help please

khalleyplayer

I have just started collecting coins and I decided to buy a coin everytime it snows. Im only 14 so my only income is shoveling driveways. Im never good at finding good deals so could you help me find one.

around $50.00 if possible

thanks

hockeyman1717

Hey, another 14 year old, ill be 14 in 6 days what coins do you collect?

LucyBop

khalleyplayer,

turn your pm on, pm me your addy... and a coin will show up!

let is snow, let it snow, let it snow....

jim

I'll do the same...

Dollars

Welcome Sir,

I'm Dave (Dollars), welcome to the boards. Hang around and chat with these folks. Tell us what you would like to collect and you will find that someone knows someone who has more information that you ever thought you would find.

That is what has happened to me here.

Oh, there are some very colorful folks in this forum. Sit back and watch it fly. LOL

Again, Welcome

Sphinx357

I'd go into withdrawl if I only bought that few. It hasn't snowed here in a while.

relayer

It might be cheaper to move to Texas

cosmos66

Welcome to the boards! I hope you stick around awhile.

Russ

<< <i>I decided to buy a coin everytime it snows. >>



Thanks! I was looking for a way to rationalize a coin I bought today that I don't even collect and, thank goodness, it snowed!

Russ, NCNE

bigindie

<< <i>I have just started collecting coins and I decided to buy a coin everytime it snows. Im only 14 so my only income is shoveling driveways. Im never good at finding good deals so could you help me find one.

around $50.00 if possible

thanks >>



Some good news is, I rarely spend more than $50 on a coin, so there are a lot of choices out there for you. There are some good people on these boards who are happy to help you gain both knowledge and coins. Also check out the buy, sell, trade forum, transactions with the people who post here rarely go badly.

Cladiator

Too bad it doesn't snow in the SF Bay Area

khalleyplayer

Well any US coin I havent dicided what specific type of coin I would like to collect

AValde

Please help me too. I have a question. I happened to magnify a 1908 Saint NM, and I see a CA under
the dates, what does that represent.

Thanks.

Stuart

khalleyplayer & hockeyman1717: I am partial to collecting Morgan Dollars, and would like to suggest that you can start a nice collection of them (even in certified & slabbed PCGS/NGC MS-63-64 Choice Uncirculated Condition) for under $50 a coin.

I'd recommend beginning with the San Francisco "S" Mint 1879-S, 1880-S, 1881-S and 1882-S coins which are very common and usually in beautiful condition for the grade and price.

I'd then move to the New Orleans "O" Mint 1883-O, 1884-O and 1885-O . By then, you will start to become familiar with the different striking characteristics for the San Francisco mint coins vs. the New Orleans mint coins.

You then may wish to move on to some of the more common Philadelphia "P" Mint Morgans. I'd also recommend purchasing a few good coin books like "A Guidebook of U.S. Coins" (The Red Book) and perhaps some specialized series books like Wayne Miller's books on Morgan & Peace Dollars, if you decide to collect them.

I hope that this helps you a bit.

khalleyplayer

whats pm??????????

??

khalleyplayer

hey lucy whats pm????????

hockeyman1717

Stuart: I have thought about collecting those, but to eventually finish the set i would have to buy a nice nough 1893-s, which is way to expensive for me at the time, as well as the CC morgans. I am looking for a set that i could realistically complete with my budget and in a resonable amount of time.

I was thinking, with a little encouragement from another forum member that i should build a type set. He gave me all the tips to create a really nice one. That way I wouldnt have to buy really expensive dates but rather very nice looking less key date coins. But i havnt completely decided yet.

hockeyman1717

pm is private message, you can turn it on by going to your profile i think

Stuart

khalleyplayer: Lucy is asking you to activate your "Private Message" function on your forum userid so that she can send you (and you can send her) private messages that are not readable by the public forum members.

hockeyman1717: When I was in my early teens (1960's) I started coin collecting from coins that i could find in circulation, and also purchased some type coins which I agree is a great way to start collecting and learning about different types of coins. I especially like the 19th Century Type Coins (1800's dates).

You should get alot of helpful (and free) advice from many forum members out there...

hockeyman1717

Ya, everybody here has been very helpful, i have learned a ton more then when i started out collecting

Geoman

khalleyplayer

A big welcome to the boards!!

As several have noted, I hope you live in a snowy area! I live in northern Minnesota, it we get A LOT of snow up here. Also, it is suppose to be something like -20F below the next few days. Where do you live?

Whatever you decided to collect, collect it because YOU want to collect that particular series. When I first started out a few years ago, I asked similar questions. People told me to collect this or that, because it would increase in price, because the coin is a classic, etc. But I ended up collecting what I wanted to, as that is the most fun. This is a hobby, and it should be fun.

Some suggestions on a $50 budget would be:
MS64FBL Franklins
MS64 Walking Liberty Half Dollars
or just pulling coins from change, and work on some circulated sets to complete some.

By the way, PM stands from Private Message. You can turn it on in your profile section, and then people can send you private messages, etc. Just look to the upper left corner of the screen, to see if it says you have a message.

1234567890

Well, what coins do you have now? Do you have any kind of coin guide?

khalleyplayer

I cant it asked me who I want to send it to and I type in Lucy Bop and it said I cant

khalleyplayer

I live in Iowa we are getting 8 in. tonight

cosmos66

<< <i>I cant it asked me who I want to send it to and I type in Lucy Bop and it said I cant >>



Go back to LucyBop's post and ckick on the PM link on the right ... it has an icon just like up at the top.

khalleyplayer

Thanks

KUCH

Welcome... great hobby to start at 14. I also think you should collect what you really like. Might be a good idea to buy coins from a reputable dealer. Unfortunately there are folks out there who can be deceiving.

We're going to get 5-9" of snow tonight and tomorrow. Time to buy a coin.

Here's some suggestions:
State quarters
The new Wright Brother Comm., 2003 $1.00 Silver piece is around $30.00
Buffalo nickels are fun.

Best of luck.

Baley

hello and welcome to the board!

Might I suggest starting your collection with a Type Set of all the major types of coins minted in the 20th century?

You will learn a lot about several very popular series, and your coins will be copper, nickel and silver.

You can buy most of the types for $50 a coin or less in Choice or Gem Brilliant uncirculated condition, or Proof if you prefer, except for maybe the Barber head coins, which you might want to collect in VF or EF or AU, depending on the recent weather

good luck and enjoy the hobby

Bochiman

Khalleyplayer,

For PM (private message) you still don't have yours turned on...will be hard for Lucy to reply to you.

In the upper right hand corner (not the very top though) you will see some boxes with words....first one is customize second one is profile...that is the one you want to click. That will allow you to update your profile.
Once you click it, you get your profile screen. Go below the middle...nearer the bottom, and where it says "Allow Private Messages" make sure that is marked for ON.
Save and come back to the forums.

You will notice then that in your posts there is a new icon (a lock). That is for private messages.

If you want to talk to someone (ask a question or whatever) without posting it for everyone to see, you will click on that in a person's post and that will allow you to "email" or "Private message" them within the website's interface.
That is the best way for personal information that you want to get to someone else.

Good luck with your collecting.....If you aren't sure exactly what you want to collect right now, I would recommend you get a little of a lot...get a wheat cent, see if you like it. Get a franklin, see if you like them. Get a silver american eagle, see if you like it. etc etc etc.

You could VERY easily complete a Silver American Eagle set in BU for under $200. They started in 1986 and most years cost ~$10 or less. A few cost more...none more than ~$25 or so. That was one of my first things I got when I started collecting again this year. I completed it so I could have something for my son to grow into and continue to complete without a huge cost to him as he grows.

From there, you could branch out....I think Ikes are reasonable $$$ for you as well. Jefferson nickels are probably doable in your budget. Many roosevelts as well.
Heck..most moderns should be somewhat doable for you.....but I still think you should get some of everything to see what you like.

Also, you can collect however you want, so you can always work on a type set...or, find a series you like and start it as a year set (I am doing that with morgans....have the '93 and '95 to get ).

Enjoy,

Ron

Bochiman

oh yeah, let me also add a little caution to you....

Be careful who you buy from. Be careful of spending too much (getting ripped off...some people are great to kids entering the hobby and some try to take advantage of them).

Read a lot!

And, if you aren't sure of a grade, or authenticity, or if a coin has been cleaned, buy it in a slab until you get sure! PCGS, NGC, and ANACS are considered the top 3. If you know the coins, ICG isn't bad either but is known to overgrade, so don't pay for the grade on the slab, but for the coin inside and its real grade.
Unless you really know what you are doing, don't even think about buying ACG, NTC, or many others that you may see in a coin store, a coin show, or ebay. You could pay $50 for something that no one will pay you $2 for later.

Hey, you know something....you may want to get a nice proof set and/or mint set for your birthyear to start out with, if you haven't already.

Ron

Mrpawn

There have been lots of good suggestions about coins and sets that fit your budget. I would also recomend some books that will help you know more about the coins and series that will decide on. The first is the Redbook of US Coins and "Coin Clinic, 1001 Frequently Asked Questions" by Alan Herbert. Both should be available at your local coin shop or Hastings or Borders book store. Maybe even Amazon.

Another good thing to do is to join the American Numismatic Association. As a member you will have access to the library and be able to gain quite a bit of knowledge on a budget.

Myriads

Ugh snow. At least someone is getting some good from it. :-)

Welcome to the forum guys.

Myriads

Conder101

<< <i>I happened to magnify a 1908 Saint NM, and I see a CA under
the dates, what does that represent. >>


AValde, If you take a closer look you will see that that is actually a monogram of the letters ASG, Augustus Saint-Gaudens initials.

AValde

Wow ! Amazing, you are correct. It is not obvious though.

Thanks

Dennis88

Hey, another youngster!!! (i'm 15)

Your question, for 50 bucks you can buy quite a lot type coins. For example:

-Lincoln cents in ms66/67
-Mercury dimes in ms64
-Morgan Dollars in ms62/63
-Ikes.. in pr69

And so I can go on and on about them......... Just pick a nice series..... (or you can start collecting coins by type, they are both fun!!)

If you have any other questions or you want some advice from another youngster, just pm me. (that's possible by clicking on the icon right of the glasses (right above a thread.)

Good Luck,
Dennis

Stuart

Dennis88: One can also currently purchase common type Morgans Dollars in MS-64 for under $50 -- which I happen to think is an opportunity that won't last very much longer with MS-65's at about 2x that price....

I especially like the ones that look PL to me, and barely missed the designation by the grading service. The grade on the plastic allows me to buy them at bargain prices!

Dennis88

You're right stuart, I forgot a few of the common dates (I know that I'm stupid:-)

Dennis

MrEureka

Morgan dollars would be a great first project. Here are some tips:

1. Only buy coins in person. You will learn nothing about grading if you buy through the mail.

2. Only buy raw (uncertified) coins. Same reason. Buying raw coins is an education.

3. Your first purchase should be a set of three albums in which to keep the collection. Actually, I happen to have two of the three lying around someplace and would be glad to send them to you, no charge.

4. Try to buy completely problem free coins. (Wear is not a "problem".) No cleaning, no rim nicks, no significant marks or scratches. The project gets much more interesting if you are a super fussy buyer. Plus you'll learn to look at coins more critically, a skill that will pay great dividends in the long run.

Good luck, and like the song says, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow"!

jim

khalleyplayer - Turn on your pm.....

Stuart

hockeyman1717: Although I agree with Mr. Eureka's comments on getting educated on raw coins, I think that you can also learn alot through purchasing some inexpensive MS-62, MS-63 & MS-64 PCGS/NGC graded examples of some of the more common Morgans Dollars and assembling a grading set that you can use to guide yourself towards learning how to grade the coins.

I also highly recommend accessing Jim Halperin's (FREE) online Grading e-Book which I feel is an extremely valuable reference, and a great public service contribution to the hobby.

"How to Grade U.S. Coins" by Jim Halperin

Best of luck to you as you travel on the interesting road of Coin Collecting.

MrEureka

No need to buy a grading set, but it does pay to look at all the coins you can, raw or slabbed. Doesn't mean you can't buy a slab every now and then, but only do so if you're prepared to crack the coin and put it in your album.

Stuart

Andy: I'm trying to better understand your following comment: "Doesn't mean you can't buy a slab every now and then, but only do so if you're prepared to crack the coin and put it in your album."

Are you suggesting that folks may not want to collect a set of slabbed coins, but only an assemblage of raw coins in albums? I'm not trying to be critical, but just trying to gain a better understand what you are suggesting.

Thanks in advance for your reply!

Dennis88

Andy: Cracking out coins is not a good thing. I'm also a youngster, and collecting coins and slabs are a very good way to learn grading. It is offcourse very important to see the differences in for example two ms65 coins. They can be huge.

To come back to the subject, cracking out coins, I will never do it, except for a coin that looks like an high MS62 and it is graded AU58.

Just my opinion...

Dennis

Stuart

Dennis88: I agree with you. Since I collect the coins and not the plastic, I am OK with an undergraded certified coin, as long as I paid the price for the certified grade for a PQ coin.

I like purchasing & showing folks PCGS/NGC MS-63's that look better than some base level "commercial" MS-65's. My favorites are AU-58's that have the MS-63+ look!!

Dennis88

Stuart: The problem with underrated coins when building a set is that you might have the feeling that a coin could be graded one or two points more, and especially when that make an huge difference in the ranking. In that case, (this even count more to me if the coin has an huge price difference)I would always crack it out, even with the risks.

I have one coin (an ms66) which really look like an ms67. The problem is that I can't submit is, because I live in Europe and I don't have any credit-card:-)

Dennis

Stuart

Dennis88: I presume that you are assembling a certified registry set, the ranking of which is dependent on the certified grade on the plastic, which would explain your comment and perspective.

Since I am not assembling a registry set, the certified grades are of little consequence to me, hence my comment and perspective is different from yours.

Different strokes for different folks... Enjoy!

Dennis88

Stuart: Didn't knew that, but both ways are always fantastic!!!!

Dennis

MrEureka

Are you suggesting that folks may not want to collect a set of slabbed coins, but only an assemblage of raw coins in albums?

Stuart - Exactly. This isn't the best strategy for everybody. Depends on the collector and the coins. For a new collector of relatively inexpensive coins, I'm convinced that raw coins are the way to go.

MrEureka

collecting coins and slabs are a very good way to learn grading

Dennis - You don't have to keep the coin in the slab to learn how to grade. In fact, you'll learn more if you crack the coins. When you crack a coin, you take a risk. Risk has a great way of focusing the mind and eye. The inevitable (and hopefully few) losses are merely a cost of education.

hockeyman1717

Thanks stuart, that ebook looks like it should help

cladking

Welcome aboard.

Look for books, sell a coin once in a while, have fun.