I have been collecting random coins and state quarters for a while. I recently just obtained Hawaii which finished my state quarter collection and I have a few other things I have obtained over the years like .999 42, 43 and 46 silver dollers (1 of each) and some foreign coins. What should I do to get started? I read about the Redbook, should I get one? Where from? I am more interested in the newer stuff coming out but I will look for old stuff was well. I am looking into the "S" Silver proof sets, are those good? I want to get the coins coming out now for the future so if I get silver sets they might be worth alot more.
Welcome to CoinTalk! The Red Book should be your first purchase. And I heard (well...read) you have some foreign coins. If you decide to really go with them, a great purchase would be the Standard Catalogue of World Coins.
Well it seems to me that you have already started, and you have an idea of what you want! Explore all options! Do you want to collect Gold, if so do you want to collecto $2.5, $5, $10 eagles, what is it that you want to collect...You can collect morgan dollars, peace dollars, ike dollars... etc... We can't tell you where to begin, buy the redbook, do some research before you start buying coins, and I'd ask any questions you have here, we are always here to help The silver proof sets, are a great way to start, you can buy them from local dealers who have them, ebay, and of course the most recent off the us mint's website every year when they are released
i am an amateur but don't do what I did once to to see. i opened a encapsulated 2006 Silver Eagle dollar I bought from the mint. I tell 'ya, once you touch it, it gets all these funning looking scratches on it and no matter how much I polish it, it just gets worse! LOL
Polish, oh no no no! Please tell me that was a slight joke, or it wasn't but you have learned! DO NOT POLISH COINS... DO NOT TOUCH COINS WITH BARE HANDS EITHER... If you are going to hold the coin, do it by the edges, and try to use cotton gloves
Here are some suggestions: * Check to see if there are any local coin shows, go. * See if there is a local coin club, if there is go to a meeting * The Redbook is good. There is also a lot of information online. Heritage, Ebay, Teletrade have large archives of images and prices. What I always write: * Collect what you like, not what someone else likes. Don't know what you like, get a Redbook or spend some time on the mentioned auction sites and look at a lot of images. Some will be more appealing than others. * Enjoy the hobby. * Learn how to grade. For most U. S. coins, price and grade go hand in hand. The ANA grading guide, the PCGS guide to grading and counterfeit detection are a couple of books. Looking at a lot of coins is the way most learn. Try some of the guess the grade threads as a way to practice. * Develop relationships with other collectors and dealers to get better access and better pricing. This may not matter if all a person wants to do is buy direct from the mint. For harder to find classic coins, access counts for a lot. This is why I suggest finding a local club and/or show. * If interested in expensive coins, learn about availability and pricing before spending the big money. A good many novices get a little bit of knowledge and then rush in before they learn the basics of grading, before they have a handle on pricing. The mistakes can be expensive on high priced coins.
This is somewhat of a new interest for me but I want to become more heavily involved. Thanks alot for all the replies! I will start using your suggestions soon. I love collecting almost anything, coins are my newest kick. My main goal is to collect coins that are coming out now, they are easy to get and in 70+ years from now they can prove to be a great investment. I also like alot of the newer designs coming out so I will probably start with proof sets.
start with what you like i am a newbie to this as well and i have learned alot so far by coming on here everyday and reading about what i collect
From what I have, I do have a 1922, 1923 and 1926 D peace dollars. I can't post pics because I didn't get good quality pics but they seem in very good condition. Can anyone tell me what they are worth?
Nope, can't do it, if we don't have pics... Very good coming from a numismatist, isn't that great of a grade, but coming from somebody who is just starting out, who knows what it could mean. We'd need to see some pics, before we determine value on anything Once again, I refer to the redbook, and learning how to grade coins
Alright, I need to get a better camera first hehe. There are minor scratches, but nothing too big except on the 1923 one but its not even a radius and isn't on the face. I was more generally asking for a rough value. I also don't know about the grading system yet because I haven't bought a redbook yet
Just buy a the redbook, and you will get rough values, and it will also assist you on grading Good luck
Odds are high they are worth $12 to $20 each. High grade uncirculated coins and/or rare die-varieties could be worth more, possibly much more. However, it is unlikely that random common coins were so well preserved or are a rare variety. What kind of holders, if any were the coins in? A coffee can? A cigar box? 2x2 cardboard holders? Small plastic holders with screws? The latter would certainly increase the odds of nicer coins and higher prices. The coffee can, or cigar box, or no holder would usually mean they are circulated and likely in the $12 to $20 range. A person can look up coin values on Numismedia or the PCGS price guide. http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/fmv.shtml http://www.pcgs.com/prices/ A person still has to figure out the grading, but the price guides will give a person an indication as to which coins in which dates and mintmarks might have high values. The guides list retail prices. If coins are offered for sale to a dealer, dealer offers will tend to be much lower than guide.
Thanks for the awesome advice. I think I will purchase a redbook this week. They are all Denver mint peace dollars, I cannot say for sure what the grading is though, should I get them graded? They are in the common plastic circles that I see around here. Like you said "small plastic holders with screws" I really can't say a grade because I don't know what each one looks like or what gives a 60 or 61 so yeah.
Well I wouldn't shell out the money to get them graded unless it is a key date, or it is a high graded one. Go to ebay and search "1923 peace dollar" and do it through the completed listings Now, try to find one that looks similar to yours, and look at the price, this should be a correct representation, of what yours would sell for or is worth
I am doing that now but still having trouble. The ones officially graded by PCGS are selling for like 10x more. I will need to post pics and ask you guys
