Good Choices For Newbie Collector?

Collect what you like......I like wheat cents and Indian Head cents!

There are so many options ... and you can get a lot of different opinions.

I think a person starting out should do some research, and as suggested check out some coin shops and coin shows.

I like the Jefferson nickel set, I started mine last year, BU and proofs, and just need one more coin to finish it. I think it is a very nice looking set. I am really happy to have it.

I like the State Quarters. There are a lot of options. Circulated, BU or BU and proofs.
Both the Sac and Presidential dollars are nice looking sets.

If I was going to start a new set. I would look into what the most expensive coins would cost.
For example. A complete set of State Quarters in BU for P and D mints can be bought or put together for less than $100 (100 coins). A complete set of State Quarters BU and proof (P/D/S/silver S) will be much more. The 1999 silver proofs may cost $100 to $150, 2001 Silver proofs around $80, 2008 silver proofs $65 also the 2001 and 2008 clad proofs sets would be $30 plus. Above prices are for the 5 coins for that given year and are just ball park figures, to show you how to pick a set to collect.

Figure out what the most expensive coins will be in the set .. and decide if you are willing to pay that much. And of course liking or having a interest in those coins will help in the decision.

Ikes, Wheats.. all good places to start.. Ikes because there aren't that many years to collect, and Wheats because they are still in circulation and quite inexpensive to pick up at a sale.

True. And no biggy in investing since you don't have to bother purchasing them. The Quarters I mean. Jefferson nickels too since there are an abundance of them in circulation.
Lincoln Cents USED to be my first suggestion but since the silly 2009 stuff came out to many people jumped on all of those and made the ability to find anything in change excessively difficult.
And too there is this thing called available money for this hobby. If not rich then I my suggestions are and in order:
1. Jefferson nickels
2. State Quarters
3. Roosevelt dimes
4. All the rest of the Washington quarters
5. Lincoln Cents 1959 to present
Of courese there are many others to consider but mostly they all go into purchasing almost all of them. Not a good start method unless your on the rich side.


Not sure if you mean the Whitman Folders or Albums. IF the Folders, I always try to tell people to avoid those. They are OK for kids to play around with but many problems if you ever consider making this a decent hobby. OK for old, worn, not to expensive a coin but for anything else, not a good idea. To start with a Folder you push the coins into a slot with your fingers leaving oils and acids on them. The rears are exposed to the glue that made those things. Well worn coins tend to fall out. Of course much, much cheaper than an Album too.

If you want to collect U.S. silver, I would go with the Franklin half set. If you go with circulated pieces, you'll find that many are at "melt" price and the set is only 35 total coins. Each coin can be found around $7 - $8, so for under $300, you have completed an entire set of Silver U.S. coins. It is a fun set and relatively easy to assemble.
I myself collect Silver Bullion mostly, and there are many options here with 1000's of designs that never seem to get old or boring, IMO.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

i personally like to do half dollars. The are fun to get and uncommon. You can usually get all the coins in circulation except 1987 (hard to find date), 1964pd (90%silver), and 1970d (only issued in mint sets(but can still find them in circulation. I believe that only two have been found in circulation. I found one myself at a bank)Have fun collecting these. This set usually takes about 2 boxes to fill common dates and usually about two years of searching banks (unless you have a good bank that get these commonly).

(tip: when you go to banks and they have half dollars always ask for the rolls that you cant see out of the ends because shotgun rolls are usually the fed or a large business and you want the rolls that other people just throw out to the bank for cash. The half dollar shotgun roll is usually white with brown lines on the ends. I have been through three boxes of these shotgun rolls and have only found 1 S and no silver)

CScott: Even I have a complete collection of State Quarters! That may be interesting to some folks, because I live in Sydney! AND they were All taken out of circulation in the U.S.

That collection started when I was visiting some folks in the 'burbs of Las Vegas.

We were around the backyard pool when I admitted to being a coin collector. It seems when State Taxes were applied separately to every retail sale, most people just throw their spare change in a bikkie barrel or similar, until when they get fed up with the large volume of coins that has accumulated, they cash them all into the local bank.

State tax in Australia, otherwise known as the Goods And Services Tax (GST) is included in the total price.

I enjoyed a couple of hours emptying the said bikkie barrel and first separated the Quarters, then the State Quarters from those, and finally assembling the State ones into dates. Low and behold, I managed to build a complete collection of fifty! I handed over $12.50, and everyone was happy. So a complete collection of State Quarters then jetted back across the Pacific a few days later.