Buy the coin before the book?

MrEureka

You often hear people say that collectors should buy the book before the coin. I'm not so sure. I have much more FUN buying coins I don't know about, even if the deals aren't always as good. Any thoughts?

Jamericon

If you are not spending serious money, then have fun!

coppercoins

With me either way works, but be sure you buy both. Don't end up ten years into collecting with nothing more than a Red Book and very little knowledge.

CLASSICS

would you spend a 1000.00 on a coin you didnt know anything about? or even a hundred dollars without first reading about it. iam sure you would not. so as long as they are cheap and pose no great loss. hey, why not have some fun

RYK

Reading "the book" has definitely increased my enjoyment and level of interest in the coins that I collect. I think the book goes hand-in-hand with coin purchases.

WACoinGuy

Is there a specific "the book" you have in mind?

Outhaul

Ditto Jamericon...It's ok as long as you're just nickel and diming it. However, you have to be careful because when the urge to make that first higher priced purchase strikes, it is sometimes uncontrollable. A little knowledge going in wouldn't hurt.

Cheers,

Bob

ah

"The Officail RED BOOK"
A guide Book of United Staes Coins 2003
by R.S. YEOMAN
I bought the spiral wire bound book this edition and
find it much easier to get around.

MrEureka

Don't get the wrong idea! I have hundreds of numismatic books, and I've been collecting and dealing for 30 years! I just have WAY, WAY more fun buying stuff that I don't know about. It's more of an adventure and a great learning experience. It's like starting all over again. I have a good eye and good instincts, so I don't buy too many really bad deals. If I got burned too often, I'm sure it would get old pretty quickly...of course.

kieferscoins

Buy the slab and not the coin. That is my new motto.

Cameron Kiefer

Merc

Often, I buy the book when I can't buy the coin. There are some coins that are so expensive I'll never own them, but I can buy a book about them. I just bought Miller's Morgan and Peace Dollar Text book. There are many nice pictures of Morgans. I'll never own them all but I can still look at them anytime I want.

RegistryCoin

I think it's good to have at least with a few coins to start, to compare to the pix in the book.

lincolnSence

Books first if you can . Otherwise, you continue to overspend!

Johnscoin

Unfortunately, I seem to buy too many books...Ebay and coin supply tables at shows are not good for me! I'll eventually have to give up on my books and get some more coins!
Cameron, when you say you buy the slab, not the coin, you're talking about sample slabs right?

cladking

I've been collecting moderns for many years. I still think of the first book
for them as being new. It came out in '92. There is a book now for all of
the moderns except quarters, though many areas are very poorly studied
still.

JT

Oh, could I say a lot about this subject. But first and foremost, this hobby should be fun. If you're enjoying what you're doing, then that's the bottom line. Books themselves are fun for a lot of people, as one reply alluded to. However, I do feel there is so much knowledge shared in so many books. I feel if you're serious about the hobby, you can't have too many books. I've also found that buying a book on a subject of which I knew little sparked a new interest for me. Bottom line? Have fun! -- J T

Conder101

I'm in the same book as Johnscoins. I have over four boxes of books that i have purchased in numismatic liteature auctions in the past year that I haven't even opened yet. (There have been plenty of other boxes that I have opened during the same period.)

Coinosaurus

I have tons o' books, but there is NO substitute for actually looking at thousands of coins in person - there is some knowledge that can not be captured in a book.