Coin collecting

Coins may be collected as objects in their own right for a number of reasons.

The scientific study of coins is a branch of numismatics.

Coin collectors usually select an area of interest and collect coins from that area. Popular interests include coins of a certain nation, ancient or medieval coins, world coins, and error coins. Often within these interests people choose even more specific specialties.

A collector of coins of a certain nation often choose coins of their own country. Popular ways to collect coins of a certain nation are to collect one of every date for a particular series or to collect a representative coin of each different series (type collecting). For example a US type set would include each varity of the different denominations: 1-cent coin, 2-cent coin, 3-cent coin, 5-cent coin etc. An example of a date set in Great Britain would be to collect one of every date for the Queen Victoria large penny 1837-1901.

Collectors of ancient and medieval coins are usually more interested in historical significance than other collectors. Collectors of ancient and medieval might collect Roman,

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Greek, Celtic, Parthian, Merovignian, Ostrogothic, Jewish, or other coins. Specialties tend to vary greatly, but examples might be collecting coins of a particular emperor.

Collectors world coins are often interested in geography. They can travel the world vicariously through their collecting. A popular way to collect world coins is to collect representative examples from every country.

The collecting of error coins is a modern invention. Collectors of ancient and medievel coins shun coins with errors because ancient and/or medieval coins are unique (they didn't have mass-production back then). Collectors of modern coins seek collect them because they are so rare today. Types of coin error include double strikes, off metal coins, off center coins, and clipped coins.

In coin collecting the condition of a coin is very important, a high quality example is often worth numerous times the amount a worn example is worth. Collectors have created systems to describe the overall condition of coin, and their are even professional grading services that grade and "encapsulate" coins in a plastic holder. Professional grading services are subject of controversy because grading is subjective and a coin may receive a different grade by a different service, or by a different grader at the same service. Due to the large differences in values of slight differences in modern coins, some dealers will send a coin to a grading serivce over and over until they receive the grade they desire.