Hi! I am new to coin collecting and would appreciate any advice you're willing to give. My grandfather was a collector as well and left me with two folders of pennies dating from 1909 VDB to 1958. I have just 4 more coins to collect and I will have completed it. With the exception of the extremely rare coins. I will be extremely grateful for any information or input on where to start.
Thank you! The dates I need are: 1942 S 1943 S (which from my understanding could be nearly impossible to get) 1948 S 1953 S
There were 191,550,000 minted, they are not hard to find. Advice? Read and listen for several months. Then start asking questions if you still have any. Oh...don't ever watch YouTube and don't look for error coins. At least until you know what a regular coin looks like.
Good to know! I was browsing coin errors and my goodness, that'll get your head spinning. When you say read, are you referring to forums on this site? Or is there a book or website in particular I should look into? So far I've spent many hours online trying to gain some knowledge, but I just kind of jumped into it not knowing where to start.
What did I say about asking questions? Don't! Read and listen to anything and everything (except YouTube) about coins. See you in a couple of months.
Oh! Well okay then. I must have overlooked the part to not ask you any questions. Won't make that mistake again, sorry. Thanks for your advice.
Read up on things as often as you can. Start with basics like a Red Book. It shows photos, describes differences in grading, mintage, where mintmarks are located and what they mean, types of errors/varieties, and even sometimes a bit of history. Read the glossary and learn terms like lamination errors, die cracks, cuds, overdates, doubled die, and how the color can affect grade as well as condition for Lincoln Cents. Then read up on how the design and metallic composition changed. (Copper, zinc-plated steel, zinc, etc.). Learn how to spot if a coin may have cleaned, read about toning, etc. So many things. But take your time and learn from people on here with experience. Read old posts by typing in specific topics. Look at their photos. Even ask questions. This is a great site and a great resource even for beginners!
Can you take a pic of your 1909-S VDB and post it? That is the key coin in that set, along with 1914-D and a few others. TC
Read it again, he said "except for the extremely rare ones", which means to most new or casual collectors to mean the 09SVDB, 14D and 22 plain.
@Srs372 welcome to CoinTalk. If you are around any coin dealers, you can look through their wheaties and probably find the ones you need fairly cheap.
I'm sorry, I those two I do not have. I didn't list those due to the fact they are very rare and didn't expect to come across those. The four I listed previously are the ones I hope to acquire. I currently only have the 1909 VDB
Absolutely on target comment..... When you look at some of these prices on auction or web sites, recognize those are not necessarily the prices those coins will bring. Start a relationship with a local coin/stamp shop. Even the rarer dates can be had affordably. Six months ago I scored a 1909-S VDB for a song. It is in exceptional shape but has a crack on the rim. I felt like I stole the piece. Get to know your local dealer. He will want to encourage your coin fever and will likely be quite happy to help you get “infected” much more affordably than you may expect! Welcome to a rewarding and lifelong hobby.
I apologize for the not so great pictures. I had to try different lighting because my phone doesn't take very good pictures.
Wow! Good for you on acquiring that coin. I haven't been able to locate a dealer around my area. The closest one so far is roughly 3 hours from me.