Getting Started

thank you I am also wondering how you can buy coins from a coin star machine.

thank you are circulated coins worth saving?

From a what to collect point of view. In the US it seems that collecting is based mainly around getting sets of coins that fit into albums that are designed to hold one of every type of coin, one from each year and variety.

This may be the way you want to go forward. It is quite expensive I have found.

I personally collect one coin of a type, I forget about individual dates. With US coins it can get a little complicated because the way the coin looks has changed even though it is technically the same coin.
But then as I have a big German collection, if I collected every date and mintmark, this would be impossible, I find it hard just to collect one of each type. I am not rich, in fact I might even be considered to be in poverty, (well maybe not), but I like having one of each coin from every country I can get.
I live in Europe and travel quite a lot, so I pick up the circulating coins from these countries. Circulating coins are much, much, MUCH cheaper than the older coins.

But then some people collect on coin from each "country" which gets tricky as you have to define country. Like German pre 1871 had hundreds of separate states, and countries come and countries go, then you have places that issue revolution coins that are used for only a few months and so on.

Then there are people who collect coins that look nice.

Each has its own merit. You do what makes you feel good, based on your budget, your reasons.

I started collecting because I lived in the US, and got a bag of coins, from State Quarters (the first few) and then moved to the eurozone 5 months before the euro came out, and those two things got me going, and I just collected what I wanted to collect. And at the beginning I would say, go after the coins you want to go after. Do you want to collect circulating coins, or shiny uncirculated, proof etc etc.
Just follow your instinct.

If you are going to collect US coins I think the best thing to do is pick up a current copy of A Guide Book of United States coins by R.S. Yeoman which is also called The Red Book. You should be able to find the 2010 edition at any decent book store.

As to storage, I like the 2X2 cardboard flips. Make sure anything you decide to store your coins in is PVC free.

I would agree that Memorial Lincoln Cents 1959 to date would be a good start. That's what my kids are working on right now. I picked up 2 Whitman folders, one was for 1959 to 1998 and the other is 1999 to present (with lots of empty spots for years to come). The folders were cheap, like $3.99 each, and helped them understand dates / mint marks. Plus they were able to fill about 2/3 of the books out of their banks.