A Window on ... Coin Collecting Getting Organised

	Why Organise? At this point you will have started your coin collection and own the basic equipment and materials: Coins Coin album, tray or some form of storage system Magnifying glass Plastic-coated tweezers When you look through your coins, you will see that there are many different designs. You will also notice the variety of metals used - copper, nickel, silver, steel, aluminium. If you have any bank notes you will see the range of artwork, designs and colours used as well as noting the different sizes and watermarks. If you have collected your coins from various sources, you will probably have a collection of coins from around the world. Most young collectors start by collecting any coins from anywhere or because they have been given a commemorative coin for a special occasion. The first step then is to sort out your coins to see what you have got.
	Country Collections If you have several coins from one country you may decide to build on this group. In most countries, coins - and even notes - have been around for quite a long time, so you have plenty of possibilities to add to your collection.
	Collections with a Theme As you look through your coins, you will find that some have interesting subjects shown on them such as birds, ships or famous people. Themed collections are a fascinating way to collect coins and these collections can contain coins from any country. Popular themes include space exploration, trees, animals or any of those listed above. If you are unsure what to collect, try to look for several coins with a particular theme to make sure there are enough around to make a collection worthwhile. Commemorative coins can be included in this section as several coins throughout the world are minted to commemorate such events as the Olympics or the World Cup. For the Millennium celebrations, there will certainly be hundreds of special commemorative coins minted.
	Just One Coin If you look at many British £1 coins you will see several different examples of the same coin. Collecting as many examples as possible of one coin can be a simple but intriguing way to organise your collection.
Index About Coins Getting Started Sources of Information FAQs
	Copyright ©1997 - British Telecommunications plc
Last modified on: Tuesday, July 1, 1997.