What Makes Certain Coins Collectable?

Just like records, stickers, badges, artwork or even cars, what makes coins collectable can be entirely personal. If you’re into Aston Martin, then coins that feature those classic cars will be collectable to you. The same goes for any theme, be it royal events, military history, literature, film, space exploration….anything really!

But, more specifically, there are certain characteristics that make one coin, or series of coins, more collectable and will make them more valuable, both as part of your collection and on the secondary market should you decide one day to sell them.

Rarity

Whether it’s the 50 pence piece in your pocket or the gleaming Proof quality commemorative coin in a capsule, all coins have what is known as a mintage, which simply means the amount of that coin that have been struck. The smaller the mintage, the more collectable that coin is, which is what makes limited edition issues so highly coveted.

Authenticity

Ever since precious metals were first hammered into forms that could be carried and exchanged for goods and services, fakes and forgeries have been an unfortunate reality. It’s true of most industries; technology, fashion, event tickets…anything where there is a level of desirability is prone to counterfeit.

Most, if not all, authentic collectable coins are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, which often contains information regarding the coin’s mintage, metal and purity. So it’s important to keep these certificates safe, for example inside the presentation folder or case that came with your collection.

Completeness

A series of coins tells a complete story or contains the most important examples of that particular coin, so a complete series is always worth more to a collector than one that is missing a coin or two.

Condition

That moment when a coin is struck and leaves the mint is when it is truly in ‘mint’ condition! It immediately starts to deteriorate from that point, which is why collectable commemorative coins are immediately placed inside a sealed capsule to preserve that crisp, perfect finish.

The better the condition, the more collectible a coin is and the higher value it can command. The same goes for the presentation folder or case, certificates and booklets; keep them all as pristine as you can.