Coin collectors, like any type of collector, often focus their collecting on specific coin categories or themes to make their collections more unique and personalized. If you are new to coin collecting, here are our recommendations for popular coin categories, with collecting strategies to get you started.
Collect by Category
Coins have been minted for millennia all over the world, so obviously there’s no end to the coins you could acquire with the right budget and some perseverance. A harder question is: Where do you begin? We suggest choosing one or more coin categories from the following:
- Historical significance
- Geography or country
- Featured subject
- Denomination
- Series
- Error coins
Many coin collectors also have an interest in history, which makes sense: coins preserve human history in an important way. If you are fascinated by American history, medieval history, or Bible history, you can find a coin that is a tangible artifact of that specific time period. Many historical figures have been memorialized by coins as well. Commemorative coins are often fun for history buffs to collect; in addition to the historical angle, they often have interesting designs and limited mintages.
Similarly, if you have an interest in or ties to a country or geographic area, you may find collecting that country’s coins to be very satisfying. Coins will often be designed to highlight important personages, historic events, or mythological heroes, and can be an education in and of themselves.
Some collectors prefer to search for coins by featured elements like art, animals, kings, and landmarks. Perhaps you enjoy ships or space. There are coins that you can find to represent your interests, whatever they are, and inspire your search.
Many coin collectors started off in childhood collecting specific coin denominations like pennies, quarters, or dollars. It’s easy to start a collection of Lincoln Wheat cents by just looking through your spare change. This type of collecting will soon familiarize you with your preferred coin denomination’s various types, mint marks, and designs, and you can choose how narrow or wide you want your search to be.
You may also enjoy collecting by series or set. The quarters in the recently released America the Beautiful series are still in circulation. Many of them are easy to find, if you are looking for a way to introduce your kids to the hobby. Proof coins are specially minted and are of higher quality with fine details that are beautiful to look at.
Error coins can be very valuable as they are rare versions of the coin type that were incorrectly struck. They can be rewarding to hunt down, especially for collectors with a preference for the unusual.
So Many Coin Categories to Choose From
Everyone is different. Your personal interests and tastes will determine which coins appeal most to you. If you don’t know where to start, it’s fine to just pick a category and run with it. Once you get more familiar with coin collecting, you can expand your research and explore other categories or themes. It can be quite addicting!
If you would like further help with your coin collection or need assistance in hunting down a specific coin or series, please call Grand Rapids Coins at (616) 884-5048. We would be happy to help you find the coins you are looking for.
