Stamp Coin Collecting by Neo Jamies

Coins hold a wealth of information on their small faces, from the year of their birth to the language spoken at the time, from the metals a country holds valuable to the cultural influences and historical figures that its people hold valuable.

The history of gold coins dates as far back as 2,700 years ago. The first gold coins in the world were issued in Lydia around 640 B.C. certain internet websites will provide you with a lot of information about the history of gold coins.

The value of gold coins is usually higher than the value of their weight in gold bullion, making them a better investment than the gold market alone. Because not many people know what distinguishes precious rare coins from run-of-the-mill legal tender, these coins can remain in circulation for decades, until a lucky coin collector recognizes them.

Avoid touching the coin unnecessarily, as dirt and grease from your fingers will tarnish the finish over time. Exposure to air oxidizes metal, changing its colour.

Many collect coins to commemorate great events in their lives, a child's graduation, a new baby¡­or to mark historical events such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee. There are various reasons to collect coins. Some people collect coins from a specific period of time, some collect coins based on perceived future value, some collect coins based on type of metal, some for historical value.

Commemorative coins are a popular form of collection, as are rare minted coins like those which had an error in their stamping. If a certain set of coins doesn¡¯t interest you, it won¡¯t be any fun at all to become a collector.

Most coin dealers will charge a lower premium on the sale of coins to their best customers. After all, it makes good business sense to get the most profit possible from a person who will do business with you only once.

Stamp Coin Collecting: The Valuable Twins

Humans are known to engage into different kinds of diversion to unleash the boredom that life sometimes provides. There are people who use coin, stamp, or sticker collecting to accomplish this while others are satisfied with other hobbies such as cooking, gardening, crafts, etc. All of these provide a certain kind of satisfaction that they can¡¯t achieve in other activities.

Two of the most popular hobbies in the world today are the stamp and coin collection. The value of these two leisure activities is incomparable to other types of hobbies.

Why?

It is because coin and stamp collecting do not just embody the mere act of accumulating different kinds of coins and stamps but also personify the preservation of a nation¡¯s history. Both stamp and coin collecting highlight the different images that are used to visually record a significant event or era in history.

The two have become indistinguishable as far as value and appeal is concerned. For people who wish to collect coins, stamps, or both, here are some of guidelines that you need to know in order to start.

1. Do some research

Coin collecting for investment purposes can be a tricky endeavor.

The mintmark of the coin can usually be found near the date and on newer coins the mintmarks are as follows: "P" Philadelphia, "D" Denver, "S" San Francisco,"W" West Point New York. Older coins may show the following mintmarks: "C" Charlotte North Carolina, "CC" Carson City Nevada, "D" Dahlonega Georgia, "O" New Orleans.

The Philadelphia mint used no mint mark until 1980, when it started stamping coins with tiny P's. Yet somehow, a small number of dimes minted in 1982 were a throwback to the time before the mint mark, and bear no letter P.

For most gold coin collectors, there are the highly coveted rare gold coins and a lot of gold coin collectors are interested in these rare gold coins that they will offer high bids just to be able to get their hands on these. People hoarded coins as a way of safeguarding their wealth. Those coins that were especially beautiful were hoarded the longest, often being passed down within families.

The Augustus Saint-Gauden Double Eagle is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful coins America has ever produced.

The best way to get good deals, and avoid the bad ones, is to pick up some standard reference catalogues and study the pricing very carefully. As a rule, it's better to own one high quality coin than a bunch of mediocre ones. But as time goes by, the number of these coins go down. Some get lost and some are damaged beyond recognition.

All coin dealers are not created equal, and it is nearly impossible to specialize in every area when it comes to collecting rare coins. Therefore, it's important to know what to look for before you select a professional for your coin collecting needs.

It is not enough that you are interested in stamp and coin collecting in order to start the activity, it is also important to do your homework first so that you will have enough knowledge about this activity.

2. Be wary when buying items

If you cannot obtain stamps and coins for free, and the only way to start your collection is to buy the items, be very meticulous about it. Know the seller¡¯s reputation. Research his history and determine the length of time he has been in the business. The point being that the longer he has been in the business, the more reliable his reputation probably is.

3. Know how to identify the correct item

Do not just buy stamps or coins without learning how to classify and identify them. For coins, it is best that you know how to grade them. For stamps, you should know how to identify any slight disparities in the kind of paper used or other distinguishable features such as watermarks, color, or perforations.

These are just some of the many pointers that every stamp and coin collector must know. With these tips, you can now start your stamp and coin collection without difficulty and with confidence.

The collection of ancient, commemorative, and rare coins is a fun and exacting hobby, and opens up a realm of history that most people never get to see. An avid coin collector will be able to tell you virtually every piece of history that surrounds any coin in their collection both because they tend to specialize and because knowledge is one of the most important factors when it comes to starting and maintaining a collection of any value or worth.

Some people have made a lot of money buying and selling coins, others have lost fortunes. If you are serious about investing in numismatics, first spend a bit of time learning.

A good number of coin collectors collect coins according to themes. The coins they collect all have a common topic. Complete info on how to buy gold coins. And while the rarest and finest of all rare coins have reached stratospheric prices, what does this leave the rest of us? Not much, unless you are willing to do a little work.

American coins have undergone several changes in material. For example, during World War II, pennies were made out of steel, because copper was needed for the war effort.

The internet is home to a lot of gold coin dealers wherein you can meet all sorts of people from all over the world who are into both buying and selling gold coins. You can get a silver locating device or a magnetic pole for finding loose coins in ditches, under cars, or in other hard-to-reach places. Or simply rely on your eyes to identify those gleaming metal circlets of potential wealth.

Today, there has been an explosion in American interest in coin collecting, in large part due to the ease and availability of obtaining interesting coins.