I'd recommend first becoming an expert on a single series, ideally a less popular and more niche one (i.e. bust half dollars, coronet cents, etc). Study those coins in-depth, read as much as you can, learn all of the varieties and the values of any date within the series. That way you'll gain the knowledge that will enable you to cherrypick and find those better deals. As for my favorite flip, I personally enjoy working with foreign silver crowns. I've found that collectors in general are far less knowledgeable about them than about U.S. coins. Plus there's a huge variety of crowns from all over the world and many of them are closely tied to historical figures and events, which I find fascinating.
Yes, and searching rolls is a good way to start. My suggestion? Buy a grading book, and grade every nickel. Also, buy vol I of the cherrypickers guide so you know which varieties to look for. Search for varieties and errors, then grade every coin and put them in piles of same grades. When you are done going through a few thousand, go over every pile and see if you still think every is the same grade. You might find some rare coins, errors, or varieties, but either way will have a good grading lesson for free. Plus, you got your hands dirty handling a bunch of coins. What is more fun than that?
And it's more than that. You have to know a lot about promotion, ads, and financing, surplus, inventory, blah blah blah not to mention supplies etc...
You have no idea how much there is to know, but then few do. Everything that has been touched upon in this thread is but the tip of the iceberg. As for books and resources, you can start here - http://www.cointalk.com/forums/numismatic-resources.33/ and that is just a start.
As has been said, flipping involves paying less for it than you can sell it for. With coin roll hunting in these modern times, this almost certainly involves finding error coins, since any old ones worth much have been filtered. Other than this, if you know certain coins (and this can really be so with foreign) you can find dealers who know little about some coins who will let them go for less than they are worth, but good luck with this.
Buy coins directly from the US Mint; get on their mailing/text list. Buy the max allowed on the Silver Proof sets and ASEs in both Proof, UNC, and Burnished. Look for limited production of other Mint produced coins. A prime example was the 2019 S Reverse Proof (35K MINTED) $69 coin is now worth WELL over a $1000. Certified Lincoln Wheats and Memorials in higher grades, in both proof and UNC are a bargain IMHO; assemble a complete proof Memorial set with the best grades you can afford (PF68 or higher). Watch TV Coin shows like Rick Tomaskis and see what he is pushing, just do not buy from TV coin shows. Take a set of coins he is pushing and then go on Ebay and assemble the same for less $$$. DO not purchase coins that are "Buy It Now" from Ebay. Look at the prices they are charging and get involved with an Auction of the same coin at same or higher grade. Set your limit for 25 to 75 percent less.. Franklins and Mercury dimes are under valued. Morgan $1 are beautiful but most are overpriced. ASE Proofs, while beautiful coins are too. See the 1st paragraph. Purchase rarities at the best grade you can afford; like the 1932 D Washington. Just my 2 cents; feel free to throw stones
First, welcome to the neighborhood! You did notice that this thread is more than 6 years old, didn't you? Chris
Good coins for me to flip are coins with great eye appeal and cac approves coins if I can buy them for the right price
Is it wrong to hit the like button on a comment if you like it on a thread that is 6 years old?? I keep forgetting to look for the “new” box!!
Nope, not in any way ! A lot of folks aren't aware of it but the "like" button hasn't even existed all that long. Prior to a few years ago there was no "like" button. And ya know what ? As far as I'm concerned - there still isn't !
I personally prefer to flip quarters. I find dimes to be too small to get a consistent and satisfying flip. Halves and dollars are too large and unwieldy, and if you drop them you'll damage something. So to me, the quarter is the perfect weight and size for flipping.
Cherry Pickers guide compared against the registry sets is my recommendation. Simple enough an 8 year old can figure it out.
And IF you were lucky enough to get one, AND lucky enough to flip it for near peak value ($600 seemed like a great rip, then $1000, then $1300...) ... you'd STILL be under water from all the full priced mint issues you'd overbought in the last year or two. There are two foolproof tools for profiting on flips from the US Mint: luck, and hindsight.
I am currently buying a series issued over the last 23 years. If I would have bought direct from the mint I would have spent many thousands over what I am paying, including a few key dates.