Rare Coin Collecting

The Royal Hobby of Rare Coin Collecting

The hobby of Rare Coin Collecting is a part of human psyche because of the hobby of recording history. Coins are a part of history, of the eras gone by, the kingdoms those used to be, evidence of the rules of the kings and queens of past. Coins and other forms of money and tokens are a collected to develop the chronology of that country, its people and history. There are collectors of everything, the people who are into Rare Coin Collecting are called Numismatists but the point to be noted is that all coin collectors are not Numismatists. Numisma or Nomisma is a Greek word for Coin.
The coins are considered as rare if they are not seen frequently in the various collections. Generally, coin collections are arranged in a chronological order by years and months. These are cataloged and kept for reference and every time a new coin is bought or acquired it is entered into its correct chronological place. The extras of the same are kept in reserve for sale. The hobby of Rare Coin Collecting has people communicating, traveling and consulting other collectors and authenticating the coins by the professional Rare Coin Collecting bodies like the Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Guarantee Corporation, which are bodies of professional and academic numismatists who have dedicated their lives in studying human history through coin collection and other forms of currency.
Rare Coin Collecting is a hobby of sovereigns – as coins have a currency value, if they are from the present era, and if they are older – they are antiques. And we all know that antiques are costly! A coin would make it to a collection if it is ancient - chronicles and refers to a part of history say the French Revolution or the Breaking of the Berlin Wall, etc. It would be considered rare if all its compatriots are untraceable or have been reminted. The other reasons a coin will make it to the rare coins' collection will be the purity of the metal used, or the rarity of the alloy, the design, the monarch who graces the face of the coin. If the coin had any flaws and errors, the materials used like cloth, paper, papyrus, copper, the shape of the coins, etc. Rare Coin Collecting not only serves as a hobby but a means of investment just like antiques– the older, the most orderly and best documented they are the higher the value of the collection.

Rare Gold Coins – The Oldest, the Largest and Counterfeited

Gold coins have an intrinsic value by itself as it is a noble metal. If it is in from of rare gold coins than the value multiplies many folds – its antique or limited edition status. Gold and other coins are valued for their age, rarity and condition. According to history, the King of Lydia, Croesus introduced the use of gold coins as currency around 700 BCE. It was mined from the hills around Lydia and used to make these counters to pay for trade. Gold coins of Lydia were made of an alloy of gold and silver called electrum – as then the Lydians didn't know how to separate the two metals. In the late 6^th century BCE, they learnt to separate the two metals and gold coins used for the first time. The war between Lydia and Persia brought Persian war prisoners into the use of gold coins for trade. The use of gold coins has been recorded in many civilizations of yore – like Egypt, India, Persia, etc. Rare gold coins from these eras gone by have very high value – sometimes more costlier that the largest of diamonds.
Until the early twentieth century, many countries used gold coins for trade but their manufacture was slowly stopped as they were declared an unaffordable and costly means of trade.
So how to determine the value of the rare gold coins?

1. Gold coins are not circulated today hence are not generally manufactured. This makes them rare and valuable. This also makes them a commodity to be sold and acquired for its antique value. For the same reason beware of counterfeits.
2. Rare gold coins are centuries old artifacts – the age can be authenticated by certain tests done by the professional numismatics. It is best to contact the Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Guarantee Corporation for the certification.
3. For a good value for your money – do not go in for weathered coins – the coins should be as uncirculated and unweathered as a newly minted one to give you high value for your coin. However, in case of rare gold coins the collectors may go in for the gold content, sharpness of profile or relief on the coin, the alphabets – which would help identify the time and era of the coin and the continuity and smoothness if the edge of the coin.
4. Lastly, the age of the coin added to its age. The older the better the price received.

Rare Silver Coins – A Stable Investment

The rare silver coins are excellent from the point of view of investment. They should be bought from dealers who are ISO 4217 certified and can give a certificate of authenticity for the coins you are buying. The coins should bear XAG mark on them. These certificates give your coins a higher resale value. You can even get the silver content checked by percentage. The rare silver coins to invest in are the Roman and Greek Era, the silver Drachmas, the Denarius and the Miliarense are highly sought after and also have value as antiques. The next set could be the Medieval Silver coins of the time of James I and King Edward. What one should do is to keep a good knowledge of the time and era of the coin you are buying – check it with knowledgeable people and bodies like the Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Guarantee Corporation. The earlier silver and gold coins fetch a good price, the present day Morgan Silver Dollar, the Peace Silver Dollar from the USA besides the Chinese Silver Panda, the English Silver Britannica, the Silver of the European Union worth $25 as face value, the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf are excellent buys – which have an excellent resale value. They value of the rare silver coins has risen steadily from 300% to a 1200% since last decade in the world market.
Why the rare silver coins are so coveted is because they have borne witness to history. They have seen humanity through the dark ages, the times of revolution, seen the inventions and inventors, the pioneers of the new world and witnessed the building and rebuilding of nations. They were better preferred than the gold coins which were used to give as gifts, used as bullion and higher denomination for payment. Most taxes and salaries were done in silver coins, and they have been in circulation since last 3000 years. The largest collection of rare silver coins is in the Money Museum of Berlin. One of the plaques explained - Why did the coins have the profiles of the monarchs on them – as the illiterate peasant folks could not read or write it was the profile of their monarch, which helped them recognize the denominations and conduct fair trade. The other kind of rare silver coins to invest in would be the commemorative kinds – for occasions like the Olympics, the war heroes of the nation, the great men and women of a country or monuments.