Welcome to the World of Coin Collecting

Coin collecting is popular hobby that has been around for centuries. It can be a great hobby for you and your children. It can also be a profitable hobby. Coin collecting is basically the trading and collecting of coins or other forms of of legally minted currency. Frequently collected coins include those that were in circulation for only a brief period of time, coins minted with errors, or extremely beautiful or historically interesting pieces. Numismatics, often referred to as coin collecting, is the study of currency, though both are closely related.

People often begin their coin collections by saving the coins that are already in circulation. This method has little risk attached as you can always re-use the coins you collected. If you gain more interest in coin collecting then you will want to move onto collecting coins from other sources. Buying directly from the US Mint is a good way to guarantee that coins have not been in circulation. Coin collectors can also purchase coins from coin shops, coin shows, coin clubs, internet auctions, other collectors, or flea markets.

How you take care of your coin collection is very important, as it is with any other collectible. The condition of your coins is paramount to their value. Any sort of damage such as, dented edges, holes, gouges, even cleaning can greatly reduce the value of a coin. Handling your coin collection carefully is extremely important. Your coins should be handled carefully to try to avoid causing wear, spots, or color changes. Collectors do not touch un-circulated or proof coins anywhere but the edges. Fingerprints can also reduce a coin's grade and value. Even when placing a coin down outside of its holder, it is done carefully, usually on a velvet like surface.

There are a few different methods that are common to collecting coins and are often combined as a way to obtain your collection. Some coin collectors attempt to obtain samples of all the coins that were issued from every country, whereas some collectors also may want to collect coins only issued from one country. This is more often than not their own country. Collectors often buy specially made books for the purpose of collecting coins from every year. For some collectors, coins that were issued during historically important periods are of particular interest. Coins of Roman, Byzantine, Greek, Indian, Celtic, Parthian, Merovingian, Ostrogothic, and ancient Israelite origin are amongst the more popular ancient coins collected. Many collectors restrict their coin collecting to coins issued after the 18th or 19th century, while others collect ancient and medieval coins. Coins are often a reflection of events in time in which they were produced, e.g. during a particular king's reign, presidency, war, or other historical event. Coins issued during these periods are of particular interest to collectors.

Coin collecting is often undertaken as an investment. Reasons given for investing in coins are similar to those given for investing in stamps, precious metals or other commodities. As with most collectibles, a coin collection does not produce income until it is sold.

Iain Gall is a coin collecting enthusiast. For more great information on collecting coins be sure to visit http://www.coincollectingknowhow.com.

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