How to invest money in coins

The stock market is falling, the ruble is getting cheaper, interest on deposits hardly falls short of inflation. And we all begin to think about other ways to save and increase our savings. “RG” found out that in our turbulent times, it turns out, you can combine business with pleasure: to collect old coins and receive income from it. Here, the dollar is successfully replaced by an old penny, drachma or Sevsky Czech.
With all the apparent closeness of this business is very democratic. In contrast, say, from the market of painting. You can start with ten thousand rubles in your pocket. But you need to be prepared that, like in any new business, two or three years will only have to be invested. To then become the owner of the collection of an average hand, start earning.
And finally, turn into a wealthy collector. Whose “capital” can fit into one album, but the cost of these fifty coins will be comparable to an ordinary collection of tens of thousands of items.
Numismatics now is not the bottom of the gold, as in the good old nineties. But it is always profitable to invest in antiques, simply because there are no more good antiques. The main thing is to firmly follow several rules. Pavel Yermolov, a numismatist and senior researcher at the Tsaritsyno Museum, told the RG correspondent about them.
First board
You need to start small and simple to gain experience and knowledge. With your eyes closed in the numismatic market, you cannot buy anything. Start with relatively “light” and “understandable” newcomer coins from the times of the Russian Empire or the USSR.
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National coins in “their” country have a significantly greater value than outside. Russian coins are relatively more valuable in Russia, German coins in Germany and so on. On the other hand, the more knowledge this or that section of numismatics requires, the fewer collectors are interested in it. So, the harder it is to sell a coin. Therefore, for example, ancient Arabic-speaking coins, even rare ones, can cost Russia relatively cheaply, close to the cost of the precious metal from which they were minted.
Having chosen a specialization, study history, look at the catalogs, look at the coins. Communicate with coin collectors and get reliable dealer-consultants. It is desirable – not knowing each other. The world of numismatists is not so big, and you will very soon understand which of the dealers is “fuflogon” and “tears up a client”, and who is trustworthy.
You can understand this, for example, by comparing reviews of the same coin from different specialists. The risk of running into an unscrupulous dealer is quite large, because the market is still sustained in gray and black tones. This is the legacy of the Soviet Union, where numismatics as a science developed rapidly, but the market was underground, and for its collection, the numismatist could easily go to jail.
Second tip
Beware of fakes. There are many of them in the numismatic market. And the more expensive the thing, the more likely it is a fake. It is also bad that, unfortunately, in our country, the laws do not protect collectors.
The expert can determine the authenticity of the coin, but its services are expensive because they require vast experience. Only after examining several thousand items, the collector begins to identify coins, “falling out” of the usual series. Not necessarily fakes, but also barbaric imitations, products of rare mints, etc. You need to look at the coins live, turning in your hands.
3 kopecks from the time of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible. The middle of the XVI century. The cost of 100 rubles. Photo: Archive “RG”
It is necessary to understand the difference in the technology of production of coins in different centuries and in different countries. For example, a South German or Austrian coin of the 17th century must be rolled, and because of this, all these coins are slightly elongated and curved. If you see a cast old Russian money, then it is a fake, because in Russia money was made from wire. It was cut into equal pieces, rolled, and then an image was applied with a hammer.
Many ordinary people believe that if the coin is old and it is in excellent quality, then this is necessarily a fake. There is no connection, however, here, says Pavel Yermolov. A coin can be “killed”, erased, and at the same time fake. Usually, these are made by “tourist” coins, which gullible tourists willingly buy or “find” with metal detectors at the excavation site. It is enough just to dump a handful of coins into a concrete mixer, at the output we get an “old” coin.
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So do not chase the “freebie.” Of course, a rarity bought for nothing is a favorite topic of talk among collectors and the hidden dream of every collector of rare books. However, for such a purchase you need to have knowledge, experience and insight. Often, novice numismatist becomes a victim of his own greed, which skillfully plays sellers of fakes. And then, instead of a rarity, a heated collector is left with no unnecessary fake, for which he has laid out even a third of the price of a genuine coin.