Are There "Must Haves" For A New Collector?

ya, working on that part. been reading when I can but some of the books out there are soooooo boring. found some sites on the web that help

Don't forget a good light, and a camera help because photos of coins are key if you need help on things like grading specific coins.

as far as "must have" coins, it varies among every single one of us here. find a series you like, a year...whatever it is that really drives you. that's where you'll find your "must haves". for me, I'm a huge fan of wheaties, and Mercury dimes. my personal must have was the 1909vdb, and I picked that up early on (about 20 years ago). to this day, I'm still trying to assemble a full set of both wheats and mercs...that's the fun part.

right now just fun, years down the road I would like my collection to be somewhat valuable. I've started searching penny boxes and like finding stuff that way. sooner or later ill move on to other denomonations. I like finding them better than buying, not so much the money part but the looking and finding for myself I like.

I would first kind of decide which you want to favor or "lean towards" in your collecting.
Classic coins or Modern coins (or even Ultra-Modern if you will)

Then....arm yourself with some supplies to do that.
Like if you choose Lincoln Cents....you'll want to pick up the Dansco Lincoln album. And if you want that to include modern Proofs and such.....you'll pick accordingly.
And if you want to continue collecting the Modern Cents like with the 2010 Shield Cents....you could order the 2010 Proof Set from the U.S. Mint website, when the Set becomes available for this year. This will contain other denominations for you to collect as well.

If you want just Classic coins and don't care for the Moderns, it's a similar process, except that you can't get those from the Mint. You would go to auctions, internet sites, ebay, etc. etc. etc. or just your local coin shop.

For example:
If you're going to want to collect the new 2010 Parks Qtrs.that start this year, then I'd suggest buying the Satin Finish 2010 Uncirculated Set for this year (when it's available), the Proof Set, and the Silver Proof Set. (The business strikes could be expensive and/or hard to get....but that's another subject!)
You can stay current this way, throughout the 11 year program. (secondary buying options can sometimes be cheaper than the Mint) And sometimes too, it's MUCH easier to "stay current" instead of looking back, years later, "wishing" you would have stayed current ! ....
So there are just some "collecting decisions" that you have to make.
I try to collect EVERYTHING Classic and Modern.....and depending on my mood at the time, it varies greatly as to what "I'm into" at the moment. (Though I don't recommend doing this incessantly, because it can lead to a lot of incomplete albums ! ) .. You need to stay focused on "a few" things versus "too many" things with coin collecting. IMHO

As far as rolls.....that's a matter of opinion as to whether or not this is a good collecting choice. Some collectors scoff at the mere idea of "rolls" (esp. Modern).....and then some really covet them. (I'm 50/50)(in other words....I like both)

Roll hunting can be a cheap thrill when you find those treasures...just takes a lot of patience and consistency.

But, the best advice so far that has been given here is first "learning" and "gaining knowledge" BEFORE you start purchasing.....which you are doing ! ...

If no one said it, "get some gloves with which to handle your coins."

If I were in my 20's I'd look to acquire some quality (MS63+) Walking Liberty and Franklin half dollars. The 1939-47 Walkers are still reasonable in higher grades as are all the Franklins. I remember when I was in my 20's there were 192X and 193X Walkers in UNC grades for reasonable prices. These are not so reasonable anymore.

I don't have much faith that any of the modern crap will appreciate significantly due to the mind-boggling quantities produced. There are some exceptions (lower than planned production runs), but by the time the average Joe learns about them the insiders are already charging large premiums.