The art of coin collecting, With Ben Williams.

Hello Ben, could you give yourself an introduction.

Hi Alex, I’m Ben Williams I’ve collected coins for over 7 years now. It’s a great hobby to have and I’m very passionate about it.

 

So, what is coin collect?

So, coin collecting is where someone searches their spare change for coins with special designs on it which are not as common as the normal ones. They then put them aside and don’t spend them, usually putting them in a folder, album, tin, or box. Over the years it has become progressively harder to find these coins in your change, this is partly because more and more people have taken up this hobby, taking them out of circulation.

 

So how would I start collection.

For a start I would lookup on the internet what type of coins there are out there and the best ways of finding them. When I first started, I got a kick start from my grandma who had been collecting for over 60 years. She gave me some the coins that she had duplicates of and that got me really inspired to go find more. A great way to find coins is to go to your local bank and ask if you change a certain amount of money into 50 pence pieces or 2-pound coins. When you get the bag full, you are likely to find one or two special coins. When you open the bags, it is exciting at the prospect of finding these special, rare coins.

 

Which coins mean the most to you and why?

For me my most memorable coins in my collection are a golden sovereign which I found in a bag of other common coins, such as old deutschmarks and francs which was in a draw of an old chest of draws in my shed. When I found it, I knew that it was different and special. When I did some research on the internet, I found that it was worth around three hundred and fifty pounds! I was delighted and this is one of the amazing and wonderful things that can happen to you in this hobby. One of my other coins that means a lot to me is a roman coin from around 400 AD. This was donated to me by an old man down the road who had been collecting also for around 40 years. He showed me his collection and said that it was lovely to have a young person collecting as well, and as a recognition to carry on he gave me the coin!

 

Could you sum up the hobby in once sentence.

An incredible hobby that anyone of any age and ability can partake in.