Well this week I have been going thru my pocket change jar to just see what i have. I will not started looking at my halves until I get the 2 books I have ordered. I do have the Red Book. Finding lots of the new quarters and 2005 pennies and a lot of newer dimes in really good condition (I think). The quarters look pretty rough. So far only found 4 nickels worth keeping, 2 peace medal and 2 buffs I was thinking of buying a couple of modern coins from the local dealer to compare what I think the grade is to what his grade is. Is there any merit to doing this to try and learn grading? My wife also reminded me of the currency which I have collected out of circulation and keep in my sdb. I think I have some really nice bills and will eventually post them for your opinions. Thanks R
As has been stated so many times on this and other forums, get some books on coins and read, read, read. You'll never really know what good coins you dismiss because of lack of knowledge of coins. As an example for pennies try to get a book called Looking Through Lincolns. Then naturally get a Red Book. Depending on how much you want to spend on getting started, try local flea markets, garage and yard sales for coins and coins books.
Rookie, make sure you go to a reputable dealer if you will do that. Most if not all dealers are expert graders, however will often times mark a grade on their coin that is higher than it actually is. I've only been seriously collecting for a few months, and I am started to be able to grade coins usually within 1-5 points on the sheldon scale from 1-70. When I started, it was much worse than that. So just keep chugging, and talk lots on this forum.
I would readily agree with the last part of that statement, but I would strongly disagree with the first part.
