If you are new to the coin colleting business – we’d like to welcome you onboard. You’ll soon discover that coin collecting is unlike any other hobby. Coins will tell you stories, take you to special places and ancient times and if you want your coin collection to last generations to come, there are a few things you should know, because coins can be delicate and keeping your collection in good shape is not as easy as it looks.

1. Although coins are basically made to be used and exchanged, proof coins don’t really like to be out in the open, exposed to different elements and conditions that hasten their deterioration. Coins don’t like damp places, liquids, acids, and even bare human skin. Yep, coins generally don’t like you. Or anybody.
2. First of all you should get a protective, acid-free, album or book where you can safely store your coin collection. These albums are great when you want to display your collection and they also keep the coins protected. But don’t use any album and don’t be tempted to put your coins in that old baseball cards album. Buy the protective case from a coin dealer because a chemical element found in PVC and some types of plastic can damage your coins overtime. You should also store your coins in a dry and dark place, where the temperature is comfortable and mild.
3. Now this one is a little tough. We know that you got a collection running and like any collector you want to see and feel your precious exhibit. But you shouldn’t really touch coins with your hands. Our body and finger oil is harmful to proof coins and can cause scratches and discoloration. Even when you use gloves, try to hold the coin by its edges. And don’t sneeze!
4. No matter what happens, you should never clean your coin collection! No kidding! Cleaning will only damage the coin and its value. If, for some reason, you must clean a coin, do us a favor and let a professional asses its value first. If it turns out that your silver dollar worth less than a nickel - go ahead and clean like there’s no tomorrow. But know that once a coin is cleaned, there is no turning back. It will loose the coating and toning and be more vulnerable. As a rule, you should never clean proof coins or uncirculated coins. If you really must, clean only circulated coins and let a professional do the job for you.
5. Remember to check your coins regularly. See if anything changed, any discoloration or aging signs. Sometimes you can find a coat of green substance on your coins which probably means that there is a reaction with the protective cover or with the storing conditions and you should consider other storage possibilities.

If you are looking for more information about coins and coin collections, head on to www.ContinentalMint.com were we help Coin Collectors start and expand their collection with a wide selection of coin sets and collectors’ supplies, at the best prices available. At www.ContinentalMint.com we are dedicated to bring you a memorable piece of U.S. history, a professional, knowledgeable Customer Service and discounted prices and shipping rates.

Continental Mint helps Coin Collectors to expand their collection with a wide selection of coin sets and collectors’ supplies, at the best prices available.

Mark Etinger is a business strategist at Ajax Union Marketing Ajax Union specializes in Business Development and Internet Marketing

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Keeping coins safe and in good condition is just as important as finding and/or buying them in the first place. Most of the time, coins aren't just a straight piece of a metal. They are nearly always a combination of multiple metals (the amount of metals like gold and silver can affect the overall value of the coin) and are composed a way that might be hard to maintain. For example, pennies aren't straight pieces of copper, nor are they straight pieces of a combination. Pennies starting from 1982 are actually a zinc core with a covering of copper. Meaning, if mix an acid that only corrodes zinc, you will be left with a shell of copper. This change was made because of the varying prices of zinc and copper.

One of the most important things to remember is to not wash coins too many times. Really the only time a wash is appropriate is when you give a light wash when first examining the coin, as circulated coins have passed through many hands and come in contact with a large variety of different objects and places. Not surprisingly, many diseases can be transferred by coins if care is not taken. Washing coins excessively will slowly wear away at the outside, subsequently rubbing away at the design as well. Most of the time, rusts, tarnishes, and other changes to the metal itself will not be able to be washed off, and any attempts to do so will be detrimental to the coin itself. If anything seems to be washable, it is probably removable without the use of water.

To store your coins, you can either make your own display, which at best will allow contact with mere tape and cardboard, or you can purchase coin folders. Coin sleeves are also designed to keep coins safe and sound. These guys are made of vinyl and also make great coin displays. When handling coins, be careful, as excessive contact will damage the coin. It is suggested that you wear cotton gloves while handling coins and keep any contact to the coin limited to softer surfaces. Rougher surfaces will obviously scratch the coin (don't want this).

In general, keep your coins exactly the way that they looked when you first received them. Chances are that any sort of change will not be a good one (it doesn't seem possible that you can improve the state of a coin). Make sure any surface that comes in contact with the coin is softer. If you're not sure, you can try to scratch a coin that has little or no extra value beyond face value; the metallic composition should have no drastic deviation from the coin at stake.

You can find US coins for sale like the Draped Bust dime at our website.

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Stay updated with all the latest US rare coins news and listings by subscribing to our RSS feed and bookmarking us. Now, on to the video...www.coininfo.com Coin dealers of certified coins, precious metals and resources for coin dealers. We buy, sell and appraise all rare coins and collections. ...Check back tomorrow for more certified coin info and the latest old US coin listings in our coin shop.

If you are a coin fanatic, there are several things you need to understand about coin collecting prices.  Whether you intend on selling your coins or if you are just collecting for a hobby, the prices do affect you.  Because of this, it is important you understand some information pertaining to coin collecting.

The overall coin market is extremely volatile and is thinly capitalized.  Just as with the stock market significant short-term price swings are always possible.  You are never guaranteed a specific profit or loss from any coin or set you own.  What you need to understand is that you are always buying or selling coins at your own risk.

You will find that coin collecting prices are reviewed and updated daily on various sites.  Most sites will have arrows or some kind of indication to show that the prices for a particular coin or set have fluctuated.  In addition, you will typically be able to find the price changes for the previous day, week, month and year.  This allows you to track the progress and see what your coin(s) are doing.

There are numerous web sites you can look at to determine what prices you can sell your coins at and where you can find other coins for bargain prices.  What you need to understand is that these are not guaranteed prices.  As you go to sell a set or a specific coin, you may find that it is much more difficult to get the price you were asking for.

In addition to the internet, there are several different books that are updated annually and released for purchase.  These books vary in the information and statistics they have to offer.  However, any information is better than none.  It can help you determine what the right price to buy at is and what the appropriate starting selling price is.

As with anything in this world, coin collecting prices are constantly going up and down.  Supply and demand certainly factors into the pricing, but there are several other variations and factors that play a role in the pricing.  Everything from its rarity, how new the coin is, if there is a new set coming out soon, or the overall condition it is in can factor into the price.

Because of this, you really have to take coin collecting prices at a day to day basis.  As they fluctuate in pricing every day you will want to adjust how you sell your coins and what coins you purchase.

Tom Lindstrom is a coin collecting expert. For more great information on coin collecting software be sure to visit http://www.coincollectingpennies.com.

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Believe it or not, it is possible to profit from collecting coins.  People collect coins for a plethora of different reasons.  For some, it is nothing more than a hobby.  But for others it is the perfect investment to take advantage of.  Regardless of the reason, you will find that there are ways you can make money off of your coin collection.

After collecting coins for a certain period of time you will build up a hefty set.  This is the perfect opportunity to start profiting off of your “hobby.”  The first method you can use to make money from your coins is an auction.

Going to a public auction allows you to display your coins in front of a large group of people.  As people view your coins, they will bid on them and you can make a certain amount of money.  The one downside to most auction houses is that many of them have a minimum consignment value.  If yours does not make the cut then you cannot be a part of the auction. 

If this is the case, you will have to find someone else who will be willing to auction away your coins for a lesser value.  This can limit the amount of auction homes you have to choose from.

The next way you can profit from collecting coins is through personal sale.  This is one of the more popular methods used as it can be the quickest way to get money.  What you do need to realize is that there is far more work involved with personal sale as you have to approach countless dealers and hope that they are willing to look at your coins.  It is more of a hit or miss approach as you can make a great deal of money on one sell or you can end up wasting your time while coming back with the same coins.

An easier approach to personal sale is to put an ad in the paper.  All this involves you doing is buying an ad in the paper and then waiting for people to call.  Although you may receive some ridiculous offers, at least it will save you the time of going from dealer to dealer.

The last way you can go about selling your coins is to have your coins taken to a local dealer.  This can be risky if you do not know the dealer, which is precisely why you want to take the time to research and learn more about the dealer’s background.  Your goal is to get the most amount of money possible so that you can actually make a profit off of collecting coins.

No matter what your reasoning was to start collecting coins, it is important you realize you can profit from them.  Take the methods listed in this article into consideration so that you can start making money from your coin collection.

Tom Lindstrom is a coin collecting expert. For more great information on coin collecting be sure to visit http://www.coincollectingpennies.com.

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Buy the book before you buy the coin is frequently offered and sage advice.

If you make the effort to study the hobby and the market you will be rewarded. Someone who does not make that effort is more likely to waste money on overgraded, problem or counterfeit coins. Before spending a lot of money on coins, you should invest in your knowledge of the hobby. For your own protection you should have at least one reference book covering your area(s) of interest. Reading a few issues of periodicals is another good idea.

A great place to start collecting coins is from circulation. The risk is negligible (you can always spend the coins), examining your coins carefully and see what your reference book says about them, will teach you a lot.

Join a club!

Local coin clubs are usually great for learning more about the hobby, getting material for your collection, and you just might make some good friends, too.

Often new collectors aren't sure where to begin, and they may have many questions. Do I start with one type of coin, or should I collect a variety? Should I stick to easy-to-find coins, or should I try to collect rarer ones? How much money do I want to spend? Coin collecting doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. In fact, it is probably one of the easiest objects to collect. You also don't have to be very knowledgeable to start a coin collection.

If you are considering beginning a coin collection, you have probably asked yourself one or more of these questions. The answers really depend on your own personal preferences, and you may not discover what those preferences are until you begin. The most important step you can take when beginning, however, is to invest in a good coin collecting book. Once you've bought the book, take some time to read at least excerpts from it concerning different coins. You may discover that certain coins interest you more than others.

Sort your coin collection!

The next step you might take is to buy a few coin folders. You can buy coin folders that have dates under each slot, or you can buy folders that are blank. The coin folders that have dates will help you determine what coins you need to complete your collection. Often these folders will cover a specific number of years and will be designed for specific coins.

Keep in mind, however, it is not easy to completely fill up a folder. If the folder covers older coins, many of those coins are considered quite valuable. You will have to be willing to invest a significant amount of money to complete a folder for older coins. If you are not trying to complete a set, but you do want to keep up with the dates that you find, you might enjoy using a blank coin folder. This way you don't have to leave any of the slots empty.

Internet provides many opportunities!

The Internet provides many opportunities for coin collectors to enlarge their collections, once they have decided what type of coin or coins they want to collect. Of course, you may be able to get some of your coins simply by checking your spare change. If you are going to build your collection, however, you will need to expand your search. There are online auction sites that give collectors just like you an opportunity to buy and sell. Most neophyte coin collectors begin collecting coins that are already in circulation, and usually these coins that are in circulation are more likely to get damaged, and only would be worth whenever you hold onto them for a long period of time. Once you go up the coin-collecting ladder, you move on by collecting coins from other sources, such as antique coin shops, coin shows, internet auctions, flea markets, and from other collectors as well. The art of coin collecting can also be seen as an investment, as the prices of the coins you store and preserve may rise should they become rare, or drop when these coins are in surplus supply.

You will need to consult your coin collecting book to understand the different values and grades of coins. Once you have become more familiar with the specific terms, you will probably want to start off buying inexpensive coins. As you become more experienced in judging the value of coins yourself, you can start to purchase more expensive coins.

Save money, buy sets!

As you continue to buy coins, you may find that you get more for your money if you buy sets of coins. This doesn't mean the sets will be complete. You would likely spend an exorbitant amount of money for a complete set. Instead, the sets you buy will probably be close to complete, but they won't have the most expensive and rarer coins. As you buy sets, you can keep the coins you need, and then you can put duplicates back up for auction. This is an excellent way to build your collections.

Coin collectors have different themes and goals in mind, with some trying to obtain generally rare coins, whilst others seek samples of coins that were issued from every country or 'world coins.' Some collectors also opt to collect coins that were only issued from one country, most likely their own. There are other coin collectors who also store coins that were issued during historically-important periods, such as the Roman, Greek, and Byzantine or the Middle Ages as well as of the Indian, Celtic and Persian empires, and the 18th or 19th centuries. The purpose of collecting coins from different periods may vary, depending on whether the collector wants these coins to serve as a mirror or reflection of the events that happened during the era in which they were produced, or for some other purpose as well.

How much you money and time you spend on your coin collections is completely up to you. The beauty of collecting coins, however, is that you are also investing your money. Coin collecting is a great hobby for any age, and the art of coin collecting will never die.

Herman Klein is a coin collecting expert. For more great information on collecting coins be sure to visit http://www.coincollectingstartshere.com.

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