First Timer Question - Foregive me

Overall, the biggest financial gains in collecting will be the high grade, key coins in just about any series. If you are after a profit, I would recommend sticking to that area.

Modern coinage are produced in such gianormus quantity that it's hard to see the day when they will appreciate much.

You are struggling with two concepts, collecting what you like, as long as they appreciate in value. Not an easy task to reconcile the two.

 

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PennyGuy, I like the advise (high grade, key coins in any series). So how do I find out what the key coins are in different series.

 

The ones with the lowest mintages, and the ones that sell the highest..lol

Wheat Cent:

1909 S VDB Mintage of 404,000
1914 D Mintage of 1.193 Million
1922 NO D Cent
1955 Double Die Cent
1958 Double Die Cent

These are the rarest ones in that series

 

First, buy a book. A good starter is "A Guide Book of United States Coins" The 2010 edition is out, commonly called the Red Book. Lots of good info on all US coins, don't take the prices as gospel. By the time the book is printed and distributed the prices are outdated, both high and low. You can look at the values quoted within a series, take tmoneyeagles Lincoln list and compare mintages and general values compared to other Lincolns, the key coins will jump out at you.

 

Other key coins, in US Coinage, in general are

1913 V Nickel--Only 5 Known
1933 Gaudens-- Only 1 Known (More than 1 minted, most melted down)
1894 S Barber Dime--Mintage of 24
1856 Flying Eagle Penny-2,000
1916 Standing Liberty Quarter--52,000
1893 S Morgan--100,000

And yes, buy the 2010 Red Book, but I wouldn't use it as my main price guide
Use www.numismedia.com, the redbook, and ebay and heritages completed listings as price guides
don't just use one, use them all and compare, before buying a coin