Reddit reviews A Guide Book of United States Coins 2020

First, I am very sorry for your loss. This is never a great way to receive coins.

In terms of valuing it, I would take it very slow. It looks like your Dad was passionate about this hobby, and he had a fairly large collection. You would honor him by learning all you can about them.

You will need to start by separating them by denomination. It looks like there are a lot of coins in those cigar boxes, so you want to do this as orderly as possible.

Once you have them grouped, start checking for any key dates. You can use the PCGS price guide to identify those. I wouldn't rely on their prices, however, as they are known to be very inflated.

https://www.pcgs.com/prices

You can also get yourself a copy of the redbook...

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794847021/

You will also need to learn how to estimate each coin's grade. This can be difficult if you don't have experience doing it. PCGS has a Photograde app that you can download, and use to compare your coins to pictures of other examples in every grade. That will help.

Any higher grade coins, or key dates will end up being the most valuable.

In terms of tracking, you should look into using Numista. Enter each coin in as you evaluate them. This way you will end up with a complete record of everything, and a running total for estimated value.

https://en.numista.com/index.php

Hope that helps!

Welcome to the hobby!

I'd start out by telling friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. that you are collecting coins and to look out for unusual stuff for you.

While there is plenty of info online, the "bible" for US coin collectors is the "Red Book" that is updated every year with price info. I think it provides a lot of info for a little over $11.

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794847021/

For coin roll hunting I'd be on the lookout for silver and the new "W" mintmark quarter.

Keep an eye out for the return slots of Coinstar machines.

Maybe keep a log, spreadsheet, notebook of your collection?

Have fun!

Start by finding this

Red Book

You certainly could, and it would probably be a fun and educational experience, but it's not necessary -- and if you're more interested in obtaining information than buying or selling, the shop owner may not be as generous with his/her time.

But the info you're after -- how to assess condition and rarity -- is available fairly easily. You can get a good intro to grading condition by comparing your coins to graded specimens at PCGS Photograde, for example. And you can assess rarity by checking out mintage charts online or by checking out a copy of the Red Book from the library (or buying one). A note on the Red Book: the price guides tend to reflect top retail prices, and the book is much better for the info on the coins than the price guides -- as a result, older editions are still very useful. All of the price guides, however, give an idea of what's special and what's not.

Once you have condition and rarity, I would direct you to eBay to check "sold" listings for coins in similar conditions, for an idea of market price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0794847021/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

IF you haven't got this yet start with this book. I have just recently started too. yes silver you want 1970 halves and older. quarters are 1964 and older. 1943 and 1944 copper and steel pennies. 1964 dimes and older. Nickels are ...1945 and older ... there may be ones to the 60's as well I really dont know about much other than halves and I really dont a great deal yet.

I found this cheap on amazon but does it include modern coins? I didnt really find an answer


A Guide Book of United States Coins 2020 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794847021/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oz7VDbXS29WYZ