How to Do Numismatics

Start to read about and learn the history of different coins. For beginners, it's best to start with the pocket change of today. Learn about the different coins you may find in circulation that hold more value than others. Age doesn't always equal a more valuable coin. Mistakes can be made producing coins, so even brand new coins can already be valuable.

Sift through your change, when you receive it, to see what you have. Most coins have a year dated on them as well as an initial marking the mint where it was made: P for Philadelphia, D for Denver and S for San Francisco. When you begin the coins may all look alike; the date and mint location, however, will be different. These two points alone can tell you about the coin and you can rule out potential rarity if it isn't listed in coin books or magazines as something to look for.

Look over the imagery on the coin. When new versions of coins are made, the image that represents the coin changes giving you a key to the past. For example, before 1938 the nickel didn't have Thomas Jefferson on it. The sight of the Indian Head on your nickel can date the coin for you even when the date itself is worn away, as frequently occurs. Clarity in the imagery is also important to improve the quality of the coin.

Don't clean the coin if it is worth keeping for preservation. Often cleaning a coin can devalue it, meaning that $50 dime you just washed is now worth closer to 10 cents. While it can be distressing to look at, your coin is worth more with the dirt left on it. You can, however, try not to let the coin rub against anything else, which may cause scrapes in the metal.

Have a system for organizing your coins. A tray with dividers is usually sufficient. When you identify a coin of value, place it into a coin protector and mark any important information on the outside, this could be as simple as "Indian Head, 1924, D." This way you don't have to flip over every coin to find the one you are looking for.

Place the protector or sleeve into your tray. You can separate your tray by year, or be more specific and space them out by coin type and then year, such as a compartment for pennies from 1900 to 1924, with the next compartment being pennies from 1925 to 1949, and so on.

Continue to study. The more you read and learn about coins the better you will get at identifying and remembering which coins to look for. Studying the histories of the coins (where they were made, during which time period, by whom), all amplify the experience from a "collection" of coins to a connection and knowledge of the coins you own.