Basic beginner's information!

Here are a few things that might answer some questions frequently asked by beginning collectors.

· If you are really serious about collecting coins, the first thing you should consider, buying is a R. S. Yeoman, Red Book. It will provide a wealth in information and answer many of your questions! You don’t need a current edition! One that is 2 or 3 years old is fine.

· You also might want to consider buying an inexpensive digital microscope for taking closeup pictures of coins you want to post.

· When you post pictures of your coins, I recommend you post a full view of the obverse (front) and reverse, as well as a closeup of the area you’re are asking about. Also please provide a detailed comment/question that explains exactly what you are asking about.

· Modern cents have an outer layer of copper over a core of zinc. This composition does not hold up and results in a seemingly endless number of anomalies on these coins!

· The correct term to use when referring to doubling is “doubled die” not double die. Most of the coins you think are a doubled die are not! They will have some type of mechanical doubling that add absolutely no value to the coin other than as an example to refer to! A true doubled die variety is caused when the die is made, not when the coin is struck. Mechanical doubling happens when a coin is struck and is often caused by a problem with the die or striking process!

· There is a difference between errors and varieties! Varieties are the result of intentional or unintentional changes to dies before coins are struck. Errors are unintentional mistakes or abnormalities made during the striking process.

· There is only one year you need to look for a “Close AM” on cents. That year is 1992. There are 3 years to look for a “Wide A M” on cents. Those years are 1998, 1999, and 2000. If your cent doesn’t fit one of these years and A M positions, it’s a normal cent.

· The mint mark on a coin tells where the coin was minted! Coins with a “P” or “no mint mark” were minted in Philadelphia, and coins with a “D” were minted in Denver. Coins with a “S” were minted in San Francisco, with a “W” at West Point, an “O” in New Orleans and a “CC” in Carson City”. There are others but these are the most common,

· There are three websites you need to become very familiar with. They are Lincoln Cent Resource, Variety Vista and Wexler’s Coins and Die Varieties. They are great places to do your research!

· Although it may be exciting to find a wheat cent, most wheat cents are not very valuable. However there a few rare cents that can be more expensive/valuable.

· Until the year 1989 the mint mark was hand punched on dies. Some coins have repunched mint marks (RPM). An RPM is caused when the mint mark was hand punched on a die more than one time and the punch was not correctly aligned with the original mint mark!

· There were occasions that coins were punched with two different mint marks. This is called an over mint mark (OMM). An OMM is when mint marks from two different mints were punched one on top of the other on the die. For example, a D over S.

· Most serious coin collectors will emphatically tell you “DON’T CLEAN COINS”. Of course, there are exceptions (some don’t mind or even like cleaned coins) but that is a very good rule to follow! A coin that has been cleaned loses both value and desirability to most collectors.

Please feel free to correct any mistakes you see and add any other information you think might help those new to this amazing hobby!!!!

 

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Great info, Top..... Only thing I would offer is that it is OK to be intimidated when you undertake the hobby. I am fifty years in and I still feel intimidated..... But that's OK. Stick with it and in very short order you too will figure out why coin collecting is so addicting.

 

There is no "right" way to collect coins. Collect what makes you happy.

 

Store your coins in a uniformly cool and dry place. Avoid extremes of temperature and moisture.
If storing coins in cardboard squares, cinch the staples as flat as possible to avoid damaging other coins.
Don't let anyone tell you what or not to collect, it is your collection,
And finally, try to ascertain exactly what you have before trying to determine worth

 

The fools that inhabit Reddit and elsewhere on the Internet would be wise to heed your advice.

 

Ha
r/coins

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Nice compilation of frequent things asked or assumed by new collectors. Good job and thanks for the post.

One correction.

Feel, not fell. LOL Just had to yank your chain.

 

"Until the year 1989 the mint mark was hand punched on coins." No, until 1989 the mint mark was hand punched on dies, not coins.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to add; Handle coins by their edge to avoid finger prints on the surfaces.

 

Thanks!! Still had time to edit and correct! LOL Fat fingers and a slow brain is not a good combination!!!!

 

And I too learned something new from this thread! Thanks for the correction and lesson! I was able to edit!!!

 

I agree with the above !
Also, Lets keep away the Zinc rots , Road raged and mangled pennies PLEASE !
Save the Lincolns !!

 

I'd add to that list, use common sense. Coins that have obvious damage to them in which such damage can be easily replicated, doesn't make them mint errors, rare, or valuable.

Example: A road kill coin's damage is easily replicated by simply placing an undamaged coin in the street or parking lot and letting a few dozen cars run it over, thus, shouldn't be taken as any type of mint error, rare or valuable. Same goes for dryer coins and coins that have been sitting for extended periods of time in liquids such as sewage etc.

 

I thought that the mintmark was incorporated onto the die in 1990.

 

Why would you need full images of, both, the obverse and reverse if I posted the following?

How did this happen?

 

yeah, one of my pet peeves is a tiny fleck of PMD on a coin and someone swoops in 5 sec. after the post with the classic

"Pics of both sides please"

 

I did a little research and I think the mint mark is now incorporated into the master die which is then used to create the dies used to strike the coins. Prior to 1990 the mint mark was punched into the working dies!! Hope that's correct!!!

 

From my understanding, if there are points of interest on one side of the coin, it's helpful to see if there are any points of interest on the opposite side of the coin as well. It's helpful when assessing if the points of interest happened during the minting process or after. Because usually if damage has occurred to one side of the coin after it left the mint, there will be evidence of it on the opposite side as well. Not always but most the time.

 

I acquired some very special PCGS slabbed cents in a large lot I purchased for some quarters, I think they are probably worth at least $10k each on Etsy, but I'd appreciate your experienced opinions on value