Coin collecting

While hoarding coins due to their value goes backrepresentation in their collection. This increases the
to the beginning of coinage, coin collecting asnumber of examples needed to complete a
pieces of art was a later development. Known ascollection from one per year to several per year.
the "Hobby of Kings", modern coin collecting isSome mintmarks are more rare than others and
generally believed to have begun in the fourteenthharder to find. This is what makes collecting
century with Petrarch. Notes of Roman emperorsdifferent mintmarks exciting for collectors.
having coin collections are also known, but itVariety Collections
remains somewhat unclear whether these coinsAs the mint issues many thousands or millions of
were studied, considered curiosities or possiblyany given coin, there are generally multiple sets of
were merely hoarded.dies used. Occasionally these dies will be slightly
Coin collecting specialtiesdifferent, generally in a very small detail, such as
Coin collectors often begin by saving coins theythe number of rows of corn on the recent US
have received in circulation, but found interesting.Wisconson state quarter. Varieties are more
These may be the remnants of change from ancommon on older coins, when the dies were hand
international trip, or an old coin found in circulation.carved.
Over time, if their interests increase, chance willError Collections
not be sufficient to satisfy the demands for newThe automation of coin manufacturing processes
specimens, and a potentially expensive hobby isduring the 19th century has decreased the
born. Some become dedicated generalists, lookingnumber of error coins produced, and somewhat
for a few examples of everything. If they haveperversely, increased their collectability. Collectors
enough resources, this can result in an astoundingof modern coins find errors desirable because
collection, as that of King Farouk of Egypt, whomodern processes make the likelihood of their
collected everything (and not just coins either).production very limited. Examples of coin errors
Some are completists, wanting an example ofinclude doubled dies, repunched mint marks,
everything within a certain set. For example, Louisoverdates, double strikes, off metal coins,
Eliasberg was the only collector thus far todisplaced or off center coins, clipped coins, and
assemble a complete set of known coins of themules (different denominations on two sides of
United States.one coin).
At the very highest levels of coin collecting, it canSubject Collections
become a highly competitive sport. Recently, thisCollectors with an interest in a subject (i.e. ships or
has exhibited itself in registry sets, where thedogs) may collect only coins depicting such certain
most complete set of coins with the highestinterest.
numerical grades assigned by grading services areComposition Collections
published by the grading service. This can lead toFor some, the composition of the coin itself is
astronomical prices as dedicated collectors striveinteresting, for example there are a number of
for the very best examples of each date andcollectors of only bimetallic coins. for example gold,
mint mark combination.silver, copper... normally only precious metals like
Most collectors determine that they must focusgold, silver and now platinum fit this category.
their limited financial resources on a narrowerPeriod Collections
interest. Some focus on coins of a certain nationMany collectors restrict themselves to coins
or historic period, some collect coins from variousissued after the 18th or 19th century, while
nations, some settle on error coins or exonumia,others collect ancient and medieval coins. Coins of
such as currency, tokens or military challengeRoman, Byzantine, Greek, Indian, Celtic, Parthian,
coins.Merovingian, Ostrogothic, Snappic, and ancient
Every collector collects what interests them, andIsraelite origin are amongst the more popular
there are as many ways of collecting as thereancient coins collected. Specialties tend to vary
are collectors. However a few themes aregreatly, but some approaches include the collection
common and are often combined to a goal for aof coins minted during a particular emperor's reign,
collection.or a representative coin from each emperor.
A number of common collection themes include:Coins are often a reflection of the events of the
Country Collectionstime in which they are produced, so coins issued
Many collectors attempt to obtain an exampleduring historically important periods are especially
from every country which has issued a coin. Ininteresting to collectors.
contrast to those who collect coins from allWhile many of these themes appear simple at
countries, many collect coins from only onefirst glance, the more serious the collector
country, often their own.becomes, more problems surface. Where
Year Collectionssomeone collects coins from every country,
Rather than collecting one example of a type,eventually the issue of what is a country will arise,
some collectors prefer to collect by year, andespecially in areas beset by civil war. When a
thus collect one lincoln cent for every year fromcollectors aim is every year and mintmark of a
1909 to the present.particular type, then there will often be one coin
Mintmark Collectionswhich is significantly more rare and expensive
Many collectors consider that different mint marksthan the others.
give sufficient differentiation to justify separate