Coin Collecting Tips for Beginners

Other notable coin collectors, famous in history are King Farouk of Egypt, Louis the XIV of France, Emperor Maximilian, and more recently, Louis Eliasberg who had a whole set of all American coins ever minted, till the time he was alive. In fact, he was the only person to have such a set.

This information has some common aspects of the hobby of coin collecting, things that an avid coin collector would want to know.

Most coin collectors confuse themselves between the terms 'coin collecting' and 'numismatics'. But these two are quite different, though they are related by concept. Coin collecting refers to the act of collecting coins, while numismatics is the study of coins.

A coin collector will want to add different coins to his or her collection for various reasons, but not necessarily for studying them.  A numismatist, on the other hand, will look at coins only from one point of view―for studying about them. Also, the study done by a numismatist will not necessarily be restricted to the coin.

In some cases, the study of a numismatist will go beyond the coin itself, and border on other aspects, such as the history and geography of when and where it was minted, etc. In short, a coin collector and a numismatist are different, but each can fit in with the definition of the other depending on the way they are treating their coins.

No. Coin collectors can be of various types depending on what the focus of their collection is. Here are some different types of coin collectors.

✤ Completists―They are collectors who want to complete a set. For example, a person who wants coins minted in 1965 in France is termed as a completist. They will choose for themselves what they want to complete.

✤ Year Collectors―The name suggests the meaning. These coin collectors look for coins of a particular year. They may select coins of their own country or foreign countries, but they will want coins to be from the year they have chosen. Some people choose a significant year of their lives, such as all coins minted in their country in the year of their birth.

✤ Country Collectors―Again, the name is suggestive. Some people focus on collecting coins of a particular country, preferably their own. There are also people who want to collect only foreign coins, and also people who collect coins of all countries of the globe.

✤ Precious Coin Collectors―These are the most elite type of coin collectors. Ordinary coins do not interest them. They collect coins for some value, probably due to a fault in them, or some historical significance associated with them.

There are many reasons why people collect coins. Collecting coins for a hobby is, of course, the prime reason. But then, true hobbyists are those who collect coins only for collecting sake, and do not use them for any other purpose.

There are people, however, who collect coins as an investment. These people will buy coins at a particular sum and then sell them over to other collectors at a profit. There are people who collect coins on their trips abroad and sell them back home to collectors at good prices.

Also, some people procure rare coins and then auction them at very high prices. This category also includes people who have inherited a coin collection, but do not want to pursue the hobby.

Numismatists collect coins for an entirely different reason. They study coins and also the details pertaining to coins, such as place of minting, the historical relevance of the coin, etc. In schools, teachers insist students to collect coins as it is regarded as a very good method of improving knowledge of the countries of the world and their currencies.

Coin collectors look for certain things when acquiring coins for their collection. The first and most important thing in their opinion is the physical condition of the coin. Coins that are in excellent condition are called 'mint condition' coins.

In fact, there's a scale for judging the condition of the coins. This scale is known as the Sheldon Scale and is developed by the American Numismatic Association. This scale rates the physical condition of coin on a scale from 1 to 70, with 70 being mint condition.

The value of a coin is enhanced when the coin has something special about it. For example, coins that had a fault with them, coins that had some rare motif on them, or coins that were in circulation for a very short time have more value.

There have been instances when extremely rare coins have been sold for millions of dollars, in secret deals. It is evident that the coin investors are always on the lookout for such coins.