Coin Collecting Attention Kids Three Steps To Starting A Coin Collection

Coin Collecting Attention Kids Three Steps To Starting A Coin Collection
News Canada
(NC)-First of all, look around for coins - any coins - and put them in a safe place. A good spot to find the first coins for your collection is right in your pocket. You might find some of the 25-cent coins that the Royal Canadian Mint made for the Millennium. Or the special 50-cent coin commemorating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Maybe your parents or grandparents have some loose change they could spare to help you start.
Here's another idea: Take your allowance to the bank and buy a roll of coins, then keep the ones you need for your collection. Or check out the newest and coolest coins at the Mint's website (www.mint.ca/en/RoyallyCool/FunFacts) and start your collection with some 'Royally Cool Money.'
Whatever you decide, make sure to keep your coins in a safe place - like in a small jar with a lid or ask your Mom or Dad to hold onto them for you. And always remember, some of the biggest and best coin collectors in Canada started with just a few pennies!
Next - find out what coins you have and make a list. The experts call this part "compilation." To make sense of your cents take out a sheet of paper - graph paper is best. On one side make a list of years. Start anywhere you want - 1900 or 1967 or maybe the year Grandpa or Grandma was born. It's up to you. Then check the dates on your coins and check off those years on the sheet of paper. This may not sound like heaps of fun, but you'd be surprised. You just might find a coin that's really old or has some special mark on it that makes it worth a lot more than you thought!
Once you've compiled, its time to classify and conserve your coins. This means putting the same kind of coins together - like, for example, coins from the same year. Conservation refers to taking care of your collection.
These three simple steps are your ticket to a wide new world of fascinating people and places. Think of it as your own personal Canadian treasure, rich with stories about the incredible history, spectacular geography and unique symbols that make Canada a special place in which to live.
- News Canada
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Coin Collecting A Fun And Rewarding Hobby

Collecting coins is a hobby that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. A lot of coin collectors started as children, with the help of their parents or grandparents collecting pennies or dimes. For some coin collecting can become a lifetime hobby.
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. Some people happily collect more common everyday coins, going through their pockets at the end of the day for them is fun, checking dates and mintmarks on their change. Some collectors can spend thousands of dollars on rare silver and gold coins from the 1800's and early 1900's. Some collect coins from different countries.
With any new hobby comes the learning. As coin collecting is a hobby involving an outlay of money for coins from the start, it's best to join a group to get help from experienced collectors. You will need someone to buy the coins from, and it can be difficult to find a reputable coin dealer. Someone who has been coin collecting for years can help you choose a knowledgeable and honest coin dealer. You'll need to learn about the value of different coins. This can be done by following what coins are being sold for, and what dealers are paying for coins. You will need to be shown how to assess the true value of a coin which can be based on many factors such as age, mintmark, and condition.
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. It's interesting to note that from 1793 to 1838 the only mint in operation in the US was in Philadelphia and coins from these years have no mintmark.
As you become a more experienced coin collector your "eye" will mature and you'll be looking more closely at details like the lettering on a coin, making sure the letters are still clear and not worn down. You'll pay attention to the general condition of a coin, and you may stray away from coins that have a lot of obvious wear and tear. These are a part of grading a coin. You'll learn to look for minting errors which can make a coin quite collectible. For example a three legged buffalo instead of a four legged one, or perhaps an off-centered image.
As with any hobby, the more you learn about coin collecting the more you'll be able to enjoy it.
This article courtesy of http:/http://www.gold-coins-guide.net
More on coin collecting here
More on collecting coins here