jowens

Just joined today and have been reading some of the forums. I've been collecting for the past two-three years and have focused most of my attention to the mint and proof sets.

For some reason, Mercury dimes have suddenly captured my attention and now I am beginning to start that collection focusing on obtaining a decade at a time.

A newbie question for anyone that would like to answer: my interest other than enjoying the look, detail and history of coins is the future investment value of the coin (not that I plan to retire on it). Generally speaking, is it better to buy certified for a collection or not?

Again - hello and I look forward to reading the posts.

green18

Welcome to the forum Jowens. This site is one of the best around. In response to your question I feel that it is not all that necessary to buy certified coins for your collection (doesn't mean I don't own any). Nothing beats looking at a coin up close and personal. However there are going to be times in your collecting carreer that you may want to purchase certified coins because you are uncertain about authenticity. Buying from a reputable TPG'er usually assures that.....

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They also serve who only stand and wait....John Milton

kevcoins

welcome green 18 said it

jowens

Allright - another newbie question: what does TPG'er mean?

green18

Third party grader.....(NGC, PCGS)

__________________
They also serve who only stand and wait....John Milton

pappy-o

Welcome to CT jowens,a fun place to hang out : )

raider34

Welcome to the forum!

andy21us

Welcome to the Forum Jowens!

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Lehigh96

Welcome to the forum Jowens,

I think that Mercury Dimes are one of the best series for beginners to collect. Essentially, you can split the series in half: 1916-1931 & 1934-1945. The second half is easily obtainable for every issue with the exception of the overdate. If you start collecting these coins first you will be able to learn how to grade the series at a minimum of cost. In addition, because these coins are so common, they will probably not change in value as much as the early Mercury Dimes.

In order to answer your question about whether or not to collect certified coins, we would need to know what kind of collection you are interested in assembling. If you are thinking about a full band uncirculated set, you would definitely want to stick with PCGS & NGC graded coins until you have the requisite knowledge to both avoid problem coins and grade the series accurately. FYI, you can get most of the coins in the 1934-1945 half in MS65 FB for less than $50 per coin.

Let us know what you decide!

Paul

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Well good luck to you and I wish you the best. Keep in touch.