Have you ever considered starting a cOin collection but you don’t have an idea where to begin? Have you tried reading books or articles but the jargon makes you confused? Did you end up having more questions than answers?

Well, in this online course I am going to give you 6 easy steps and valuable tips to get you started on this exciting journey the fancy people call NUMISMATICS. You can even use this information to start your own online business and make extra income! 

This “cOin cOllection Made Easy Online Course” consists of 2 parts: a Beginner’s Course and an Advanced Course (coming soon)

This INTRODUCTORY LESSON OF THE BEGINNER’S COURSE IS FREE OF CHARGE and will give you an overview of the 6 steps. In the rest of this course, I will go into more details for each of the steps.

Although I am based in South Africa, these steps can be followed all over the world. Of course, some of the content may be more relevant in South Africa.

What is Numismatics, and Why Does it Matter?

Numismatics, according to the purists, is the study or collection of currency, including cOins, paper mOney and tOkens. As a science, it teaches us a lot about ancient times, the history of man and the progress of economics and commerce. 

However, we will rather be focusing on the FUN part, and the INVESTMENT part of cOin collection.

STEP 1: Decide why you want to collect cOins.

• Do you want to make money with cOins? You must realise that this will take some time to turn a profit.
• Do you want to collect cOins for sentimental reasons? People sometimes want cOins of a certain year because they want to commemorate an event in their lives, e.g. weddings, birth of a child, retirement, etc.
• Are you looking to invest money in rare or precious coins? This is the motivation for many people who start a cOin collection. I would definitely recommend getting advice from experts in this field before randomly buying cOins that “look like a good investment”
• Do you want to start an online business with cOins? It is relatively easy to start an online business trading cOins. eBay is a good example of a worldwide platform that’s readily available and easy to use. In South Africa, there are many online vendors, like Takealot, Gumtree, Junkmail, Ananzi, OLX and my personal favourite, Bidorbuy.
• Are you a small investor, or do you have capital available to invest large sums of money in cOins? The amount available for you to spend or invest will of course determine your target market, speed of acquiring your goals, types of cOins, etc.
• Once you have built up a cOin collection, do you plan to keep it as an investment or are you planning to sell your cOins to make a profit?

STEP 2: Decide what you want to collect

Which cOins or series of cOins or which country’s cOins are “speaking to your heart”? Yes, cOin collection is a science, and some people take it very seriously, but it can be an emotional experience at times. However, it SHOULD ALSO BE FUN!

Are you going to limit your collection to cOins, or do you want to include paper money as well?  Paper money has got its own challenges, its own experts and generally speaking, a smaller following.

You may even decide to expand your collection to tokens, patterns and medals. 

Are you into antique or modern cOins? Antique cOins are a specialised field and you will need either special training or do tons of research to be well-versed on this topic.

Once you have identified your preferences, start doing research about those cOins.

I can recommend the following books:

STEP 3: Learn the lingo

Numismatists have their own jargon, which can be confusing at first. You’ll find terminology like Obverse, Reverse, cOin struck, Medal struck, Proof, Mint State, Ultra Cameo, Uncirculated, Commemorative cOins, Circulation cOins, Proof-like cOins and a host of other terms.

In my course, I will try to explain all these terms for you, and hopefully you’ll never wonder about their meaning again!

STEP 4: Get the Accessories

First, the good news – you DO NOT need a lot of expensive gear, but a few things are essential: 

• A pair of cotton gloves (NOT Latex – the lubricants or powder can cause damage)
• A magnifying glass – 7X or 10X magnification is good enough for cOin details
• Storage holders, like cOin capsules, folders or cOin files
• Notebook or, even better, start a spreadsheet to keep track of your collection
• Reference book or Catalogue. For SA, I recommend “HERN’s Handbook on SA Coins & Patterns” – keep your edition updated, since cOin prices can vary from year to year. It is available here: (on the landing page, just search Hern’s Coins 2020)

STEP 5: Learn to care for your cOins

It is important to know how to take care of your cOins, even before you start collecting them! If you take proper care of your cOins, they will give you decades of pleasure. 

Never touch the inside of the cOin; always hold a cOin gently on the rim, preferably with cotton gloves. 

NEVER TRY TO CLEAN CoINS! You will not only possibly damage your cOin, but you will also decrease its value and remove some of the cOin’s history and character.

You can put cheaper cOins in acid-free paper envelopes, tubes or albums. Store your more valuable cOins in proper folders or PVC-free plastic bags. Consider encapsulating your most valuable cOins. During the course, we’ll discuss grading and encapsulation in detail.

 DO NOT STORE YOUR CoINS LIKE THIS!

STEP 6: Start Collecting

 Now that you have a broad idea of what you want to collect and you know how to care for your cOins, and you’ve acquired the necessary accessories, it is time for the next step: Define your collection type. Do you want to collect only silver cOins, for instance, or only a specific year’s cOins, or cOin sets of a certain type or theme? Decide whether you’re going to focus on your country’s cOins, or are you going internationally?

In South Africa, many people start with Mandela cOins, since they are readily available and because of the love and respect for him. More info on Mandela cOins will follow…

If you want to start an online business with cOins, the old adage “Buy low, sell high” comes to mind, but with cOins there are a few additional tips and tricks that we’ll get into during the Advanced Course.

But WHERE do I find my cOins, you might ask? There are several possibilities: at your country’s MINT, at cOin shops, antique shops, private sellers, auction houses, and, of course, ONLINE. 

In South Africa, cOins can be bought online on web stores like Gumtree, Takealot and Bidorbuy, as mentioned before. If you want to start selling your cOins online, the same platforms can be used. We’ll go into the pros and cons of online selling platforms during the course.

In my Advanced Course (coming soon), I will also provide tips on starting your own online cOin trading business, but it is absolutely important to cover the basics first!

So, in short: JUMP RIGHT IN and start this wonderful journey! 

In summary: 

Determine your WHY before anything else

• Decide what you want to collect
• Learn the terminology
• Accessorize
• Take proper care of your cOins
• Jump in and start your collection!

I hope this will encourage you to start your own cOin collection, for whatever reason. This is an exciting journey, and I really would like to help you on this road. I trust I can help your initial hobby to become your passion, like it is mine. 

Feel free to drop me an email with your questions or queries, and I promise to answer them personally as quickly as possible.

If you would like to learn more, please PURCHASE my Online Course

Looking forward to chatting again – keep well, stay safe and please wear your mask!