Which Coins To Collect?

I'll always suggest Jefferson nickels. I really don't like them but for a series to collect that can be obtained without spending a small fortune on, can't beat those Nickels. Even Cents can get irritating due to the 09S VDB, 09S, 22 plain, 14D, most early S mints and lots more. Yes they are there but starting to cost, cost, cost. Ike or any Silver Dollars are all almost something to be purchased.
As you mentioned you already are into the State Quarters. Why not continue with Washington quarters prior to those. Within reason, most are still available by just looking through rolls or change.

Now is a great time to get good deals on the silver year early dimes and Washington quarters.

I started by roll hunting fun and easy for dimes and nickels.

Lincoln Cent took awhile, nickels and dimes are fast. The nickels are fun with all the upgrading to full steps, etc

I would like to suggest that you also consider the Mercury dimes series.

I found that get 2 albums was a good way to work a nice dansco for the best pieces and then a Whitman cardboard one to downgrade into and as I upgrade I swap over

Jeff nickels are the cheapest.

Hello,

I would answer this question similar in concept to how one should approach the decision of choosing a specific type of occupation to follow when studying the basics of that particular endeavor.

W/r/t to a job, for instance, one ideally should follow the route that leads to the most personal satisfaction. The same concept would apply when focusing in upon a particular coin or subset study of that coin in question.

Let's say that a collector relishes in the accumulation of rare dates/MM Ag(Morgan and Peace) coins and furthermore gets a thrill when performing research at his/her job that requires the use of an electron microscope detailing human cell growth anomalies, for example.

In this distinct case the subset study of silver dollar VAMs would more than likely qualify as a potential candidate to focus one's efforts.

In summary, similar to one's daily occupation if one finds a type of coin in which collecting or analyzing it never becomes boring, I'd say that it's a good bet to start off with that type of coin obviously considering available time and financial restraints.

mdpmedia

Thanks for this thread, it has really helped me. My brother-in-law is big into stacking silver and convinced me to 'invest' part of my savings that way. Well, that's ok - and I did - but it caused me for the longest time to not appreciate just collecting coins. Then the whole 'coin collector' thing just seems so overwhelming. I mean, you guys have been doing it since forever. How is a newbie supposed to jump in? I like the idea of the Mercury dimes, Jefferson nickels and Eisenhower dollars. Doable, affordable.

Would like more of an explanation of "roll hunting" and other ways/places to start looking. Thanks!

I think collection modern coins out of change and rolls is incredibly boring. It's the stuff you see every day and even when you are done with a whole album/folder, you just have a big book of coins worth a few percent over face value. And collecting a full set of older coins can get very expensive.

I would recommend starting with a type set and save up and buy one nice example of each coin type at a time. A 20Th century U.S. type set can be pretty affordable, aside from the Barber half dollar in high grade. You'll end up with some excellent coins and by the time you are done, I am certain you'll know what kind of coin you are drawn to most and would like to collect more of. Most of the coins are available from $5-25 dollars in high grade and the rare ones are in that range for low grade if you don't want to spend more.

Just a thought. Especially since you don't know what you want, just collect one of each!

jbuck: yeah...I saw that after I posted. that's a whole huge subject on its own, obviously.

You're not going to like reading this. Collecting modern issues from circulation is a waste of time. You'll not create value, nor learn much about numismatics. True, rarities exist but I'll bet 99.8% of new collectors will not find them casually and quickly looking through change. Go back in time for your collecting. Let your dates be 18XX instead of 20XX. Inexpensive "worthwhile" collections can be attractive Indian cents in VF-XF. A book on Hard Times Tokens can open Worlds of interest. Buy some BOOKS also!