This post is inspired by @BuffaloHunter I might be coming out of the closet as well. After a month here learning about my inheritance and coinage in general (and getting through one coffee can of pennies), everything US went back in the safe. Perhaps the tens of thousands of coins was to overwhelming. But I got bored looking at them and reading about what I’m supposed to be looking for. Truth be told, I’ve rolled a lot of non-silver nickels, dimes, and quarters for the bank. I’ve been enjoying this hobby again recently. It’s fun to not look at the same thing time and again (except all the wife’s Canadian coinage). Here’s my work space. I’m just getting started on the world tour, but I can see me enjoying owning things I like versus every year of the same coin. I’ll find my thing in time.
I'd never tell someone there's a right or wrong way to do a hobby because it's for fun and you do what you like. That being said, to me if you collect coins and just do U.S., you're missing a lot. Many people love to squint at thousands of pennies looking for minor differences, but that's not for me. I've been exclusively doing world for years and I still see new stuff all the time.
I was separating Lincoln cents by decade to start. When I looked at my pile of well circulated 1910 pennies, I wasn’t inspired. Maybe I can sell a roll of them for $5 when I open an eBay account, but they are kind of a nuisance. The 40s and 50s are worse in number and value. The 19th and 20th world stuff is cheap and interesting to me. Just going through what I was given, and enjoying the history of warfare, I separated coins from WWII era. That might be a direction the would include the US and lead to other periods of time.
Many people do war related collections. Another good thing about world coins is people don't value them so you can find great deals. It's a lot harder to get a great deal on U.S. stuff.
It looks like a good number are silver. You should pick up a used/old Krause book to see if you have some that are worth well more than face value. If you are looking to dispose of some, KIJIJI or facebook coin sections are good, but never meet at your home .. make it a coffee shop or something.
eBay is a good place to see that. At 60 I’m inclined to buy what I enjoy. There seems to be much for me to enjoy in foreign coins.
Yes. I’m having a good time looking up composition and reading about many of them. I’ll have to google KIJIJI.
Googled KIJIJI. My wife is Canadian so her next trip home I’ll load her carry on down with the newer Canadian coins.
I’ve been told multiple times that I’m a bad influence. I think that this is a worthy journey though, and I’m happy I’m not walking into it alone.
I really got into foreign coins after I completed many of the US 20th century series and the older series such has Bust and Seated Liberty are more expensive to collect.
