| Author |
 Replies: 13 / Views: 1,182 |
|
|
Valued Member
United States
420 Posts |
Hello, Doing a lot of thinking over the weekend I came up with some questions. First, is coin collecting for me? I enjoy proofs and I can collect Proofs from the last 30 years (even though I only own one) and the State Quarter Proof sets plus any Silver Proofs from the last 30 years and Silver State Quarter Proofs. I know it will take me a while but I'm concerned about single coins. I'm still trying to read "The Red Book" and I'm about halfway through the second edition of "Coin Collecting for Dummies." I see a lot of certified coins and graded coins and their prices and I also see rare and ancient coins, etc online and those don't really interest me but commemorative coins do. Do they make Proofs of commemorative coins? As I have mentioned in previous posts, I'm visually impaired which will make grading coins or verifying the grade of any coin very difficult. Quote:
Here is part of my problem. I'm visually impaired and have limited vision in one eye and am blind in the other eye. My understanding is that coin grading is a very visual thing. Grading coins, is that a skill required to be a coin collector? Also, my local coin shop doesn't carry all the supplies I need such as pre 1999 and post 1999 proof boxes. Searching online hasn't gotten me much. Any advice or help would be appreciated. Thanks, Rich |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
588 Posts |
I have the same problem, for me a shinny coin means BU. So recently I brought a MS 65 LWC so now every time I have a new coin I can ad list tell an approxomite grade. |
|
Moderator
 United States
187702 Posts |
Quote:
Do they make Proofs of commemorative coins? Yes they do, at least for the modern commemoratives, of which there are plenty to choose from! Quote:
Grading coins, is that a skill required to be a coin collector? Is it required? No. Does it help? Of course. I have been collecting thirty years now, but still feel like a novice when it comes to grading. When acquiring coins, I look for eye appeal first, then determine a general idea of what the grade is for price negotiation. Ultimately they are my coins for my collection, so I have to be satisfied with what I have acquired and what price I paid. My point is that you should not feel like you have to be a grading expert to collect coins. Educate yourself as much as possible, collect what you like, and remember to have fun! |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
1729 Posts |
Snitchard, your questions deserve thoughtful answers. Coin collecting is indeed predominantly visual, unless you are like Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge who often retired to his money room to roll in his collection.
Depending upon the severity of your visual impairment, you can still enjoy collecting, although you might have to depend upon others who are honest to help you grade individual coins. And depending upon how picky you are, you might often be disappointed.
My own collecting activities do not revolve around high-dollar coins; indeed, if the price of a coin is much over $30, I start drawing away from it towards the sliders. My interests run to album filling, although I'll never fill my early Lincoln book and am lucky to finally complete my Rosies and Jeff Nickels. I like bronze and discovered just how much when I started acquiring Roman cleaners. Every time I finished cleaning a Roman coin which had lain in the ground probably for 1,500 years or more, I couldn't help but picture the Roman soldier or citizen who had buried his coins and never retrieved them; the ruler depicted on the coin, from Constantine the Great to ... well, never mind ... who had lived gloriously or ignominiously; the legends and figures on the coin, which are like little history books. When I hold a coin, I enjoy the overall design which differs so much from country to country, like the graceful Irish harp or the traditional Swiss designs or the sometimes-playful Italian designs or the iconic Easter Island designs, and if the coin is somewhat worn, I wonder how through how many radically different peoples' hands it has passed through ... heroes, villains, children, pensioners, nobility, commoners. I collect coins from my birth year, 1945, which was so full of strife, and I'm reminded of the conditions in that particular country during the war. Finally, when I dig up a coin while I'm out metal detecting, I feel as if I've liberated a valuable object that otherwise would be lost, even if it is a 1992 cent that is so badly corroded that I can barely distinguish it from a slug (which ironically always surivives better than Memorial cents!).
Snitchard, if you collect coins only for investment purposes and must be able to grade them accurately, you've locked yourself into only one aspect of the hobby. I'm hoping that you'll be able to branch out into all aspects of coin collecting eventually so that your sight doesn't limit your enjoyment of a fascinating hobby.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
632 Posts |
Whats up snitchard! Maybe I can help you answer some of your questions since I am also a relatively new collector. I've been doing it for about almost a year now, so I've also been through that same phase of yours where I'm wondering what to collect, how to grade, where to get info, whether I will still enjoy the hobby in the future to justify the money spent on collecting now. First off, we have lots of people come to this forum asking about whats the best way to make money through coins. (I'm not saying this is your intention I'm just giving you an example) This is really the wrong attitude, in my opinion, to approach to coin collecting when initially starting the hobby. Making money with your hobby is difficult no matter what your hobby is, and if you really choose to do that then it takes a level of maturity in your hobby to being able to have fun while trying to turn a profit at the same time. After all, if your not having fun, then whats the point of collecting? So first off you should collect because you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it all that much, then maybe coin collecting isn't for you. But there are so many things in this hobby to involve yourself with, you don't have to limit yourself to collecting one thing. You are bound to find something you enjoy collecting. I love proofs as well, but there's so much more to collect. Just take your time with it, and I can't stress this enough. There's no need to rush putting a collection together. Expand what you collect. A lot of collectors only collect one or two things (such as a Lincoln collector, or bust half collector) but usually its because they've learned over time through trial and error that those are the series they really enjoy. I personally collect just whatever is appealing, so my collection ranges all over the place. I have coins as old as the liberty seated series to coins as new as the unc. Alaska quarter I just 2X2'ed yesterday. I have coins as large as the Silver American Eagle to my small Three Cent piece. I also have a nice bunch of coins with animals on them, which is the only way I can get my girlfriend interested in my hobby with me.  As far as your visual impairment hindering you from grading coins, I wouldn't worry about it. Knowing how to grade is absolutely not required to have fun with this hobby. If you just collect according to whats visually appealing to you, as long as it makes you happy then it doesn't matter whether is an EF-40 or a AU-55. Over time you will become better at it. I have very very rudimentary grading skills but when I first started collecting I had no clue that there was even a coin grading system. The best way for you to learn more about this hobby would probably be to get yourself a nice beverage, a little snack, and just sit on this forum for a good while. It will definitely expound on your knowledge and will get you interested in all sorts of different coins you can collect. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
819 Posts |
Quote:
Grading coins, is that a skill required to be a coin collector? Absolutely not. I don't give a fig about a coin's grade, nor do I attempt to grade coins except in a very general way. When I am choosing a coin to collect, I just decide whether or not the coin appeals to me. Can I see the details? Is it abused? Is it toned in a way that makes it more beautiful than another? But then again, I don't collect coins that are slabbed or certified. I also don't usually choose US coins, either. My passion is World coins. Coin collecting is for everyone. If you enjoy collecting proof sets, then collect proof sets! Some commemorative coins come in proof condition throughout the world, some only come in uncirculated. My question would be why do they have to be proof? If you enjoy the commemoratives, it might be just as enjoyable to collect the commems. from circulation, or by trading with fellow collectors, as well as by buying them from dealers or directly from the mint. |
|
Valued Member
 United States
420 Posts |
Hello, Thanks for all the reassurance. Quote:
My question would be why do they have to be proof? I was reading ElleKitty's post and re-read my first post and thought about the question and they don't necessarily have to be Proofs I just like the way Proofs look. I don't think I'd buy certified or high graded expensive coins. I have a goal and it is NOT profit. My goal is to have something that looks good, Proofs are shiny, that looks good and something I can pass down to my kids, when I have kids. Thanks again, keep the ideas coming. Thanks, Rich Rich M. - Collector since 2008
|
|
Moderator
United States
187702 Posts |
Quote:
My goal is to have something that looks good, Proofs are shiny, that looks good and something I can pass down to my kids, when I have kids. An admirable goal that is!  |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
DCAM means spectacular appearance. I have proof coins and mint coins, but my favorites are deep cameos.  |
|
Valued Member
United States
228 Posts |
Quote:
Absolutely not. I don't give a fig about a coin's grade, nor do I attempt to grade coins except in a very general way. When I am choosing a coin to collect, I just decide whether or not the coin appeals to me. Can I see the details? Is it abused? Is it toned in a way that makes it more beautiful than another?  Fishnwidow |
|
New Member
United States
1 Posts |
hello, yes they do make proofs for commemorative coins, even in Russia! Now I have a question for you all. I have a 1984 commemorative proof coin USSR ,copper,nickel,zink. in the box with all the papers and it has all the specs. and I am trying to find out what it is worth. ca anyine help me? Thanx!
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Visually impaired, that's a tough call. I know when I was a kid, and young adult I could read coin dates in dim light without a glass. Now I can't even read the newspaper without glasses. I sort of got discouraged and focused on collecting antiques and other collectibles for awhile because it didn't take any equipment to do that.
Now if I want to look through my collection, I have to put on my glasses and get out my loupes.
Once I can see my coins again with the tools, it is like finding them all over again for the first time!
Grading is not too difficult, just learn to grade one series at a time and learn what is typical for each year and mintmark in that series.
You'll be able to tell which is unusually better to collect over the next one as long as somehow you have a tool to see it.
If you cannot see the coins, maybe collecting large currency would be interesting.
We also have a Blind Association here in town and there are some visual aids they have available, and sometimes free, that can help.
My Mother-in-law had an overhead like viewer she could put recipe cards under and focus on them and read books with.
Maybe look in the phone book and see if they can help you with an answer to your questions about help with collecting coins and what is available for you to see them better.
Edited by TNG
10/19/2008 9:37 pm
|
|
Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
Control + Scroll is your friend.
|
|
Moderator
United States
187702 Posts |
Quote:
Control + Scroll is your friend. So is [CTRL]  or setting a minimum font size in your browser!  |
| |
Replies: 13 / Views: 1,182 |
|
Posted 10/13/2008 12:28 pm
