World Coins
aka 'the Darkside'-- a name generated by primarily US based collectors inhabiting the coin forums at PCGS. US coins became the Lightside (or liteside), Canadian coins were dubbed 'the Greyside', and exonumia 'the Farside'. Basically a big step to take for the standard US collector--moving across (or back and forth between) borders.
New world collectors often start with a 'one from every country' or 'OFEC' collection. Others may start a year set. Collecting directions also might be generated by a fondness for a specific theme (eg coins with horses), historical interest, or perhaps focusing on a specific country because of family ties or work. The possibilities are endless, and collecting 'darkside' (farside and greyside included) is relatively more budet friendly than equivalent US coin collections. |
The collections on this site generally reflect many of these. For example, my try at OFEC was an abysmal failure as I could never quite settle on how to define my country list and, more significantly found it difficult to pick just ONE coin per country. Hence the Albanian coins, I found it difficult to progress much past the 'A' category.
The Japanese coins resulted from gaining an interest after residing in Japan for several years. The Uruguay coins defy explanation other than apparently I like the puma. And so on.
The Japanese coins resulted from gaining an interest after residing in Japan for several years. The Uruguay coins defy explanation other than apparently I like the puma. And so on.
As with most collecting the most important thing to start with, at least before things get serious, is 'buy the book'. Perhaps not literally, but definitely do research and due diligence to avoid possible mistakes, false starts and even some of the more unsavoury aspects of this (or any other) hobby.
The Krause catalogs are a standard even though they can be dated and mistaken. Libraries often have them available, and the several volumes cover from 1601-current. The NGC pricing guide is powered by these and if you know what you are looking for can be a nice short cut. Double check prices with dealer websites and ebay (or other auctions) as needed. Online and electronic versions are very helpful, but sometimes flipping pages in a book can be a lot more useful, whether it is to idly gaze at coins, or when searching for an unknown. The coin identifier pages and the mintmark pages prove invaluable.
Specialty series often have more specific resources. Ancient coins have a plethora of texts, Conder tokens have their standard texts etc. Where applicable I've tried to link this information. Don't forget Google-fu. And, if all else fails, a post on the Cointalk, PCGS, or NGC forums can get good results too. The collectors and dealers on the social sites are exceedingly helpful and generally friendly.
The Krause catalogs are a standard even though they can be dated and mistaken. Libraries often have them available, and the several volumes cover from 1601-current. The NGC pricing guide is powered by these and if you know what you are looking for can be a nice short cut. Double check prices with dealer websites and ebay (or other auctions) as needed. Online and electronic versions are very helpful, but sometimes flipping pages in a book can be a lot more useful, whether it is to idly gaze at coins, or when searching for an unknown. The coin identifier pages and the mintmark pages prove invaluable.
Specialty series often have more specific resources. Ancient coins have a plethora of texts, Conder tokens have their standard texts etc. Where applicable I've tried to link this information. Don't forget Google-fu. And, if all else fails, a post on the Cointalk, PCGS, or NGC forums can get good results too. The collectors and dealers on the social sites are exceedingly helpful and generally friendly.