I was asked recently to recommend a series of coins suitable for a young feller new to collecting. He was already collecting such US coins as he was able to pick up in change or scrounge from relatives, so the usual answer "Lincoln cents or Jefferson nickels" wasn't going to work.
So, I paused to think of a series which was:
1. relatively short
2. easy to acquire
3. inexpensive
4. easy to identify
5. interesting design
Historical interest, curiosity value, images of famous people, would all be an interesting bonus. I guess the potential to appreciate in value should be in there but it's never been high on my list of priorities. It's nice when it happens but my investments are in the hands of JP Morgan and ING, this is my hobby.
I opted for the Vichy France 1/2, 1, 2 Franc issues. They fit the five main criteria admirably and are certainly historically significant and interesting. We had just had a most informative and original discussion about the design on this forum which I enjoyed very much (thank you to all who participated) so it was probably that which inspired the choice.
So, what about you? What series would you recommend?
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Phil, here are my suggestions (most likely ignored),
British coins. It's always a first for all collectors.
Chinese cast cash coins. They might not be as interesting for design, but they're relatively inexpensive and come in many varieties.
The independence 5 Pesos from Mexico, maybe. Silver 1 Pesos are pretty inexpensive and are interesting too.
The Russian 10 Rouble set is somewhat inexpenisve and is quite a large series with many different designs.
Spanish Francisco Franco coins or Juan Carlos issues, most of which are extremely cheap.
I hope that helps. The Vichy series is a good start, but it's a very small series of a 50 Centimes, 1, 2, and 5 Francs. I almost suggested Nazi coins, but they're not so cheap.
Kenny
- Verifying your Asian and British-territorial coins everyday with the best quality photos and the best information.
I recently started focusing on a couple series, my self. One is the 100200 lire from Italy. They are fairly common, have nice designs, and easy to identify. The other is the 1990's issues of the Spainish 5 Ptas, for much the same reasons.
Or you could suggest something a little more in depth. FAO coins are interesting and a lot of them are fairly common and cheap, but there are some that are not so common and not so cheap.
Quote: ctuckerOr you could suggest something a little more in depth. FAO coins are interesting and a lot of them are fairly common and cheap...
That's actually a good idea, Tom,
There are some series that are issued in more than one country, like FAO. However, they're more common in stamps, such as the Jubilee, Coronation, and Peace issues for the British colonies.
Matt, you're right about the 50ps, but I'm sure they're not so inexpensive. And the Presidential dollars are not exactly favourable. They're a little expensive, being a dollar a piece, but they are very, very common.
Kenny
- Verifying your Asian and British-territorial coins everyday with the best quality photos and the best information.
Quote: pnightingale... a series of coins suitable for a young feller new to collecting.
I believe the Canada War of 1812 mini series that is now circulating, has been designed for a "young feller new to collecting". You already have the HMS Shannon...
My tips, both of a "before and after" kind:
- currencies which were replaced by the euro and the euros themselves
- east european currencies before and after the "1989" events
Most of it is still relatively easy to get, and the horizon is somewhat more distant than with three Vichy coins.
I Started off by buying 2 pound lot of foreign coins from eBay. Many were duplicates but i got some 30/40 different countries of coins almost 100 different types of them.
“A man without a hobby is only half alive.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
I would recommend UK QEII got plenty of options whichever is your preference be it by date or type, but what makes it interesting once you start is how far you wonder from your original destination whichever way or country you choose.
I would suggest picking a country you have an affinity with and collecting their coins. I started collecting Fiji coins because that was where my wife was from and it was also the first country I visited (other than Australia).
Having thought about this topic for many days, my recommendation is for coins of the Greek drachma 1954-2000. This series is cheap and plentiful in its demonetized state, and sports a wide variety of historical figures and symbols both ancient and modern. Furthermore, it's good practice for collecting coins that don't use the latin alphabet.
Collecting wartime issues is fascinating. The WWI coins were the final showing for the old Europe which would disappear forever in 1918, the Kaiser, Austria-Hungary....... all part of history now but in 1914 they seemed invincible.
World War 2 coins have an equal fascination. I don't know if anyone has ever undertaken the task but the rise and fall of the 3rd Reich can be plotted by it's coins.
The rotten, corrupt Weimar Regime with it's cheap nasty coins and hyperinflation is replaced by the dynamic 3rd Reich, industry flourishes and the worthless currency is replaced by a silver backed Reichsmark. The early Reichmarks are beautiful coins. the swastika appears, small and discreet at first, but in later issues it becomes the prominent design feature. Interestingly, no coin is ever produced bearing the image of the supposed ego maniac, food for thought.....
As Germany conquers Europe occupation coinage is issued, these are stark looking, dark, no nonsense coins. As the war takes it's toll on the German economy the impressive Reichpfennigs are produced in zinc instead of copper and brass.
Finally as the Reich collapses due to the two front war the mintages become smaller and smaller and production in the more Easterly mints ceases.
The final issue is the allied occupation coinage, identical to the Reichmark except the swastika has vanished.
Sounds like a Wagner opera.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Phil,
I don't know how young the collector is, but I enjoyed helping my daughter with a collection with one coins of each country! I searched the coins, see searched and drawed the flags in her album
I've been working on collecting the Euro coin sets. Picked up 2 folders (link below) and either traded through here or bought on eBay (a UNC set for a country can be found for $10-$15 for most countries).
So far I have the first book filled except for 1 country, and 3 or 4 filled in for the second book.
When I first got some euro coins I didn't realise there were different designs for each country, I thought there was just 1 design for the whole euro zone. I got a handful of about 50 one, two and 5 euro cent coins and they were all the same design (German) so I humped the the assumption. A few months later when I got one that was different I was completely stumped.
If they're into US coins right now, I'd say Franklin halves or the Mercury dime. The whole collection can be obtained relatively cheap as there aren't many keydates, but it will take quite a few coin shops and flea markets to get 'em all!
Free thinkers only thrive in history books.
~ Bayside - Howard
Quote: TheShrimpVendorIf they're into US coins right now, I'd say Franklin halves or the Mercury dime. The whole collection can be obtained relatively cheap as there aren't many keydates, but it will take quite a few coin shops and flea markets to get 'em all!
Lots of good ideas! For North American collectors I suggest the coins of Newfoundland. Start with the small 1c and work your way up in denomination back in date. Most are cheap and readily available. I like this idea so much I likely will do it myself!
If you crave more design variety try Canadian commemorative quarters.
Quote: SmartOneKgPhil, here are my suggestions (most likely ignored),
British coins. It's always a first for all collectors.
Chinese cast cash coins. They might not be as interesting for design, but they're relatively inexpensive and come in many varieties.
The independence 5 Pesos from Mexico, maybe. Silver 1 Pesos are pretty inexpensive and are interesting too.
The Russian 10 Rouble set is somewhat inexpenisve and is quite a large series with many different designs.
Spanish Francisco Franco coins or Juan Carlos issues, most of which are extremely cheap.
I hope that helps. The Vichy series is a good start, but it's a very small series of a 50 Centimes, 1, 2, and 5 Francs. I almost suggested Nazi coins, but they're not so cheap.
I agree. I'm a new collector and mostly what I collect is United States and Great Britan. (I just started my British collection so it's not too large yet).
I would find Chinese cash coins quite interesting, I've always thought about picking up a few but never got around to it.
I started by collecting special coins from my country... for example, the 1999 and 2000 25-cent series they had in Canada (1999 was all the months, and 2000 was 12 different good characteristics the country had). I was also quite young when I had a few Taiwanese coins and 1 Japanese coin given to me by a cousin, which I think probably piqued my interest even more. Later on, I would start asking relatives to bring me back coins from other countries they visited (like Cuba), they would give me whatever spare change they had from X country (a lot of my UK coins), or I would save coins I picked up when I went anywhere special (France -- actually St. Pierre et Miquelon).
So my advice would be: Start small, and start local! And if people go on trips, ask them to bring you back some coins if they can. Most people don't mind giving you change from another country because they mostly want their bills converted back to local currency, and aren't as concerned about the coins (especially those with low value in local currency).
A six year Numista absence makes the heart grow fonder... ?
What are my favourite, easy world coin sets? Well, I am having a lot of fun finding USA state quarters in Canadian circulation, so the inverse should be true for USA members. But if you want to expand your scope...
- Unappreciated European coins are a favourite to collect full sets of. I have a very soft spot for Austrian schillings, the currency that survived annexation... the al-bronze type is very very common, the aluminum kind is pretty cheap and has a macho design, the prewar CuNi and silver coins are also pretty affordable... the key date of the series is still below $50 and it provides a great "my first key date" experience.
- British CuNi coins are so common it hurts and the shillings have two designs for each year which is fun.
- Soviet kopeks are exciting. I was born past USSR breakup and I felt like Russia, Ukraine etc. had been around forever, when those nations were younger than my parents... so Soviet coins always had a weird appeal to me because of this historical disconnect.
- West German coins are really boring, but there are tons of them and nobody wants them. The number of dates and mint-marks make Lincoln cents seem cute.
- Belgian coins are also common and they come in occupation zinc too, plus there are two for every year. However I find them boring as hell.
- Try Japanese yen as an introduction to non-Latin alphabets and dates...
- Mexico went through too much inflation for long-running base-metal sets of the same type... but those lovely copper 20 centavo coins are the exception. The CuNi and brass types are also common... silver, less so.
Quote: SmartOneKgPhil, here are my suggestions (most likely ignored),
British coins. It's always a first for all collectors.
I had smiliar thoughts.....
The UK 50p 2012 Olympics series are very popular here in the UK, though a few are very difficult to find. I don't know if they are obtainable abroad.
Or the US presdential series of dollars?
Matt
I was thinking Olympic coins from the host countries. Also ATB quarters - or even state quarters, there's a lot of them and they're still cheap. And of course the reverse design is different for each one.
If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything
The Canadian and American quarter sets are certainly easy to collect, yes, and are also usually sold on eBay quite cheaply, if you want to go that way. And if you're in Canada you'll find plenty of American change given to you when you buy things, and, so I hear, vice versa.
A six year Numista absence makes the heart grow fonder... ?
Quote: cyprusalexanderNow the collector became two years elder. What's the result of advices?
He's moved to the Northern part of the State but they visit once a month. Vichy regime completed, including "B" mint marks and was collecting the higher denomination Greek Drachma with the images of the heroes on them.
Children tend to drift in and out of hobbies but hopefully the seeds of a lifelong passtime have been sown.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Quote: pnightingaleI was asked recently to recommend a series of coins suitable for a young feller new to collecting. He was already collecting such US coins as he was able to pick up in change or scrounge from relatives, so the usual answer "Lincoln cents or Jefferson nickels" wasn't going to work.
So, I paused to think of a series which was:
1. relatively short
2. easy to acquire
3. inexpensive
4. easy to identify
5. interesting design
Historical interest, curiosity value, images of famous people, would all be an interesting bonus. I guess the potential to appreciate in value should be in there but it's never been high on my list of priorities. It's nice when it happens but my investments are in the hands of JP Morgan and ING, this is my hobby.
I opted for the Vichy France 1/2, 1, 2 Franc issues. They fit the five main criteria admirably and are certainly historically significant and interesting. We had just had a most informative and original discussion about the design on this forum which I enjoyed very much (thank you to all who participated) so it was probably that which inspired the choice.
So, what about you? What series would you recommend?
IN the US Lincoln cents ALWAYS works!
If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything
Quote: TheShrimpVendorIf they're into US coins right now, I'd say Franklin halves or the Mercury dime. The whole collection can be obtained relatively cheap as there aren't many keydates, but it will take quite a few coin shops and flea markets to get 'em all!
Lots of good ideas! For North American collectors I suggest the coins of Newfoundland. Start with the small 1c and work your way up in denomination back in date. Most are cheap and readily available. I like this idea so much I likely will do it myself!
If you crave more design variety try Canadian commemorative quarters.
I do NOT agree that Newfoundland is cheap -- except for the 1 cent coins they're ALL silver, and as you go back in years they become more and more valuable, meaning they cost quite a bit more. Every single coin is also low mintage, as Newfoundland did not have a very large population.
While I LOVE the Newfoundland coins and collect them myself (my bio will make the reason why obvious) you're almost never going to find these in circulation, they are not inexpensive, and except for the monarchs they really don't have much history behind them, aside from the fact that we did not confederate until 1949. They do not come close to meeting Phil's criteria, let alone the criteria for an easy set of coins to collect.
A six year Numista absence makes the heart grow fonder... ?
I'm not a "young fella" but this post is one of my favourites. I've been serious for less than 2 months and I am close to finishing my Canadian Penny collection by date (one more, 1890). Here is my advice (read all the posts in this link) for anyone just starting out.
I quickly realized that finishing/improving my collection was getting out of hand. At my age, how could I be such a "dumb ass".
My Solution...... buy a Stupid Coin!
This coin(?) cost way too much money, but looks cool.
My Reasoning.... Every time I think something is a "Deal", I have this close by to remind me not to be Stupid.
Perhaps we should have a "Stupid" post, I am sure we have all done it!!
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so. Mark Twain
Quote: "Peter M. Graham"I'm not a "young fella" but this post is one of my favourites. I've been serious for less than 2 months and I am close to finishing my Canadian Penny collection by date (one more, 1890). Here is my advice (read all the posts in this link) for anyone just starting out.
I quickly realized that finishing/improving my collection was getting out of hand. At my age, how could I be such a "dumb ass".
My Solution...... buy a Stupid Coin!
This coin(?) cost way too much money, but looks cool.
My Reasoning.... Every time I think something is a "Deal", I have this close by to remind me not to be Stupid.
Perhaps we should have a "Stupid" post, I am sure we have all done it!!
yeah, I can start with the stupid post. When i just started collecting, I bought a vichy 2 francs in G, for 5 euros. I thought it was worth so much, because of its rich history, but I was wrong.
1. Greece collection from 1910`s - to the last coins of Drakhma. interesting, pretty nice and cheap coins ( most of them) . Also some turnes in history, which are mirrored in coins.
2. Sweden, from early 1900`s to nowdays. Also, - nice designs, cheap coins, and different monarchs.
Quote: "TheShrimpVendor"If they're into US coins right now, I'd say Franklin halves or the Mercury dime. The whole collection can be obtained relatively cheap as there aren't many keydates, but it will take quite a few coin shops and flea markets to get 'em all!
Lots of good ideas! For North American collectors I suggest the coins of Newfoundland. Start with the small 1c and work your way up in denomination back in date. Most are cheap and readily available. I like this idea so much I likely will do it myself!
If you crave more design variety try Canadian commemorative quarters.
I do NOT agree that Newfoundland is cheap -- except for the 1 cent coins they're ALL silver, and as you go back in years they become more and more valuable, meaning they cost quite a bit more. Every single coin is also low mintage, as Newfoundland did not have a very large population.
While I LOVE the Newfoundland coins and collect them myself (my bio will make the reason why obvious) you're almost never going to find these in circulation, they are not inexpensive, and except for the monarchs they really don't have much history behind them, aside from the fact that we did not confederate until 1949. They do not come close to meeting Phil's criteria, let alone the criteria for an easy set of coins to collect.
you're spot on there, although when I was new I tried to build a Canadian portfolio, now when I look back at them some of the coins I got are in a grade I would now consider "not collectable" except I think the 1819 50c which is such a low mintage you're talking serious coin to buy anything over VF. All of Canada is the same, even before federation. :(
Commemorative euro coins are good for new collectors because you can get them from circulation and if you're lucky you might find a rare one in your change.
I'd suggest a world birthyear set -- that way you get to see a little bit of everything. Large chunks of that set can be populated from the foreigns bin at your local coin shop, and almost certainly at least one nation's coins will trigger a further interest.
Still working on mine; alas, I'm old enough there there were still circulating silver issues, so I have a few premiums to pay. :)
"Well, believe me, I calculated the odds of success versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid -- and I went ahead anyway."
--Crow T. Robot, Mystery Science Theater: The Movie
As many collectors have suggested there are loads of choices... But in my opinion for youngsters it's better to have a target, so I helped my grandson with the U.K. Coins in the Royal mint 1 pound album with about thirty to collect and push in the appropriate slots.
From an educational point of view - you could start youngsters collecting coins from anywhere that had animals on.
Also coins from protectorates like Jersey, Gibraltar Isle of Man also offer unique coins.
The obvious answer is collect what you like, but as collecting is a process of learning, one often does not appreciate an area of study until he has done a little collecting. Wanting to get my 12 year old nephew interested, I asked him what kind of coins he liked.
He said “Dogs. I like coins with dogs.”
We got started with the Norwegian elkhound and the Irish wolfhound. And having temporarily run out of dogs, we’ve expanded into other animals. His next favorite animal subset is pigs, mine is chickens.
We always have a globe and encyclopedia at hand so that we can learn about the country.
One of the younger ladies in my life has been introduced to coins of odd shapes. The woman that works at a local shop likes flowers.
And at a few cents per coin, I can spread a lot of happiness for a dollar.
They may not seem like serious collections, but then many of us started our collection from pocket change.
Oh, and that kiwi is cute. Everybody likes him.
A smart man learns from his mistakes. A smarter man learns from someone else's.
Quote: "KennyG"Chinese cast cash coins. They might not be as interesting for design, but they're relatively inexpensive and come in many varieties.
I tried to find few Chinese coin verities but they are really expensive in Sri Lanka. I do not know weather I have selected rare once. These are the coins I tried to get. please have a look on these once. http://coins.lakdiva.org/cat/coin_yapahuwa_ccash.list
A nice old thread that still applies to those of us who might be mentoring new collectors. I would add the Thai 20 baht series and the Polish 2 zlote series. Affordable and not too terribly difficult to find. Plus I miss Pnightingale.
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
Plenty of years ago I even had plenty of doubles from there and I wondered why people wanted them so much.... now I know, but some collectors got them very "cheap" from me! That's life!
Quote: "Peter M. Graham"I'm not a "young fella" but this post is one of my favourites. I've been serious for less than 2 months and I am close to finishing my Canadian Penny collection by date (one more, 1890). Here is my advice (read all the posts in this link) for anyone just starting out.
I quickly realized that finishing/improving my collection was getting out of hand. At my age, how could I be such a "dumb ass".
My Solution...... buy a Stupid Coin!
This coin(?) cost way too much money, but looks cool.
My Reasoning.... Every time I think something is a "Deal", I have this close by to remind me not to be Stupid.
Perhaps we should have a "Stupid" post, I am sure we have all done it!!
yeah, I can start with the stupid post. When i just started collecting, I bought a vichy 2 francs in G, for 5 euros. I thought it was worth so much, because of its rich history, but I was wrong.
Yeah feel you, i just bought a Romania 200Lei 1942 Silver for about three times more than i can Find. I paid 12$ for it and one hour later i Found one for 3,5$.
Quote: "Sjoelund"Hi,
if I sum up the contributions, the answer will be just anything with a beginning and an end....
Saint Pierre and Miquelon, just TWO coins! Do you find a shorter wish list?
Ole
