Starting Out? What coins should you get first?

These are my opinion on some special novice coins that are valuable to any collection!

1909 VDB ($12-40)

1943 Steel (10 cents-$2)

1964 D Kennedy Half Dollar ($8 cir. )

1995 DDO Penny (MS $50)

if anyone has any other ideas, I would love to hear them!

 

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I like your choices for starting a collection. Inexpensive yet fun coins. Throw a common Morgan Silver Dollar in there too. You can get a graded MS64 for around $65.00.

 

You should start out by getting coins which appeal to you - whatever they are. The time for specializing is when you have been exposed to enough to know what you like.

 

You should always buy the coins you like. Are you going to concentrate on a series, a type coin collection, Mint Errors, US coins, World Coins, Ancients, ect?
Once you decide, always buy the coin, if you like it. Never the grade or label should be the deciding factor. You also know your budget to spend on your collection. It is also better to buy the highest grade you can afford for the particular item at the time.
Any of the coins you listed could be a good start, but look around at pricing before pulling the trigger.

 

I disagree with this statement. It all depends on your goal and what you like.

If you are buying with an eye to investment then you are probably correct. To to me a worn coin with good details (VF or XF) has a history behind it. Who used it and for what? Was that G 1795 coin actually used by Thomas Jefferson (probably not but nice to think about). That slabbed MS66 probably has no history at all as it probably never circulated.

Again, each to his own. Some seek perfect coins, other seek history and a story.

 

My statement means, if you are looking to buy a 1795 coin, buy the highest grade you can afford verses the lower grade. If you can afford the MS 66, it is a wiser choice than the XF of the same coin. Not only in resale value, but usually eye appeal as well. Besides, I can imagine all day long George Washington held the coin, but without proof, imaginations do not add value or pedigree for the coin.
As I also stated, buy what you like and can afford!

 

@Mike Drop those are good choices. I think a new (US) collector should buy a Red Book (a new issue is not needed) and a 20th century type set album. Fill the easy holes (maybe with the coins you gave above), and see what rings your chimes.

My coin club gives undated buffalo nickels to YNs. I think this is a good starter set. Buy some nikadate (Sp?) and have fun doing detective work. Undated coins are inexpensive (some club members will donate a few). Air tight holders or albums will keep the re-date visible longer.

 

I like your scope of new coins for starting a US set. I’d get all 3 steelies, can be found on the bay in unc for $2-3. To fill the modern starter finds in Id pick up a silver bicentennial quarter (I got one on the bay pcgs MS67 for about $12), an ike variety piece, SBA wide rim and a couple low pop silver proofs that can be had slabbed on the bay $20-30.

I found while building my collection that as I got into a coin I wanted to get one of every style. My firsts were Lincoln Cents and once I had a few big boy finds I ended up getting one each of the (obtainable) flying eagle Cents. Then I went onto Jefferson nickels which are fun and the most affordable coin to collect (besides franklin haves). They led me into the buffalos, Vs and shield nickels which are fun to find as well.

Once you start looking back into the 1800s check out the 2 and 3 cent pieces. They can get expensive for some varieties, but nice examples of common dates can be had close to the budget benchmark you set with the coins you mentioned.

Good luck and most of all have fun building the collection up and be sure to share your finds on here. I’ll be looking forward to seeing them!

 

Pedigree is not important to some people. If I am getting a dog I take a mutt over a pedigree any day. If the coin looks good I buy it. But I prefer two different XFs over one MS. I am not in this for profit.

 

I would:

1) Go to PCGS Photograde,
2) Try not to drool, and
3) See which designs you like.

I am a sucker for almost all U.S. coins prior to 1964. I am therefore (slowly) working on a U.S. Type Set. They won't match; I buy nicer examples for lower-priced coins (e.g., Wheaties, IHC) and have to go with lower grades for older, more expensive coins.

 

I have a 20th century type set and all i am missing is the a few of the silver coins. What is a semi cheap but good Morgan? (No more than $100)

 

I have my own "Type Set" which is just the coins I love. These include Morgans, Barber Halves, Indian Head Cents, Walking Liberty Halves, Mercury Dimes, Peace Dollars and Ikes. Most of these I have in crappy condition, as I am a new collector and don't want to get burned spending anything over $100 until I absolutely know what I am doing.

 

You're looking at 1900-1904 then 1921. Those are the only 20th century Morgans. Look them up on a website for which ones are common and under $100. Someone else here might give a recommendation.

 

I definitely agree Bman33. Make sure your coins aren"t fake!!!

 

i would start with a 19th century type collection
coins are affordable and will give you a variety
to select from if you want to specialize like walking liberty halves another way to approach
a particular coin variety would be to accumulate
20 examples of a favorite coin and then purchase
an album for their display dansco an littleton make the best for value albums in my opinion

 

If one intends to collect US Coins by series, and fill out albums, my recommendations are as such:

1) Jefferson Nickels. What other US series (besides the ones below) can you very often put together a complete set relying solely on bank rolls/pocket change? I'll agree that finding a 1950 D or 1939 D will be a challenge this way...but you can walk into a coin shop and finish off that set for $5-10. Can't do that with Lincoln Wheat Cents. Can't do that with Mercury Dimes, or Washington Quarters. Or anything older. As anyone who collects this series can tell you - it's pretty easy to find a circulated example of each date. It's a bit more difficult to find UNC examples of each date, but by no means difficult and by no means expensive. Trying to find gems? Good. Luck.

2) Kennedy Half Dollars. Again, you can fill out 99% of a set (maybe not the 1970 D and definitely not the 1998 S SP/Matte) from bank rolls/pocket change. Even the 2002-present NIFC coins can be found in bank rolls.

3) Eisenhower Dollars. Finding them at banks will be kind of hit/miss, and you'll hardly ever get them in pocket change, but try to tell me you couldn't find every single date of these readily available at most LCS. And generally very inexpensive.

What I'm getting at here is that there are long-running series (like Jeffersons) that haven't had their prices run up into the stratosphere like Wheat Cents, Morgan Dollars, Buffalo Nickels, etc. For someone learning how to buy/sell, how to grade, how to look for varieties, you're not throwing huge chunks of cash at coins that may be huge mistakes. You can spend your money on books, supplies, etc.

Now, if you want to include the rest of the world, there are so many gorgeous world coins out there to collect - low mintages, silver, different themes, varieties - so if you intend to do it piecemeal (or opportunistically, like I describe my "collection") this is a great option.

If you are trying to "get in on the ground floor" on something that will skyrocket in value some day, good luck. Everyone has their own little hoard of coins they swear will be worth more someday - for me a couple examples are 1945 S "Micro S" Mercury Dimes and 1937S/1955D Washington Quarters - so I say pick something and go with it.

 

A gem bu full step war nickel. Few coins are as attractive and affordable.

 

Well, the answer is different for everyone. Personally, I think a good collection should contain at least one large cent, a silver dollar (I prefer Peace dollars over Morgan’s), a nice buff nickel, Merc dime, and one oddball coin (2c, 3CN, 3CS, half dime, 20c). If you can, I’d add at least one piece of pre-33 gold.

 

I thought you were just starting to collect?

 

1909 vdb. Only one on your list that havnt been able to give to grandkids yet. Roll searcher only