If you are just starting out in collecting
coins, collecting American coins is a great
way to start especially when you live in America. It is
easy and entertaining for anyone who just started.
When collecting American coins, there are several
areas to choose from as to how you might like to have your
collection based on. So what are the specialization to choose
from? This may seem like a strange thing, as you have chosen
American coin collecting, you may wonder what specialization
there are to choose from after already specializing in American
coins. Since there are over two hundred years of history
to American coins for collecting, and several denominations,
so there really are a lot of choices to make.
Based On A Period of American Coins
Since America's history spans over two
hundred years, there are many periods of American coins.
This means that different periods meant different things
like coin types to the different denominations. It is important
to do your research and see what interests you before making
any decision. For instance, the American penny wasn’t
always copper, and quarters used to be
solid silver. To pick these periods of these very special
coins can make a huge difference in their value.
You may already have a period which is
of significance to you in mind. Many people are like this,
rather than collecting American coins for themselves,
they look to them as a symbol of their period. Note that
in World War II for example. Certain metals were more scarce
than usual back then, and those metals had to be substituted
in the coins manufactured during this period. This makes
them a symbol of the war effort, from the scrap metal drives
to the rationing. Thus many collectors look to them to memorialize
this effort and period of history.
Based On A Special Denomination of American Coins
To Collect
Just as special as the various periods,
the denominations of the american coins
are fascinating on their own. Each denomination has gone
through a series of changes from the design to the very
metal that it is made from. To illustrate this, using the
quarter as an example. A quick glance at the quarter shows
an interesting history. If you have done some research,
you will know that quarters made before
1964 were solid silver. Yes, this gives them a special value
as a precious metal as well as a coin. Then in the 1970’s
when the United States made it to the moon, some special
coins with a commemorative obverse were minted. Also in
1976, the bicentennial was commemorated in the similar way.
Changes have continued to the present day with the celebrated
state quarters which were designed to mark each state in
the order it joined the union.
This is just the tip of the ice berg on
the areas that can be explored in American coin collecting.
It is up to you to find the area that fits your interests
the best by doing more research and reading up.
Leslie Lee |
