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 Replies: 24 / Views: 1,703 |
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
Hey All, Sheepy here... I'm new to here and to collecting. I got the bug a couple of months ago. I actually bought my first coins on ebay (indians ~ 1859 & 1897 they are in beautiful condition~sharp feathers, full distinct liberty and diamonds on ribbon)... I know probably not a smart choice but I didn't know where to go and I wanted to buy soooo bad. I did buy the Red Book first but have already over paid knowingly!!! I was in town today (live in country 28 miles out!) and stopped in our local coin shop for the first (not last!) time and have now fallen in love with Walking Liberty! She is soooo beautiful! and the eagle is mesmerizing the way the light plays on his feathers!!! I bought an uncirc. ms 62 (their grade) I love it!!! I want MORE!!! Any advice from you all would be soo great! I am particularly fond older cents, quarters & half dollars, I love the capped busts (happy b-day to whoever got the one from their mom!!! Beautiful coin!) also gravitate towards barbers... of course I want only perfect beauty...  I have champagne taste on md budget... is it worth getting your top coins slabbed? Does color add to or take away from value? How should you store them? Anything else you think I should know...? TIA!!! Sheepy (need a sheep smile) Edited by Sheepy
11/20/2006 7:51 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
954 Posts |
Welcome!!! It sounds like you need to do a Dansco 7070 It's a type set of US coins, one of each. I will try to answer a couple of your questions. It is not always worth having your coins graded. Sometimes they are just better off in an album. Color can be a plus or a minus, depends on the color....  It all always depends on something, it's the journey that teaches you what that something is. Enjoy your journey |
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Valued Member
 United States
152 Posts |
Thanks... That is very helpful! (LOL!)
Where do you put that line when you dicide that "Wow! I have to get it graded!" ?
I have nothing with color... but some of the coins you see just look tarnished... I assume natural color is ok... if it's pleasing it's valuable... if it's ugly it's not? but beauty is in the eye of the beholder...?
Another question... Cleaning? How do you know if a coin has been cleaned? Assuming there are many different methods... to a beginner what do you look for ?
Just wait ~ I'm sure I can come up with lots more questions!!!:)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
954 Posts |
 Exactly right  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Key dates are sometimes counterfeited. It may be best to buy coins already graded if they are out of your comfort zone. They are best left to the experts to decide.... Look for too bright, too shiny, for cleaned coins. Little tiny scratches can be a sign of cleaning. My advice is get yourself a couple of cheap coins, silver and copper and clean them, play with them, and see what they look like. It will save you a lot of money down the road if you can spot cleaning right away. I know my answers seem really vague, but there is so much for you to learn, I can't teach it to you all today  It may take 2 or 3 weeks  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I can tell you, I spent a year collecting nothing but Morgans and I got a Dansco7070 type album and man I have been having a ball trying to complete this thing, of course I have champagne taste on a fixed budget (I'm 36 on disability) so I definately know what you mean, and trying to find nice type coins is a challenge. You can find them with problems all over the place in my budget but try finding problem free in nice condition and you better have a wallet full, but if you like all the coins you mentioned then a Dansco 7070 would givbe you alot of enjoyment. I also buy almost 90% of my coins from ebay (was closer to 100% before I started this type set had to find other places that had nicer coins) and you can get some good deals there as long as you learn to grade and have a good eye you can do well on ebay |
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
Thanks for all the info! I'm a fast learner Becky... bet you could teach me all in a week!!! HA! Ok, so next question... this Dansco7070 has my interest throughly peaked! Where do I find it? ebay? and how many coins are there to fill? I want everything... but am trying to cool the jets... someone else told me to start with one thing and branch out after I was comfortable with that... but too many pretties turn my head! How long have you all been collecting? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
954 Posts |
You do have a lot of enthusiasum I know you want to jump in with both feet, but do your homework first, then buy the coin. Want to see a 7070? This set belongs to a guy named Barry. http://w2up.home.mindspring.com/dan...type_set.htmThe only coins missing are the commems, he hates them. Sweet huh?  |
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
Thanks Becky, am checking them out now... I don't know why I didn't think about cleaning my own... have an entire coffee can of pennies in front of me and pint jars of nickles and dimes... sigh... my skull is thick!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
954 Posts |
Just remember, anything you clean will be junk, so don't clean anything expensive.
If you have a coin store in your town, go make yourself a friend. There is nothing like talking coins face to face with another collector. If he or she is willing to teach, it's a real plus and way easier and cheaper than learning on your own.
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
Thanks again... and WOW!!! There are some AWESOME coins in that collection of Barry's... I am definately interested in doing a dansco! What would you search for to find that albumn?
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
Don't worry about the search I found it! Thanks! The cleaning is starting interestingly... I put a few dirty pennies, nickles and dimes into warm water and a dish washer soap/cleaner called Lemishine... the prettiest copper pennies you ever did see!
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
Hey Bryan1315, I saw a post in the coin grading section... you noted an indian head that came from j40d60... any advice about his coins... is he reputable? I have already bought some... Would you purchase from him? TIA Sheepy
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Forum Mom
 United States
5877 Posts |
Looks like you're getting some great advice, Sheepy. I moved this to the Main Coin Forum so that you would get more responses. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
830 Posts |
Welcome Sheepy !!! You're already getting some good advice here. These folks are friendly and knowledgeable and willing to share their experiences. I would add this: Slow down, take a deep breath and don't buy any coins until you "know" them well enough to make informed buying decisions. I started out in my most recent incarnation as a collector just like you - full of enthusiasm (a good thing) but I had very little knowledge, so I made some horrible purchases for the first 6 months to a year or so. You would not believe the overpriced junk I bought!!!  Long story short, I finally learned to take it slow and easy. I learned that the most valuable things a collector needs are books, and people like you'll find right here who will give you solid advice. An old saying, "Buy the book before you buy the coin", is terrific advice, especially for a newbie. The RedBook is a good one to start with. If you get into areas later on like large cents, Half Cents, capped bust half dollar dollars, etc., you will want to get lots of books on those subjects. In the meantime, get that Dansco 7070 album, and tackle it slowly. It will be a rewarding learning experience which will expose you to the large variety of U.S. coinage. Have fun !!! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
Hi sheepy Im also a fan of the Adolf Weinman designs,, Both Walkers and Mercury dimes,, If you get a chance take a look at the Image galleries !! they are located second from the top in the left hand side bar. The advice to take a breath and slow down in good advice,, take a little time to get a bit of a handle on grading and recognising cleaned or altered coins, there are many of these type of coins in the market place and you will run accross them as you purchase and actively pursue the coins for whatever type of collection you decide to do. Its good to have you here with us ,, Hope you stick around and share your enthusiasm and collection as you build it with us . Rick Edited by Metalman
11/21/2006 11:47 am
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
Hi Sheepy, As another new collector I had to throw my Two Cents worth in! All the advice you're received so far has been on the mark. But, probably the best has been to slow down, study before you buy, and concentrate on one area. This forum is fantastic for learning about coins, grading, where to buy, etc. A lot of very knowledgeable people more than happy to share their knowledge. Probably the biggest mistake I made in the beginning was over-extending myself. I love the coins I've purchased, but nothing in any one area or series until I took a deep breath and concentrated in one area. Did get a nice start on the type series, tho. One thing you'll notice is that people post a lot of outstanding coins on this forum. You'll constantly be resisting the temptation to go out and buy more! At least I do! Good luck, Tim |
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Replies: 24 / Views: 1,703 |
Posted 11/20/2006 7:44 pm
