New Help!

[albundy 0]

HI Guys and Gals

i have just ordered the new £20 pound coin and this is my first ever coin to collect has anyone got any tips on cloecting ie what to go for and look out for ? i am thinking for clocting britsh coins but not really sure what to look for so total novice at this pl remember guys you you at this point a long time ago lol any help tips books ect would be fab thanks !

big al

i hope i get the £20 pound coin they say its subjet to avalibilaty

[Peter 615]

First come first served on the £20 coin.

Before you attempt making purchases get some books.

I would suggest Collectors coins GB which is about £5.

Have a look at Ebay and decide what you like(beware of the rubbish on there)

The second book would be the Standard guide to grading British coins.

The last tip at this stage is buy the best you can afford.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

[Coinery 1,161]

Hi albundy, and welcome aboard!

I can highly recommend a couple of days browsing the posts on this forum, it'll give you a taste of what's out there, before spending any money on books! Namely, the width and breadth of the hobby, and the depths to which it can travel!

When it comes to buying modern Royal Mint coins, I'd say it's about whether you like them or not, most people here are especially interested in the pre-decimal material, though a few do add the RM pieces as curios to their cabinets, the Olympic 50p's were impossibly popular!

Edit; and having just read Peter's post, I do agree re books, as everyone on here does, however, in view of the number of books out there, it's worth targeting your interest first! The 2 suggestions above are definitely excellent choices!

Edited September 11, 2013 by Coinery

[Rob 3,152]

I would say buy a selection of books first, then buy the coins. I would advise against going too heavily into ebay as ignorance/deceit/overpriced tat are everywhere. If you do decide to go down the ebay route, disregard the assigned grades. As you are a novice, buy Derek's grading book first so that you decide the grade and not the vendor. The beauty of books is that you can decide what you like from the images and then start from a position of some knowledge.

[TomGoodheart 403]

Hi Al. As the others have said, it helps to have an idea of what coins interest you before we can offer much advice.

Here's my story. I got a load of odd coins from my Dad. Some I put aside and of course, I wanted to know what they were worth! So I went to the library and got a few books on coins. One of them was about shillings (the 'old' 5p).

Now I remembered spending shillings from when I was a kid and I was surprised to see they had been used not just here but in countries like South Africa and New Zealand. I decided it would be fun to collect a selection just like in the book.

Over time I've narrowed down what I collect as what I've wanted has become pricier, but I still collect shillings, only now just English ones produced during a particular time period. As I've collected I've bought books to help me know what coins exist and what sort of condition the better ones are in so I have a guide to what's worth buying and what's not!

I have also learned (pretty much everything I know about coins!) from other collectors as we've compared notes about coins we've seen (or not seen!)

People collect all sorts of coins, depending on what they like. That's something you'll need to decide for yourself.

All I'd say for now is ... condition (we talk about 'grade' which means how much (or ideally little) wear a coin has had over its lifetime) is the MAJOR decider in how much a coin will cost and how desirable it is. Which brings me to 2) Never Clean Coins (unless you want to ruin and devalue them!) And 3) (my personal opinion) don't mix investment with collecting. Collect for fun. If you choose well, if you ever decide to sell you'll find a buyer. Maybe even make a profit. But collect because you enjoy it.

[albundy 0]

hay thanks guys logged back on and was suprised to see such great resposes.

thank you so much

, i am wanting to collect for fun ,and you never know one day might bag myself a whinner!

but mainly i want to collect for my kids and let them be involved i remember my gradfather collecting coins when i was a kid we would sneak a peak every now and then unfortuanty when he died he left them to my cousin and rather than keeping them he cashed them in greedy bugger ! and a shame as i feel collections should be passed down the family line .

but thanks again guys and will definitely be using this forum to learn the skills and will look in to the books you recommended peter

cheers Alan

[Rob 3,152]

I'm not sure future generations will ever appreciate YOUR collection. They might appreciate their collection, but even if they adopt yours along the way, odds on that they will keep a few bits but throw out more. Collections are quite personal. To have any hope of them continuing what you started you will need to involve them long before you're pushing up the daisies.

[Red Riley 2]

The fact is that kids make up their own minds and it's long odds against them wanting to be coin collectors let alone collect the same thing as you. I know this from experience - my kids (grown up now) have no interest whatever in coins. Perhaps it's the way I brought them up, but no matter they do share my love of real ale...

[albundy 0]

hahahahaha red very good !