I'm a relative beginner collector that has been collecting for a number of years, but mainly Statehood Quarters, Lincoln Cents, and other clad U.S. coins. I get most of these from my own pocket change. I have the beginnings of a 1946-64 Roosevelt dime collection as well. That started one day a few years ago when I found a 1957 in my pocket! I was exhilirated to find a silver coin in my pocket. This summer my mom found an Indian Head Cent in her pocket change. These events have inspired me to get a little more serious. My question follows: I'm looking to get a little more serious now. I like the idea of working on my 1946-64 Roosevelts and possibly Buffalo head Nickels. Do you think these are good entry points to the more serious side of coin collecting? Any thoughts/tips? As I said, I'm a relative beginner... thanks.
Welcome to the forum !!! I think Silver Roosevelt Dimes would be an excellent set to start if your new. It is still an affordable set to put together, with no real key dates in your way. they can be challanging but with some effort, you could put together a circulated set just by sorting 90% at your dealers he he would let you. Even in Mint State, the set is do-able on all but the smallest budgets, and can help train the eye as far as grading goes. Step it up a notch and try for full bands around the torch. These carry a premium, and can be " cherry picked" sometimes. Buffalos can get expensive, are very difficult to grade with big $$$ swings between grades, so it gets kind of scary for the beginner. Do as YOU choose, and welcome to coin collecting.
You can get as serious as you want with ANY coin series. I recommend that you collect what interests you. Silver Rosies should make a good collection as they are plentiful and won't break the bank to put together an uncirculated set. Buffalo nickels will be challenging but rewarding. You should consider buying a book on Buffalo nickels so you will understand the coins better and know what to look for. (The Complete Guide to Buffalo Nickels 2nd Edition by Lange is a very good reference.) With the Buffalo nickel you may want to start with a short set (e.g., 1927 - 1937) as some of the earlier dates and mintmarks get rather expensive in higher grades. No matter what series you choose to collect you should try to learn as much as you can about that series AND about coins in general. A good book for any beginner is the Red Book (A Guide Book of United States Coins). Buy some sort of price guide and learn how to use it. The history behind most of our coins and mints is fascinating. You should learn how coins are made so you can understand the difference between a business strike and a proof coin, what a weak strike is and what causes various varieties and errors. Brush up on slabbed coins - what they are, who the grading services are and which ones that are respected and others to avoid. Visit your local coin dealer; he should be glad to help you get started. Go to coin shows and talk to those dealers and ask questions. Look at LOTS of coins - the more coins you look at the better you will become at knowing the difference between a problem coin and a desirable coin. And don't forget to post your questions here. There are lots of knowledgeable coin collectors here that can answer almost any question you have.
The 1946 to 1964 silver dimes are a good set to start with. Not too hard to find all the dates and mintmarks. Recently there was an article in November 2007 "Coins" magazine written by Mike Thorne. He says that the current wholesale value for a set of 48 unc. silver Roosevelts is $170. That's about $3.50 per coin for uncirculated. Circulated sets can be put together for much less. The lowest mintage is the 1955 followed by 1949-S.
