New To Collecting

I agree that if you love large coins and want to collect affordable coins that the American Eagle series is one way to go. You can easily put together a set of them right now.

Morgans Dollars will always be popular, you can't go wrong there.

Most importantly, collect what YOU like and enjoy....

MM

There are a few things not covered here. For example the monitary ability to purchase coins. Also, the availability to aquire coins. For example if you have no limitations on money for such purchases, then there is little to stop you from collecting anything. Gold, Platinum, Silver coins. Commemoratives, etc also. However, then comes the availability of some coins and your location. If you are in an area where there are no coin shows or coin shops, your limited to places like ebay and that is where you will really loose out. As to a suggestion for coins that are large, the best is naturally the Morgan or other type Silver Dollars.
What I would suggest is for you to purchase a copy of the Red Book and look through it for what you may like. Who knows you may even start a collection of something you never even thought of.
Another great idea is to go to a coin show. There, if big enough, you could actually see a large variety of all types, denominations, ages, prices of coins and not just a picture.
I've been collecting for well over 60 years now and nothing can beat a good coin show.

Looks like this? I got it from my brother in-law.

See if image works? Not for sale. Just on loan from him.

Posted - Yesterday : 10:05:57 AM

I'm in nearly the same boat with Jarrid. I have the common collection: pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and just started Kennedy halves. I also have some random foreign coins, yes, I'm a partial Darksider! After the halves, I will also need something to collect and would like it to be more valuable than common circulated coins. Good luck with your next endeavour Jarrid!


You may want to try what I've been doing. I started with Whitman Albums for each denomination. As an album filled I purchased a new one of that type and started to fill that one with ones from the first album replaced by a better grade. Then another and another, etc. I now have 97 Whitman Classic Albums and all are mostly filled. Each denomination has a fantastic set #1. Each additional one is progressively lesser in grades. It is a mess when I acquire a fantastic Lincoln Cent for instance. It goes into set #1, the one from #1 to #2, etc. I have 10 sets of those and the ones from #10 got to a box of 2x2's. I have 9 boxes of 2x2's. Very time consuming.

thanks again for all your input...i think I might try the Eisenhower dollars

I agree that Eisenhower dollars are a good choice for a BIG coin collector. You can have a lot of fun looking for high quality BU coins from some years.

Dollars are really the only "larger" option you have, with the exception of double eagle golds and those are very expensive.

1: Pick up a RedBook and take a look at all the different dollar types and decide which ones you like.

2: Decide if you want to collect (complete sets) of a particular type, or just buy random dollars from different types. Of course you can do both. Important: If you want to complete a set make sure you can afford ALL the years and mints. Basically decide if it's affordable to complete it. Many of the expensive (key) dates have copies for sale if you don't mind filling holes without the real thing.

3: The most important thing of all. LEARN as much as you can, especially if you're going to invest significant money. Just to brush up on a few tips.

-NEVER go by Coin Values magazine or the online PCGS price list. I got screwed by that big time on my first large purchase. Unless it's a cheap coin, make a Heritage Auction account at http://coins.ha.com/default.php and look up historic prices for given coins/grades/graders. Actual realized prices is THE best "price list".

-Never trust alphabet soup coin certifiers. Certifiers aren't loved by all, but they ARE widely accepted. For overall reputation the order goes PCGS, NGC, ANACS and then ICG. Some people may have varying opinions about what they think about each grader, but that IS the order for (overall) reputation.

-Know to never clean, polish or alter your coins in any way. The one exception is to gently remove surface dirt and grime from your coins with distilled water.

-Know that it's not JUST the grade that will determine the market value of a coin. Eye appeal is another factor. Not all like/grade coins are the same.

-Keep coming back to this website and asking questions! Even my most friendly dealer gets busy and it's not his job to teach me everything. You will always find knowledgeable who are eager to help new collectors. I wouldn't know half of what I do if it wasn't for THIS particular coin forum. You can't imagine how much there is to learn, so never stop.