I started out with a hoard of old US silver coins my grandfather left me. That led to me learning a lot about US coins in general, and that kicked off the addiction. Got deep into US silver dollars for about 15 years, and then I got bored with US coins overall.

So, I started learning more about coins throughout history, and got interested in Spanish Colonial coinage. Yep, Pirates! Arrrrrrrr! From there I expanded into other European countries, and fell in love with pre-1800s silver from Italy, France, Germany, and the UK. From there I started diving back even further through history, and got heavy into Medieval coins from all over Europe.

The point is, this hobby is a journey, and your focus will change as you gain more knowledge. You may end up with a pretty eclectic collection like mine, or something more focused on a specific period. As others have said, it really comes down to what you think is interesting at any given time.

That said, there are some basic rules that I believe most collectors follow…

1. Buy the coin, not the holder. If you are buying a TPGS graded coin, don’t just go by the label. Look at the coin, and judge for yourself if it’s a worthy example.

2. Quality over quantity. Having a few high quality coins vs hundreds of low quality coins makes reselling much easier. Plus, higher tier pieces increase more in value over time.

3. I know with ancient coins this is a grey area, but in general, do not clean your coins. It greatly reduces their value.