by A J Grape

Created on: July 29, 2008   Last Updated: November 25, 2008

What makes a coin worth collecting? What is the definition of a collector grade coin? These are questions that will get many differing answers, depending on who you ask and what niche of coin collecting you are discussing.

When it comes to determining the collect-ability of a coin, there is no end to subjective opinions. The universally accepted "Sheldon Numerical Scale" has brought us a leveling in the industry and a standard approach to grading coins. But, merely understanding the techniques to apply to grade a coin, still leaves us without an answer to the question. Now that we have identified its grade, is the coin collector grade?

Coin Dealers have determined that there are two spheres of coin acquisition in the hobby, two markets, if you will. The first is called the Investor Grade Market, or collecting merely for high investment purposes. The coins in this market are high in value to begin with, are hard to come by and always increase in value over time. These coins will generally never merit less than Extremely Fine condition as a minimum standard. They are still collected for their numismatic value and potential; that is to say, they are not purchased for bullion speculation, but for grade, rarity and collector value. The coins in this market are generally purchased by serious and wealthy collectors.

The other sphere is called the Collector Grade Market, which is a nice way of saying, "what the wealthy wont buy". In my opinion, this term is elitist and teeters on the edge of insult to the average enthusiast. I have purchased many coins over the years on eBay and elsewhere, for much less than they should have sold for and have turned a good profit on them. You could say I stole them, for what I paid. And that really gets to the heart of why we collect coins in the first place. It's the sifting through piles coins in order to find treasure.

There are many avenues in coin collecting. Some may collect to connect to an outlying interest. Examples of this type of collecting would be, Collecting Coins from around the world, Collecting Sports Related Coins, Civil War Era Coins, Animal Portrait Coins, and Maritime Ship Coins. Another pursuit could be to pursue Early or Modern Commemorative Set Collections, Or American Series Set Collection, i.e.: Complete Lincoln Penny Sets, Washington Quarter Sets, Mercury Dime Sets and the recent and very popular collecting of all 50 States Quarter Sets.

What ever the reason for beginning the hobby of collecting coins, it is

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