(Part 3) Top products from r/coins

To become a collector you need to look at your coins in a new way. Saving all the wheat pennies won't help with that. When you fill the book you will notice that you have, for example, six 1956-Ds. You try to pick one that is the most pleasing. For me that doesn't mean the highest grade, but the highest without spots and scratches. I also don't like cents that are tarnished dark red.

The folder lists the mintages for each date and mint. You will notice you have many duplicates of the high mintage dates but are missing some of the low mintage dates. Sometimes you'll be missing some high mintage years.

If filling the book half way with your saved coins makes you want to look harder for the rest then you have found a series you like.

Most collectors, having the folder, want to see if it is worth anything and how much it will cost to finish it. Today you can search online but buying the Red Book is more fun.

Another good way to find what interests you is to spend $20 in a coin shop, getting between three and 20 items. A week later you will love two or three of the coins and regret two or three purchases.

Some collectors love orderly folders of common coins like cents, others like impressive things never seen in circulation like silver dollars. Other people, like me, like bizarre things that are hard to get guide books for such as artist's medals and ancient coins. Don't spend a lot of money and try to get stuff that surprises you rather than jumping into finishing some boring coin folder right away.

I buy coins sometimes but prefer to find them in change. Super hard to find any real valuable coins in circulation but it happens.

I buy coin folders and fill then with what I find. When I find a coin I need to fill a hole I get pretty excited. Get a state quarter book and start sorting and filling it.

If you have money to spend buy some coins that speak to you and see how you like it.

I really like my 20th century type set folder. One slot for each coin type that was made in the 1900s. Lots can be found in changer some have to be bought.

http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-Type-Coins-Official/dp/0307090469/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

It shouldn’t take much money. I’d start by grabbing Red book and blue book. I’d say blue book would be better for you, unless you plan on buying more coins.

2019 Official Red Book of United States Coins - Spiral Bound https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794845711/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dkz-Bb81A1982

A Handbook of United States Coins Blue Book 2019 (The Official Blue Book of United States Coins) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794846491/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Lkz-BbQFGHZ9R


Blue book will give you an idea of what coin dealers should offer value wise if you want to sell. Red book is closer to what dealers would charge for coins. These are just guides though, and prices can take wild swings, but they should give a decent idea on values, how to guess the grade for ungraded, and some errors to look out for.

Sorry for your loss, but hopefully his collection brings you some happiness.

Also, I am in Fairfax, Va, so if you wanted to talk about coins, or anything really, feel free to hit me up.

If you are interested in collecting you should pick up a Whitman folder for mercury dimes, you already have a great head start. I wouldn't recommend putting any valuable ones in there, since they don't preserve the coins that well. But for ones that are worth melt value they're great!

Also, in response to one of your other points, the MNS has monthly meetings, plus the show in July - I haven't made a meeting in a long time, though. There is also the Ancient Coin Study Group in St. Louis, which is much smaller than the MNS and focuses on ancient coins. I also haven't made it to a meeting of one of them in a long time, but at each meeting, a member will give a presentation on something - people take turns - but is otherwise an informal gathering. I'm guessing that since you are just starting, you may not have enough people to organize a group for collecting a specific type of coin, but having members give presentations at each meeting may be a good way to grow interest and structure things a bit. People have something to look forward to that way, to encourage attendance, and it isn't up to just one or two people to always be the ones presenting things.

Another thought... Are there any museums or universities near you which have numismatic collections? You might want to talk to them as well, for possible meeting locations, if not "field trips" to see them in more detail than a general patron may not be able to. For instance, I was able to view the Wulfing Collection at Washington University in St. Louis a couple of times (it normally wasn't on display - not sure of its current state) because I was in the ancients group.

Thanks! Very nice coin btw! If you’re looking for a good introductory book on the subject you can do no better than this one:

Standard Catalogue of British Coins, Vol. 1: Coins of England and The United Kingdom. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0900652497/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZdliDb8X1JY61

I'm really hoping it is an original. I have no reason at all to think that it's fake, but I don't know if the US Mint did any restrikes of these in later years.

The first part of the quoted text above - "Baker 155A" (also "B 155A"), is the catalog number from W. S. Baker who cataloged a bunch of medals of George Washington in 1885.

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000366469

This information was used in a new catalog by Russel Rulau & George Fuld - "Medallic Portraits of Washington 2nd Revised Edition", a used copy of which is available from Amazon for ten bucks. A new copy is $20. Abe Books also has used copies, some at lower prices.

https://www.amazon.com/Medallic-Portraits-Washington-Russell-Rulau/dp/0873416813

https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/medallic-portraits-washington/book/ (Avoid the PDF ebook versions of the public domain Baker catalog)

PCGS and NGC will authenticate and grade medals, if you want to go that route.

https://www.pcgs.com/tokensandmedals

https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/2550/NGC-US-WORLD-TOKENS-MEDALS/

https://www.google.com/search?&q=ws+baker+medallic+portraits+%22george+washington%22+medal+catalogue

Best of luck to you!

I highly recommend that since you are just getting started with your interest in collecting coins that you get a book, like "Coin Collecting For Dummies" by Neil Berman and Ron Guth. It explains all of the basics, including how to care for and store your coins properly. It is on sale right now at Amazon for $15.

Coin Collecting For Dummies https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470222751/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ln6kDb3TPPY3R

I will work on a write-up on my progress, and the resources I am using. To give you a heads-up, these are the books I own on them:

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Book-Cobs-4th/dp/0982081804/

https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Catalog-World-Coins-Portugal/dp/0873493257/

At the moment, I am focused on the Catholic Kings, specifically Ferdinand and Isabella 1474-1504 time period. However, I am always on the look out for any nicely struck, fully dated, silver cob that I can find.

On top of that, I have a small collection of milled 8 reales from the early 1700s-1800s.

Storage conditions for Morgans and Peace Dollars is thought to be one possible explanation. Over on NGC's Board there was a thread on this awhile back. The original poster of that thread wrote this book.

National Park Coin Single Mint Folder 2010-2021 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794828833/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nAUzCb0PH4QEB

Super convenient size!

A couple of ways.

First, you've got to realize that with stuff like low-grade common coins like wheats, prices will be all over the board depending on the market. Some people want to sell/buy in bulk and so prices are closer to 6 to 80 cents, some people piece out individual cents and wait a long time and they'll bring a buck or two.

Secondly, eBay generally has higher prices for low-grade common coins than a physical coin shop, BUT this is offset by the fact that eBay charges fees and shipping.

If you want to be really exact, get yourself a copy of Photograde and The Red Book and you'll have pretty accurate retail prices if you grade correctly. For higher grade or rarer coins the Red Book prices are pretty much spot on and for low-grade common silver coins they generally just sell for melt.

As for how you should price your coins, the question is who is buying your coins and how long can you afford to sit on them. If generally non-collectors (people who don't know much about coins and just buy stuff because "its neat") buy coins your prices can be a bit higher than if you deal primarily with serious collectors prices need to be lower, especially for problem coins (low grade, holed, bent, corroded, cleaned, polished, etc.). And how quickly do you need to sell these coins? If you want to flip them in a week, prices will have to be much lower than if you're willing to sit on them for half a year. Do you have much money tied up in them? If so, then perhaps selling for under the market will help you recoup that capital much quicker (maybe even selling to a dealer if you paid cheap enough and the dealer is willing to pay you a decent amount) but you might lose out on some of the profit you'd have if you let them sit in your eBay storefront or in your display case for a few months.

I don't know about the movie, but if you're interested in the topic you may enjoy:http://www.amazon.com/Double-Eagle-Story-Worlds-Valuable/dp/0393330001

This will tell you everything you'll ever want to know.
A Guide Book of United States Coins 2020 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794847005/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XXZ6Cb2M0RGM8

here’s a amazon link.

Numista, for coins from US or really anywhere.

Or for a printed resource you could buy/borrow a Red Book.

https://www.coinsupplyexpress.com/cowens-2x2-cardboard-coin-flips.html

Obviously you don’t need that many, but this is what a lot of people store their coins in.

https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Capsules-Collection-Adjustable-Two-Cent/dp/B07TXG1VB4

Or these

I currently have the Blackbook guide to world coins and has helped me identify a lot misc. coins I've picked up amazon has a 2015 version here However I'm not 100% sure that a 2016/17 version is out yet.

No problem! Just put the coin into Google and that's what popped up. Might be worth picking up a physical copy if you end up using it a bit, hopefully throw the author(s) a couple of bucks:

https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Catalog-World-Coins-1701-1800/dp/0873415264

Absolutely! It's the "Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection." Introduction by Q. David Bowers, edited by Scott A. Travers. No real listed author, but it's a PCGS book.

Link: https://amzn.to/33H4p0B. This is the one I have, but it's the 1st edition, and I believe a second edition that's a bit more updated has come out.