What Coin Should I Buy As A Starting Collector?

Welcome to CCF, Casutherland.

It sounds as if you are still trying to discover what aspect of coin collecting interests you the most so that you can concentrate on that area. I'd suggest that you read through as many threads here as you have time to and gradually decide upon your interests.

Most collectors can be divided into those who collect for fun, and those whose main objective is to collect as an investment activity. You can certainly mix the two, but I would suggest that anyone who collects coins should have at least one fun area, or you'll get burnt out, like Scrooge McDuck in his vault, surrounded by wealth, and cursed with the only objective being to collect more, more, more wealth. (You eventually may have to liquidate your wealth, and there goes your collection!)

Consider that coins can be objects of art in themselves ... you can look for varieties ... you can go for one of each in a series, or in type coins ... you can collect similarities, like animals, birds, beautiful women, heads of state, whatever. You could go for at least one coin from each country, or every chunky Great Britain 3-pence coin every minted. It's up to you, and lucky you, you're at the very beginning of your collecting experience and decide now what you want to do. Be sure to check in with us often and let you know how it's going.

Casutherland...I go to 4 bank branches everyday and I'm lucky if I get one or two half dollar coins per month!! I have no idea how these guys find boxes or even rolls!

i get rolls all the time. I try to go on a stretch of road and hit every bank on that stretch of road. Call your local bank (make sure you have an account there) and see if they can order a box from the Fed. I have gone through 3 boxes ($500 each) and have gone through hundreds of other customer bank rolls. Yeah you usually have to go there and ask. Cause the teller usually just checks hers. They never check the vault. When you go to ask for halves make sure they check (or you) all the other tellers trays and ask if they can check if there are any in the vault. When they ask how many you want say you want as much as you can afford.

When you asked about finding half dollars at banks: some banks are willing to order coins for you in $500 or $1000 increments. Some charge a fee to do this, and others do not. But keep in mind you have to find a place to dump the rejects too. Usually you would not want to take them back to the same bank type as you order to reduce likelihood of getting your own coins back in future and not upset the people ordering coins for you.

Can you take duplicates back to any bank for pure cash or do you have to have an account with that bank?

I mean I am 19 years old and am not making a ton of money right now, I would say that my budget is about 50-75$ a month for coin collecting simply because I am young and a college student.

Ya I am inexperienced so I tore the paper, I wonder if they would take back just the coins. I hope so. Thanks though for future reference