Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Buy a current copy of "Collecting World Coins" from Krause Publications. This is considered the standard guide for world coins and is widely used by coin collectors as a reference for pricing and other information.
Decide how you want to go about collecting coins. Do you want to try and get one coin from each country in the world? Do you want to collect full sets from a specific country, continent or region? It can be a little overwhelming trying to decide when there are so many options. Start out by collecting coins from a country that has some significance to you like the birthplace of your ancestors or a place you've visited in the past. There is really no wrong way to decide; if you're really having trouble, throw a dart at a world map or spin a globe and stop it at random.
Research the coins of the country or region that you decide to collect. This is where your new book will come in handy. You should set a budget for yourself and decide how much you are willing to spend on a single coin. Coin collecting can be an inexpensive hobby, but it can also be incredibly pricey, depending on the types of coin you end up collecting. Antique coins are going to be considerably more expensive to collect than current coins.
Buy coins. If you're going to collect antique world coins, start looking up antique shops, coin shops, flea markets, auctions and coin shows happening in your area. If you know people visiting or living abroad, ask them to keep an eye out for you. You can also use online auction sites like eBay to buy foreign and antique coins. If you've got the money to do it, visit the country or region from which you are collecting coins. If you're collecting modern coins, you'll be able to collect coins as you shop and get change for your purchases. You can also visit antique shops while abroad if you're looking to buy antique coins.
Organize and store your coins. You can buy 2-inch by 2-inch acid-free paper envelopes to store your coins, but you won't be able to see them without pulling them out of the envelopes. Another option is using plastic flips. These are two-pocketed plastic envelopes; you place the coin in one pocket, an information card in the other and then fold them in half. Make sure the flips don't contain PVC; it can damage your coins. You also can buy coin albums, available at coin shops and some hobby shops. These will typically be made from cardboard or plastic. Keep an inventory of your collection, using a notebook or computer database software.