Jan 192012
 

Collecting gold coins can prove to be a personally fulfilling pastime. For a beginner, though, it may seem a tad difficult to figure out the correct way to go about amassing a coin collection. Below are some hints that should prove helpful for the budding collector.

First, if you have had no luck at a coin shop once, do not write if off as a place to try again in future. Pieces are constantly being passed from collector to collector through shops. What a shop does not have this week, they may have next week. Always keep your options open.

Make sure to maintain subscriptions to publications on this subject as well. This will allow you to keep yourself informed about coin details and the lingo used by collectors as well. You can also discover the places that retail all sorts of pieces and make use of them in building your own collection.

Membership of a local coin collecting club is also a good idea. You will meet people who have been doing this for a long time and can give you pointers on building your own collection. They may even trade with you and advise you on which places you should use for acquiring pieces for your collection.

Being part of a group will also alert you to what a dealer is like before you do business with them. A dodgy dealer will rip you off by charging over the odds for a piece that you want. Having knowledge of a dealer’s form will prevent you from having to experience this, so having a network that you can learn from is of immense importance.

You should, however, establish contacts with a number of dealers so that you will always be able to make price comparisons. Relying on the say so of a dealer that they are making you an offer you will not get elsewhere is foolhardy at best. You may find after the fact that a better offer did exist elsewhere, so it is up to you to discover that this is so before any exchange takes place.

If you think that investing in coins is a safer bet than investing in stocks and shares, you may wish to reconsider your thinking. Gold may not change, but how much potential buyers think its value is will change. This value is just as subject to the vagaries of the market as any stocks and shares are. So whether you invest in a coin or a stock, be aware that your investment has no guaranteed return on it.

In conclusion, then, collection gold coins seems like a fairly straightforward activity to partake in. Nonetheless, as your collection grows and you learn of the options available to you, you learn that it is in fact much more complex than it is commonly supposed to be. If the advice above is followed, however, then a beginner will be less likely to take a wrong turn.

With many years as a collector of the 20 gold coin, Gary Davis has a home on the internet offering information for collecting the 20 gold coin.

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Jul 042011
 

ALREADY passed through innumerable sets of hands, one of Australia’s first coins has been sold to a new owner for close to half a million dollars.

A Melbourne-based collector bought one of the 300 remaining holey dollars for $485,000, a record price for this type of coin.

via Historic Australian holey dollar sells for record $485,000 | News.com.au.

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Jan 102010
 

Australian Coin Collectors Guide – Everything you need to know

A good coin collectors guide is a must have for coin collectors at every level. For beginners they help to identify the best coins for your collection and can tell you where to look for them. For the more advanced collector or investor your coin guide can show you how to find coin collection values  and where to sell them for the best prices. The Layman’s Guide to Australian Coins has all of this information and much much more.

Most experienced collectors would advise every “newbie” to read at least one good coin collecting guide before you even think about buying a coin. It’s not just a matter of “finders keepers” where you grab just any coin and add it to your collection. If you are going to be buying coins to add to your collection you need to know at least a little about getting the best value for your money.

Over time your collection can even increase in value but it it’s a big help to get off to the right start. Some coins are not worth collecting and on the other hand, a coin with incredible vale could easily be overlooked. Australian rare pennies for example, depending on the year of minting and condition, can vary in value from a few dollars to hundreds of thousands.

When you look for a good Australian Coin Collecors Guide, try to find one that contains the following information:-

1. It must give some information on coin history. If you are going to be collecting Australian coins, you need to know a little about the history of minting in this country.

2. It must give you advice on grading coins. The condition of coins can have a huge impact on their value. By being able to recognise the difference in grade of coins you will have a better idea on the real market value.

3. It must tell you how to find your coin collection values. Just like any other investment item, coin prices can vary considerably from time to time. A good guide will tell you how to find the current market values and trends so you will know if it’s the right time to think about selling your coins.

4. It will also give you an idea on the best places to sell your coins. Is it better to go to a dealer or sell your coins at an auction? Should you be buying and selling coins online?

It can actually be hard to find  good coin collecting books  with all of the information needed on Australian coin collections. Fortunately we have the Layman’s Guide To Australian Coins which has been written by coin expert and president of the Australian Numismatics Dealers Association, Peter Crellin. Peter provides all of the information needed by the budding beginner or the more advanced coin investor. Click here now to find out how to get up to the minute information on collecting Australian coins and the value of your collection.

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Oct 042008
 

I don’t know why I’ve been putting it off for so long but at least now I’ve gotten around to havng a look at Squidoo. Here’s my first “lens”, based on one of my favourite niche topics, australian coins. http://www.squidoo.com/rare-australian-coins-values 

Once I bit the bullet I was surprised at how easy it was to plug modules together and create a page. My first attempt is probably a little rushed but now that it’s up and running I can get to work on tweaking. Who knows, maybe it will even help to make a little money. For a free site with the potential to make some income, Squidoo appears to well worth some effort.

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May 052008
 

Performance of Rare Australian Coins


It’s well known that rare collectible coins have great investment potential and Australian rare coins are no exception. In fact some examples, such as the famous 1930 penny, are among the rarest and most valuable collectible coins to be found. In times of economic instability, investors look towards precious metals and coins for security. Coins can be volatile in the market but are often regularly seen to outperform precious metals.

While uncirculated coins will naturally have the highest value, there is plenty of value to be found in coins of lower quality. For example, a coin that is fairly common in the marketplace, such as an 1889 gold sovereign of average condition, will probably attract a price around 10% higher than the gold it contains. The value will certainly increase with the quality of the coin. Find the same coin in near mint condition and you can expect a return four or more times higher than the intrinsic gold value. In the market for Australian sovereigns, there are around 250 known different date and mint mark combinations, 150 of these are considered common, the rest are scarce to rare.

Gold coins are not the only ones of value to astute collectors. If you can manage to come across an average 1930 penny, expect a return in excess of $20,000. Only around 2000 of these coins made it into circulation and are now very rare. Even more so the proof edition of this coin, only six were produced. Three of these are now in private collections and are valued at over $1,000,000.

It’s not age that has the greatest influence on the value of coins, but rarity and demand in the marketplace. Australian half sovereigns can be more valuable than ancient coins. In the last 5 years some uncirculated half sovereigns have more than doubled in value. In the same period, uncirculated type 2 Adelaide pounds (not as rare as the type 1), have increased from $28,000, to $120,000.

The table below lists some examples of the investment performance of some Australian coins in recent years. For more up-to-date information on coin values, please visit the Australian Rare Coin Ready Reckoner.

Value
1965
Value
1999
Value
2005
1813 – NSW Holey Dollar… VF/EF 600 37,500 125,000
1852 – Type 1 Adelaide Pound… EF 90 20,000 95,000
1855 – Type 1 Sydney Mint Sov… aUNC 230 25,000 45,000
1923 – Australian Half Penny… VF 16 1,650 4,5000
1930 – Australian Penny… VF 180 18,500 45,000
1915 – Australian Shilling… BrUNC 42 8,500 15,000
1938 – Australian Proof Crown… FDC 150 16,500 40,000
1932 – Australian Florin… BrUNC 650 17,500 24,000
1933 – Australian Shilling… BrUNC 80 9,500 17,500
1923 – Australian Halfpenny… gEF 47 7,500 27,500
1919 – Aus. Sixpence… BrUNC 70 1,950 3,500
1893S – Victoria Proof Sov… FDC 300 21,000 55,000
1914 – Florin… BrUNC 34 4,500 8,500

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