What Coins Should I Collect?

-- End Ad Box --->Obviously, one will be very limited in the years,
You should collect what you like and enjoy. This ismints, and varieties available from pocket change
Your Dream. Design it any way you want.and bank rolls - both being local in nature. Even if
Never-the-less, . . . decide on Foreign coins or USstarting with these means of collecting, always
Coins; and Proof or Mint State. If US, then decidekeep an open mind about other resources. So, a
upon a Denomination: penny, nickel, dime, quarter,little future insight helps to decide that better
half dollar, dollar or other.resources will yield better coin collections. Most
Or, decide upon a particular Period in History, e.g.:collections will span a greater range of years, than
Morgan Dollars (Lady Liberty, Following Civil War),either pocket change or bank rolls can possibly
Peace Dollars (Following WWI), War Time Centsproduce. It is therefore imperative to investigate
(Steel and Shell Casing - WWII), War Time Nickelsother resources.
(Silver - WWII), Silver quarters and dimesYour Budget will usually determine the Grade of
— pre 1965; Statehood Quarters; 20thcoin that you can afford to collect. MS63-MS65 is
Century; 19th Century.an Ideal range for collecting, not only because of
Or decide upon an Historical Figure; Kennedy Halfthe excellent condition and detail of the coins,
Dollars (Following his death), Lincoln Cents;greater availability, lower costs, and because coins
Washington Quarters; Franklin Half Dollars;in this range tend to Appreciate faster than other
Eisenhower Dollars, Susan B Anthony Dollars,Grades. There item is very simple, and it has to
Roosevelt Dimes; Sacagawea Dollars. You can alsodo with the quality of the coin — or how
choose Type Sets, Year Sets, Mint Sets, Proofmuch you want to Spend per Coin - for an
Sets and Decades.average coin, for an exceptional coin, or a perfect
The Next Step is to decide upon the Quality ofcoin. Your budget will usually determine this factor,
coin you want to collect. Your choices are: a)or, how much per month you can spend (per
pocket change; b) bank rolls; c) US mint and proofmonth?) for your new Investment. Never doubt
rolls and sets (new and used); d) Buy from Cointhat Coin Collecting is an Investment. Although it is
Shows and Clubs; e) Buy on the Internet; f) Buyeasy to overlook the amount of time spent on
from coin dealer; g) Buy from coin magazine orthis Endeavor because two of the main
ad. Each has their benefits and advantages.ingredients are Pleasure and Enjoyment. Confucius
Pocket Change and Bank Rolls provide CirculatedSay:
coins. The US Mint provides Uncirculated “Mint“If you enjoy what you are doing, you will
State” and “Proof” coins.never work another day in your life.”
The Internet provides the Greatest SelectionThink of it as a Fund. You are trading Money for .
from private Web Sites, e.g.: to the big Auctions. . Money that Grows and Gives Pleasure! Properly
like eBay, Yahoo, Heritage and TeleTrade. Andattended, this Fund can quite possibly put
With the advent of (free) it becomes very quicksomeone through college.
and easy to pay for purchases over the InternetLastly, decide whether to collect all of the coins in
and by Phone.your Group — including varieties and errors
The one thing that is important in all of the above— or just the Regular Issue Coins. Errors
choices is the Grade of the Coin, which is closelyand Varieties can become extremely expensive
related to Value (a topic for another article). Butand difficult to find. Most people will avoid them.
which leads to the next choice: Buy Slabbed orThis Concept of “Trading Money for Money”
Raw? Raw coins are what you find in pocketis critically important because most people shy
change. Slabbed coins are those that areaway from spending a little more, just to get the
Professionally Certified and Graded by anbest. And I am talking about the best in quality of
Independent Third Party. The coin is then placed incoin, no matter what the Grade or Price. In other
a “slab”, made of plastic, identified, labeledwords, get a Coin with the Grade it is Supposed
and sealed. It actually takes 3 Professionals toto Have. This is the Only way to be sure of the
decide upon the Grade of a Coin. If Buying RawValue of the Coin. Spend your Money Wisely. Get
Coins, You need to Know How to Grade a Coin.what you pay for. Until you become a
Even then, there will be Disputes about the Grade.Professional at Grading, rely on the Professional
When Buying a Slabbed coin, You Know theGraders. Whether you choose to collect Kennedy
Grade. The Grade Becomes Virtually Undisputable!Proof Half Dollars, or Jefferson Nickels from
All references to Price in any resource are Basedpocket change, thanks to the Internet, you will
on Grading, which follows the Guidelines set byfind a huge selection available, on many different
the ANA — American Numismaticweb sites, to give your Coin Collecting efforts a
Association. Currently, there are only Fourboost. Internet Web Sites will Forever Change
Companies that are Recognized for StrictlyCoin Collecting! Why? Because Top Quality Coins
following these Guidelines: PCGS, NGC, ICG andcan be easily Bought and Sold by any body -
ANACS. It is from these Professionals that onesince they are Slabbed!
should buy slabbed coins. Buying Slabbed Coins isAlways Know Your Grade!
the First Rule of Serious Coin Collecting.