New to coin collecting

[dougie]

Hi guys I'm new to all this so I'm just looking for a few pointers in the world of coin collecting.

I was digging the garden one day and unearthed a coin from the 30s and after seeing a few collections it seems to be a hobby i want to get into . Anyway what i was wanting to know is how should a coin be treated when it is found? Do i just brush it off and display it with all the grime and green stuff on it, or do i clean it in some sort of solution to make it clean as a whistle? I know the coin Ive found it probably wont make a difference, but for example i find something of value or rarity.

Any tips will be greatly appreciated thank you.

[dougie]

Im sorry i just noticed the begginers topic at the bottom.

[Red Riley]

Hi guys I'm new to all this so I'm just looking for a few pointers in the world of coin collecting.

I was digging the garden one day and unearthed a coin from the 30s and after seeing a few collections it seems to be a hobby i want to get into . Anyway what i was wanting to know is how should a coin be treated when it is found? Do i just brush it off and display it with all the grime and green stuff on it, or do i clean it in some sort of solution to make it clean as a whistle? I know the coin Ive found it probably wont make a difference, but for example i find something of value or rarity.

Any tips will be greatly appreciated thank you.

Welcome to the club. Right, now - where to start!

OK, you've found some coins in the garden. Now, I don't want to put you off in any way, but you must understand that such coins, less than 100 years and afflicted with corosion are very unlikely to be worth anything more than their metal value, so in a sense it doesn't matter whether you clean them or not. As a general rule though, with coins in better condition and a genuine value, don't. The better the coin, the less they should be cleaned if you get my drift; if you have a low grade coin which appears rather claggy, a brush over with a toothbrush may improve its appearance and shouldn't do much harm, but with bronze/copper coins, make sure you don't expose the bare metal - at that level, a good even tone is most desirable.

If you do find anything of value, best to keep it as it is. In effect what you are doing is passing the decision on whether to clean or not on to the next owner. Most genuine collectors however would rather buy a dirty coin than one that has received less than expert cleaning.

In a wider context, if you are seriously considering becoming a collector, look at what is for sale at coin fairs or with dealers. Browse the internet and even check out eBay - but with that site, exercise caution - if it seems too good to be true, it probaly is. Lastly, read up on the subject - there are some books shown above and a lot more available on the open market which can provide valuable information and shouldn't be too daunting.

I could probably go on for days and days, but hopefully I have given you some pointers of where to start.

Good luck!

[scott]

to start, (you started out similar to me.. except i found a 1954 shilling in a moneybox) do browse around, think about what you want to collect as there are many countries and denominations to collect.

explore dealers, see what they have, if they have a bargain bin, have a look through, sometimes a few hidden foreign gems

buy up books on the area you want, i suggest buying a book which covers a wider area at first then try and work out what you want.

as for ebay

buy bulk lots, usualy a few around, usualy cheaper then individual purchases, also try and buy 2-3 at once from the same person to cut down cost per coin

Watch a few auctions, see whats going for what

use your books: there are plenty of bargains out there (can get nice coins worth £30+ for around £10 if you are lucky)

if you want forign, there are usualy cheap bulk lots on ebay to buy, some nice stuff in those.

[dougie]

Thanks for the reply guys, just what i was looking for