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There are several popular approaches to collecting coins. For example, you can collect by
series
, type, theme and date. You can collect
the coins you use everyday such as pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters - or buy specially minted
coins made by the United States Mint including
proof coins,
uncirculated coins,
mint sets,
commemoratives and
American Eagle bullion coins. You can also
collect foreign and ancient coins.
- Series collection. "Jefferson nickels from 1938 to the present" is an example
of a collectable series. To complete a set, you would need to acquire one coin from each
year and each mint where the coin was minted. In this case, you would need nickels from the
United States Mint's Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco facilities.
- Type set. A type set of
coins consists of one of each major design used for each denomination.
For example, you would need one of each of the four types of nickels. Each type has varieties, which you could add to your
collection to make it more complete.
- Date collection. This set includes a
variety of coins made in one particular year, such as the
year you were born or a wedding anniversary.
- Theme. Some people collect coins that showcase presidents or other
political figures, the Olympics or birds and animals. You can choose a subject that is of
special interest to you, and look for coins that relate to that subject.
- U.S. Coins. Everyday coins or coins specially minted by the United States
Mint such as proof coins, uncirculated coins and commemoratives.
- Foreign Coins. There are several ways to collect foreign coins. Topical
collecting (collecting coins with a specific topic depicted on at least one of the two
sides) is one of the most popular methods. You can also collect by country or historical
event, such as World War II or the sinking of the Titanic. Another method is called Crown
collecting. Crowns are about the size of an American silver dollar and usually have some
silver content. An example is the Hungarian 5 Pengo. Crowns also have been produced by
Brazil, England and the Dominican Republic.
- Ancient Coins. Before coins were machine-made, they were individually struck
by hand. Unlike modern coins, ancient coins (from ancient Greece and Rome) were not uniform
and round, and they were made with highly raised designs.