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Design Types of US Coins and Coin Collecting
Coin collecting is a fun hobby that anyone who has the time
can do. A coin’s history and its development can be learned by
collecting them.
At one point in time, between 1838 and1933, the United States
issued gold coins for circulation. The Liberty Head bust was
used as the design until 1907. The design was then changed to
the Indian Head and Saint Gaudens motifs until 1933 when the
“Great Depression” started. This prompted the recall of the
coins which makes it very rare to find any of them today.
The most valuable coin in the world is the 1933 Double Eagle.
This was a $20 gold coin that was made in the 1800’s after the
California gold rush. This coin was not allowed to be used in
the 1930’s and when this coin was auctioned in 2002, it sold for
nearly eight million dollars.
Since gold coins are hard to find, most collectors select other
coins.
One type of collection you might consider is the one made up of
coins that are flawed when the coin was minted. If you can find
a coin with a misspelled word, a wrong date, off-center
characteristics, or double-punched marks, these coins are
valuable. Such mistakes can increase a coin’s value from $50 to
a $1000.
Coins that were only issued or circulated for short period of
time also make good collectibles.
A coin collection is at its best if it is focused on a certain
coin. A collector can choose from pennies, nickels, dimes,
quarters and dollars.
Another way of collecting is disregarding the types of coins but
concentrating on a certain time period. Coins have different
mint marks and collecting those that were struck in the same
location can also be interesting. The important thing for
hobbyists is to stick to the collection until it has been
completed.
For a good start subscribe to a coin publication such as Coin
World or Coinage Magazine for information on the types of coins
that you might want to collect. The internet or a local coin
shop can also help expand the search for those coins that can’t
be found in your locale or out of state.
Building a coin collection will take a long time - months or
even years. The United States has produced so many coins that it
is hard to keep track of them. By deciding on the coin(s) you
want to collect, the challenge to complete that collection
begins.