Quarter Collecting Advice

Can't give you any advice with those. I stopped collecting Washington quarters when they started those state ones. I just don't like those things. My advice is change to Nickels or Dimes.

I enjoy most of the designs on the States & Territories and ATB Quarters. I started collecting states from circulation, but given the quality I wanted and the amount of coins needed, I decided to just do a date set of the States & Territories first. Soooo, if I'm only getting one coin per design, then why not proof?

I finished a 1999-2009 clad proof set in a Dansco pretty easily. Finding the proof sets in the lens w/o packaging or extra coins is easy.

I then started the silver version of the same. I ended up selling the clad set. I lack a few years for the silver date set. I don't know why, but the 1999 silver proofs are much more costly than any other year. Maybe it's a bubble or maybe it will continue to go up? Unfortunately, that's a year I lack.

I plan on doing the same with the ATB Quarters (silver proof date set), but not until I finish the States & Territories. I suppose the only opinion I can give is that a date set is satisfactory and compiling all issues is too redundant for me. With the two types of proof and P- & D-mints, that's 20 coins a year. I like 'em, but not that much!

Thanks RLS0812!

I was more asking how can I tell I'm getting nice coins for the price, sometimes with ebay you may not be getting what you pay for at times. Not all the times by any means, sometimes ebay has some great deals.

There are nearly as many ways to collect as there are collectors. Choosing your own path is great fun.

I would suggest a type set, rather than a series or denomination specialization.

With a type set you touch on many different coin types and begin to gain a feeling for what you enjoy.

Until you have a Buffalo nickel, or a Mercury dime, or a Standing Liberty quarter, or a Walking Liberty half dollar, or any other classic series in your own hands it's difficult to ascertain a specific direction.

Remember that fun, learning, and goal accomplishment are the main reasons most collectors find our hobby enjoyable.

There is another point to be made that may or may not be important to you depending on how you want to collect. There is no RIGHT way... its a hobby and hobbies are about FUN!

The silver proofs will not lose value overall since they are a precious metal. In other words a quarter worth of gas in 1960 is about what a silver quarter's value will get you today. The market fluctuates, but it averages out to this.

Clad coins, outside of the keys, will mostly lose their face value. A 2018 quarter will not buy near what a 1965 quarter did in its day.

This is by no means a negative for collecting clad coin. Somewhere in the future clads might become "the" thing to collect. But the silver will always be silver no matter what.

I have assembled a near complete 1932-1964 silver Washington quarter set, just by occasional purchases of my local dealer's junk silver holdings. Missing a few key dates though.

Thanks Earle42!

That is very true and I am learning I need to do things my own way and take a little help and advice as I go. I personally believe I will stick to those coins that were released for general circulation and try and find them as nice as possible within my budget. Not 100% committed to that idea but thinking it.

Thanks basebal21!

I don't feel I am caught up in silver vs. clad mainly because I'm not 100% what that means...