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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;jeankay, post: 346939, member: 12159&quot;]<b>Yikes 36 and 38</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Didn&#039;t mean to stir up such a debate, but am happy to have everyone&#039;s help when determining the different states of coins and what they should be worth and being able to share the same here for all to enjoy.</p><p>I started my serious collection about a year ago, and discovered there was so much to learn about the coins I went on a campaign of doing research online, joining a couple of forums, watching what was going on, checking out other sites suggested which would help me even more... then deciding about how I would approach my collecting. </p><p><br /></p><p>My first three books were Photograde, The Red Book, and Looking Through Lincoln Cents. Since then I have added The Lincoln Cent Doubled Die, Over Mintmarks and Hot Repunched Mintmarks, The Jefferson Nickel RPM Book update:2002-2002, The Cherrypickers Guide 4th Edition Volume II, and A Quick Reference to the the Top Lincoln Cent Die Varieties, and will soon be getting The RPM Book by Wexler and Miller. </p><p><br /></p><p>Of course I will never have the expertise many have acquired over their many years of searching and grading, buying and selling coins. </p><p><br /></p><p>I did learn about circulated, business non-circulated, mint state, mint issue, mint proof and mint silver proof. I am aware that only in rare cases could a business strike be considered a MS70 (no not a proof). I have learned about luster, cartwheels, satin, mirror finished, anomalies, die varieties, and just about everything else... and much of it from reading the books I have acquired, and much of it from being on the forums and getting help from all of you .</p><p><br /></p><p>Even though I am a novice, I pick up on these things quite quickly. Research is always in the front of my mind when pursuing numismatist work or genealogy or archaeology, or whatever my passion is for the time being.</p><p><br /></p><p>The only proof coins I have came from mint sets and purchases elsewhere.</p><p>The most fun I have had so far is roll searching for that nearly perfect business non-circulated coin for my album. I believe I have gone through at least 50,000 coins in this past year searching for coins that will meet my criteria for my albums. So I had to learn about MS, PR, slabbing companies, dealers, photograding my own coins, to determining which coin I will place in my album. </p><p><br /></p><p>I purchased the two cents so I could see how that company would grade their coins. I figured that if they said MS70, chances are the coins would be more like MS63-65, maybe less. Most of us cannot tell the difference between MS63-65. And, I think some professional graders might also have difficulty with every single nuance that makes a coin grade one way or the other. Or they simply don&#039;t care and will label coins at higher grades than the coin deserves. </p><p><br /></p><p>The only coin shop in my area, more than 35 miles away, that has any sort of normal hours has two expert numismatists. Both of them have said that I have a &#039;good eye&#039; for not only choosing good coins but also for finding coin anomalies. </p><p><br /></p><p>I think maybe I am on the right track. And getting help and opinions from so many different people here and on other forums is helping me gain knowledge I would not otherwise have. And, making mistakes is very much part of learning. </p><p><br /></p><p>Thank You All,</p><p>jeankay[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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