How do I find coins to start a collection?
Starting a coin collection is easy. You might be asking yourself, where do I start? The answer is simple: anywhere you’d like. Coin collecting has no boundaries and you’re able to start collecting whatever type of coins interest you most. When you’re starting out, feel free to ask family members or friends if they have any coins they could possibly contribute to your new hobby. The other place to look for coins is likely the bank or even your change you’ve been keeping in a jar on your night stand.
Best Coins to Start Collecting
Pennies
Pennies are the lowest denomination coin in the United States. They are also one of the most collected coins because they are so easy to obtain. The penny design has changed every 50 years for the last 150 years. The easiest way to start collecting pennies is by date. You can start your penny collection by getting some Whitman coin folders to store your coins in. These will help you identify which coins you need because each year is present in the book with 3 mint marks P, D and S.
The pennies you should be on the lookout for while searching change jars and checking rolls at the bank are:
Indian Head Pennies – 1859-1909
These pennies are sought after because of their age. The most recent penny in this series is 110 years old. These date back to the days during the civil war. Finding an indian head cent in your change or in circulation is not a feat many can say they have accomplished!
Wheat Cent Pennies 1909-1958
Wheat cents are highly collected as they are the most common “old” coin in the penny series. You can go to the bank and find a fair amount of wheat cents in circulation. There’s many times I’ve gotten into a friends car and found wheat cents in their center console! Always be on the lookout.
Lincoln Memorial Pennies – 1959-Present
Lincoln memorial pennies are the most common pennies on this list. They are the most current dated pennies and the most found in circulation. When searching for memorial pennies, there are a few that are collected more than others. You want to check this list of memorial pennies for key dates and error coins that are collected. You might also want to get into collecting “copper” cents. This includes every memorial cent that is 1982 and earlier. These pennies were made with 100% copper and are worth more than face value of 1 cent. Pennies from 1983-present are made of zinc!
Nickels
Nickels are a great first coin to star collecting as they are still a low denomination and they are easy to get rolls of them at the bank. Going to the bank you can ask for a $100 box of nickels which has 50 rolls of nickels inside. Finding nickels is easy, you just want to check the year. It’s even more obvious to check the design. If you see a woman or an indian, you’ve really got something special! Nickels during World War II were silver so this definitely increases their collectability.
Liberty Head “V” Nickels – 1883-1913
These nickels were struck from 1883-1913. There were 5 made in 1913 that really created a stir years later and sold for millions. The Liberty “V” Nickel features the face of Lady Liberty and was created by Charles Barber. These nickels are very sought after and many people collect them for their age. Some of these nickels can fetch thousands of dollars.
Buffalo Nickels – 1913-1938
Buffalo Nickels were the first introduced in 1912. They were created by James Earle Fraser. As part of a way to make coins look better in the early years of our country, Howard Taft decided to replace the liberty nickel with the Buffalo Nickel. The Buffalo nickel was widely criticised because it’s inability to stay in circulation long because of poor striks causing the dates to wear off too quickly. The coin was phased out after the minimum of 25 years after congressional approval. The 1937 nickel is the most famous error and is know as the “3 legged buffalo.” Be on the lookout!
Jefferson Nickels – 1938-Present
The Jefferson nickel replaced the buffalo nickel after the 25 year period. These nickels will be the most common nickels you will find while searching through change and coin rolls. When you’re sorting through, make sure you are checking the dates of these coins. 1938-1960 is the sweet spot. These nickels were silver only during World War II. These nickels are: 1942,1943,1944,1945 and are 35% silver. They are worth around $1+ a piece! Not bad for only 5 cents.
Other Nickels
Also, be on the lookout for a 2009 Nickel as they were a low mintage year due to the great economic recession in the US in 2008.
Dimes
Barber – 1892-1916
The Barber dime shared an obverse design with a quarter, and a half dollar. These coins were designed by Charles Barber. They were 90% silver and 10% copper. They might be hard to find but they are worth the search. Some of these go for $5-$1500 depending on the condition.
Mercury – 1916-1945
Mercury dimes go great in coin folders. They aren’t too expensive and you can find them at coin shows in huge quantities for fairly cheap. The dime is called a mercury dime because Lady Liberty in her winged cap was confused for the Roman god Mercury. These coins are 90% silver and 10% copper. They are highly sought after for their beautiful design.
Roosevelt – 1946 – 1964 / 1965-Present
The Roosevelt dime is the most recent dime design issued by the US Mint. These dimes were 90% silver up until 1964 when they were to be replaced with a clad design no longer using silver in the coins. This caused many people to hoard as many dimes as they could when they heard of the impending changes. Silver dimes are very easy to come by still in coin roll hunting as well as finding them in your change from places like the grocery store. Always be sure to check coin star as well! Sometimes these coins get rejected by coin star and can be had for FREE!
Quarters
Standing Liberty – 1916-1931
The standing liberty quarter was only made for 14 years. As previously mentioned with the Buffalo Nickel, the date on this coin design also wore away super quickly. The mint engravers finally changed this issue with a detailed design changed in 1925. These quarters are extremely sought after, especially a 1916. It can be worth $2500-$12,000!
Washington Quarter – 1932- 1964 / 1965-Present
The Washington Quarter was released in 1932 to commemorate the 200th year of George Washington’s birth. The coin features our countries bird on the reverse, the eagle. This coin was struck out of 90% silver up until 1964, same as the dime, and then continued with a clad version up until 1999.
Washington Statehood Quarters 1999-2009
The statehood series of quarters were released in an attempt to get people interested in coin collecting again and it worked. Each design was for a single state and 4 quarters were released each year. It took 10 years to release all the quarters. They were released in the order that the state join the United states with Delaware being first and Hawaii being last. Thousands of people sought these quarters out in an attempt to collect all 50 P & D of each design. It was one of the most successful coin collecting efforts of the US Mint. These quarters are very rare, but there are a few mint errors that can be worth a few bucks.
America The Beautiful Quarters
These quarters were released after the final statehood quarter was issued. They depict national parks or national sites from states all over the country. One state per quarter. In 2019, the first time ever a quarter was stuck with a “W” mint mark for the issued coins minted at West Point Mint in West Point, New York. This was the first quarter to ever be struck with this mint mark. The America the Beautiful Quarters will be released until 2021 with a chance to be extended until 2032. The west point are the most successful and sought after coins of the entire series.
Summary
The point of this blog is, there are many coins you can still find just by searching through change, checking coin stars, vending machines and even rolls from your local bank. Coins are skipped over and they pass through several hands a day. You never know what coin might accidentally be put back into circulation or has even been circulating since the coin was originally made! Be sure to always check your change because you ever know what you might find!