So do did i do?

Went to a local coin shop for the first time. Nothing special but I spent $20 total.. how did i do?

 

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Well, they all appear to be authentic except for the 1943 Lincoln which looks like it was processed to look copper. It has a super fake processed look. It's bad.

The others look like low grade, but genuine examples. For $20, you about struck even.

 

from everything i've read they are a very reputable place but if its fake it only cost me 30 cents.

 

I'd say you did alright. The 1943 has been reprocessed or replated. I can buy those for $.17 each. Any higher and you would have over paid.

 

Looks to me you had a great time. That in itself is worth the $20.00 and won't give you a heart attack like fast food. lol

 

Agreed! Best part is later at work I got a $20 tip from a customer lmao!

 

Looks like you have a good start on a 20th Century type set.

 

ya done good, especially for your first time

 

Nice group of coins. Not bad for 20 bucks.

 

Good deal for the money.

 

Ditto.

 

I like the fact that all have a readable date. I think you did nicely and now have a nice sampling of older US coins.

 

Also depends on the mint marks on the reverse of these coins, especially the Barber half, quarter and dime.

 

Well, you got $15 in silver there at current spot prices, so I think you're pretty close to break even, especially if the weird color on the cent is some lighting or white balance issue.

 

First off, Welcome to the Boards!!!

You did just fine.

Let me ask you a simple question... Did you have fun?

If you had fun, then the whole rest of your question is moot, at least for $20. MOST coin collectors are going to lose money on collecting coins. Yes, some will make some money on some coins, and some will even make money on almost all of their coins, but MOST collectors will lose money on most of their coins.

Look on coin collecting as a hobby, and enjoy it as such. Only use disposable income. Assuming you use those two rules of thumb, then you will enjoy yourself, and at the end of the day, you'll have something to look at whenever you feel like it, and you'll even have something of value to sell if that becomes necessary.

Given that you've just joined the boards, and I'm guessing you've just started collecting, there's one other point I'd like to make (which has NOTHING to do with your above purchase, which is a nice little intro group)... realize that you're going to make some buying mistakes... sometimes because you don't realize what you're buying has issues, sometimes because the dealer you're buying from is a scumsucker.

Purchasing mistakes are so common for Newbies that it even has a phrase in the hobby, "Paying your tuition". All of us that have collected for any length of time have made purchasing mistakes, it's just part of the game. Learn from them and move on.

It's a GREAT hobby, and there are a lot of really nice people involved in it. Remember the above two rules of thumb, and, most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

 

I thought of this lol, the half is an SanFran and the quarter is a New Orleans

Thanks for your post! Defiantly new to the hobby and looking at it as such. Not so worried about making money, but of course that'd be nice lol. Really I got into it because of my love of history, especially American History. Fully aware I'll make mistakes, but looking at these old coins and thinking about the history behind them is the point for me. Part of that too is posting here, showing my findings and sharing with the community. Happy Hunting!

 

Welcome aboard. Hope you take Sky's advice and stick with this. Most people here want to help out, so ask questions. I do and I did.

 

My goof, I didn't see your photo of the reverse sides, thanks.

 

Very very good. I say you did good on your first buy. Welcome to coin talk. Very fun here.

 

Not a bad start. Next time consider buying one coin worth $20 instead of a set of coins.