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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cpm9ball, post: 899385, member: 24633&quot;]Hi, David!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>First, it might be a good idea to get a couple of books to help you. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>One would be the Red Book of United States Coins published by Whitman. While I don&#039;t recommend that you use its price guides to help you in making purchases, the book does contain a wealth of information to guide you. The other book that I think is a must would be either the ANA Grading Standards or Photograde to help you determine the condition of coins that you are considering purchasing. You won&#039;t become an expert overnight, but at least it will give you a start.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If you&#039;re searching eBay for coins, please tread slowly and don&#039;t make any rash purchases. As was mentioned, any seller who advertises bulk lots that are <b>unsearched</b> is full of crap. It doesn&#039;t apply just to pennies. All denominations are suspect. You must also be careful when purchasing raw (uncertified) coins on eBay. There are too many coin doctors who try to pawn off problem coins by photoshopping them or simply by posting lousy photos. If you see something that interests you, don&#039;t be afraid to ask the seller to send you better photos. Any time a seller balks at answering your questions, take a pass!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If this sounds a little scary to you, it should! But, don&#039;t feel that you should rush into a purchase thinking you will never get another opportunity. That just isn&#039;t true! Take your time, and ask questions here about grading and pricing. Eventually, you will learn how to search auction archives like Heritage or Teletrade to get pricing trends.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As for grading, you might also want to go to some coin shows if you have any in your area. That way you can look at certified coins in a variety of grades to help you along. You should also be aware that there are &quot;Third world&quot; grading services who consistently overgrade and slab problem coins, and it is best to only look at coins certified by NGC and/or PCGS.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Don&#039;t be afraid to post your questions, here, no matter how trivial they may seem. After all, it&#039;s your money.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Chris[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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