Coins can also be strikingly beautiful in their own right, with the top
designers of a nation striving to have their motif chosen for immortality on
the face of a coin.
The history of gold coins dates as far back as 2,700 years ago. The first gold
coins in the world were issued in Lydia around 640 B.C. certain internet
websites will provide you with a lot of information about the history of gold
coins.
Australia reveres its national animal with the Gold Kangaroo, for example,
while China has a Gold Panda with a lovely design that changes every year.
This guide will help you recognize a few exceptional American rare coins that
you just might have lying around your house, shoved in a change jar, or
tucked away into a pocket. The result is a coin with an unnatural appearance
and a lower value. Any cleaning will wear the coin surface, and though it may
look brighter for a time, the coin will eventually lose its value to a collector.
Coin collecting, or numismatics is a hobby as old as time. As a hobby, it has
been around for more than 2,500 years. This is surprising since the use of
coins has been around for pretty much that same amount of time too.
There are various reasons to collect coins. Some people collect coins from a
specific period of time, some collect coins based on perceived future value,
some collect coins based on type of metal, some for historical value.
Commemorative coins are a popular form of collection, as are rare minted
coins like those which had an error in their stamping. If a certain set of coins
doesn¡¯t interest you, it won¡¯t be any fun at all to become a collector.
Most coin dealers will charge a lower premium on the sale of coins to their
best customers. After all, it makes good business sense to get the most
profit possible from a person who will do business with you only once.
Have coins? Will collect!
Old coins that is. Try looking under that old dresser, or up the attic where
grandma or grandpa¡¯s things may be stashed away patiently waiting for you
to discover them. Who knows, you might find a coin there, an old coin that
¨C at today¡¯s rate – may be worth a few dollars; probably three or four or five,
even ten times what the coin was worth back then.
A penny a day, is worth okay
Fortunately or unfortunately, there was a shortage of copper during the year
1943 and all pennies made at that time were minted using steel. There were
however, some Lincoln pennies that were incorrectly minted on bronze that
turned out to be blanks. A few years ¨C or decades later -these bronze
pennies became a rarity and are valuable. The steel ones though, because of
their commonality, are worth only between one to three dollars each.
Be aware and be wary as there are schemes where gullible coin collectors are
sold coins that are copper plated in an attempt to make these pennies
appear to be bronze. Also, keep your guard up anytime someone offers you
a circa 1943 penny made out of a metallic white alloy.
Old coins are good coins
There are so many different kinds of rare coins to collect, ranging from gold
bullion coins to ancient Roman coins, that it is impossible to be a true expert
in all of them. You’ll want to find a merchant that specializes in the particular
area that is of interest to you.
Ancient kings (and even today’s leaders) had a telling habit of having their
faces imprinted on their currency.
The Philadelphia mint used no mint mark until 1980, when it started
stamping coins with tiny P’s. Yet somehow, a small number of dimes minted
in 1982 were a throwback to the time before the mint mark, and bear no
letter P.
Coins, which were printed on standardized weights of precious metals and
stamped with a government guarantee of value, was the answer to this
unwieldy, easily sabotaged trading process. For most gold coin collectors,
there are the highly coveted rare gold coins and a lot of gold coin collectors
are interested in these rare gold coins that they will offer high bids just to be
able to get their hands on these.
The Augustus Saint-Gauden Double Eagle is widely considered to be one of
the most beautiful coins America has ever produced.
Complete info on how to sell gold coins. The best way to get good deals,
and avoid the bad ones, is to pick up some standard reference catalogues
and study the pricing very carefully. As a rule, it’s better to own one high
quality coin than a bunch of mediocre ones. You will need someone to buy
the coins from, and it can be difficult to find a reputable coin dealer.
Someone who has been coin collecting for years can help you choose a
knowledgeable and honest coin dealer. You’ll need to learn about the value
of different coins.
Coin collecting for investment purposes can be a tricky endeavor.
Coins, specifically the silver dollars made and circulated between the years
1878 and 1935, are worth between twelve dollars and twenty five dollars for
the circulated coins. The coins that were not in circulation are worth
considerably more. Meantime, those quarters, dimes, or half dollar coins made
and circulated prior to 1965, are usually made out of ninety percent silver
and therefore worth as much as today¡¯s silver (with an additional premium,
albeit small, put on the coin¡¯s face value).
Wrong pennies are right
There is a Lincoln penny issued in 1972 on which the date and the letters on
it appear to have been doubled. This rare coin is currently worth about sixty
dollars, assuming the pennies are in standard condition. The Philadelphia Mint
during that time period accidentally misaligned the die used in minting the
coins causing the portrait of Lincoln to look like it was doubled. Fortunately
or unfortunately, eighty thousand of these were circulated before the error
was discovered.
In summary, coin collecting is similar to collecting bits of history and trivia from
the past. In addition to the face value its worth as a treasure – pennies,
dimes and coins ¨C often are worth more in the long run. A numismatist holds
an ancient coin that has passed through dozens or hundreds of hands
throughout the millennia. In medieval times, the collection of ancient coins
was already popular, but it was known as a hobby for kings.
An avid coin collector will be able to tell you virtually every piece of history
that surrounds any coin in their collection both because they tend to
specialize and because knowledge is one of the most important factors when
it comes to starting and maintaining a collection of any value or worth.
Possibly. In 1991, only 459,000 25-cent coins were struck (the annual
number is usually closer to 100 million). ‘Mint State’ versions of these coins
are worth about $8.
Some collect coins related to kings and queens. Some collect those related
to plants and animals.
Scarcity should not be confused with overall mintage. During the silver
booms, many, many silver coins were melted for there bullion content.
Other than printing problems, another reason why rare coins can be minted
is when the wrong precious metals are used to make the coins.
A lot of people find collecting gold coins as not only an incredibly interesting
hobby but a fairly lucrative one as well! Over time, your collection will accure
value and parts of it can be sold if you desire.
You can get a silver locating device or a magnetic pole for finding loose coins
in ditches, under cars, or in other hard-to-reach places. Or simply rely on your
eyes to identify those gleaming metal circlets of potential wealth. During the
Renaissance, popes and nobility began collecting coins for their artistic and
historical value, and the name “the hobby of kings” was born.