Don't be disheartened on value. The history you will learn can't have a value put on it. All of a sudden your collection becomes worth a few bob. I started putting catalogue prices against my collection spread sheets,it was frightening. The value is important and I mainly buy within set guidelines....but it is only part of the joy of putting a collection together. Get your parents to take you to a coin fair and armed with your pocket money,sift through some of the dealers tins and buy what you like the look of.It is all part of the learning process. When I was about 10 my Grandfather gave me a French 1792 2 sols which is a large chunky coin(about the size of a cartwheel penny)I loved this and over the years have picked up most French denominations between 1750-1850 learning about the revolution,Napoleon etc along the way. Just enjoy