Wednesday, April 28, 2010

5 Useful Steps to Collecting Antique Gold and Silver Coins

Collecting antique coins can be not only an exhilarating, but satisfying pastime. It has become a favorite hobby partly because it is an entertaining activity where you can not only study about history, but if done right can generate income as well.

Antique gold and silver coins are perhaps the most popular type of coins sought out by collectors. These coins are chiefly bought at auction sales, coin shows and specialty shops situated in some historical towns. The antique coins price will vary greatly depending on many factors such as condition, age, the history and the country or origin of the coin.

Here are 5 useful steps that should be considered when collecting antique coins.

Step 1 - Always start your collecting with less valuable antique coins until you become more acquainted with fair value and develop a knowledge of coins. After your collection grows and you are more at ease with your collecting ability, you can gradually purchase more expensive coins to add to your collection.

Step 2 - Your collection will be more controllable if you limit your buying of antique coins to those of a particular country or origin and even to a specific date range if possible. Specializing your collection will allow you to become an expert in that area much faster and will allow you to focus your purchase activities. This will require more patience on your part because of the modest number of coins accessible, but will only add to the value of your collection.

Step 3 - Always remember that it is your obligation as the buyer to guarantee that your antique coin is authentic. Being aware that there is a potential for fraud will remind you to take extra care and to thoroughly inspect any coin before purchasing it. While scams and counterfeit coins are rare, they do exist so you must be comfortable with determining the genuineness of the coin you are considering for purchase.

Step 4 - Having a professional coin appraiser judge the value of the antique silver or gold coin before your purchase will provide you with the real worth and may help prevent you from purchasing an antique coin that is either a counterfeit or is being sold at an exaggerated price.

Step 5 - Having made an antique coin purchase, care must be made to preserve the value of your coin. Extra care should be taken in order to protect not only the value, but the appearance of the coin as well. As a coin collector, you need to be aware that antique coins do not require much cleaning and in fact, the older the antique coin looks, the more value it may have.

Collecting antique coins can provide much recreation and anyone might consider making it a hobby. Using the above steps will help turn your passion for collecting coins into a safe, fun, and rewarding experience.

Kim McGugan is a photographer, writer, and researcher. Antique collecting is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby which she is able to share with her aunt Mary. Feel free to visit and comment on her new blog http://shabbyantiqueboutique.com.

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