Looking for a sign to start a coin collection? This is it! Starting and/or expanding your coin collection is one of the most fun and interesting hobbies out there. It’s a journey through history, culture and design. Helsinki Mint is ready to help you finding out all you need to know to kickstart your coin collection.
Why Start a Coin Collection?
Coin collecting appeals to people for many reasons. Some are drawn to the historical stories behind coins, others to their beauty or investment value. Either way, collecting coins can be a perfect way to learn, connect and even pass on to a later generation.
Where to start
There are many options when starting a coin collection. Maybe you want to start a collection from scratch or perhaps you are continuing an existing collection.
Think about what you are drawn to. You can choose your collection based on a certain theme, like:
- Country: collecting coins from Finland or other countries.
- Time period: are you more interested in WWII coins, coins from the Roman Empire or a certain century;
- Denomination: it’s possible you are mostly interested in 2 euro coins or coin sets;
- Design or topic: you might want to collect the coins from a certain designer or topic.
Start small: check out the coins you currently have in your wallet, ask friends or family if they have old coins that they brought from travels and visit local markets or online platforms. With starting small, you can learn collecting at your own pace, without high cost.
Next to that, coins can be found at many places. Depending on what you are looking for, this could be our catalog, but you can also check out coin dealers, visit coin shows like World Money Fair or local fairs, or become part of collector’s communities. These are the most trustworthy platforms to find top quality coins.
Understanding coins
Before diving in to buying new coins, it's good to know more about the value of a coin. Therefore it’s smart to invest some time in:
- How to identify the quality of a coin (graded coins or certificate of authenticity)
- Learning what makes a coin rare (low mintage, historic context, etc)
- How to read a coin’s feature (date, material, precious metals, mint mark)
Learning about these topics will give you more knowledge and confidence while scouting for new coin treasures. Before you know it, you’ll be a true master in the world of coin collecting.
Starter coin – tips from Helsinki Mint
Every new collector has to start somewhere. Maybe you already have some coins that will be the start of a long-lasting collection. If you’re looking for a good starter coin, we have the perfect options lined up, depending on the budget you have:
- Low budget: check out the 2 euro coins, they are easy and fun to collect!
- Medium budget: what about starting a collection of euro coins from all over the world, like coin sets from each year from Finland or other countries.
- High budget: have a look at some precious metals coins made of gold or silver that are perfect for long-term collecting.
Connect with other collector’s, make sure you know how to properly store your new coins and from there it’s time to enjoy the journey!