BEGINNER’S GUIDE
TO
COIN COLLECTING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
3
Fun Facts about Coins
4
Coin Collecting Glossary
8
Beginning Your Collection
11
What to Collect
12
Storing Your Coins
18
Tools of the Trade
19
Amassing Your Collection
21
Handling Your Coins
24
Cleaning Coins
25
Grading Your Coins
27
Determining Your Coin’s Value
30
Pricing Coins
33
Most Requested Coin Values
34
Some Very Expensive Coins
39
Kids and Coin Collecting
41
Getting a Child into Coin Collecting
45
Conclusion
48
INTRODUCTION
The old saying goes, “Money makes the world go
‘round.” We use it every day. We can’t acquire many
necessary item needed in daily life without it. We almost
always want more of it, but for coin collectors, money is
much more than a piece of metal. It’s a hobby, a learning
experience, and can be a lifelong obsession.
There really are no hard statistics on the amount of
people who collect coins in the world. Some people suggest
that 1 out of every 10,000 people is an active coin collector.
That’s pretty staggering when you think about the
population of the world.
People have been collecting coins for years. At one
time, it was called the hobby of kings, but today people from
all walks of life and of all ages are maintaining coin
collections.
Their reasons are varied. Some like the history behind
coinage. Some do it to amass a collection worthy of handing
down to future generations. Still others are simply
businesspeople buying and selling coins to make a living.
Collecting coins can be somewhat of a treasure hunt for
many. The quest for that one coin to complete their
collection can be an obsession.
Whatever the reason, coin collecting is a very popular
hobby – one that can be pursued by all age groups. There
are actually