When people think about collecting coins, they usually only think with collecting American coins. I mean that makes sense right? Live in the USA and collect USA coins right? When people get into coin collecting though often times the thought of collecting foreign coins comes into play. Then people start wondering and asking questions about whether or not they should collect European or Asian or African coins and others too. Different thoughts and ideas are had about this, and ultimately people just wonder over and over again if they should be in the foreign coin business too.

What are the key differences between American coins and foreign coins? What sets the two apart, and what differences dictate what collectors should do? There are a few key differences that should be noted.

Why American Coins are Unique

First all, the initial argument as to only collecting American coins states in this article is that American coins are minted in English. This is one, key factor that sets American coins apart from other coins. With American coins, you can easily read what is minted on the coin, and there are no doubts or confusions about what you are collecting. Also, the value of American coins being collected and traded within the U.S. tends to carry more value coin to coin than foreign coins do. Something about that initial, difficulty in understanding the words printed on the faces of the coin itself make some Americans leery of buying them. While translation is an easy option, there is still the factor of just how easy it is to buy a coin without even having to think about it when you can easily read what the coin says.

American coins are simply easier to get in the United States, which makes it easier to find good deals and to find exactly what you’re looking for as far as what you want and what you want to pay goes. One thing that sets American coins apart is that, realistically, there are only a few hundred different types of coins that the U.S. mint has produced, even taking into account the commemoratives, the proofs, business strikes, and bullion. (Of course, when all of the different years of coins are taken into account, that number increases extravagantly. But as for types of coins, there aren’t thousands upon thousands of different types of coins that have been produced by the U.S. Mint). People can get overwhelmed pretty quickly when looking at foreign coins, as when you look outside of the U.S. there are indeed thousands of different types of coins made and available. American coins are a great selection because they are simple, easy to pick from, and are instantly understandable.

American coins almost always have something to do with the history or culture of the United States. The coins honor an individual who played a significant role in the country, usually presidents. The coins stand for something, and the sentimental and historic significance of the coin sets them apart from foreign coins. While foreign coins might have significance to the people in those countries that they hail from, we generally don’t get the message over here in the States.

These are just three of the things that set American coins apart, and make them special for all of us. Furthermore, as mentioned in this article, American coins are simply more attainable. The number is something along the lines of that there are about a good several dozen if not over a hundred coin dealers in the U.S. that specialize in American coins for every one coin dealer in the U.S. that specializes in foreign currency. Nine times out of ten, most coin collectors tend to go with American coins as these are the easy choice for the above reasons and then some. With American coins, veteran numismatics and novice coin collectors alike can get a lot of enjoyment out of these beautiful pieces of American history.