Many countries around Europe have now surrendered their original currency to be replaced with the Euro. A change of currency in any country always causes something of a stir in the numismatic world and the widespread introduction of the Euro will be no exception. Because recent currency has now been formally taken out of circulation this will inevitably see numerous collectors begin to concentrate on obtaining as many of these obsolete coins as possible in order to start a collection that will appreciate in value in the future. How long it will be before the value of these coins increases nobody can really say for certain, but it will happen and by collecting the coins now it means you will have both a historical collection and a very sound investment.
European collectors
European coins are comparatively cheap against American coins because the Europeans on the whole don't collect coins. They shy away from treating a coin collection as an investment and treat them almost solely as a work of art. While in many cases this is certainly true, collecting for beauty and investing for value do not have to be two mutually exclusive events.
As more and more people enter the coin collecting market in the USA it is seemingly apparent that collectors will turn to non-US coins in order to build or start their collections. Because investors are only interested in coins that are of the highest quality there are few remaining high quality American coins that haven't already been bought up by collectors or investors. Conversely there are more and more investors seeking to purchase these high quality coins and unless the demand is met the prices of the few remaining coins will rocket astronomically making them less affordable. Of course, this will favor the collector who has already got them but not those on the look out for a new investment.
Beginning a collection of European coins
The Euro has been adopted in most of the major European countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands and even Ireland (but not mainland Great Britain) making pre Euro coins from these countries the most obvious place to start an affordable collection. Because the Euro is still relatively new, modern coins from these countries are available making it much more likely that you would be able to get hold of coins in an excellent condition that will make a superb investment.
Slabbing
The latest trend in coin collecting is slabbing coins, which means that a coin is encased in hardened plastic to protect it from any further wear and tear. Almost all of the usable (from a collectors or investors point of view, not for spending) American coins that are in pristine condition have been slabbed so attention will turn to other countries soon.
The future historical value of European coins
The Euro was used for trading by the European Union long before it was introduced as a unit of currency in these countries and eventually, it is very likely that early examples of these new European coins will also be very collectible and sought after coins. Their numismatic value and their financial value will continue to increase with each passing year.
Future investments
Looking ahead is one of the keys to profitable investing and buying a coin that has little or no value now may well pay dividends in 10, 20 or more years. Get in on the act while you can, visit European coin fairs and try to get hold of as many that are in exceptional condition as possible because soon enough the trend will move from American coins to European coins and the increase in popularity will undoubtedly bring a similar increase in price. By collecting now you can not only beat this but take advantage of it as well.
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