1. Face To Face: Coin Collectors Know Best

 The internet is home to a lot of gold coin dealers wherein you can meet all sorts of people from all over the world who are into both buying and selling gold coins. Of course, it is a rather convenient venue for you to be able to do your transactions. You must be extremely conscious, however, when it comes to dealing with other gold coin collectors that you will meet through the internet. While there are some real gold coin enthusiasts in the internet, there are also those people who are posing as gold coin collectors and are just looking to rip you off.

2. Why Gold Coins?

The history of gold coins dates as far back as 2,700 years ago. The first gold coins in the world were issued in Lydia around 640 B.C. certain internet websites will provide you with a lot of information about the history of gold coins.

A PIECE of gold treasure found by a man with a metal detector dates back to the 17th century and is a unique find for Wales.

The gold touch-piece of James II is almost certainly the only one of its kind to be found in Wales after being discovered by Philip Richard Jones on his land at Overton.

Yesterday the item was declared treasure by North East Wales coroner John Hughes at an inquest at Flint magistrates court.

The inquest heard how the coin-like piece dating from between 1685 to 1688 was unearthed in July and transferred to the National Museum in August.

The touch-piece has a sailing ship on one side and St Michael and the dragon on the other, is punctured by a small hole and is made of gold “of a high fineness”.

Touch pieces form part of the ceremony of touching for “the King’s evil”, a complaint called scrofula. Dating back to the time of Edward IV in 1465, there was a belief that the King’s touch cured the condition and patients were touched by the King by a coin called the angel or angel-noble.

THREE treasure hunters have unearthed 62 Roman coins which date back 1,700 years.

Adam Staples, Lisa Grace and her 14-year-old son, Tom Grace –- out with his metal detector for the first time – made the discovery on land near Stanton-by-Bridge.

The trio, from Derby, were scouring the soil when their equipment began to beep.

Mr Staples scooped up the earth and in his hands were the first of 62 ancient coins they would find over the next six days.

Yesterday, an inquest held at Derby Coroner’s Court decided they were treasure – which means they are more than 300 years old and contain less than 10% gold or silver.

The items must now be offered for sale to a museum at a price set by an independent board of antiquities experts. Only if a museum expresses no interest in the item, or is unable to purchase it, can the owner retain it.

The coins date back to the reign of four emperors, Diocletianus, Maximianus, Constantius and Galerius, who ruled Britain between 296AD and 305AD.

You see, rare coins have a certain kind of attraction in them; they have the power to attract historians as well as artisans towards them and their era. A historian by just looking at a coin, can find information like geography artistry philosophy and the culture to which the coin belonged.

Where as an Artisans will be able to gather information on the uniqueness of the coins design its beauty .Coin collectors are always on a look out for such rare coins as the value of these rare coins in the collectors market is unimaginable.

In ancient times Powerful kings and aristocrats would get their faces printed on the coins produced in their governance. Thanks to these kind of coins some prominent figures of history are still remembered . Many a times coin collectors will come across such coin, on which the face of an old emperor is printed and the coin collector wont be able to judge its value.

The value of rare coins is always higher ,but shortage or scarcity of the coin will further increase the price of the coin. A rare coin but abundance in circulation will not fetch as high a price as a not so rare coin but scarce in nature.

In a move that some coin collectors fear could eventually make it difficult to pursue their passion, the United States government has imposed import restrictions on ancient coins from Cyprus. It is the first time the United States has limited trade in a broad category of coins as part of an effort to guard the cultural heritage of another country.

The new rules, which were adopted last week and went into effect on Monday, would essentially bar the importation of any ancient coin from Cyprus unless authorized by the Cypriot government. The limits are part of a broader agreement between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus to extend for five years existing restrictions on the import of pre-classical, classical and Byzantine art and artifacts from the island.

The new rule is only the latest development in a debate involving archaeologists, collectors and art dealers over how best to preserve antiquities and encourage appreciation of the past.

Cyprus has said the restrictions are necessary to combat the looting of cultural and archaeological sites, particularly in the northern part of the island, which has been divided from the south since Turkey invaded in 1974.

Coin collectors from every corner of the globe have, at one time or another, come across a certain coin and wonder whether what they have in their possession is something of enormous value or just a piece of junk. It is important that, as a coin collector, you learn about the key factors that determine, or at least influence, coins value in order to be guided in your quest to find treasures of yore. There's more to a coin than its face value, and of course, just because a coin does not carry significant monetary value does not mean you should not covet it to form part of your precious coin collection.

There are basically five factors that determine or influence the value of a particular coin. These primary factors are the coin's rarity or scarcity these days, its bullion value, the demand for it among collectors today, its grade or condition, and its quality. Keep reading to find more about each of these primary factors and be enlightened about coin value estimation.

Obviously, coins value is greatly factored out by its rarity or scarcity - this is the cause of great joy and pride in a coin collector. The general rule is, the more rare a coin, the higher its value. There are some coin collectors that continue to be misled by what rarity or scarcity means. The age of a coin or when it was minted and distributed have nothing to do with its rarity or scarcity. If there are only a few, maybe even just one or two, coins around like the one you have in your hands (today, not during the period of its circulation), then your coin is no doubt rare or scarce and definitely priceless.

Coin collecting was started only as a hobby for most people, however you can hear what other people say (or you probably have heard yourself) about news of people cashing in on their old coin; and that encouraged more people to go on a coin-collecting streak. If you are one of those people who want to invest in coins, here are several places to start your collection.

Coin Shops:
Many shop owners are dealers that know a lot of information about coins and are selling coins too. These coin shops are a valuable place to find and gain more information about coins and coin collecting. These coin shops can be costly, though, as they are anticipating selling their coins for a profit. With enough knowledge and/or having someone who know a great deal about coin collecting at your side, you can get great prices for your coins.

Coin Shows:
There are times when your local mall will have an exhibit from several coin dealers and that will let you see all of the collections and allow you to buy some coins for a lower price due to the competition. You will probably also see several new coins that are available and suitable for your collection.

These coins shows are great not only for sellers and buyers but also for coin enthusiasts who want to see rare and hard to find coins.

Coin collecting has been known to already exist for thousands of years; however it wasn't until the Fifth century when the ancient Greeks started to hire artists to depict the figures, emblems and faces of gods, goddesses and heroes on their coins. Emperor Alexander the Great was noted as starting the trend of using realistic designs on the coins, apart from utilizing idealistic representations or abstract symbols.

The famed Italian poet and scholar Francesco Petrarca, who was also called the 'the father of the renaissance, was among the most famed of coin enthusiasts who helped heighten awareness on the hobby of coin collecting, and have made it a unique and artistic endeavor as well. Kings, members of royalty, and even the popes of the Roman Catholic Church became avid coin collectors. It was noted that emperors and other notable social figures paid a premium price for coins that were rare, or were no longer in circulation. Notable figures of royalty who were avid coin collectors included Henry IV and King Louis XIV of France, as well as Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg, who founded the Berlin coin cabinet.