Collecting For A Few Days Now And Could Use Some Advice!

Thank you everyone for all your help! I woke up today and was amazed at the advice, encouragement and welcoming attitude.

I went ahead and ordered a 2007 mint proof and uncirculated set and will make this an annual purchase. I also looked into some bags of cents and called my bank. They have a box of pennies waiting for me to pick up at lunch time.

Regarding the albums v. folders, I really appreciated the advice from just_carl. Is this the general consensus? I've got a bunch of the folders, but perhaps those can be the set my son plays with (shiny new coins and heavily worn circulated coins) and I'll keep the good stuff in an album? Or should I just scrap the folders altogether and keep everything in the album?

With the album, does the coin fit snugly in there sandwiched between the plastic, or is it free to jiggle around?

Thanks again for all the advice!

Brandon

I prefer the albums, but I use a knock-off brand which most of the serious collectors would probably frown on. I like the albums much more than the folders because you can see both sides of the coins. I also like that the coins stay snugly in the holes, but you don't have the break your thumbs off getting them in like you do with the folders.

The albums that I use cost me only about $1 to $2 more each than the folders do and I am VERY happy with them. They are Intercept Shield knockoffs. They look the same, but I paid about $5 each instead of $40 each. I know the pros all use Dansco albums, but I think these are a great way to start out for only slightly more cost than buying lots of cheap folders.

For my first order, I bought only the Lincoln Cents book so I could see the quality. It is a COMPLETE book, beginning in 1909 and running through 2007 (still annoys me that they didn't continue it until 2009), so you can fit 3 folders worth of pennies into the one album. The albums contain holes for all proof coins too.

I was happy with the quality of the album, so I placed another large order for every other album they make. I ended up paying $108.99 (including shipping) for 19 albums. These are the albums I ordered (I wanted the extra Lincoln Cents albums). The knockoff brand did not have the "current" date albums, but I'm sure eventually they'll come out with them.

A-0010 Indian Head cents 1857-1909 $35.00
(ORDERED TWO) A-0020 Lincoln Cents 1909-2007 (including proofs) $46.50
A-0030 Buffalo nickels 1913-1938 $32.50
A-0040 Jefferson nickels 1938-2002 (including proofs) $41.50
A-0050 Mercury dimes 1916-1945 $32.50
A-0060 Roosevelt dimes 1946-2002 (including proofs) $38.50
A-0070 Washington quarters 1932-1998 (including proofs) $46.00
A-0081 Washington Statehood Quarters 1999-2008 (P & D) $41.50
A-0090 Walking Liberty half dollars 1916-1947 $38.50
A-0100 Franklin half dollars 1948-1963 $32.50
A-0110 Kennedy Half-Dollars 1964-2001 (including proofs) $44.50
A-0120 Morgan dollars 1878-1890 $44.50
A-0130 Morgan dollars 1891-1921 $44.50
A-0140 Peace dollars 1921-1935 $32.50
A-0150 Eisenhower dollars 1971-1978 (including proofs) $38.50
A-0160 American Eagle Silver Dollars 1986-2003 (including proofs) $38.50
A-0170 Susan B. Anthony (including proofs) $32.50
A-0180 Sacagawea dollars $32.50

The prices above are the Intercept Prices...this knockoff line uses the same Book Numbers.

Here's what the knockoffs look like:





The guy I bought them from sells them for $5.99 each on ebay with $4.99 flat shipping no matter how many you order. I got the 19 albums for $108.99 as a special deal because I bought so many.

How I work my collection is simple. I have a Dansco for my top of the line type coins, then I have like 2 folders. Now once I update my dansco with a new better coins, I start swapping. So eventually i'll have 1 Dansco, and 2 folders full of nice coins. Now of course this isn't the case for key date coins, but you get the idea ;)

This could be a solution for your extra folders.

I have compiled several resources to help me identify and learn about key dates, semi-key dates, variety, and error coins...they include "A Guide Book of Lincoln Cents" and "The Official Red Book..." and various websites with price guides and variety/error listings. Here are some of them

http://conecaonline.org/content/Top1001cRPMs.htm
http://hermes.csd.net/~coneca/varie...istings.html
http://www.diskworks.com/pocket.html
http://www.lincolncentresource.com/Top50.html

and you'll notice on the PCGS price guide that, while their quotes are high, they list varieties on their sheet.

http://www.pcgs.com/prices/


These are but some of the very MANY resources available.

Sorry the web site is Link Removed good luck with the pennies!

Mike


Hi Mike ,,I know your trying to help ,,and I appreciate that ,,but forum rules do not allow new members to post outside links until they have reached 50 posts ,, Metalman

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Likewise, I've noticed a few people mention finding proof coins in rolls. Are these just sharper and crisper than the standard circulating coin? I figure after years of wear it might be hard to tell the difference.

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The metal that proofs are made out of is polished before it goes through the dies, making the field (the flat part with nothing on it) shinier. I think they are also struck harder to produce a better image, but IDK for sure.

Proofs are only minted in San Fransisco, and they are the only coins minted there, thus all proof coins have an 'S' mintmark. Just the other day I was going through my penny oops, I mean cent jar, and I found a '71-S, and a '72-S. But you are correct, without that mint mark I would never have known it was a proof.

Welcome to the Forum Neff, I have recently rediscovered the hobby I enjoyed as a kid, but there is much more to it then I ever knew. Come on in to the pool, the water is friendly. These 'experts' need us newbs to help them justlfy all the time and money they have spent on this great hobby. How much you learn is up to you, the members of this forum have been very friendly and knowledgeable thus far, and the only questions they won't answer are the ones you don't ask. So from one newb to another:

Well, well, well, it sounds like the bug bite you good and hard. heheheh

You would probably enjoy a trip to your local coin shops and/or shows. Put google to work and see what you can find in your area and check them out. Be sure to remember that "buyer beware" is a biggie in this hobby. I don't mean to scare you off but some people like to clean out the new collectors before they get educated. Some dealers are better than others so just look around and explain that you're a newbie and see how they treat you. If you're lucky you'll find someone that will take some time to help you understand things and answer questions (be sure to buy a little something in return for their time and patience). If they don't have time for a new collector just move on and keep looking.

As for the education part you will have a lot of questions and it sounds like you're doing well with that so far by reading up on this forum, asking about things and buying a RedBook. You might want to check out you're local library as well and see what kind of books and/or magazines they have. Go slow for now and don't get carried away with throwing around money until you know a little about what you're doing and that should cut down on those little life lesson thingies this hobby can hold (we've all got stories so don't get down if you screw up a bit).

Oh, and don't let the little guy stick any cents in his mouth. I've heard the newer ones can do nasty things to kids that swallow them.

I would let the hobby try and grow on you, I started because I had been living in the US and picked up half dollars, a Buffalo nickel, and the State Quarter program was starting up, then moved to spain, 4 months before the euro was introduced, so I had pesetas as well as euros and they just tried to build a modern collection which moved on to franco's coins and the kings before that, then in the UK I collected the money I had always used as a kid, and moved to germany and got a collection of german coins as well.
I am on a budget so I do more modern coins, nothing more that $20-$30 for the most expensive coins. I bought what I needed, the books, the albums, rather than actively went out and said that I was a coin collecter. As everyone else has said, you need to find your thing. Do you get a buzz out of getting that new coin (been waiting for three 2007 british coins since december when they normally come out ugg), or do you want silver, old, new, foreign, everything. You can only decide by letting the hobby take you away on a little trip, so to speak, I think you decide subconsciously what you really want.