I have only been doing this for a very short time, but I see a lot of newbies asking the same question daily. Some helpful tips: · Learn the U.S. Coin Minting process o How the dies work, etc. ( here are some links that might be helpful) § https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/coin-production § https://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/manufacturing.aspx · Watch CT for a few weeks before asking any questions · Find out what books and websites might help me learn Here are some sites that helped me o Doubleddie.com, varietyvista.com, cud-on-coins.com o Cherry Picker guides o NOT “Strike it Rich” (lol) o There are *many* more… Lincoln cent resource, etc. · Observe who has knowledge here who was also willing to help new people · If you think you’re going to get rich, this isn't the hobby for you · This hobby can be a LOT of fun, but it’s not for everyone… o It is not very rewarding from a financial point of view o You WILL invest time o You will probably use money on gas o You shouldn't lose any “money”… always worth at least face value · I started CRH but now I find myself wanting to collect! · I was looking for “the big score” that I saw on Youtube… but it came to me that this probably wasn't going to happen. · Learn to take pictures before posting o Crop out all background o Select the full image o Learn about focus, white balance, etc. o Remember: the information that you will receive here is based on what you are showing us, so pics are very important. The reason I'm writing this is because I'm new to this has well, so you are getting this information from a newbie. So good luck and best wishes to you and always remember to have fun. Dave Thanks to Dougmeister for helping me
Thanks for taking the time to post these tips @Dave363 ! Now, be prepared to because many people either won't bother to read this or they will forget it immediately. Chris
A few just won't do any good. I've been suggesting many of the points you mentioned for 7 years. Ya know, it's a good thing this isn't a forum on gun safety because I'd bet that there would be people who would make sure a gun wasn't loaded by looking down the barrel and pulling the trigger. Chris
Your probably right Chris but I felt that CT has helped me alot over the last couple of months so I thought I might and try to give something back. If they don't want to use the knowledge that we share with them then it's there choice, You and I will problay still continue answering there questions. Because we enjoy what we do and let's be honest we are old and nothing better to do with our time. Lol Dave
Good advice Dave, thanks for putting it together! Would you mind if I copied and saved this, then posted it as needed with a full acknowledgement to you the author?
Something helpful to add to this @Dave363, don't be afraid to ask the group if you can't figure something out but be sure to let everyone know what you see, what your question is and how you have gone about trying to figure it out yourself. It helps and it also shows that you are interested in learning. I've "grown up" here at coin talk and don't be afraid to ask the questions that you want to ask. Be respectful and yearn for the knoweledge that is here! Thanks for sharing your tips for everyone!
I'm sure it's been done before. Years and years ago I knew a girl who's younger brother went to check to see if an old vehicle had gas in the gas tank. He was only ten years old or so. He opened the cap and lit a match to look in. Kid was blown up and back pretty good and had to spend a ton of time in hospital. Nearly completely bandaged up, and much of his body was burned. Really sad to see. But the kid just did not connect having a lit match near an 'empty' gas tank (i.e., fumes would still be there and volatile). Instead he simply saw it as a 'light' to see with.
