Coin Collecting

Coin Collecting is a great hobby! But if you plan to buy every coin in a coin shop, be prepared to spend money – sometimes big money.  So how can someone collect coins without breaking the bank?

Coin Collecting

For beginning coin collectors, consider going to your local bank.  Withdraw as much money as you are willing to tie up for the week.  If you withdraw $20 and ask the teller to give it to you in pennies, you will have 2,000 pennies to go through.  I have heard of people who found wheats and foreign pennies in those rolls. Once you are done looking through the coins, just reroll them (with free rolls you request at the bank) and then redeposit the money.  You probably won’t find more than $1.00s worth of collectible coins.  So you had hours of hobby fun for less than $1.00!

Make friends with your local teller or cashier.  I know of one man who told everyone at his local McDonald’s, gas station and bank that he was looking for wheat pennies and old change.  It was amazing how many times these contacts would catch him when he came into their business and let him ‘buy’ out the wheat pennies with his current change.  The store wasn’t out any money and he didn’t have to pay big bucks for his collection.

Use Swagbucks to earn money for Paypal.   Now you can spend money on ebay and buy books and individual coins without costing you a dime!

Use Christmas and Birthdays to build your collection.  When parents and family ask what to get you for the holiday, tell them you want a roll of pennies, quarters, dimes or nickels. Most all coin collectors love going through unsearched coins. You might get a nice surprise!  Or be brave and ask them for a paticular year and coin. (and of course give them a hint of where to go find it!)

Any other ways you can collect coins while living on a budget?