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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;calcol, post: 2482354, member: 77639&quot;]I echo others who said enjoy coin collecting as a HOBBY.&nbsp; If you want to make money at it you might have a chance as a dealer, but if you were leaning toward dealing you would probably already be doing it to some extent.&nbsp; That said, you don&#039;t want to lose more than necessary. Don&#039;t forget about inflation.&nbsp; Folks sometimes get wowed by increases in coin values that occur over decades.&nbsp; But in many cases, if inflation were considered, the coins actually lost value.&nbsp; They would have fared even worse if compared to the S&amp;P 500.&nbsp; And yes, a very few beat the S&amp;P.&nbsp; And, don&#039;t forget about transactional costs.&nbsp; Dealers and auction houses have to get their share if they are to stay in business.&nbsp; Upgrading, switching, etc. will always have transactional costs.&nbsp; Selling a few coins occasionally, especially early on, will bring the financial realities home.</p><p><br /></p><p>The best way to minimize your losses is to do your homework (numismatic and financial) before you buy.&nbsp; This is pretty straightforward with slabbed coins, but you still have to make the effort.&nbsp; Read books and use the internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you keep at it, your interests will change over time, and predictably, eventually, you&#039;ll find an area to focus on.&nbsp; Nothing wrong with trying lots of places, times, etc.: U.S.&nbsp; non-U.S.&nbsp; (aka world), and ancients.&nbsp; But keep the financial costs of switching in mind.&nbsp; I started with a variety of U.S., then did ancient Greek, then did Roman Republican, and have finally settled on specific series of U.S. coins.&nbsp; I still have the Republicans and may go back to them sometime.&nbsp; Enjoy!</p><p><br /></p><p>Cal[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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