Coins Collection

Among the mainstays of coin collecting, old coins are among the most exciting and sought after members of the coin family. Not only do they tend to be rarer than modern coins, but they are often made from valuable materials that actually worth more now than the actual denomination of the coin itself. Which makes old coins that much more of a thrill.

One reason why old coins become value is the simple fact that old coins were often made from precious metals, such as gold or silver. Thus, old coins can often be worth more melted down than they would if they were spent like regular change. However, the fact that they are still stamped coins makes them even more valuable. And their value is only enhanced even more by the fact that they have been around for a while.

Old coins are made even more valuable when they are also rare. Fortunately, the fact that coins are old tends to make them rarer. This is because the older a coin is, the more likely that people have exchanged it for more modern currency and the more likely that the government has gotten a hold of it and melted it down. In fact, most governments have specific legal requirements to destroy old coins in order to keep the money supply modern, making it more difficult for coin collectors to find old coins.

However, coin collectors don’t just look for old coins because they are valuable. They are also unusual and provide a connection to people who lived long ago. When you have an old coin in your hands, you are holding the same coin that was passed from hand to hand one hundred, one thousand, even two thousand years ago. They are not just metal, they are pieces of history. What you see and feel in your hands is exactly what your forebears saw and felt.

When you hold old coins in your hands, you are not just holding some old money. Rather, you are holding links to your forebears. Those coins have moved through history as surely as great architecture. And the old coins you collect may have even made history on their own. Who knows whose hands those old coins may have passed through? They may have been in the palms of kings and presidents, philosophers and physicians, writers and artists, or inventors and tycoons. And with the number of times that change changes hands, there is no telling who might have spent those old coins you are adding to your collection.

While old coins can be good investments, they are much more than that for a coin collector. They are windows to long gone pasts and forgotten times. They are connections to people who have lived all manner of lives and done things both great and small. So when you see old coins, remember that many people have worked to earn that coin and they have all, at some level, appreciated its presence in their lives. So enjoy those old coins that you collect and appreciate them for the fact that they could fill entire books with the stories that they have to tell.

Coins and Coin Collecting, http://www.coinsandcoincollecting.com

Your guide to getting the very best from your coin collection.

Share This

Why should a coin collector and investor buy and collect professionally graded and certified coins?. Commonly called “slabs”, they are housed in a protective plastic holder. There are many companies - over a dozen are less than 2 years old - which will put your coin in a slab after Certifying that it is Authentic, and assigning a Grade to the coin. The first reason for buying and collecting Certified and Graded Coins applies to all of these companies. However, the most important reasons apply only to the Top Four companies: PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and ICG.

Reason No 1. To Protect Your Coin from Damage.
Visible Damage, which includes anything from finger prints/oils to being stepped on. More importantly, Environmental Damage, including such things as exposure to the air, or the wrong kind of air, chemicals in the air, and touching other objects (e.g.: certain plastics, liquids, food) and other coins, which will change the appearance and even structure of the coin. Damage causes loss of Value, which means Your Investment. A slab is an air tight container, and its purpose is Protection.

Reason No 2. To Establish Authenticity.
You want and need to know that your coin is not only the Real thing, but that it has not been altered (changing a mint mark - fraud) or changed, for example by cleaning, polishing, changing the appearance or surface of the coin, in any way that would render your coin unfit to collect. If it is Unfit to Collect, there won’t be many Buyers or Sellers. Many coins graded by lesser companies end up getting Rejected by one of the Top Four for these reasons.

Reason No 3. To Establish Identity.
Is that 1909 Lincoln penny a VDB? Did you overlook the “S” mint mark. Is it a Type 1 or Type 2? These little identifying marks can mean the difference between a $20 coin and one worth $35,000. We all make mistakes and overlook or miss, mint marks, details, and certain other identifying factors which make up “Varities” of each coin. It is the professional’s duty to look for, and establish these things to determine a coin’s true Identity.

Reason No 4. To Establish the Coin’s Grade.
A coin’s Grade is what determines its Value. You want Good Value when you Buy the coin. You want to get what you pay for (or more) and not get cheated. When you get ready to Sell or Upgrade, you want to get the most for your coin. You Have to Know What the Coin is Worth! The Grade is always an Issue when Buying and Selling a Collectible Coin. Having the coin Professionally Certified and Graded virtually eliminates this Issue, and the Arguments. This is Your Neutral Third Party.

Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent, Reliable and Trustworthy. They have Established and Respected Reputations. Their Standards are the Highest and the Best. You are taking a Risk when buying a certified and graded coin from any other company.

It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded by one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are getting. From a description of the coin (e.g.: 1903 O, MS66, NGC, Morgan #034), you know what you are buying, and what to expect. It always helps to have a little description of its appearance, such as “white hot” or “slight reverse toning”, since there is one limitation to selling a Certified and Graded coin sight unseen: It is still possible to buy an ugly coin. But that is why we have scanners, fax and email.

Therefore, as a Coin Collector and Investor, always collect Certified and Graded coins by one of the Top Four. It is the most reasonable way to verify authenticity and identity of every coin in your collection, as well as to establish a reliable Value. Every source of prices for any coin, be it a yearly book, magazine, a weekly or monthly newsprint; all base their prices on the Grading Standards of the Top Four grading companies, which strictly follow the ANA guidelines. If the Grade of your coin does not measure up to these Standards, then you are only guessing at the Value.

Robert L Taylor, JD
Copyright 2006

About Robert L Taylor, JD
He is a retired lawyer of 28 years, from Denver, Colorado, having devoted his career to representing people that could not afford an Attorney. He has been collecting coins since the age of 6, and has recently published a web site sharing his passion,
at http://www.ThePerfect-Coin.com.

And, recently, he also published a web site just for Beginning Collectors, at:
http://www.Beginning-Coin-Collecting.Com

Robert is a 58 year old retired lawyer from Denver, CO with a passion for collection coins, since the age of 6; and has published a web site sharing his passion, at http://www.ThePerfect-Coin.com

Share This

One remarkably rewarding hobby, in more ways than one, is coin collecting. Though it may not have the same visceral excitement as, say, hang gliding, it has a subdued joy that is more than worth the experience. The simple joys of finding a coin you’ve been looking for or discovering a mint-condition penny from forty years ago is a pleasure that is not to be missed. While this may be difficult for some to understand, coin collecting is a reward all its own and, for those who do it, there is nothing else like it.

To understand the pleasure of coin collecting is to understand the pleasure of discovery. You do not collect coins just to have metal lying around, you collect coins to find something new. This is because, with the number of coins minted around the world, there is always something new to discover. There are always more coins, more designs, more commemorative editions, and more periods in history to explore. Which means that completing a coin collection is impossible, because there are always more coins to collect.

However, it is not only the coins themselves that make coin collecting so enjoyable. There is also the fact that there is always something more to learn about coins and coin collecting. The joys of discovery are not only in the coin shops, they are also in the mind. With every article, book, or simple observation there is something new to learn, ponder, or finally decide. The exploration of topics and knowledge has its own rewards and coin collecting provides plenty of opportunity to do just that.

Of course, coin collecting has more tangible rewards as well. Coins do tend to increase as the years pass on, so there are monetary rewards in addition to the mental rewards. And there is a certain excitement in finding a unique coin that is worth a whole heck of a lot of money. And, when you do manage to do that, you not only get the satisfaction of discovering something unexpected, you can keep it for its investment potential over the long haul. After all, rare coins are not getting any more common, so they are only going to increase in value over time.

So, with all these exciting facets to a coin collection, how do you actually start with coin collecting? The best thing to do is to just start looking through the change you have on hand right now. After all, all the coins that are now being collected were once change in someone’s pocket. So start with the coins you already have, learn about them, and then move out from there. And, as you collect more coins and learn more about them, the continual process of discovery will be its own reason for continuing your explorations. Then, when you finally discover the joys of simply collecting coins for the sake of collecting coins, you will be able to assemble an impressive set of coins that will be an investment all its own. Which will make a lot more people happy about the fact that you enjoy coin collecting so much.

Coins and Coin Collecting, http://www.coinsandcoincollecting.com

Your guide to getting the very best from your coin collection.

Share This