Work, work, and more work is the global mantra these days. As you get caught up in the rat race for power and pelf stop awhile to think whether too much work is making you a dull boy! If you are constantly jittery or anxious, its time you had some time just for your self. A hobby like coin collecting could become an exciting and a competitive sport and do you a lot of good by diverting attention from mundane tasks. So hoard interesting coins instead of dollars for a change!

A coin collection usually starts from modest beginnings. For example, you may have coins in your wallet from a trip to another country or you may come across old coins while rummaging about in an antique shop. You can base your collection on country, year, period, or subject. If you or a friend or family member travels a great deal globally, you would find it easy to collect coins of different countries. You may also choose a particular foreign country that interests you, say France or India, and collect coins of that country. In contrast, collect your nation’s coins if you want to know more about it!

Collecting by year involves collecting a particular coin every year of its manufacture. For example, if a certain coin was produced first in 1900 you collect from that year to the present. If a certain monarch’s reign interests you, collect coins from that period. Alternatively, you could collect ancient or medieval period Roman, Indian, or Greek coins. Subject collection would include coins on a particular subject, for example, maps, flowers, or ships.

Some coin collectors collect by error! I mean they collect faulty coins. These include clipped coins, off center coins, and coins with over dates. These coins are very rare as automation has reduced the possibility of errors. This makes them even more interesting and desirable. You can also collect by material, say gold or silver.

Apart from picking up interesting coins during international travel, you can get them at local antique shops, flea markets, coin shows, and auctions. Some coin collectors say that rummaging through charity boxes kept at local stores also leads to interesting discoveries. But, don’t forget to inform the shop owner before embarking on such activities.

It’s great to collect coins, but where are you going to store them? Many people keep their coin collection in a box, but keeping coins all together can lead to scratches on their surface. It’s also difficult to locate a particular coin when required. To begin with, you can consider storing coins in separate paper envelopes, label the envelopes and, then, keep them inside a box. You can also opt for small plastic bags to store your coin collection. This way, in contrast to paper envelopes, you will be able to see your coins without touching them directly. However, ensure that the plastic bag is not made of PVC, which could harm the coins inside. When you develop a large collection you can choose a cardboard or plastic coin album. All these storage devices can be purchased from hobby shops, coin shops, or online stores.

Before you start buying expensive coins for your collection invest in a price guide, magnifying glass, and desk lamp. You can also join local coin collection clubs and read up books on this hobby.

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Buffalo Nickels 1913-1938

The Buffalo Nickel is a classic in American design. It is both a simple and powerful coin that truly symbolized the ruggedness of American idealism. Probably the finest tribute to the coin was the Buffalo Commemorative Silver Dollar. When it was introduced in 2001, the mint sold its entire production run of 500,000 coins in two weeks. In 2006 the mint again recognized the timelessness of the design by producing the “American Buffalo” or “Gold Buffalo” as it is known to collectors. It is almost an exact replica of the original Buffalo nickel. This was the first time that the United States Government has minted pure 24-karat gold coins for the public and the bullion trade. The coin had a legal tender value of US$50.

The original coin was designed by James Earle Fraser, a former assistant to the famous sculptor and coin designer Saint-Gaudens and the coin replaced Charles Barber’s Liberty Nickels. Some egos were bruised because Barber was the Chief Engraver of the US Mint at the time. However in the end, the Treasury Secretary chose the Buffalo Nickel over Barber’s objections and it went into production in 1913. The coin was the first to accurately portray the Native American on a coin. The design of the Indian is actually a composite of three Native American chiefs that posed for the portrait. They were: Iron Tail (an Oglala Sioux), Big Tree (Onondaga), and Two Moons (Cheyenne). The “buffalo” portrayed on the reverse was an American Bison, Black Diamond, from the Bronx Zoo.

Type Information

The general type coin collector will normally obtain one example of the Buffalo Nickel.

For the specialized type coin collector two major varieties of the Buffalo Nickels were minted, one had the “FIVE CENTS” on a raised mound on the reverse. As early as April 1913, rapid wear in this area became evident on the coins in circulation. The mint modified the design by cutting away the mound and placed the bison on a straight line, then put the denomination in the recessed area under the line. These are known as Type II coins and the original design are labeled as Type I.

Collector Points

No Buffalo nickels were minted in 1922, 1932, and 1933. Proofs come in two versions: Matte Proofs were made from 1913 through 1916, and Brilliant Proofs in 1936 and 1937. Because of the design, well struck coins are hard to find. This is especially true of coins from the branch mints

Investor Information

This is a favorite coin among series collectors. Untold numbers of collectors have put together date and mint mark sets. The most difficult coin to obtain is the very rare 1918/7-D over date. Scarce to rare dates in high grade include all the San Francisco coins from 1913 through 1928, with 1918, 1920 and 1924 through 1927 being the hardest to find. Denver coins are usually weaker strikes than San Francisco pieces and present the collector with challenges like the 1918 through 1920 issues, and the 1925 and 1926 coins, along with the famous 1937-D 3-legged Buffalo.

Because of the coin’s classic design and strong base of collectors it holds its value well and has overcome many of the negatives such as the small size and base metal content. Prices for well struck examples are often much higher that the values listed in price guides.

Visit www.uscoinfacts.com for a wealth of data about US Coins or this page for Buffalo Nickels.

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With the new age of the Internet you can now find most anything you could possibly want online. While there are certainly many places to find old coins on the net, in some ways this hobby can be as traditional as it was back before the Internet. People starting out in their coin-collecting journey are often delighted to discover how many old American coins are still in everyday use.

You can often find collectable coins in everyday places. With the use of the modern day coin counting machine rare old coins can bounce from store to bank to who knows where without ever being revealed. When these coins wind up in your pocket is when they stand a chance of being found. Most of these rare coins wind up in the pocket of people who do not even look at them and off they go on their next journey!

Even though you ill find a few gems searching for old coins this way it is not the fastest way to build your collection. There are many places to go searching and we will examine a few of the most promising places.

Your local coin dealer

Your next great find can be as close as your local coin dealer. This may not be the place to get a super deal but if you look around and find someone you trust it may be one of the safest places to buy old coins. Get to know the owner; most likely he or she will have a good knowledge of coin collecting. There is a lot of knowledge as close as your hometown coin dealer.

Order coins through the mail

You can purchase almost any kind of coin through the postal service. Be careful of each shops grading system and always make sure they offer a reasonable return policy in case things are not as good as they first seem.

Coin collectors

This resource is not always the first one you think of but many collectors will sell coins to finance their own hobby. This is a very good way to get some good buys. Look in the classifieds in your hometown newspaper to see if anyone has a coin for sale ad.

Flea markets

Sometimes you can find coins at your local flea market, craft shows or antique store. There is usually not a lot of competition at these places so sometimes you can get a better deal on your rare coin purchase. Always be on the lookout for the guy selling old coins that really does not know what he is selling. You can find good deals when you find yourself in this situation. Always be sure of what you are buying because the guy selling you the coins may not be there the next time you visit. Use caution and you should be fine.

The Internet

As stated at the start of this article you can find most anything on the Internet and rare coins are no exception. Be sure of the dealer before handing over your credit card number. There are wonderful buys to be found on the Internet. Be careful and ask about reliable dealers at your local coin-collecting forum. Always check the web site return policy in case what you receive is not what you expected.

Before you get your wallet out to make that purchase always do the proper research on what you are considering buying. Knowledge is power and in this case it may save you a few bucks on that great find.

You will find place after place to purchase your old American coins. With just a little effort on your part you will discover an abundance of places to find old coins

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