Using proper terminology in collecting is incredibly important. Nobody is going to take you seriously if you start talking about a coin and say things like “The words on the front of�it�are great!” Or “It looks like the mint stamped the coin really well.” If you don’t know the proper terminology, you are not a serious collector, no matter how much other stuff you know about a specific coin.��

Coin grading is one of the most important things a collector must learn before going very far into the hobby. Coin grading is not only valuable to find the condition of your coins but also to make sure you’re buying or selling coins at a fair price based on their condition. Professional coin grading services, such as PCGS, NGC, and ANACS, have trained professionals to determine the grade, and thus, the value of your rare coin(s). Some coins are easy to grade, while others are much more�difficult, for one reason or another. Often this involves the design of the coin, which may be unique to a specific series. This can also make�determining�if a coin is genuine difficult. These are some of the most difficult coins to grade, even for professionals who have been in the profession for many years.�

Companies attempt to sell “gold” quarters as great future coin investments, which they are not. Because the term “gold” generally coincides with “valuable” and “precious metal,” people believe that they should be worth a significant amount and purchase gold plated coins with that thought. The problem with these, however, is that, while they are gold plated, the gold plating is incredibly thin, only thin enough to give the appearance of gold. There is nothing wrong with owning gold-plated coins, with the most common being quarters, as long as you did not spend the overpriced prices for the coins. These are real quarters, plated by a third-party service, not the official US Mint. Because of that reason, many collectors even go as far as to claim these coins are damaged.��