Coins are also graded. A coin's grading depends ononly professional dealers have the final say on
its condition and the price of the coin will relyhow much a coin is worth. It does not hurt to
heavily on that grade. It is important for a coinknow this grading is done and why your coin was
collector to know how to grade a coin to makegraded differently from what you thought.
sure that he is not swindled by individuals lookingCoin collecting is not really about investment, it
for a quick profit.should be a fun and thrilling hobby. While the
"Uncirculated" coins are those coins that are notoverall goal of a coin collector is to complete a set
showing any wear and tear or to referred to asof coins, learning what to look for in a coin is
"in mint condition". A mint state (MS) gradingimportant to make sure that no one can take
depends on a coin's luster, contact marks, hairadvantage of your need to complete a particular
lines and overall appeal. A coin can have a gradeset.
ranging from MS-60 (dull luster) to a flawless