Coin collecting dates to as far back as 650 B.C. and since then, such a hobby has never died in popularity in any part of the world.  Coin collecting enthusiasts are everywhere and each person’s collection is, without a question, a significant reflection of the years that have gone by.  It is a lasting symbol of one’s heritage and roots.

Coin collecting has been such a fascinating hobby that, for some, it has turned out to be a more serious task.  With testimonials from several people, it can even be a very good source of income. 

One good example is Mr. Dennis Shaltanis, a retired assistant principal of Ankeny High School in the US.  His passion for coin collecting started out when he was still a young child.  However, such love for coins did not mellow down as he became more mature.  In fact, at his retirement, it turned out to be his full-time business.  Now, he is devoting greater amount of time to coin collecting more than ever.  He gets to enjoy what he is doing, at the same time, manage to bring in good income.

Starting out as a little boy, Mr. Shaltanis has been involved in the world of coins for half a century already.  In these more or less 50 years, 15 years have involved selling.  Now, his business named Copper-Dollar is doing buy and sell of various types of coins.  Initially, he intended it to be a part-time business only.  However, as he used several media and joined various events to promote his collection such as the internet, exhibits, trade fairs, and auctions, his client base grew bigger and bigger.  In a very short time, his business simply cannot be a part-time one.  He is very familiar where to look for coins to collect and how much he can actually sell them.  However, his coin collection basically focuses on US coins only, but a wide variation of them.

Indeed, as many coin collectors could attest, the most crucial part of this hobby is primarily the search for coins.  Of course, not all coins are valuable enough to be part of a collection.  In addition, the place to go to would strongly depend on the type of coin collection that one wants to have.  The following are the common types:
•    Country collection.  Coins from various countries are essentially the contents of the collection.  A variation of this would be an exclusive collection of coins of one country only, which usually is the home country of the owner.
•    Year collection.  Instead of collecting per type, some prefer to do it by the year.  Thus, it will basically depend on which particular coin has had an upgrade or change in a certain year.
•    Mintmark collection.  This is greatly dependent on differing mint marks in coins.
•    Variety collection.  Various types of dies are often used and this particular type of collection watches out for those.
•    Type collection.  This highlights the variations in design within a certain period of time.
•    Subject collection.  Coins related to a particular subject of interest are part of this.
•    Composition collection.  This kind of collection focuses on the material making up a coin.
•    Period collection.  Owners of this kind set forth a particular period of time that they are interested in making as a subject of collection.

With these factors to consider, it can be said that coins may be sold and bought in so many ways and in so many possible places as well.  Sometimes, even in least expected places, one can come across an interesting piece.  It is not only a museum that carries valuable collections.  In fact, as vague as it is, this is one aspect of coin collecting that makes it really exciting.

A possible source would be banks and some agencies of government.  Most recent coins, including commemorative ones, are most easy to get from these places.  The older ones are commonly sold in coin organizations through auction.

Websites like coinmicroscope.com can likewise be a good place to look into.  Some are official online shops dedicated to selling only collection coins while the others may be more of a personal website aiming to advertise a few personally discovered treasures.

Although there are no definite places to go to when looking for coins, here are several things that one must take note of when looking for and purchasing collection coins:
•    Buy based on personal preferences.  Prior background information gathering will certainly be a good guide in deciding whether something is a good buy or not.
•    When buying from a coin shop, check for reputation in terms of knowledge of seller and quality of items that they have sold in the past.
•    Be updated on prevailing values in the market to ensure money is spent worthily.
•    Organize and define the collection.  Have an overall picture and identify preferences.

There are coin microscopes available to further guide coin buyers.  These can easily identify whether or not a piece of coin is fake as it zooms in the smallest details.

These coin microscopes are constantly developed to suit the needs of users.  There are also several variations.  More often than not, coin sellers who use this kind of equipment to help their customers choose the best piece are the more reliable ones to go to.  Article link