COLLECT COINS COLLECT COINS - Littleton Coin Company

TOP 8 QUESTIONSUESTIONS ABOUTBOUT COINSOINS
OP 8 Q
Gold coins have been produced for circulation in these denominations:
$1, $2.50, $3, $5, $10 and $20 pieces, as well as a few hundred patterns for
a $4 gold piece that was never mass-produced.
6. HOW OLD IS COIN COLLECTING
The earliest known coin collector was the
Roman emperor Augustus. Coin collecting
became even more popular during the
Middle Ages, when wealthy persons and
royalty assembled magnificent collections.
The hobby was confined mostly to the rich,
since the general population needed every
coin to pay for food, clothing and shelter.
In the U.S., collecting also began with
the wealthy, but by 1858, there were enough
active collectors to form the American
Numismatic Association. Since the 1920s,
with U.S. commemoratives, and the 1930s,
Joseph Mickley of Philadelphia
was the first famous American
collector. His hunt for a
Large Cent from the year of his
birth began the tradition of
collecting all of the coins of a
series from every year of issue.
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with “penny” boards and folders, this hobby
has grown steadily. Today, with many
exciting coins to collect, there are more
than 100 million collectors in the U.S. alone.
7. HOW DO I GET STARTED & ARE
THERE VARIOUS WAYS TO COLLECT
There are several popular methods. At first, you may have a general
collection containing a variety of different coins. As you acquire
examples of coins – perhaps a Morgan dollar, Liberty Walking half dollar,
Buffalo nickel or Barber dime –
you will find yourself attracted
to certain ones. But the most
important thing to remember
is to develop a plan.
You may want to assemble a
complete set – every date and
mint mark of the Lincoln cent,
for example. Or you may prefer
to collect one example of each
different dime, and then tackle
quarters in this same fashion.
Joseph Mickley photo courtesy of Q. David Bowers
An example of a date and
mint mark collection