Fresh Meat ^^;
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:20 am
Hello everyone,
I have been collecting (probably more hoarding) coins on and off for sometime now. When I was younger I was encouraged to pick through my coins and look for interesting change and keep hold of it. However, only recently have I started thinking about possibly starting down the road to collecting.
So, I have some questions about how to get started and things of that sort. However, first I have a disclaimer.
I am not looking to be a serious collector. I am not looking to purchase coins or anything of that sort. I find those expensive and wonderfully old coins excellent pieces of history, but I do not wish for them to be in my possession. My plan, on the other hand, is something a bit more boring to the serious collectors. I am thinking of simply sifting through the coins that I get in change to find those that are interesting, rare, modestly valuable coins. But.. I haven't a clue how to go about this, or whether something like this is a good idea.
What I was thinking was: a "collection of uniques." Basically, this means that I would want to sift through my change and keep one of each year/coin/type (preferably the best example that I can find) regardless of value. Then, those coins which I know have some numismatic value, I would keep as well.
As an example of this, in this (hypothetical) collection, I would have a one example of the 2011 Penny (as they are basically worthless barring errors and such). But if I found 2 copies of decent 1920 small cent pennies, I would keep them both.
>_< This is seeming so much more complicated to explain than I thought.. sorry..
Lastly, I would keep all of those coins that have a melt value that is greater than the coin value (and greater than the numismatic value) so as to sell them off to melt once I have enough.
Does that make any sense?
Okay, to the questions!
So, what would be the best way to go about storing my collection of sentimentally and numismaticly valuable coins (especially in the earlier stages)?
How much higher than the coin value should the melt value be to keep it? (I was thinking at least 50%. 25 for the profit of the place I am selling to, and 25 for my profit.)
What is the best way to get my hands on coins that I can sort through? (Again, I am not looking to buy coins for more than their coin value. This might change, but I need to prove my commitment to collecting first before I even think of that.)
And lastly, how do I get better at grading so as to help my estimation of numismatic value?
So.. I am sorry that I wrote so much.. I am just a person that needs to have a plan for everything before doing anything.. I do hope that someone takes the time to read this and answer me, as I am quite interested in learning about the beginnings of collecting
Thank you for your time,
Morwen
I have been collecting (probably more hoarding) coins on and off for sometime now. When I was younger I was encouraged to pick through my coins and look for interesting change and keep hold of it. However, only recently have I started thinking about possibly starting down the road to collecting.
So, I have some questions about how to get started and things of that sort. However, first I have a disclaimer.
I am not looking to be a serious collector. I am not looking to purchase coins or anything of that sort. I find those expensive and wonderfully old coins excellent pieces of history, but I do not wish for them to be in my possession. My plan, on the other hand, is something a bit more boring to the serious collectors. I am thinking of simply sifting through the coins that I get in change to find those that are interesting, rare, modestly valuable coins. But.. I haven't a clue how to go about this, or whether something like this is a good idea.
What I was thinking was: a "collection of uniques." Basically, this means that I would want to sift through my change and keep one of each year/coin/type (preferably the best example that I can find) regardless of value. Then, those coins which I know have some numismatic value, I would keep as well.
As an example of this, in this (hypothetical) collection, I would have a one example of the 2011 Penny (as they are basically worthless barring errors and such). But if I found 2 copies of decent 1920 small cent pennies, I would keep them both.
>_< This is seeming so much more complicated to explain than I thought.. sorry..
Lastly, I would keep all of those coins that have a melt value that is greater than the coin value (and greater than the numismatic value) so as to sell them off to melt once I have enough.
Does that make any sense?
Okay, to the questions!
So, what would be the best way to go about storing my collection of sentimentally and numismaticly valuable coins (especially in the earlier stages)?
How much higher than the coin value should the melt value be to keep it? (I was thinking at least 50%. 25 for the profit of the place I am selling to, and 25 for my profit.)
What is the best way to get my hands on coins that I can sort through? (Again, I am not looking to buy coins for more than their coin value. This might change, but I need to prove my commitment to collecting first before I even think of that.)
And lastly, how do I get better at grading so as to help my estimation of numismatic value?
So.. I am sorry that I wrote so much.. I am just a person that needs to have a plan for everything before doing anything.. I do hope that someone takes the time to read this and answer me, as I am quite interested in learning about the beginnings of collecting
Thank you for your time,
Morwen