New to Coins posted by SClassey

[CSJournals-migration]

My 99 year old Great Aunt gave me a large drum filled with old coins. I have not been able to separate them all yet but am impressed with what I've come across so far.

 

Aunt Inez will turn 100 on March 6, 2012 and she just gave me a lot of coins. A lot of the coins date back to 1864. I am trying to see what I have but not sure how to go about finding the information I need to understand just what she has given me. Can anyone help me with reading, web sites etc?

 

See more journals by SClassey

[mtnstyne]

I would recommend the current edition of the Redbook. It had great pictures and information about virtually all U.S. coins and should point you in the right direction. I wouldn't pay much attention to the values listed as they are usually a bit inflated and it is only published once a year so it is only a snapshot in time.

 

This forum is a great resource if you want to post pictures and ask information you can get very good responses for free usually within several minutes or at worst a few hours.

 

Redbook

[coinsbygary]

Enjoy the hunt, I agree the redbook is a necessary tool that will help you to determine if there are any rare dates and mints. Make sure you set the rare coins apart from the rest because you will not want to mix them up with the more common coins. The redbook will help you determine if a coin is rare or not. If you need any further help, this posting board is an excellent resource. Also it would be a good idea to find a local coin dealer you can trust who will be able to help you sift through your coins. Have fun!

Gary

[Mokiechan]

[quote=gherrmann44Also it would be a good idea to find a local coin dealer you can trust who will be able to help you sift through your coins. Have fun!

Gary

 

Many of us know very honest coin shops in our area, if you let us know what city or region you live in, you could get a good recommendation or two.. For my part, I would always recommend California Numismatic Funding, Vista CA..

 

Good Luck!!

[James G. Berline]

Welcome SClassey,

 

Well, I must say' your off to a great start by goin thru NGC . Congrad' on

your old coins, I'm sure alot of us wouldv'e loved something like that coming

our way. Before we go any farther' I just want you to know if these coins

look dirty & messy ? I can't emphasize how important it is "NOT" to try

and clean them yourself, without the help or supervision of someone knowledgable.

 

Just go down to your local coin store, don't take/or show them your coins,

yet, and ask them about how to clean them. Ok' time to do your homework

SClassy'- depending of course what denominations have, ask around here

for collectors in that field.

 

The Ole Sayin' Learn or Burn! just what it means learn all you can on what you have, get realized udated prices on their condition before attempting to sell anything. If you don't ' you could get burnt,by not getting the true value of each coin. Take your time ask around here on NGC first, they'll point you in the right direction. Good Luck with those coins,,,,If you find anything spectacular' don't forget to mention it here again. Jim/ Jefferson Nickel Collector

[Texans Coins]

Welcome, SClassey! Hopefully this is the start of a great lifetime of collecting for you. I would like to echo everyone's sentiments that if you have any questions, there are a lot of people on here that would be more than happy to help answer them for you. Tons of nice people who live to talk about coins.

 

Also, as Jim stated, please do not try to clean the coins by yourself. I just received one back that could not be graded because it was improperly cleaned.

 

Again, welcome. This is truly a great hobby that can keep you busy and engaged for two lifetimes.

 

 

Marcus

[noow]

Try buying NGC/PCGS/ANACS certified rare coins. They guarantee the authenticity of the coins and slab and grade them in a hard plastic holder.

[Yankeejose]

I would you try your public library for a coin grading book. PHOTOGRADE is a good book- the best to me is Grading Coins by Photographs by Q. David Bowers. Also there is Coin collecting for Dummies book that is a great starter book for new collectors. If your library does not have the grading books it would be worth buying one on line from Amazon or Borders. The value of old coins has so much to do with condition and rarity. A 1864 2 cent piece is $16 in good but 31 in VF. Any 1964 S dime is worth at least $30 dollars- yet one in VF is $140!

 

Learning the basics of coin grading will keep you from getting ripped of by a local unscrupulous coin dealer. Never take coins to a pawn shop- that's the best way to get taken. Also to find out the retail prices I like the Numismedia price guide that NGC uses- to me this is the best of all the price guides. You can figure on getting about 50-75% of retail from a coin dealer- depending on the coin.

 

Good luck!

[noow]

There were no S-mint 1964 dimes.

[Yankeejose]

sorry my typo- meant 1864- he had mentioned he had coins gping back to 1864

 

[SClassey]

Thanks Jim, I must admit I am a little overwhelmed at this point. I am trying to understand what I have right now. I do have everything separated now and have cataloged in excel. I've made a 2nd run through the coins and separated them further into minted and not minted.

I purchased the Redbook and have started a third time through the coins. I think I am going to start talking to people now. I want to learn about the true value of the silver dollars. I have 33 of them that date back to 1880. I want to learn about them right now and just need to talk to someone. So I think I will take a couple and go to different coin shops to see what they say. Any suggestions?

[SClassey]

FYI...when I get to the nickles I'll let you know. I have 58 Jefferson Nickles.

[SClassey]

Thanks everyone! If I have learned nothing else it is this:

1. Do not clean coins

2. Learn all you can about the coins and

3. Do not clean coins

 

ps...I'm a girl

[noow]

I think you should go to coinshowradio.com and listen to their shows. It's awesome!

 

PS - Don't clean coins