Beginning Of An Adventure!

Jr-Wolves, Welcome to our forum and I wanted to compliment you on your first choice of an American coin. The Indian Head cent is one of my favorites, so I highly approve. The Indian cent is a beautiful set to collect and many of the coins are very reasonable considering their age and popularity. The amount you paid for the cent you purchased was just right for the condition it is in. I would suggest that you purchase a n Indian cent album to hold your coins. That is what I have and the cost is minimal. It is an attractive way to exhibit and store your coins safely. I don't know how much one would cost in Great Britain, but hopefully it isn't much. I store many of my coins in 2 by 2s also and feel that this is an excellent way to retain your coins. I am very happy for you on your decision to become a numismatist. This hobby is rewarding, fascinating and exciting and your enthusiasm will never wane. I have been actively collecting for over four years now and I still get excited over a n acquisition such as the one you recently made. Good luck and keep reading. You can never read enough about this hobby and the more you read the more of an expert you will become. I was intimidated with the grading thing also, but time will make you an expert before you know it!

Jr- I'm relatively new to the finer points of the hobby as well. What I did to get a basic handle on grading is to spend a little time in the grading sub-forums here in CCF, where people will post pictures and then others will grade it below. Then you can guess and see how close you are to the more experienced members. It doesn't take long to get a feel for it. Each coin has a few things to look for; for example, the first thing I check on an Indian Head cent is the letters "Liberty" in the headband.