Student Coin Collector From Ottawa!

Hi everyone,

I'm a university student from Ottawa, Canada, and I've been getting more interested in collecting coins over the last year. When I was a young kid I used to hang on to interesting coins I found, but I stopped doing that for quite some time as I lost interest.

Then last summer, I was curious where I could get a 50 cent coin. I had never previously come across any. After looking online, I went to the Mint in my city and bought two rolls, one of which I opened and the other I kept closed. I also bought a small silver coin because I was so fascinated by what they had there.

...And my fascination continued! Since then I've bought a number of silver coins from the mint. I also bought the 2016 specimen set and the 2017 proof set (the less expensive one, not the all-silver one).

I really, really enjoy looking for coins in my change. I like to collect coins with different designs on them for fun. I put them in an album with plastic sleeves. I do the same trying to collect each year of the circulation coins. I left room in my albums for each year from 1937 onward (the year they started with the current designs). The oldest coin I have in there is a 1938 quarter.

I'm coming to these forums just to learn more about this hobby of mine. I don't know too much and right now don't care about the value or rarity of coins, it's just fun to acquire different pieces. I'm looking for guidance how to be "smart" about my collections and not make dumb mistakes.

Also, I am completely clueless about how coins are graded. I'm hoping that I can eventually come to recognize a coin in good condition when I see one.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Any tips or guidance or direction would be great