World coin rookie here. Have a couple of questions about buying.

I have only previously bought/collected US and Canadian coins. There is a local pawn type/cash for gold shop that I check out from time to time. The guy that owns it, is a real nice guy but he seems to have very little knowledge in coins as I have gotten some great deals in the past. He has a big bowl of world coins that he sells about 5 for a dollar. I have seen some older coins mixed in there from the early 1900's but not much from the 1800's. Is it worth making an offer on the bowl? Talking about a cereal sized bowl. If so, what would you offer him? What do you world collector guys/gals look for when going through coins like this. Trying to broaden my horizons on different types of coins. Thanks in advance.

 

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Most of the coin shops I've been to have a "bowl" much larger than that. I let my kids pick 5 for a dollar each time we visit, and they now know better about grading, what coins they prefer, etc. So I pick up a few and play along, trading and teaching. If I were you, I'd cherrypick what you like, then the bowl can stay for for others to enjoy, too.

 

Well it's not a coin shop by any stretch of the imagination but that is a good point you make. I'll post up a few pics of what I grabbed in a few.

 

Here are some. I know where most of them came from and I don't think any are worth much but thought I would share. (sorry for the crappy pics)

 

Wow, that Paris Exposition token is really cool!

 

Thanks. Thought the same thing, that is why I grabbed it. It says Bridgeton NJ, on the token, which is not too far from where I live now. Pretty cool.

 

the top one is a 1936 new guinea penny which is one of the very few released for circulation with edward VIII on them. worth around $5 in that condition,

 

Nice, thanks for the info!

 

These are usually bought by the dealers in 10 lb. bags (or larger). A few years ago you could get some nice old silver but now most of the silver has been picked out. In fresh batches you'll come across other treasures (like the token you have) that the dealers have overlooked or can't be bothered looking for.

 

One bit of advice, don't get hung up on "rare". In world coinage you can find items that maybe only 30 were struck. Does it make it a million dollar piece? No, it may be worth $30. Maybe 30 is 25 too many for the demand.

I am just warning you of a danger many face when coming from US collecting, thinking small mintages equal $. I find world coins very interesting and freeing of the whole stupid, looking for teeny tiny variations on a coin, and collecting 80 coins that appear identical except for tiny little differences. I like collecting whole different cultures, whole different countries, whole different types, over, "well I have 60 of these, but this one has a d under the date instead of an s, so I NEED this coin."

By getting into world coins, be prepared to learn a lot of geography and history, both very cool things!

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

Chris

 

World coins are fun to look at. Many of them have designs rather than a political figure on them. Sometimes it makes them hard to identify but sometimes thats half the fun of it. Research leads to discovering of new coins and geographical areas you may not know about. Personally I find that you find many historic coins when collecting them. Try not to think of value but rather something that will expand your collection.

 

Both good info. Thank you!

 

Any more info on the token? Couldn't really find anything online.

 

Hmm, Ferracute was a manufacturer of various machines, among them coin presses. And apparently those tokens were made at the 1900 World Expo in Paris. More about the company is here for example: http://oberlinsmith.org/Ferracute/ferracute.html

Christian

 

My strategy when searching through world coin lots is to grab anything that is older, in great shape or that seems unusual. By unusual I mean it's from a country you don't hear much about or that doesn't exist anymore, it's oddly shaped, it's very large or anything else that sets it apart. After you do it for awhile you get a feel for what's common and what isn't, so whenever I see something I haven't seen before I always grab it.

 

Great link, thanks a lot!

That is the approach I have been taking. Still learning what's common and what isn't. I grabbed a few more today included some old British pennies from 1874 and 1889. I'll post some pics of the other I can't identify later.

 

Here are a few more.

I believe this one is 50% silver but not sure what country



Not sure about this one either. (Netherlands?)



No idea about this one. Picked up 5, 10 and 25 denominations. This was the nicest.

 

That last one you have is really nice looking. Suggestion, though. Stop handling the coins the way you do. Your fingers can put fingerprints on those coins if you keep doing that.

 

You might like buying coins by the pound. I have seen offers for World coins by the pound through the Goodwill, and the like on the internet.

 

Good point and I do know better than that. I do not handle my normal collection this way, I guess it's my own ignorance to what I am holding as to why.