A Letter to Curious Beginners

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Dear Soon-To-Be-Coin-Extraordinaire,

This message is my attempt to answer a common question: What advice would you give someone wanting to try numismatics? I hope that you find the following response to be helpful and that it provides you with all the knowledge you need to start your coin journey.

1. Choose an Object

The first step is figuring out what you want to collect. You need to find a coin that you love and think is interesting. An incredible way to do that is to get a bag of world coins from a local coin dealer. They are inexpensive (usually under  $10), come with pieces that represent a range of history, and are a great way to start on the path to discover a love of numismatics. Some other cool options would be a roll of Wheat pennies (old 1-cent pieces that depict wheat ears on the reverse, hence the nickname), Barber dimes, and if you want something a little more high-end, large cents. One-cent pieces used to be huge, nearly as big as a half dollar! 

2. Read about It

Next, let’s look at all the coins you just bought and learn about them! To do that, you need to get some books. Some essential literature to start off with would be A Guide Book of United States Coins (the “Red Book”), Kenneth Bressett’s Coin Collecting: An Introduction to the World of Numismatics, and Q. David Bower’s The Expert’s Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins. They are amazing introductions to the portal of coins. A good place to get almost any numismatic book is the ANA’s Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library. It has old, new, rare, and common literature on almost every topic. All you need to do is tell them which books you want, pay for the shipping fees, and then you get to keep them for six weeks! 

3. Gather All the Information

Okay, now let’s narrow it down a little and choose the coin (or coins) that you like best. Once you’ve decided, it’s time to research that coin. Make a poster!  Make a PowerPoint! Gather all the information you can find about that coin.

4. Join the ANA

After that, let’s join the ANA! This awesome organization has an interactive website and an amazing magazine titled The Numismatist that is chock-full of helpful articles on everything from Morgan dollars to budget-friendly coin-related holiday presents! The ANA has helpful tutorial videos, seminars, and slideshows on everything from paper-money errors to Greek coins. Its Young Numismatist program is incredible too. It offers monthly and annual auctions where you can bid on real coins and other items using YN dollars that you earn by doing fun, coin-related projects. The ANA also has a message board on Padlet where you can share your nerdy coin awesomeness with other kids around the globe!  

5. Join a Local Club

You’re doing an amazing job! You discovered what you are going to collect, you got some awesome books, you joined the ANA, and you even made a presentation! But now, who are you going to show your presentation to? Who are you going to get some book recommendations from? Who are you going to share your collection with? Now, it’s time to join a coin club! There is no better feeling than discovering where you belong, and if you’re into numismatics, a coin club is the perfect place to be yourself. At a coin club, it doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, and no one cares if you just started. All that matters is that you have a passion for numismatics. Find a club near you or join the Young Numismatists of America through the ANA. It’s an online coin club that meets monthly.

You have done an incredible job getting started on your coin journey! Pat yourself on the back. I hope that you now love coins as much as I do and that you had fun. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Ben Lewandowski

P.S. Before I end this article, I just want to say that it is totally okay if you still don’t know what you want to collect yet. Most people don’t know until they get more knowledgeable about numismatics. You will know when you find what is right for you. And there’s no rush—it’s fun to explore! I hope to see you at the next coin show!