Coin Collecting - The Magic

Coins, paper money, stocks and bonds are more sought after from the historical point of view rather than any other such as aesthetics.

That having been said, there is always a chance that every now and then, something extremely rare will pop up and cause a ripple of excitement to sweep through the Collectables and Memorabilia Community.

If we sum up, the collection of Coins is known as Numismatics and now includes as sub areas of their own, Notaphily – the collection of paper money and Scripophily – the collection of stock and bond certificates.
 

Depending on their view point, some collectors like to specialise in “type collecting” i.e. a coin from each series and design minted from separate places and times. For example within the history of Great Britain you could have collectors specialising in English Victorian or Edwardian Coins.

Other Collectors could specialise with purely historical items from say ancient times and are more geared to museum type exhibits and others could specialise within the area of errors and mistakes printing wise.

With coins, the condition of the item is vital. If, as a collector you can manage to procure some coins in “mint condition” and “uncirculated” and keep them this way then so much the better. Kept well coins improve with age and a good even tone will increase the value considerably so whatever you do, do not clean or polish them.

Quite often there is quite a market in commemorative issues and these are often produced in large quantities so it is imperative that if you wish to retain their value, these items whether they be notes or coins, are kept in what is called “Mint Condition”. Ideally if you can manage to obtain the notes or coins in a special presentation case and keep them in it then so much the better.

So to sum up a few tips on collecting Coins and Notes. Firstly choose pieces that you find attractive, interesting and informative. If you don’t then sooner or later the interest factor will wane and you will end up losing value on uncared for items etc.

Invest wisely in the storing and display side of albums and mounts etc. Certificates, Coins and Notes have to be kept in the best conditions possible.

With regards to coins, handle them as few times as you can. When you do make sure that protective gloves made from soft fabric are worn and if you bought the items from a dealer in protective casings then make sure that the items are kept in these cases. Notes and Certificates must be kept flat and display as little wear and tear as possible.