Posted 10/17/2016 1:52 pm
Hi krem1234 and 
to the Forum!
I congratulate you on your choice - British pre-decimal pennies are a fascinating series, with plenty of dates that are cheap and readily available, plus lots of scarce ones and some real rarities. And if you get into varieties there is lots to keep you occupied! I started collecting them from change when I was about 7 years old, and I am still hooked on them!
If you are just starting out, I would personally recommend a fairly basic guide book, such as "Collectors Coins - Great Britain 1760-1970" by Christopher Henry Perkins, which may not show all the obscure varieties but does show which dates exist and gives mintage figures and reasonably accurate valuations. For more specialised collectors there are some very detailed works such as the books by Michael J Freeman. The Krause World Coin catalogues are actually pretty good on British pennies, but in my opinion tend to undervalue rare coins and overvalue common ones, and they don't illustrate all the varieties, which makes it difficult to attribute coins such as 1861, 1874 and 1881 where several different dies were used.
I am sure other collectors on the Forum will have their own recommendations!
In the UK it is still possible to pick up lots of these coins for about 10 pence each - my local dealer has junk trays full of them.
to the Forum!I congratulate you on your choice - British pre-decimal pennies are a fascinating series, with plenty of dates that are cheap and readily available, plus lots of scarce ones and some real rarities. And if you get into varieties there is lots to keep you occupied! I started collecting them from change when I was about 7 years old, and I am still hooked on them!
If you are just starting out, I would personally recommend a fairly basic guide book, such as "Collectors Coins - Great Britain 1760-1970" by Christopher Henry Perkins, which may not show all the obscure varieties but does show which dates exist and gives mintage figures and reasonably accurate valuations. For more specialised collectors there are some very detailed works such as the books by Michael J Freeman. The Krause World Coin catalogues are actually pretty good on British pennies, but in my opinion tend to undervalue rare coins and overvalue common ones, and they don't illustrate all the varieties, which makes it difficult to attribute coins such as 1861, 1874 and 1881 where several different dies were used.
I am sure other collectors on the Forum will have their own recommendations!
In the UK it is still possible to pick up lots of these coins for about 10 pence each - my local dealer has junk trays full of them.
