What would your suggestions be to the new collector, to find/purchase/learn about collecting. People say be careful on ebay auction mentality forces way to high prices, be careful for fraudulent coins. Don't buy from tV sales prices are way to high fior the product offered. Some say only buy "certiifed" MS " " graded coins. Others say be cautious of coin store owners. Some say only but bullion coins others say not to. Keep it in mind KISS for the begginer to start right from the jump. where to purchase etc. Peace and Good Karma Tal~ http://www.cointalk.com/t86372/
Ebay is a safe place to purchase if you know what you are doing. Cointalk(here) is a GREAT place to ask people questions for learning. T.V. ads are scams. Buying certified M.S. can be ok, but buy whatever you can afford. Buy the best you can for your collection, and remember to "buy the coin and not the holder". Go and buy slabs from reputable coin graders such as NGC or PCGS or ANACS. Cheers, vnickels
Welcome to the forum! Ebay can be good for an experienced collector, but experienced takes time to accumulate. The worse thing about being enthused with coin collecting is the desire to jump right in and make up for lost time, but that is dangerous. I would recommend obtaining ( from library or online) a Guide to US coins ( usually called a redbook for obvious reasons~ its red) not for the pricing however, but for the information inside. The pricing is often way off, but by comparing the prices given within a group ( such as indian head cents) , you can tell the supply/demand/rarity relationship. Although not always accurate, it can guide you to what price is reasonable. Secondly, the ability to grade a coin and recognize problems before buying is extremely important, as you can't really trust the person selling it. This forum is as good as any book on grading, but you will have to search through old posts to find the threads. It will take some time and certain transitions are difficult, such as telling a AU58 from a MS-63, or a MS-64 from a MS-65, each of which may be a big financial jump. Spend time at a coin show and look at the various graded coins. If you have the financial ability, buy coins graded by PCGS or NGC and study them to try and decide why the coin was graded MS-63 rather than MS-64 pr 65. It will pay off in the end. Decades ago when I started, there was no one around to give me advice except my older brother so I bought "lots" and had little idea what I was doing. But I usually bought coins I liked, and not ones he did, and I am glad as I still have some of those 3 cent nickles and bust halves. Contain your enthusiasm, and in a couple of years you will be glad you did, as knowledge is the most important part of any type of collection. And finally join a local coin club if there is one, it is always nice to interact. Jim
Stay away from Coin Vault, or any TV coin hucksters, and only buy top tier (PCGS, NGC, ANACS, maybe ICG) graded coins from ebay. Do yourself a favor....do some homework. Get some books, read up on what interests you, and DON'T buy a coin to 'just buy' a coin. Know what you are buying, know why you are spending your hard earned money.
I agree with all the above. Especially the Red Book. Lots of information, pay no mind to the prices. I would suggest you start slow, set and stick to a budget. I would also add find somebody local who is also interested in coin collecting. One of my best resources is a local flea market vendor who I became aquainted with when I first started collecting. Not only do I trust him, I get decent pricing, and he is a veritable fountain of information.
The nearest dealer to me is 150 miles away I live rural. So I've bought what I can from online auctions and forums.Shipping is far cheaper with premiums compared to round trip gas. When we schedule Dr visits etc I always stop off at a coin shop Right now I've taken a liking to Ike dollars 40%.. I also buy BU ASE and have done so for many years. I'm trying to obtain proof ASE's now.
