Although there are endless topics for collecting, some of them are more popular than others. One such popular choice is collecting euro coins. But why collect them? The SAFE blog shares the reasons why collecting euro coins is not just good, but an ideal and achievable choice for everyone, according to coin enthusiast Rein Luup.
- When starting to collect coins, it’s important to first decide on the goal. It’s possible to collect a smaller collection of around 643 coins, including commemorative coins (as of Dec 2019). And it’s possible to collect a larger collection of around 3,838 coins (the numbers are approximate because the number of coins is constantly increasing).
- Euro countries also release coins with higher values than 2 euros, such as Slovenia’s 3-euro coins, Finland’s 5-euro coins, and so on. It’s also possible to add all sorts of “defective” coins to your collection. For example, there are quite a few of them. In Italy, a second image accidentally ended up on the reverse side of one-cent coins, which exceeded their face value by thousands of times. Instead of the Castel del Monte octagonal medieval castle in southern Italy, the image of the Mole Antonelliana synagogue towering in Turin, northern Italy, was minted on the coin. Actually, this monument’s image was intended for the reverse side of the two-cent coin.
- Although defective coins were discovered almost immediately and most of them were destroyed, about a hundred coins still entered circulation, and the price of one coin has now risen to a whopping 6,600 euros !!!! So it’s advisable to keep your eyes open when shopping and check the coins you receive. There are hundreds of such “defective” coins, and their value in the numismatics world is very high. Finland’s 2006 2-euro coin is constantly being studied – what is the “formula coin”?
- Expensive commemorative coins are also highly sought after by collectors. Every euro coin collector dreams of owning Monaco’s 2007 commemorative coin (Grace Kelly), which can be worth up to 3,500 euros. Likewise, every collector desires the Vatican’s 2005 “Sede Vacante” coins in their collection, which can be obtained for around 500-600 euros per set. When you consider that the nominal value of these eight coins is 3.88 euros, the difference is still very significant.
- Starting to collect euro coins for a large collection, you’ll soon discover that you can’t fill your collection with coins currently in circulation and you’ll need to spend a lot more. The total value is around 15,000-20,000 euros if you buy all the coins together (the base coins by year, which are also new-[UNC]).
- But believe it or not, collecting coins is much more exciting and time-consuming than just buying them all at once. It’s enjoyable to collect coins while shopping, looking through friends’ wallets (in a legal way, of course), and even keeping an eye on the ground as you walk on the street. For a true numismatist, every new coin added to the collection is a great joy.
I recommend everyone to get coin albums because they make it easier to protect coins, store coins and are also fun to show to friends. Albums often include pictures of the coins, which makes it easier to place the received coins in them.
You can find more information about Rein and his activities HERE.
