Since the dawn of time, collecting has been extremely popular among people from different parts of the world. The leader in this field is coin collecting. In order to effectively begin the adventure with a new hobby, it is necessary to acquire at least basic knowledge and find answers to several questions. One of them, in particular, is often a sleepless night for newcomers – how to distinguish a collector coin from an ordinary metal coin?
For many, collecting is not just a leisure activity to be indulged in in their spare time, but first and foremost a lifestyle. There is certainly no shortage of experts in this field, and it is therefore advisable to seek advice from someone with experience before embarking on your adventure. The key issue will be the ability to judge whether a potential new acquisition in our collection is a coin or a medal or numismatic coin – and of course we want the former.
One of the simplest and also most effective ways is to pay attention to the denomination on the obverse or reverse. This is a characteristic feature of coins, whereas a medal or a numismatic coin can be easily recognized by its lack of a denomination. In such a case, we are dealing with an object called a ducat, whose value is no more than the value of its bullion. There are many products on the market that look like coins, so be careful to avoid a costly and fatal mistake.
Another important issue is the mintage. While coins must have a certain number of copies, the case is different with medals. In their case, the mintage depends solely on the manufacturer. What does this mean for a potential buyer? A huge risk, since the more medals produced, the lower their real value becomes. However, when we buy a collector coin we can rest assured, because we immediately know its maximum mintage and value.
The same coin but different price – why?
The same coin with different grading scores fetches different prices on the market…
Published by Antykwariat Numizmatyczny Niemczyk Michał Friday, November 27, 2015
However, skillful coin collecting is not only about distinguishing coins from other objects. Earlier we mentioned bullion, which also plays a significant role. Nobody likes to be a loser, so before buying a particular specimen we should check what it was made of. It happens that in order to make their products more attractive, producers use various ornaments (e.g. gold plating), which have an illusory impact on increasing the coin value.
Now that we know how to recognize collector coins, the next question arises – where to buy them? There are several proven methods. The best choice is, of course, buying coins from other collectors, who often put their items for sale online. It also does not hurt to regularly visit numismatic auctions. This will give us an opportunity to determine the interest in a given piece and to estimate its approximate value and, consequently, the possibility of potential profit in the future.
Featured photo: pxhere.com
