What Is Your Favorite "Country" To Collect And Why?

This is a tough question. I find US coins to be the best looking and most collectible in the world, but there are quite a few things that annoy me about them (well, more about the hobby). First, US coins tend to be extremely overpriced due to the excessive demand for them. Secondly, there are heaps of fakes out there as well as cleaned coins which makes it hard to buy raw coins, forcing you to go for certifieds which I dont like.

I also like Britain as well. Although they are second to the US in the looks department, I find collecting them to be much simpler and cheaper.

I'll say Dutch coins because I like their design, a lot of their denominations were silver and their easy to find in Canada and the U.S.

I've lived in Spain, Germany, the US, Austria and China. So I have attempted to get modern collections of these countries. China is by far the worst place to collect for faking reasons and also coin collecting is not a hobby in china, it is a way of making more money by collecting something and betting the price will go up, or by producing something that looks like an old coin, but clearly isn't.

In the US I was not a coin collector, but it started me off as one with the State Quarter series and a few other circulation coins like the Buffalo nickel.

Spain was good, lots of places to buy coins on a Sunday morning coin/stamp market outside, though I didn't have the money to buy anything decent.

Germany has to have been the best, I lived in a town with a twice yearly coin fair, close to Munich with plenty (though I only went once).

Austria was okay too, though no local coin fairs I could fine so went to Vienna.

Sometimes it isn't the coins though, it is the ability to get hold of them that makes it exciting.

I like collecting from Germany due to it's originality.

Chinese coins are also a preference, in various sizes & drawings.

When I started picking junk boxes, I was interested in the French coins. There's been a lot of changes to the coins that correspond to what was happening in France in say the WWI, WWII, post-war etc.

I also like Japanese coins. There was a dramatic change in its history making an easy starting point in the 1870s or so. (Unlike France or UK where you can go back to the middle ages or further.) The early coins have nice artwork, then you can watch the dramatic change in coinage (similar to France) during WWII, and then they have been pretty consistent from the 1950s on.

Aside from those two, I've sorted through a lot of junk coins and often find something to like about most countries.

-wheatiefan

I've just discovered today that I like the look of Mexican coins! & I think Iam heading for them.

Dutch coins prior to the unification of the Netherlands. So much history and variety.