Posted 06/07/2008 12:11 pm
Congratulations.
As fengk mentioned the most important thing for you not to do to your coins is clean them in any way.
The easiest way to do this is not to handle them! Sounds crazy, but... When I work on my collection I use latex gloves. It's crazy what the oil on your fingers will do to coins over the course of time. As you become more familiar with what's what then you'll begin to recognize which coins are OK to handle with your bare hands and which aren't. But for now it's probably best just to treat them all with a little TLC.
If you have a book store in your town or even a Hobby Lobby (they have a coin and stamp area) you should think about buying a book called the Red Book - A Guide Book of United States coins. This will set you back about $15. It is THE book when it comes to US coins. It has pictures of every type of coin the US Mint has ever made. It shows you how to determine where the coin was minted, and also has a basic price guide.
With that book you'll be able to go through your collection and determine what you've got. Once you're to that point you should also be starting to notice that some coins are in better shape than others. The shape that a coin is in is called it's grade.
Grading coins is where the real fun begins... But that's down the road just a little bit.
Hope this helps. Be sure to let us know what you've received and we'll answer any questions you ask.
As fengk mentioned the most important thing for you not to do to your coins is clean them in any way.
The easiest way to do this is not to handle them! Sounds crazy, but... When I work on my collection I use latex gloves. It's crazy what the oil on your fingers will do to coins over the course of time. As you become more familiar with what's what then you'll begin to recognize which coins are OK to handle with your bare hands and which aren't. But for now it's probably best just to treat them all with a little TLC.
If you have a book store in your town or even a Hobby Lobby (they have a coin and stamp area) you should think about buying a book called the Red Book - A Guide Book of United States coins. This will set you back about $15. It is THE book when it comes to US coins. It has pictures of every type of coin the US Mint has ever made. It shows you how to determine where the coin was minted, and also has a basic price guide.
With that book you'll be able to go through your collection and determine what you've got. Once you're to that point you should also be starting to notice that some coins are in better shape than others. The shape that a coin is in is called it's grade.
Grading coins is where the real fun begins... But that's down the road just a little bit.
Hope this helps. Be sure to let us know what you've received and we'll answer any questions you ask.
