Which Coins To Collect?

I would like to suggest that you also consider the good old Eisenhower dollar series. They were only minted for 8 years (1971-1978) so it's a fairly short series and it's easy to complete. In addition to the different years in the series, there are also differences in mint marks and metal composition (clad, 40% silver, 90% silver). There are 2 different "main" varieties for the Bicentennial issues also. There were also Proof versions made for each year of the series, some silver, some clad composition. There are also many different die varietes/errors if you are interested in that. I think it's a great introduction to the world of coin collecting, and you will end up with a very interesting and impressive collection at a very reasonable cost.

TikiFrance - Welcome!!

Collect what appeals to you, first and foremost.

Keep an eye on "the market". As the coins we collect have two initial values assigned to them via markets. Numismatic and precious metal.

As of this moment, silver has been in a downward spiral, and, as long as it remains at this level or drops further, uncirculated and circulated silver coin series will be a better buy now, than the last several years.

Of note, on the numismatic value of our coins, the State and ATB Quarter series helped bring a lot of new collectors into our hobby, which, also drove the prices up somewhat. In my personal opinion, I believe there are more State and ATB Quarters in coin collecting books, sock drawers, and piggy banks than in circulation. Law of supply and demand. :) But, since the ATB series has not had the same draw as the State Quarters achieved, it is easier to complete both series now.

My primary collector focal point is Lincoln Wheat cents. Goal is a MS63/64/65/66 set in brown, red brown, or red. I am 21 coins shorts of achieving that goal. Yes, I have had the opportunity to finish the set, several times, but the QUALITY of what was in front of me or the PRICE was not what I thought it should be. I WILL pay for quality, but not more than the open market (check auctions, buy/sell/trade sites, etc, etc).

The other aspect of our hobby, YOU must know how to grade what series you are collecting. Just because a coin flip has grade MSxx on it, does not make it so. True for coins slabbed by PCGS, NGC, and ANACS. Don't buy the slab, buy the coin IN the slab for what it is, not what somebody else tells you the grade is.

There are several series of US (and non US) coins that are truly, hard to grade. Buffalo nickels, for example, are nearly 60+ different grading standards within one series. Besides Type 1 and Type II, each mint provided different levels of quality. What is an XF coin for one date/mintmark, can actually be an Mint State grade in a different year.

At the end of the day, educate yourself, from multiple sources - online, BOOKS, Coin Community Forums!!, and anywhere else you can immerse yourself into a series.

Good luck with your new lifelong adventure!!

There are too many excellent choices to recommend one, and the solution to this dilemma is an excellent introduction to the first skill of numismatics: Time to go out and learn something about coins before throwing money into them. Learning is how we roll in this hobby.

Look around and see what you like. Whatever it is, a rewarding collecting experience can be had with it.

The Eisenhower dollar and Franklin half dollars are two sets which can be easily assembled, even on a modest budget.

I like the idea of getting your toes wet on building a collection out of circulation first...that way if the interest doesn't stick, you have lost nothing. To be honest, all my collecting thus far is from circulation and I have found a lot of very interesting stuff! Cool errors, some semi key dates, and some surprisinglyold coins in BU condition. Nickels hold a special spot for me not just because they are cool to look at, but when you search a box of nickels you can often find a whole sea of other neat stuff....Buffalo nickels, V nickels, Canadian nickels, Mexican one pesos, proof coins, among other foreign coins that are all the same size as a nickel, never mind the occasional silver " War Nickel" from 1942-1945. When searching from circulation nickels offer the greatest variety and keep it, as Forrest Gump would say...like a box of chocolates....you never know what you're gonna get.

Collecting form circulation first is not a bad idea. It is all I did for the first few years, not having the income to visit the coin shop (I was only eight when I started).

First and foremost I would recommend the Eisenhower dollar. That series has a little bit of everything for a collector. In many ways it represents the best of what this hobby has to offer. It is an easy series to complete too, and if you want to make it harder and more challenging you could try to tackle the complete variety set. That means you would have to obtain the virtually "unobtainable" FS-801 variety. Next I would recommend the Franklin half dollar. Again, this is an easy and fun set to complete. The Franklin half was the first classic series I completed. Take some time and learn about the hobby. You may find that the history surrounding a particular series will draw you to it. That's why I started collecting Morgan dollars. Well, that was one of the reasons.